Unfinished business: Griffons baseball preview

The Nevada Griffons has only a handful more days until heir opening day on June 1st next Wednesday evening starting at 7 p.m. when they play against the Sedalia Bombers from Sedalia, Mo. But with a new season, comes a new coach with new plans. Here is the new Head Coach for the Nevada Griffons, Mike Albin, with his backstory and plans for the future.

Mike Albin, who was most recently the Assistant Coach for the Kansas Christian University's baseball team, was announced as the new Head Coach for the Nevada Griffons in November of last year. When asked how he was introduced to baseball, Albin's story was just like most of us. “My mother was a baseball fan,” said Albin. “We were Cardinal fans from the Kansas City area, so the Cardinals and Royals were our thing. I was 10 when I was introduced to travel club baseball. I played catcher most of the time and they figured out I can pitch a little bit so I became a pitcher. I played high school baseball and Emporia State University which was ultimately shortly after I injured my rotator and also had Tommy John.”

Talking about how Albin got into coaching, he showed how passionate he was about the sport of baseball. “For me, baseball was the only thing I realized that kept me sane. It was everything to me. When spring would come around, I would shift my focus. I had been an assistant coach for high school for a while back after I graduated. That job started me to open up my own academy. I opened up Bottom of the Ninth Baseball Academy in 2010. COVID-19 came and pretty much nobody wanted to be indoors and we closed. In 2019, I made a transition and got a job with the Puerto Rican Instruction League. Last year I was at the Derby Twins in the Sunflower Collegiate. Then I coached at Kansas Christian College, and now here in Nevada.”

Talking about the Nevada Griffons, Albin said he didn’t know what the story was about the team. “I didn't know who they were. I knew what the St. Joe Mustangs were and what the MINK League was. I hadn't really heard too much about the Griffons. A friend of mine with the ABCA said, ‘Hey, maybe you should look into this. They were local, only an hour from Kansas City, and researched what they did when they brought them to town, and what players played here.”

But Albin quickly caught up and was already looking for kids who had talent. “I had done a good job learning about what they can do,” quoted Albin. “I've seen a lot of videos, specifically based on the coaches that I meet at programs, and they pretty much went that route. We're bringing a few in from the college that I coach. Sandman Warren is probably going to be the best player in the league in my opinion. He is a catcher and will be our starting pitcher. Some Division One universities are looking at him. He's probably going to be our best player. Our assistant Coach is Aaron Hassel, who was here last year. He is currently looking at another player to play for us who is in the NCAA College Baseball world series right now.”

Albin’s plan is simple, starting with a new attitude from the Griffons. “I think that a new attitude is certainly coming in. We have done better in recruiting for sure. We don't have a single NAIA or lower level player coming into play for us, mainly JUCO and D1 kids. We will have primarily to go with the one guys coming in to play or position players. Pitching we found wherever we can find but as far as our position players that are all the guys that are coming into play. As far west as Pepperdine and UC Davis, to as east as Little Rock, Ark. Primarily the baseball climate states is what we chose and we did a fairly good job of bringing players in.”

Finally, when talking about his goals for the season, he made it very clear on what he expects. “Everybody plays for the championship. so that's kind of your goal. In my mind a successful season is 28 wins, win our division, and go to the playoffs. I was there last year and had a bad taste in my mouth, so I want to go back. Anything less than that in my mind is business unfinished. The rest of it will take care of itself. But I think our ultimate goal for this first year in the league is to change the mind set, change the recruiting, and make MINK League back to a prominent league in the Midwest.”