A new era is upon UCR baseball.
After finishing the season 15-37 overall and 10-20 in Big West play, while hitting .236 as a team and posting an 8.43 ERA, it was time for the Highlanders to rebuild from the ground up.
UCR needed more than a quick fix. It needed a reason to believe it could climb out of the hole.
Enter Gregg Willis, the new head coach of the Highlanders, who's hoping to lead UCR to its first winning season since 2010 by changing the culture of the team.
Just the kind of reset the program desperately needs.
From the get-go, Willis wants to establish a culture where the players believe they are winners.
He wants his players to believe they can be contenders in the Big West. He wants his pitching staff to attack the strike zone, his offense to put the ball in play and the defense to play impeccably behind the pitchers.
If UCR baseball grasps on to his philosophy, the wins will take care of themselves, Willis said.
It's the kind of mentality that builds programs, rather than salvaging a season. If Willis can convince his players they belong among the Big West's contenders, UCR's rebuild will have a foundation for more than the season ahead.
After spending 13 seasons with Grand Canyon University, the last four at the helm of the baseball program, Willis understands that winning baseball needs to rely on the fundamentals of baserunning, pitching, fielding and hitting.
These ideas aren't just taught — a true leader allows his players to understand his passion for each lesson. That's why Willis took the time to speak to the entire team, as a whole and individually to each player.
Even before any pitch had been thrown, Willis immediately jumped on Zoom calls with the whole team, set up individual meetings with the players and called the returning students. He showed his passion. He demonstrated what leadership looks like. He established the culture even before any drills.
"Building relationships with them where we can get to work on the field and they understand that I care about them and that we're all in this together," he said. "I'm going to be a coach that wraps my arms around the current group of returners and is just excited to get to work with them."
It's the kind of patience a program that hasn't had a winning season since the Obama administration desperately needs.
But his philosophy isn't about the season ahead of him. It's about the future. As the program grows, Willis wants to take advantage of the talent within the baseball hotbed of Southern California.
Having the opportunity to scout from high schools and travel ball teams from around the area was one of the selling points for him to sign on as manager of the Highlanders.
It's not just about the season ahead — it's about setting up the future. It's about setting up a philosophy that can be interchangeable with any group of ball players.
But success isn't just built on fundamentals. Willis understands it's more than just baseball. In order for his team to be successful on the field, he needs to remind them of the joy of the game. He wants his players to come to the yard ready to have fun.
Whether it's doing drills before a game, playing a game or dealing with the grueling travel of the season, he wants his team to have fun.
"We're gonna play hard, hopefully win a lot of baseball games, but [my hope is] that everyone has a great experience doing it."
Sure, building a bedrock of joy and belief won't erase the amount of losing the program has endured. But if Willis is able to build a culture based on accountability, relationships and fundamentals, UCR will have something it hasn't had in years — a reason to believe the future can be different.
