Roth Report
Pete Hughes took over the reigns of the Virginia Tech baseball program in the summer of 2006, following the retirement of Hall of Fame coach Chuck Hartman after 28 years at Tech and 47 years as a head coach. Hughes has earned a reputation for producing results on the field and in the classroom during his 11 years as a head coach on the collegiate level, and just over one year into his Blacksburg tenure, that reputation is proving to be true. The Hokies not only improved their record in 2007, but they also showed a noted increase in team grade point average. Now with a talented group of newcomers in the fold, Hughes aims to take that progress to an even higher level.
Pete Hughes On ...
Coaching Philosophy
"My goal is to never get out-competed or out-worked, and to be very aggressive and force the action no matter where we are playing or who we are playing. That's been my style, that's been my MO, and I think kids who have bought into that mindset have reached their potential and then some." Academics
"As far as evaluating our program from top to bottom, academic performance will always be at the top of my list. We are going to overachieve in the classroom. Without a doubt, performance and effort in the classroom correlates to performance and effort on the baseball field." Graduating Players
"That's my job. I have a huge responsibility to do that. The only kids I want to coach are kids who are motivated to graduate and are motivated academically. I don't want to coach anybody who has different ideals than that." Conditioning
"Strength and conditioning is the quickest way for us to have success. It has already started in our program and our kids are already seeing added benefits from what we do strength and conditioning-wise and from the emphasis our staff places on it." Community Involvement
"I think it's important for kids at this stage to get out of their comfort zone ... to get out and do more than what they are doing in their regular academic and baseball lives. Doing things other than athletic related activities together is healthy for the team and healthy for the individuals. My family and I have raised over $250,000 for cancer research over the years. There are bigger things out there other than college athletics - and our players need to know that." Summer Baseball
"Summer baseball is a priority for us. We will always work to get our kids placed in the best leagues in the country so they can develop and become better players. Our guys who want to reach their potential in baseball are going to play summer baseball at the highest levels." The Right Kid
"I just love high energy, competitive kids who care about being good students and good people. When you find that, then you've got something to work with ... then you look to see if they can play."
"My goal is to never get out-competed or out-worked, and to be very aggressive and force the action no matter where we are playing or who we are playing. That's been my style, that's been my MO, and I think kids who have bought into that mindset have reached their potential and then some." Academics
"As far as evaluating our program from top to bottom, academic performance will always be at the top of my list. We are going to overachieve in the classroom. Without a doubt, performance and effort in the classroom correlates to performance and effort on the baseball field." Graduating Players
"That's my job. I have a huge responsibility to do that. The only kids I want to coach are kids who are motivated to graduate and are motivated academically. I don't want to coach anybody who has different ideals than that." Conditioning
"Strength and conditioning is the quickest way for us to have success. It has already started in our program and our kids are already seeing added benefits from what we do strength and conditioning-wise and from the emphasis our staff places on it." Community Involvement
"I think it's important for kids at this stage to get out of their comfort zone ... to get out and do more than what they are doing in their regular academic and baseball lives. Doing things other than athletic related activities together is healthy for the team and healthy for the individuals. My family and I have raised over $250,000 for cancer research over the years. There are bigger things out there other than college athletics - and our players need to know that." Summer Baseball
"Summer baseball is a priority for us. We will always work to get our kids placed in the best leagues in the country so they can develop and become better players. Our guys who want to reach their potential in baseball are going to play summer baseball at the highest levels." The Right Kid
"I just love high energy, competitive kids who care about being good students and good people. When you find that, then you've got something to work with ... then you look to see if they can play."
