With just a few months under his belt, the newly acquired Florida A&M baseball coach, Willie Brown, is ready to get his team on track and bring the Rattler nation a Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference title.
“I am just excited. Yesterday was my first day of really getting to teach, and see what I have to work with,” Brown said. “I almost got chills putting on a Florida A&M University uniform again. It was just so surreal.”
After months of searching for a new coach, Athletic Director Derek Horne announced that Brown would become the next coach of the Rattler baseball team.
Brown resigned as Maclay High School’s baseball coach at the end of last season. He coached ten years the Maruders, four years as the team’s head coach.
Brown attended FAMU, and was a star player from 1989 to 1992. Brown led the Rattlers in home runs with seven his sophomore year in just 27 games and five his junior season. He also led in total at bats with 169, as well as total hits, with 48 in 48 games.
The Florida Marlins then drafted him as a junior. He spent four years in the minor leagues.
“Since I have been back there is a lot about FAMU that is the same, and then there is a lot of changes,” Brown said. “I got a lot of support from the administrative, making the transition so much easier.”
The team is coming off a 17-39 season, under the leadership of interim coach Brett Richardson, who coached the team for the 2010-2011 season.
“I am the kind of coach that will go out there and show you how to do it. I want the players to try and out work me. They can’t do it, but I want them to try,” Brown said.
“I had the chance to see the players that are going to do some great things for me, like Heath Blackburn. I know he is going to pitch a lot for us,” Brown said. “Justin Ame is going to be in the middle of the line-up knocking in runs, and I can just go down the list. “
Brown is looking forward to rebuilding the Rattler baseball team. He has one overall goal for his developing baseball team.
“As far as this upcoming season, we should have one goal, and that’s to win the MEAC title,” Brown said.”We look to dethrone Bethune-Cookman. That’s our goal.”
As fair as recruiting, Brown hopes to lean heavily on friends, alumni and members of the former coaching staff.
“I am hoping to recruit locally. There is a lot of talent right around here in the Tallahassee Big Bend area,” coach said. “I just want the best players available. Players that want to play at Florida A&M University, that is most important.”