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The Lancers’ baseball program begins their rebuilding process with the hiring of head coach Patrick McGee, a former assistant coach at Mount San Antonio College who hopes to turn around the struggling Lancers in his first head-coaching gig.

McGee, the program’s 11th coach in its history, pointed out that the team needed to establish a new identity. It was imperative to weed out players who did not want to buy into what coaches asked of them, whether it be a tweak in their batting stance, or showing up to a team fundraiser.

“The atmosphere this year under coach McGee is a lot better compared to last year,” said sophomore pitcher Zach Britt. “He is a very good coach who cares a lot about his players and pushes us to our limits to become not only better ball players but people in general.”

There was a noticeably different vibe during practice in comparison to previous years. Players were eagerly working on ground balls and short hops before practice was underway, using any opportunity they had to improve their skills or fundamentals. In the past, it was rare to even see players arrive on time.

Consecutive 30-loss seasons are not very appealing to incoming recruits. However, it seems that coach McGee’s reputation has already started attracting talent that would have otherwise ignored PCC. Sophomore second baseman Robert Mier is a transfer student from Mt. SAC, where McGee was his infield coach.

“I liked his philosophy,” said Mier. “I followed him over here, and I’m ready to play hard for him.”

Disciplinary issues such as academic ineligibility have plagued the Lancers in the past. That is not the case under McGee’s watch, as he proudly reported that none of his players are ineligible this season.

“Everyone is passionate about their development,” McGee said. “They have a passion to continue their careers as students and players.”

The Lancers begin their season at Oxnard College on January 27th as they look to get their season off to a positive start for a change.

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