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Coaches Corner with Alex Guerra of James Madison University

February 3, 2016

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By Jerry Shank
Maryland Scouting Director

Coaches corner highlights colleges and universities around the region and gives an opportunity for prospective student athletes to learn more about the program, coaching staff, and school.

Coach
Alex Guerra
James Madison University
Assistant Coach / Recruiting Coordiantor

Coaching Career
JMU Fall 2015 – Present
Radford University 2013 – 2015
University of Central Florida 2011 – 2013   

Playing Career
Radford University 2009 – 2011
Greensboro College 2007 – 2009

Please give a little background on the JMU baseball program.
+ James Madison is a program with rich baseball tradition. In 1983 we were the first program in the state of Virginia to go to the College World Series. JMU has won eight conference championships and have produced 90 professional baseball players, of which eight have made it to Major League Baseball.

What is unique to the program that the coaching staff and team take great pride in?
+ Coach (Marlin) Ikenberry has done a tremendous job of instilling great work habits and routines into our players. As a staff, we are about the process and doing things the right way every day. It is important for our guys to play hard, play fast, play with energy and always compete.

What do you look for in potential players?
+ Obviously, we want players that can help us win championships! There are many factors that go into looking for a potential student athlete. The first and most important factor is their academics. JMU is an outstanding academic university. We do not want to worry about our players grades. It is important that they take care of business in the classroom so they can enjoy the experience of being a DI baseball player. The second factor would be a player’s character. As a staff, we talk to every coach that a potential student athlete has played for. We value and trust their opinions. If we do not feel a player would be a good fit in our program NO MATTER HOW TALENTED THEY ARE, we will not make them apart of JMU! The third factor would be their ability. Recruiting is the lifeblood of every athletic program and it is important that we identify some of the best players in the Mid-Atlantic region.

Are there any immediate “Red Flags” when recruiting players?
+ The biggest Red Flag in the recruiting process is a PSA's character. Coach Ikenberry has established such a great atmosphere and culture in his short time as head coach at JMU. It is extremely important that we continue to recruit kids that we believe would be a great representative of JMU! We may lose a PSA to another school and he may beat us once a year. However, it would be a lot worse if he was beating us every day in our own program because of the type of person he is!

Any interesting facts or stories about the program?
+ The most recent story is our new coaching staff. Coach Ikenberry was named head coach this past summer. He spent the previous 11 years as the head coach at VMI where he is the all-time winningest coach in VMI history. As I stated earlier, Coach Ikenberry has done a great job of establishing a great culture for our players, coaching staff, and support staff. The future is very bright with him as our leader! Coach (Jimmy) Jackson is our pitching coach. Prior to JMU, Coach Jackson spent four seasons as the pitching coach and recruiting coordinator at Fordham, putting together some of the Atlantic 10’s best pitching staffs along the way. Before going to Fordham, he started his college coaching career at Siena University. Coach Jackson spent three years at Siena, the last two as the pitching coach and recruiting coordinator. The pitching staff led the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference in ERA in his first season as pitching coach and finished second in the conference the following year. Coach (Daniel) Bowman is our volunteer assistant. Coach Bowman and I coach the hitters together. Last year he spent the spring as an assistant at East Tennessee State University. Coach Bowman had an outstanding career at Coastal Carolina where he was one of the best players in school and conference history. He then went on to play professionally with the Arizona Diamondbacks.

Are there any base numbers you are looking for on the academic side?
+ I think it goes way beyond just a specific number. Especially if a PSA's grades are borderline. For example a PSA could have great test scores and a low GPA or vice versa. Our admissions department analyzes all aspects of a PSA's transcript. We look at their test scores, GPA, classes missed, what classes they are taking. We talk to guidance counselors to make sure they are doing the right thing in the classroom.

Have any players gone on to play professionally from the program? If so, how many? 
+ JMU has had a great track record of producing 90 professional baseball players, of which eight have made it to Major League Baseball. There is no question that number will continue to get higher for a long time!

Do you have any advice for prospective student athletes as they go through the recruiting process?
+ The best advice I could give a PSA is to make sure they are researching the BEST FIT for HIM! The decision to attend a college is a life changing decision. Due to how fast recruiting is, a lot of times we see kids making decision's based on pressure from many different avenues. Before deciding on where to go to school a PSA needs to answer questions that only he can decide. Location? Size of School? Conference? Division? Close to home? Coaching Staff? Facilities? Campus Life? Major? Sometimes the early and rushed choice is not always the best choice. Make sure you research and spend time getting to know the people and place you are going to be spending the best four years of your life!

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