James Hagan
Published: February 4 2004
In an increasingly competitive junior college athletic environment, coaches now have to go that extra mile in recruiting players to come to their institutions.
For PJC Baseball Coach Bill Hamilton and his coaches that means recruiting may just be the most important aspect of their job.
PJC plays in the Panhandle Conference, which Hamilton calls the toughest conference in the country at the junior college level.
It’s going to be very competitive,” he said. “This year, the top teams have come down a little, but the bottom teams have risen. I was told that North Florida might have the best pitching staff in the conference. Chipola plays balls to the wall. Tallahassee has a great pull, playing right there by FSU. Gulf Coast and Panama City are long-time powers and Okaloosa Walton has a minor league stadium.”
For those reasons, recruiting is a year-round effort for the baseball coaches.
“It’s a lot of time and a lot of nights on the road,” he said.
Because the conference is so tough, the coaches have to work extra hard at recruiting.
In many cases the school in the Panhandle Conference compete against each other for the same recruit.
When that happens, it comes down to who has a better pitch. Oftentimes the other schools have more to offer athletes, such as better facilities, more scholarships or a more ideal location.
“We can’t compete with a Panama City as a place to live, and Tallahassee plays right there by FSU (Florida State University). one of the best programs in the country. So we have to offer other things.”
Hamilton cited a tradition of winning, academic excellence and location as a draw for recruits.
Hamilton also credited the climate and the ability to play baseball year-round as a reason some highly-regarded players come to PJC.