Photography | Mark McCoy

            Verdugo, 33, has served as head baseball coach of Hamline University in St. Paul, Minn., since 2002, leading the Pipers to a 100-96 overall record. Verdugo owns the three highest win totals for a season by a coach in Hamline baseball history, posting 26 wins in 2006, 22 wins in 2007, and 21 wins in 2003. His teams have tied or broken 20 school records, and his players have received 20 academic All-Conference, two All-American, four All-Region and ten All-MIAC first team citations. Verdugo's teams have beaten eight nationally ranked opponents.

            Verdugo has also served as the pitching coach for the St. Paul Saints of the American Association since the 2005 season. The Saints have won their division all three years Jason has been there, posting a 166-121 record.”

 
My slight affinity of sports comes from my trying to find a common ground with my husband who watches SportsCenter at night and then again in the morning – he craves sports just that much, and has yet to realize that no one plays in the middle of the night.  I’ll admit, when I moved to town, I fell into the Colts mania, but unless we are talking kickball or wiffleball, I’m kinda lost. I do know Ghostman was always the best player on the team – he was never tagged out!

            I’m also an Otters fan, but again I’ll admit: I always thought baseball only consisted of hitting the ball, running bases, and tagging out with the occasional homerun. I was in it for the atmosphere. God, I love the hot dogs, the roar of the crowd, the tight pants, the beer… but, there is so much more to baseball than the aforementioned. When I walked in to interview the Otters’ new manager, Jason Verdugo, I had no idea what to ask him but after speaking with the former pro player, I’m understanding the game more and more. His passions translate into a universal language of America’s game – whether it be Frontier League, Minor League, the Majors or even a friendly game in the backyard of any given family, in any given neighborhood, on any given summer evening – where Ghostmas reins supreme as the legendary “best player ever.”          

N4U: Tell me about your background.

JV: I grew up in Tucson, Arizona. I went to Arizona State and then pitched professionally with the Giants for four years. It was a great experience and opportunity and really one of the better times in my life.

What is your office title and duties with the Otters?

I’m the manager which means I manage the day-to-day aspects of the game. I decide who plays where. I put together the team, but that means I’ve had to cut some players too and I really hate that because I feel like I’m taking away their dream. I’m really optimistic about the team this year though, but I feel like I am only as good as the people around me. This year we have three veterans, seven 1-year players and 12 rookies, so it will be fun juggling the players.

Who are some of your star players?

Isaac Omura from the Oaklyn A’s and Jose Pineda hit 20 home runs in California. These guys are from all over the country.

How do you find the guys?

We get a list of the players the Majors release and then the bidding wars start. We have to convince them why they should come play for us.

Where is your family?

Well, I’ll only be here for the season but my family stayed home. I have a 7-year-old son who I miss and my wife too who is busy with all her projects. She is completing her thesis.

Who are some of your favorite players [thinking he might make this easy on me by saying “Babe Ruth” or “Mickey Mantle” ha! – Yep, I had to do some Googling…]

The guys I’ve had the pleasure of playing with in the past; Yorvit Torrealba, the Colorado Rockies’ Catcher and Joe Nathan of the Twins. I really follow them.

Did you know what you wanted to be when you grew up?

I admire Derik Jeter because he knew at 18 what he wanted to be. I fulfilled my goals – and that was I wanted to go to AZ State and play football and baseball. My dream never faded and though it was extremely hard academically and physically, I finished school in 3 ½ years with a degree in History. I was drafted as a junior but I wanted the satisfaction of walking with a diploma and playing two sports. I was lucky enough to be drafted again the next year and got a hefty signing bonus.

Did that extra year help you?

Well, when you are that age and you have all these adults telling you what to do, you question yourself. I felt the maturity that extra year gave me opened up so many doors for me. I couldn’t do this job without the academics and experiences I got from that year.

How do you describe yourself as a manager?

I’m a thick skinned, smart a$$. We might lose one night and read all about it in the paper but you have to get past it to have success the next night. Sometimes you need that malice as motivation.

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Visit page 45 of our magazine  for a $1 off admission to any Otters game and www.evansvilleotters.com for a complete listing of players, staff, stats, schedules and more!