New Viterbo University baseball coach Larry Lipker could have been more concerned about settling into his new apartment, but he wasn't.
Instead, Lipker was eager to drive to Lewiston, Minn., and spend some time at Andy Kreidermacher's home. Kreidermacher - a pitcher and recent graduate of Lewiston-Altura High School - had committed to playing for Viterbo in May, but was having second thoughts.
Even though Lipker hasn't been on the job long, he's very comfortable in his new surroundings. His goal is to make Kreidermacher and the rest of the V-Hawks feel the same way.
"Besides playing the game and making the decisions, one of my favorite parts of the game is recruiting and trying to make the sale," said Lipker, who was hired on June 28. "That was the big thing that drove me back to college coaching after I had been coaching at the high school level.
"I really like dealing with the players. I put more emphasis on recruiting than anything else," Lipker said. "You've got to have the right players from the get-go. If you don't, things are going to be rough."
Lipker relished sitting down with high school players and selling them on the virtues of attending NCAA Division I Morehead (Ky.) State University, where he served as an assistant coach for five years. Now, the 30-year-old Lipker is ready to do the same at Viterbo.
People are also reading…
If you ask Lipker - who has become a head coach at the collegiate level for the first time - it will be an easy sell.
"I don't look at this as a big-school, small-school issue. This was just a wonderful opportunity for me to become a head coach," said Lipker, who takes over for Dale Varsho. "I'm happy to be back in this type of environment; I like everything it stands for. Viterbo is a great institution and has a great baseball program."
Although it has been a few years since Lipker was an assistant coach at NAIA Campbellsville (Ky.) University, he knows what it takes to win at the small-college level. And even though Lipker is still getting acquainted with the Viterbo players, he believes the V-Hawks are capable of winning a lot of games.
Viterbo finished 17-24-1 this past season, but qualified for the NAIA Midwest Regional by virtue of finishing in the top three of the Midwest Classic Conference. Even though the V-Hawks lost both Shawn Peck and Lucas Hoff, their top two pitchers, to graduation, Lipker thinks Viterbo has the type of players - both on the mound and at the plate - to make an impact in the MCC next season.
Come next spring, Lipker's mission is to get the V-Hawks to buy into his system.
"I like to hit-and-run and play for one or two runs per inning. My goal is to win every inning," Lipker said. "If we get the chance to score a couple of runs, we need to take advantage of it instead of sitting back and waiting for the three-run (home run).
"On paper, we've got at least nine arms coming back," Lipker said. "We've got some good pitchers here, but the loss of Peck and Hoff hurts, and we've got to figure out how to replace them."
It might not be an easy problem to solve, but Lipker isn't too worried right now. He's ready to dive in and start working.
"I know I've got big shoes to fill. Dale Varsho did some great things here," Lipker said. "All of the coaches who have been here in the past have done a great job and I want to continue that."