Toledo assistant McIntyre looks for players with talent, intensity

BY STEVE KRAH

http://www.IndianaRBI.com

Nick McIntyre coaches hitters, catchers and outfielders and coordinates recruiting for the University of Toledo baseball program.

In his 12th year with the Rockets in 2020, McIntyre knows just the kind of player he likes to land in the NCAA Division I’s Mid-American Conference.

“There’s a baseline of talent you have to have at the D-I level,” says McIntyre, a graduate of McCutcheon High School and Purdue University — both in West Lafayette, Ind. “What the kid has inside matters as much as anything.”

McIntyre, who is on a Toledo staff with head coach Rob Reinstetle, assistant Tommy Winterstein and volunteer Sean Repay, seeks players with the right type of makeup.

“I tend to go toward the dirtbag type of player that can hit a little bit,” says McIntyre. “Going forward, I’d like us to be a little more athletic on the field. I’d like to run a little better.”

McIntyre and company value offensive versatility and the ability to drive the ball.

“We have to have some thump,” says McIntyre. “I’d like everybody to at least be able to hit a double.

“I do like to recruit hitters — not just 6-5 guys who hit the ball real hard.”

McIntyre notes that the better players get the game to slow down and learn how to hunt pitches in certain counts.

This comes with time and work.

“We’re a mid-major school,” says McIntyre. “We’re not getting the most refined product. We take pride in our development.

“We recognize talent and develop it. The expectation to win is the next hurdle.”

In the fall, Toledo takes two or three weeks on individuals, getting pitchers and hitters up to speed on the program’s philosophy. Hitters hunt fastballs and try to stay in the middle of the field.

“That’s the time guys go out and compete for playing time for the spring,” says McIntyre.

If things need to be refined, they can be done after that.

McIntyre was an infield coach and assistant hitting coach for Cory Mee, who was Rockets head coach for 16 seasons (2004-19) and enjoys the change of pace that came with 2019-20.

He was recruited at Purdue as a catcher and played mostly third base and shortstop in his six minor league seasons after being selected as a second baseman by the Detroit Tigers in the 20th round of the 2003 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft.

McIntyre played at McCutcheon for Indiana High School Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Famer Jake Burton, helping the Mavericks win the IHSAA Class 4A state championship in 1999.

“Growing up in the McCutcheon area, baseball is a big deal,” says McIntyre. “(McCutcheon players), those were your superstars.

“(Burton) made that happen. He grew that system from the ground up. He was intense and winning was the expectation. Practices very organized.”

It was more of the same when McIntyre played at Purdue for Doug Schreiber.

“He was definitely intense,” says McIntyre, who was part of Schreiber’s first Boilermaker recruiting class. “You knew what the goal was to win. Period. No excuses.”

Purdue opened the 2001 season by knocking off the No. 1 team in the country — Rice.

It was not a big deal to Schreiber.

“We were expected to win,” says McIntyre.

When the Boilers twice lost to No. 2-ranked Clemson by two runs in 2002, there was no celebration.

“There were no moral victories,” says McIntyre.

Tristan McIntyre, Nick’s cousin, is now head coach at McCutcheon. Jake McIntyre, Nick’s brother, is on the Mavericks coaching staff.

“I’m pumped for him,” says Nick of Tristan. “He gets it.”

Nick McIntyre  turned 39 on the day Toledo played its last game of 2020 — a March 11 loss at Vanderbilt.

With the early shutdown to the season, the NCAA has awarded another year of eligibility for players.

“It only benefits us,” says McIntyre. “We had a very strong junior class this year. As for our seniors, we’ll see if they want to come back.”

Combined with the MLB draft possibly being limited to 10 rounds or less, it will make for a very competitive situation with players staying in the college game — either at their current schools or entering the transfer portal — and incoming high schoolers.

“It makes the cream rise to the top and puts more quality players in the pool,” says McIntyre. “There will be a a lot more competition the next few years. Junior college baseball will be very good.”

With Reinstetle in charge, Toledo is aggressive in recruiting and goes after junior college players to help supplement those coming out of high school.

“We’re calling everybody on earth,” says McIntyre. “We may get shot down a lot.

“If you want to play baseball, there’s somewhere for you. You decide the lineup the way you play in the fall and participate in practice.”

For now, COVID-19 has the diamond world in a holding pattern.

“You can only get better at baseball if you’re playing,” says McIntyre. “A lot of our guys are missing out on this time.

“How much summer ball will get played. It’s unknown right now.”

Repay, a graduate of Highland (Ind.) High School, has been a manager of the Bismarck (N.D.) Larks in the Northwoods League the past three years and got most Toledo players placed with summer collegiate leagues back in the fall.

Nick and Heather McIntyre have three children — daughters Mia (8) and Morgan (5) and son Mason (18 months). The former Heather Zielinski is a Sylvania, Ohio, native who played golf at Purdue. Nick and Heather did not meet while attending Purdue but at a tailgate event.

Nick McIntyre, a graduate of McCutcheon High School and Purdue University — both in West Lafayette, Ind. — was in his 12th season as a baseball assistant coach at the University of Toledo in 2020. (University of Toledo Photo)

 

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McIntyre expects his McCutcheon Mavericks to play with confidence

BY STEVE KRAH

http://www.IndianaRBI.com

Tristan McIntyre was proud to be associated with McCutcheon High School baseball even before he pulled on a Mavericks uniform.

That emotion continued as McIntyre played for Indiana High School Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Famer Jake Burton and helped the West Lafayette-based Mavs win an IHSAA Class 4A state championship in his senior year of 2003.

“He had pride in the program and invested a lot of time and energy in making this one of the better programs in the state,” says McIntyre of Burton. “That has resonated down through everyone who has come through and played for him.”

As a youngster, Tristan attended McCutcheon baseball camps. Older cousins Jake McIntyre (Class of 1996) and Nick McIntyre (Class of 1999) played for the Mavs. McCutcheon was a state runner-up in 1994 and state champion in 1999.

Tristan grew up as the only child of Roger and Shirley McIntyre (now deceased) in Stockwell, Ind., which is about 10 miles southeast of McCutcheon, and got his diamond start in the PONY Baseball (which is now Shetland for 6U, Pinto for 8U, Mustang for 10U, Bronco for 12U, Pony for 14U, Colt for 16U, Palomino for 18U and Thorobred 23U). Gary Christopher was the coach.

As he progressed, the young McIntyre played for teams based at James E. Cole Elementary, Lauramie Township and then Wainwright Middle School.

In high school, McIntyre played in the Colt World Series in Lafayette. After that came Lafayette American Legion Post 11, coached by Jim Watson and Dan Yeoman.

McIntyre played three seasons for the Boilermakers (2005, 2006 and 2008). He redshirted his freshman year (2004) and because of injury missed another season (2007).

The 2008 Boilers went 21-10 in Big Ten Conference play and featured future big leaguer and current Korea Baseball Organization star Josh Lindblom as the closer.

McIntyre remembers Lindblom hitting 100 mph on the radar gun at Northwestern, the only time he’s been around someone who hit triple digits.

“We knew that if we could get the ball to him with the lead it was pretty much ‘game over,’” says McIntyre of Lindblom, a graduate of Harrison High School in Lafayette. “His stuff was just so electric.

“(New Haven High School graduate) Matt Bischoff was a starting pitcher that had really good command and could go out there and give us seven or eight innings every start (in 2008).

“We had a lefty out of the bullpen — (Hammond Bishop Noll Institute grad) Andy Loomis — who was lights out that year as well.”

McIntyre was an assistant coach at Bluffton (Ohio) University for two seasons (2009 and 2010) and on the Purdue coaching staff for six seasons (2011-16).

That means the McIntyre both played for Doug Schreiber at Purdue and coached with him at both Purdue and McCutcheon. T-Mac was a part of the Mav coaching staff the past two seasons under Schreiber.

“It’s his knowledge of the game,” says McIntyre of one attribute he appreciates about Schreiber. “He’s been in so many good experiences throughput his career. I just try to be a sponge and soak that in.

“And he’s one of the most competitive guys I’ve ever been around. As a player and a coach, it inspired you to want to work hard and compete and find ways to get guys better and find a way to win.”

With Schreiber leaving to become head baseball coach at Purdue Fort Wayne, McIntyre was recently named head coach of the Mavs and has been reinforcing the culture during fall limited contact workouts.

“We want to take a lot of pride in the opportunity represent McCutcheon and coming out here with a purpose everyday,” says McIntyre. “Ultimately, we want to be able to play the game with confidence and break the game down to a series of one-pitch-at-a-time.

“If we do that over and over again, I think we’ll find ourselves in a lot of ball games with a chance to win.”

McIntyre, 34, takes over a program that went 22-6 and played in the 4A Lafayette Jeff Sectional championship game in 2019.

The coach sees the best chance to keep having success is by limiting the extra outs and offensive opportunities for opponents.

“Stylistically, we want to take care of the baseball whether that’s on the mound or defensively,” says McIntyre, who counts Brandon Fulk, Ryan Wides, Dustin Anthrop and Jake McIntyre among his assistants with the hopes of filling a couple more slots with Schreiber and (Crawfordsville High School head football coach) Kurt Schlicher moving on.

Fulk leads the JV team and is assisted by Anthrop, who is president of McCutcheon Youth Baseball League with Fulk as vice president. Wides works with catchers and outfielders. Jake McIntyre is a McCutcheon social studies teacher.

Nick McIntyre, who is now an assistant at the University of Toledo, was a role model for a young Tristan.

“(Nick) was someone I always looked up to. No. 1, he was talented. No. 2, he was always a competitive guy,” says McIntyre. “As a kid it was fun to be around him. He’s a high energy guy and obviously knows the game.”

As coaches, Tristan and Nick have been able to bounce ideas off one another. While Tristan was a hitter and a pitcher in high school, he has moved toward the pitching side of things while Nick’s focus has been offense.

“He knows the mindset of the hitter and he’s always been very open as far as giving me tips and things along those lines,” says Tristan.

Away from baseball, Tristan and wife Andrea are the parents of daughter Clara (4). His day job is finance and operations manager at Gutwein Law in Lafayette.

“To be able to do this in general it takes the support of a lot of people,” says McIntyre. “First and foremost is my wife. She has to be very understanding and patient. Having her on-board is tremendous.

“(Gutwein) has been very gracious to me and flexible with my schedule.”

Tristan McIntyre, a 2003 McCutcheon High School graduate and a Mavericks assistant for the past two seasons, is now head baseball coach at his alma mater. He also played and coached at Purdue University and coached at Bluffton (Ohio) University. (Steve Krah Photo)