The Journal

Issue date: 3/1/07 Section: Sports

Media Credit: Jeff Curry Bill Kurich, Webster's head baseball coach, talks to his players before a Saturday afternoon practice in the Grant Gym. The 2007 season will be Kurich's first as the Gorloks' coach.

Their fields may be covered in snow, but members of the Gorlok baseball team aren't wasting any time preparing for the upcoming season.


Under the supervision of new head coach, Bill Kurich, team members are noticeably anxious to get out on the field. After disappointments with the organization and technical knowledge of last year's coaching staff, the team replaced former Head Coach Marty Hunsucker with Kurich last August.


Kurich came to Webster after four years as an assistant coach at St. Joseph's College in Rensselaer, Ind. While there, he was the hitting, infield and third-base coach.


He was the head coach of the Rome Indians in the North Collegiate League, out of Rome, N.Y. The summer league is for select college players and is one of 10 leagues funded by Major League Baseball for scouting purposes.


At Webster, Kurich is embracing what he considers to be his first head coaching job. After spending seven years in various assistant coaching positions, he said he's happy to come to St. Louis, his wife's hometown. Kurich said he considers this season a chance to accomplish some of his coaching dreams, as well as bring Webster some of the success of which he feels the team is capable.


"Usually when you get your first job, you're taking over a team that's going to be rebuilding, and trying to build a strong foundation," Kurich said. "I'm fortunate to be taking over a team that has some very good players returning."


Kurich described Webster's baseball program as having immeasurable potential.


"With the academics, the location of our school and our stadium, it makes it a pretty enticing place for us to recruit high school and junior college students to come and play," Kurich said. "It's exciting. I think Webster's definitely a school that has an opportunity to win at a very high level."


Kurich's expectations for the team have been apparent throughout the off-season with the new team-wide workout regimen. Kurich instituted an individualized workout program last winter, which he said will help the team's athleticism. He said the workouts are customized to a player's physical needs, and rarely focus on gaining size through heavy lifting.

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