TCC baseball to celebrate Eagles legacy with inaugural alumni weekend
This weekend will be festive for Tallahassee Community College baseball.
The Eagles will host their inaugural TCC Baseball Alumni Weekend. It includes a social on Friday and a cookout on Saturday.
This weekend is a chance for all former players to return and honor their program as TCC has been a launching pad for players with NCAA Division I and Major League Baseball (MLB) aspirations.
"We just want to get people back and make them feel involved," TCC head coach Bryan Henry said. "A lot of people have come through this facility and that's attributed to [former TCC baseball head coach Mike McLeod] with all these guys that he moved on to the next level.
"I can't thank my dad, Jim Henry, Homer Newlin, and Vickers enough. They've been the ones spearheading this with our [athletic director], Chuck Moore to get involved and see what this could turn into.
"Hopefully, it continues to grow."
But first, the Eagles (25-15, 8-9 Panhandle) have some business to handle.
They'll travel to Panama City to face Gulf Coast State (28-12, 10-7 Panhandle) on Thursday. Then, the Eagles will host Gulf Coast in a doubleheader during Saturday's alumni weekend celebrations.
Gulf Coast is currently No. 1 in the Panhandle after defeating the Eagles, 14-4, on Tuesday. TCC is currently fourth in the logjammed conference standings.
"Iron sharpens iron. Anybody can win on any given day," Henry said. "These players want to come to a competitive conference because a lot of Division I coaches are here watching the stretch run and calling everyday. That's the beauty of baseball.
"We've played well and we're right in it with some games left. If a player is having success in this conference, it's a good chance he can play at the next level."
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Henry replaced longtime TCC head coach McLeod, who retired following last season after 32 years.
But McLeod has been a helping hand for Henry during the first-year head coach's growth as he progresses through the season.
"He's been around and that's great," Henry said. "I know it's probably a tough spot for him to give space and let us learn and fail. But he's always told me that he's a phone call away and we have a great relationship.
"I'm excited moving forward with his involvement."
As TCC makes a run at earning a postseason spot in the NJCAA Division I Region VIII Tournament, the team is still getting acclimated as Henry head coaches his first year with the program.
Henry, an All-American pitcher at Florida State and former assistant at Florida A&M under Jamey Shouppe is adjusting and steadily learning head coaching lessons.
"It's been going great and it's been a lot of fun," Henry said. "Everybody's been very open-minded. In baseball, you're not going to reinvent the wheel. The players have been great and open. They've made the transition for me easy as well.
"Managing the bullpen part of things has been the biggest say in learning. At FAMU, I always had an input and Shouppe was great at leaning on me.
"But now, it's your final call."
Gerald Thomas, III covers Florida A&M University Athletics for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at gdthomas@gannett.com or on Twitter @3peatgee.
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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: TCC Eagles baseball to have first-ever alumni weekend
