OU baseball coaches keep passion for sport after playing days

Cory Blaine returns for his second season as head baseball coach for the Braves and is joined by two first-year graduate assistants.

The game of baseball is nothing new for these three coaches. They have all played the game at the collegiate level, two of which for OU. Blaine and assistant coach Gustavo Sanchez have both worn the black and gold uniform as players. Though still wearing the black and gold, they have switched their roles from player to coach.

Blaine is in his second season as head coach for the Braves.

“I’m more comfortable and have a better understanding of the way things operate here” he said. “My philosophies on coaching continue to grow and evolve every day; as I hope they continue to do for the rest of my coaching days.”

In his first season, the Braves finished with a 23-29 overall record and a Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference record of 15-13. The Braves finished fifth in the KCAC which qualified them for their third straight KCAC Tournament appearance. Five players earned All-KCAC honors from their accomplishments over the course of the season.

Ottawa Braves baseball is nothing new to Blaine. He has made is return to the program, as he was a four-year letter winner and a significant piece of the 1995-98 team. Blain said it was an honor to be given the reins as head coach.

“I feel privileged” he said. “I’ve invested a lot into this program over the years and to be put in charge of it means a great deal to me. I remember taking pride in the success of this program and I want to make sure the guys here now get to do the same.”

Returning as a coach, Blaine brings much experience and knowledge to the program.

He played an important role on three KCAC championship teams, made three Great Plains Region Tournament appearances, and helped the Braves to an 80-63 record over the course of his four years. Blaine earned All-KCAC honors as a player.

Blaine continued help improve the program after his four years of playing. He served as a recruiting coordinator and assistant coach from 1998-2002. During this time he helped lead the Braves to another KCAC Championship and Great Plains Region appearance. Blaine was involved with recruiting and coaching 28 KCAC All-Conference players and two KCAC Players of the Year.

He credits these life experiences for the way he coaches the game today. “I try to incorporate a lot of what Coach Titus instilled in us – hard work, mental toughness, loyalty, unselfishness – along with utilizing my own life experiences to give our guys the most well-rounded baseball experience I possibly can. I want them to be good baseball players and even better people,” he said.

Blaine currently lives in Ottawa with his wife Jennifer and their three sons Isaac (12), Owen (6) and Aaron (3).

Assistant coach Sanchez also made the move in the Braves program from player to coach. Sanchez is in his first season as a graduate assistant coach.

As a player, Sanchez was a two year letter winner as a pitcher for the Braves. He appeared in 29 games and had 105 strike outs. He was named First Team All-KCAC and was recognized as the KCAC pitcher of the week once. Sanchez is ranked sixth in the OU record books in career appearances (29), tied for fifth in career complete games (5), fifth in career ERA (6.43), fifth in career victories (9), sixth in career innings pitched (119), fifth in career strike outs (105) and is 10th in single game strike outs (9).

Sanchez graduated from OU in the spring of 2012 with a degree in business administration. He is currently working on his master’s degree in business administration while working as an assistant coach for the Braves. Making the switch from player to coach, he said he much differently now.

“It is challenging because I am coaching some guys that played with me here in Ottawa,” he said. “So, once I took this job I knew that I needed to have a different mindset in order to make my old teammates look at me as a coach and not as another player anymore. Fortunately, players understood that from the beginning and no problems have come up.”

Sanchez is originally from Venezuela and come to the United States to play college baseball and get an education.

“The Transition was difficult at the beginning especially with the language, but it took me about six months to learn the language and get use to the student-athlete life.

Sanchez has many plans upon completing his MBA, including coaching, starting a family and starting his own business.

Assistant coach Backhaus has never played for OU, though he has played for an OU alum and brings much knowledge and experience to the program.

Backhaus is also in his first season as a graduate assistant. He played under former Brave and All-American Mike Stockton at NCAA Division II William Jewell College where he was a four year letter winner.

While at William Jewell, he was a three-time winner of the Idaho Challenge, which is given to a player that proves they are physically and mentally tough. He was also a recipient of the R.E. “Dad” Bowles Scholarship Award. This scholarship is given to the male athlete that exemplifies outstanding qualities of sportsmanship, perseverance and dedication to a sport. Backhaus was also a six-time scholar athlete.

Backhaus credits these experiences for the way he is today.

“I consider myself very passionate about what I do,” he said. “I had the opportunity to play with some very good baseball players in my time at Jewell and they taught me a lot about developing a strong work ethic and holding yourself accountable for everything that you do.”12