Former Biola head coach John Verhoeven (right) came to Azusa Pacific this season to join head coach Paul Svagdis (left) and the Cougars, bringing a great amount of experience to the ballclub as a pitching coach. Courtesy: Holly Magnuson
A baseball veteran has joined Azusa Pacific’s baseball coaching staff this season and is making an impact not only on his assignment of pitchers, but the team as a whole.
John Verhoeven, former head coach of Biola University’s baseball team, was announced as Azusa Pacific’s new pitching coach in April 2013. He played college baseball with the University of La Verne and was drafted by Major League Baseball in 1974. He made his Major League debut as a pitcher in 1980 for the Minnesota Twins.
Verhoeven spent 16 years as Biola’s head coach. During his time there, the team won five Golden State Athletic Conference championships and went to the NAIA World Series three times, and Verhoeven was named GSAC Coach of the Year five times. His overall record at Biola was 546-298.
Now he brings his experience to the pitching staff of Azusa Pacific, which had a collective ERA of 5.92 over 49 games last season. This season, the staff has an ERA of 2.21 after playing 24 games.
“He has such a wealth of knowledge,” head coach Paul Svagdis said. “I have so much respect for his understanding of not only just pitching – that’s what he’s focusing on with us – but I’m consistently charting his mind every day for some offensive stuff and game management.”
Sophomore starting pitcher Josh Staumont transferred from Biola around the same time that Verhoeven made the transition. He said that Verhoeven’s coaching is mostly the same as it was at Biola.
“He’s pretty laid back and he kind of lets you do what you need to do,” Staumont said. “But he also knows what you shouldn’t be doing, so as long as you’re on the right path, he’s pretty understanding.”
As of March 27, Staumont was leading the team in wins (five), innings pitched (51), and strikeouts (58). His ERA was 2.29 over nine starts.
Verhoeven said his Biola team always saw its games with APU as a rivalry.
“It was always special coming here,” Verhoeven said. “We always knew that both teams were going to be ready to play. It was a great rivalry, it really was.”
The Cougars already faced the Eagles twice this season, winning both games 8-1 and 11-5 respectively.
“I think if the games had been at Biola it might have been a little different,” Verhoeven said of facing his former team for the first time. “But being here at APU, I feel so at home here that it didn’t feel all that strange.”
Verhoeven said he’s enjoyed the transition from head coach to pitching coach because it means responsibility outside the field.
“Coming here and seeing the stuff that [Svagdis] does makes me realize that I was really getting tired the last four to five years at Biola,” Verhoeven said. “I know how hard head coaches work, and he works his tail off, he really does. So it’s kinda fun to get to see him do all the work while I get to kick back and relax.”
One main difference he pointed out is that during games, he can focus on his pitchers while they are on the mound and talk to them between innings. He said that as a head coach, the focus always has to be on the game.
Verhoeven said his main philosophy as a coach is to simply have his pitchers throw strikes and “at least 65-70 percent ratio of strikes versus balls.”
“He’s been there for everybody,” junior pitcher Jacob Cage said. “He knows what to do. If he sees something wrong, he’ll tell us what’s wrong and we’ll make the adjustment from there.”
As Verhoeven gets to know his pitching staff, he has done some experimenting to see how hurlers will react to different situations. During Tuesday, March 25’s game against UC San Diego, he had some pitchers toss back-to-back games to see how they would do. Azusa Pacific ended up losing the contest 10-6.
“I wanted to see them get stretched out a little bit,” Verhoeven said. “They just didn’t throw as many strikes as they have in the past. I do know when they’re completely rested, they’re pretty darn good.”
Verhoeven said that his best asset as a coach that he learned in the MLB is his knowledge of the mistakes he made as a player.
“Anything that you can possibly do in the game of baseball from a negative standpoint, I’ve already done it,” Verhoeven said. “It helps me help coach these guys because I know they won’t be perfect. I know they’ll make mistakes.”
As the Cougars continue through the season, the pitching staff has to rely on its coaches like Verhoeven and each other to keep up the success so far.
“I can’t say enough about his impact on our team and the success of the pitchers and what we’re doing as a whole club,” Svagdis said.