Once a week or so, Blake Dean will stroll to home plate for batting practice with University of New Orleans’ baseball team.
Just 28, the Crestview native still looks the part of a Louisiana State University All-American and 2009 eighth-round Major League Baseball draft pick.
His bat still looks the part as well, his 6-foot-1 frame reproducing the prodigious shots he became famous for in Baton Rouge.
“It’s one thing to tell (the team) what to do, but to get out there and show them how to … they’re a little more responsive,” said Blake, who last June was named UNO head coach.
CREATING A WINNING MINDSET
Just a refresher on Blake’s career at LSU: Along with helping lead the Tigers to a 2009 national title, he belted 44 home runs, tallied 190 RBIs, batted .332 and sported an on-base plus slugging, or OPS, of .998.
Simply put, his legacy as one of LSU’s best power hitters is cemented.
His legacy as a head coach may be even brighter. At least, that much can be gleaned from his first 28 games helming the Privateers, who find themselves 18-10 after last year’s disastrous campaign.
How’s that for responsive?
Just how disastrous was 2014? The Privateers finished 15-40, won just three of 30 Southland Conference games, and ended the campaign on an 11-game losing streak.
That followed an 11-38 season, which preceded a 7-44 campaign.
“It wasn’t easy to create a winning mindset, especially considering what we came from,” Blake said. “It didn’t happen overnight.
“We had to push the guys to the point where they’ve never been pushed before. We had to show them what they’re capable of, make them believe they could win. We had to instill that confidence.”
Of course, Blake brought in a “ringer” oozing confidence. Enter little bro Dakota, who had just led Northwest Florida State College’s baseball team to an improbable NJCAA Division I national title following a decorated career at Crestview High.
‘HE’S MY BEST PLAYER’
“It’s interesting, it’s fun,” Blake said of the coach-player dynamic taking precedence over the brotherly bond. “Coming in, the worry was that people would think I was showing favoritism. I knew he was good, and of course he proved that right away and took that question of favoritism out of the equation.”
“He plays hard, and I probably get on to him harder than any of my other players. He responds pretty well.”
How well?
Dakota leads the Privateers in almost every offensive category.
His .376 batting average, 38 hits, 29 RBIs, 60 total bases, .594 slugging percentage, 26 walks, .511 on-base percentage and 1.105 OPS are tops. Meanwhile, he’s second on the team with four home runs, 30 runs, 12 extra-base hits and six stolen bases.
“He’s my best player,” Blake said. “He makes the other guys better.”
Yet, the Dean brothers weren’t expected to elevate the program to these heights. At least, not this early.
“I would have never said we’d start out 18-10,” Blake said. “But when we battled that first weekend (3-0), I thought we might do something interesting if we stay healthy.”
Of course, the Privateers — knock on wood — have.
So, what’s their modus operandi?
“Stealing bases and swinging early in the count, and just staying aggressive,” Blake said. “We’re not good enough to be passive, to wait for the game come to us. We play the game really hard.”
The proof is in the numbers. Offsetting a staff ERA of 5.85, the lineup averages eight runs per game and hits .305 — pretty good for a team that hasn’t had a winning season since 2008, when they went 43-21. Since then, they went a collective 89-271 entering this year.
It’s safe to say the Deans’ uniting has been a success. The ultimate barometer, though, will come in the conference standings.
The Privateers have already topped last year’s win total with a 4-5 mark, and seek to win at least 15.
“It’s our goal to advance to the Southland Conference tournament,” Blake said. “We’ve never made it, so from three wins to 15 sounds good.
“It just depends how the pitching holds up and if everyone stays healthy.”
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview alums Blake, Dakota Dean provide winning combo at UNO