Why 'compete' is the word that describes Stetson's baseball team
Every sports team competes, but Stetson baseball takes the word to another level. Here's how it's helped the Hatters on the field.
DELAND — Compete, compete, compete. That’s all Stetson baseball cares about. Competition is the foundation of sports, but Hatters head coach Steve Trimper has made “the compete factor” an integral part of his coaching philosophy in his 10th season with the reins to the program.
Trimper describes the “compete factor” he’s trying to instill in his players as a trait of mental toughness. It’s supposed to be a place Stetson’s ballplayers can find within themselves whenever they face adversity on the diamond. “I talk about it nonstop,” Trimper said “In fact, it probably consumes 95% of my coaching, the culture and the compete factor that I try to put these guys in every day.
” And Trimper’s efforts have been successful. Just ask any of the Hatters. Preferably outfielder Landon Russell, who referenced the word "compete" after almost every question in a postgame interview.
“Like I said earlier, it’s the compete factor,” Russell said after batting in three RBIs to help Stetson beat UCF 8-4 on March 24. “When we go out there and play with energy, compete like we can and play with one another … That’s all it is. No matter if it’s Arkansas, UCF, FGCU, it doesn’t matter.