One-on-one with Monte Lee

It may not be college baseball season, but that doesn't mean Monte Lee hasn't been busy. Since being appointed the College of Charleston's baseball coach in June, Lee has been assembling his staff, assessing talent and, of course, recruiting. Fall practice begins today, but Lee still found time to talk about his first few months on the job with The Post and Courier's Charles Bennett:

How have things gone so far?

"Everything's been going well. The transition has been good. The administration has been very good in helping me get acclimated with the way things are done here. It's been a very good learning experience for me."

You're an alumnus of the school. Have things changed much since your playing days at the College of Charleston?

"Oh yes. Things are quite different. The athletic department has really grown and changed since my playing days here. Obviously the facilities at Patriots Point have a lot to do with that. The athletic programs, including baseball, have been upgraded quite a bit. I played here 10 years ago, so yes, lots of positive things have happened since then."

How do you assess the talent you have coming back from last year's team?

"It has been good. We've been working out for the last two weeks. Pitchers have been only throwing bullpen so they haven't faced batters yet. That will be the true test as where they're at. But Dan Roszel has been doing an outstanding job of getting them on a schedule with what they're trying to accomplish with their weight training and their bullpens. I've got an outstanding strength coach who is just doing a remarkable job. As far as position players, we've got some good older guys. Obviously, we lost a lot of power, but we've got some good players with experience coming back. We've got quite a few seniors who have had significant roles in the program."

You've got walk-on tryouts on Monday. Think you can find a Roy Hobbs?

"You know what, I'd love to find two or three pitchers, that's for sure. Just on paper, that's one area that lost quite a bit in terms of arms. We don't have a lot of returning guys who have pitched a lot for us. Obviously, we would love to find a diamond in the rough who could come out and pitch some innings for us. I think position-wise, we're OK. But you can never have enough pitching."

What's been the best thing about being back in Charleston?

"The best thing for me is just seeing how much the school and the baseball program has changed and developed. It has been really rewarding as an alumnus to see where we were when I was here and to see where we are now. The accomplishments, the success coach (John) Pawlowski had here has put the program in a position where we're a perennial power. We're always going to be in the hunt for the postseason. Then obviously, the city of Charleston and Mount Pleasant is great. It's a great place to live, a great place to recruit."

What's your favorite Charleston restaurant?

"Probably my favorite place right now is the Boulevard Diner in Mount Pleasant. I also love Jim 'N Nick's, Jersey Mikes, Sticky Fingers. I'm the kind of guy who finds three or four places that I really like and tend to stick with them."

What's the most recent book you've read?

"I'm actually reading a couple books right now. I've never been a real big reader if it didn't have anything to do with sports or baseball. Right now I'm reading 'Seven Habits of Highly Successful People' and 'The Mental Side of Baseball.' "

What about the most recent movie you've seen?

"'Tropic Thunder.' I saw that a couple weeks ago and got a big kick out of it."

What's your favorite baseball movie?

"I've got two of them really. 'The Natural' and 'Bull Durham.' I don't know if one of them is more of a favorite than the other. 'The Natural,' with that mythical character Roy Hobbs who comes out of nowhere and is an incredible player. Then 'Bull Durham' is just a funny movie."

What things do you enjoy doing away from baseball?

"Being in this position and not as much on the road with recruiting, just spending time with my family. Just those little day to day things like helping them with their homework and taking them to a football game. It's little things like that are just enjoyable. I like to hunt. I grew up in Lugoff, and I deer-hunted and bass-fished and duck-hunted. I also love to work out and lift weights. It's good to relieve stress, plus I want to look good in a uniform."

What are you looking forward to the most in your first season on the job?

"I'm just looking forward to the kinds of things we're doing with our team from a coaching standpoint. Just trying to put those things in place. I'm looking forward to getting on the field and seeing how our guys compete and trying to implement some of the things I'd like to do as a coach."