Brucher named new head baseball coach

After five years away from the high school diamond, Geneseo’s Steve Brucher returns as the Leafs’ new head varsity baseball coach.

“The position came open at the end of the season in early June and I thought it was an opportunity to get back involved in baseball,” said Brucher. “I missed being a part of it.”

“We had a number of applicants that applied for the position and interviewed a couple in-house candidates,” said Geneseo High School athletic director Travis Mackey. “We thought both were very strong and we felt like Steve was a good fit for what we are looking for.”

Brucher, the current high school varsity girls’ basketball head coach, coached high school baseball at Geneseo when he arrived at the high school, but stepped down when he took over as head coach of the Lady Leafs.

“I stepped down (as sophomore coach) because to do the basketball position right I thought I needed to fully commit to it,” said Brucher. “Also, my kids were really young back then and my wife had just begun teaching at Geneseo. To step down as baseball coach was one of the most difficult decisions.”

Before coming to Geneseo, Brucher coached baseball for three years at Fulton High School.

When he came to Geneseo, Brucher spent one year as a varsity assistant and then two seasons as the sophomore coach with his last year of coaching being in 2005.

Brucher said he applied for the position because he missed baseball and being on the field.

“I helped coach my son’s baseball team, but I didn’t really realize how much I missed it,” he said. “I just missed being around baseball, being out on the field and working with the kids. It felt like now was the right time to do that.”

“I think the strengths of Steve are not only within the system,” said Mackey. “He coached before he came here at Fulton and built up that program. From coaching girls basketball, he implemented a system and sticking with that system shows quite a bit of his qualities. He has head coaching experience and is passionate about the game of baseball. He will require a lot of the players and I think they will respond.”

As far as his plans for the baseball team this year, Brucher said the Leafs have to build their team and philosophy around their home field.

“We have to have an emphasis on pitching, defense and being able to play small ball,” he said. “Richmond Hill is a big park and we can’t wait for someone to hit a three-run homer. We have to have a lot of good pitching and be good defensively. I am looking forward to the season and getting back to coaching baseball.”