Not many people have the opportunity to go back to their alma mater to coach after their playing days are done. Assistant baseball coach, Connor Crimmins did not develop the passion to coach until he really invested his time into baseball when he played baseball for the Ichabods. It was his parents that started Crimmins’ love of the game.

 “I grew up in Topeka and went to Shawnee Heights high school. My mom and dad were Washburn alums and my grandparents were Washburn alums. I came to a lot of Washburn games growing up because of them,” Crimmins said.

The love for baseball was bred into Crimmins from a young age. The real fire for the game did develop in him until late in his senior year and college.

“I have played since I was a little guy. Baseball kind of took off for me more right after my senior year of high school, won state, and then playing college baseball and kind of became my real passion the game and the coaching that goes into baseball took off,” Crimmins said

To coach at a higher level, many people are looking for the next step. For Crimmins, his next step after being a graduate assistant was to go back to where he played in college. 

“As a coach you are open to anywhere, fortunately the job opened up for me after I was graduate assistant at Kansas State. It’s been exciting to come back to where I have played. As a coach it is always cool to coach where you have played,” Crimmins said

Before Crimmins settles down and has a family, he uses his free time to improve on the things that he will not have the time to get better at once he has a family. The number one thing is golf.

“Sports are my life and what I do. I like to golf on my own, I get to compete and still play. I’m not very good at it yet, but hopefully one of these days I can get better at it. When you’re coaching sports is what you live by. I’m a young guy, I don’t have a family yet, I think that will change once I get a family since family will take over a lot of that,” Crimmins said.

The joy of coaching is not something that he does, the joy of coaching comes from the players.

 “You don’t have a job if it’s not for the players. Seeing them have success is probably one of the most rewarding things as a coach. When the lightbulb clicks for them, whether it’s as freshman, junior or senior, when that light bulb clicks is kind of the joy you get out of coaching and seeing that success then leads to wins,” Crimmins said.

As a coach, being able to relate with players can help go a long way in the development of players. For senior infielder, Kolton Meyer, Crimmins excels at this aspect of coaching.

“What makes coach Crimmins such a great coach is his ability to relate to the players. He has a certain way of making things seem easier to accomplish simply by the way he talks about them. Part of the reason is because not too long ago he was in our shoes, which helps him know what a current player is going through,” Meyer said.