SE: Connolly’s Connection with Hughes Draws Him to K-State Baseball
Aug 24, 2018 | Baseball, Sports Extra
By Corbin McGuire
Ryan Connolly and his wife, Ally, had just bought a house in Blacksburg, Virginia, where he had worked for Virginia Tech's baseball program since 2015. The couple was, as he put it, "settled in."
Then, Connolly watched Pete Hughes' introductory press conference as K-State's head baseball coach. Early on in the video, it clicked for Connolly. If Hughes offered him a job, he was going.
"I watched the first five minutes, (when he talked) about his family," Connolly said, before snapping two fingers and adding, "and that was it. Let's go."
His wife's reaction was essentially the same.
"We were in a really good spot and I was making sure she was down to make that move, but her first reaction was, 'Alright, let's roll,'" he said. "No hesitation. It was, 'We're going.'"
Connolly, now K-State's director of baseball operations, is in charge of coordinating recruiting, travel and summer camps for the Wildcats.
He can list a number of other reasons why the job seemed enticing. Specifically, he said "being part of K-State, the K-State family and what you hear about it," the facilities at K-State and the similarities between Blacksburg and Manhattan, highlighted by the friendliness of the people, were among the selling points.
"But, truly, there's one reason I came here and that's because of Coach Hughes. That's it. I've had a chance to work with him in the past, been able to coach under him and just to be part of that again and be part of helping rebuild this thing was an opportunity I couldn't pass up," Connolly continued. "Personally, my wife and I being around him, being around his family, we're better people because of that, and that's the reason why I came here, was because of Pete Hughes."
Hughes is also a big reason why Connolly is still involved with college baseball and not in medical school right now.
After playing four years (2006-09) and graduating pre-med at Notre Dame, Connolly got an opportunity to be a volunteer assistant coach at Virginia Tech under Hughes. "Deep down," the two-year team captain for the Fighting Irish said he feels like he wasn't ready to leave the game at the time. Getting connected with Hughes in his first year certainly helped sell him on the lifestyle long term.
"People talk about building a network as a coach. I had my network. I had Pete," Connolly said. "Having an association with (former Notre Dame head coach and current LSU head coach) Paul Mainieri was huge but I would have followed Pete wherever he would have taken me with him."
Connolly did follow Hughes when he became the head coach at Oklahoma. The Notre Dame graduate spent two seasons (2014-15) as assistant coach and recruiting coordinator for the Sooners, helping Hughes bring in the top-rated recruiting class in the Big 12 in 2015.
It was the years, and several memorable moments within them, before then that developed such a strong pull from Connolly to Hughes.
"He has an infectious personality; you're just drawn to it," Connolly said. "He's the best natural leader and developer of culture, people and young men that I've ever been with, in any arena. He stands alone. The results will show, not only wins and losses. The results will show in how our young men develop and transform."
One story Connolly brought up as an example comes from his first year at Virginia Tech.
After every practice, the team did speed work. Hughes ran with the team every day. Connolly was the guy who held a stopwatch or stood on the line to run through. One day, Connolly said Hughes looked at him and said, "We're going to test them today."
"He goes out and he said, 'Fellas, you're on your own today. When you feel like you've done enough to go to Omaha, shut it down,'" Connolly recalled. "He walks off and I stay just to be the line for them, do whatever they needed me to do."
What happened next?
"These guys ran themselves into the ground. Not one time, not one guy ever said, 'C'mon, man. That's enough,' trying to shut it down, and there's always those guys around. That struck me big time. It was so impressive," Connolly said. "That doesn't happen because of those guys. It happened because it was the standard. That was the culture, the leadership development that came from the top is what made that team work. That story always pops in my mind because that's a direct reflection of the big guy, his program and what he's all about."
Another story Connolly thought of immediately originates from his first practice at Virginia Tech. The team was getting ready to start batting practice and right before it started, Hughes pulled the hitters together to go over two-strike approach. He only talked for about three minutes. It was enough to raise the hairs on Connolly, however.
"I was getting goosebumps. I was ready to jump out of my shoes for this man. There was just an intensity and a passion and an energy and a, 'I'm going to run through a brick wall seven times over' feel to it," he said. "That was my first true experience with him. That is where he is all the time."
The rest of K-State's staff, Connolly said he's already noticed, directly reflect what Hughes wants in his program: Good people with "high values, the right values, high character and integrity."
Connolly said assistant coach Austin Wates, who played for Hughes at Virginia Tech, "personifies" that combination.
Pitching game coordinator Cord "Buck" Taylor, Connolly complimented as "one of the best and brightest baseball minds" he's ever come across.
Connolly described volunteer assistant coach Shane Conlon, a former K-State standout, as a "huge asset" in recruiting and coaching because of his combination of work ethic, personality and knowledge of the game.
In the short amount of time he's been around strength and conditioning coach Josh Cyr and assistant athletic trainer Blaine Burris, Connolly said he can already tell the pair is "top notch, really good at what they do."
Colin Greaser, who served as K-State director of baseball operations the last two years, is taking on a revised role on the team and has done so without any expected reservations. "The dude loves this program," Connolly said. "He's all in."
"Again, it goes back to Pete," Connolly added. "It doesn't take long to want to buy in and jump on board."
Or in his case, jump across the country.
Ryan Connolly and his wife, Ally, had just bought a house in Blacksburg, Virginia, where he had worked for Virginia Tech's baseball program since 2015. The couple was, as he put it, "settled in."
Then, Connolly watched Pete Hughes' introductory press conference as K-State's head baseball coach. Early on in the video, it clicked for Connolly. If Hughes offered him a job, he was going.
"I watched the first five minutes, (when he talked) about his family," Connolly said, before snapping two fingers and adding, "and that was it. Let's go."
His wife's reaction was essentially the same.
"We were in a really good spot and I was making sure she was down to make that move, but her first reaction was, 'Alright, let's roll,'" he said. "No hesitation. It was, 'We're going.'"
Connolly, now K-State's director of baseball operations, is in charge of coordinating recruiting, travel and summer camps for the Wildcats.
He can list a number of other reasons why the job seemed enticing. Specifically, he said "being part of K-State, the K-State family and what you hear about it," the facilities at K-State and the similarities between Blacksburg and Manhattan, highlighted by the friendliness of the people, were among the selling points.
"But, truly, there's one reason I came here and that's because of Coach Hughes. That's it. I've had a chance to work with him in the past, been able to coach under him and just to be part of that again and be part of helping rebuild this thing was an opportunity I couldn't pass up," Connolly continued. "Personally, my wife and I being around him, being around his family, we're better people because of that, and that's the reason why I came here, was because of Pete Hughes."
Hughes is also a big reason why Connolly is still involved with college baseball and not in medical school right now.
After playing four years (2006-09) and graduating pre-med at Notre Dame, Connolly got an opportunity to be a volunteer assistant coach at Virginia Tech under Hughes. "Deep down," the two-year team captain for the Fighting Irish said he feels like he wasn't ready to leave the game at the time. Getting connected with Hughes in his first year certainly helped sell him on the lifestyle long term.
"People talk about building a network as a coach. I had my network. I had Pete," Connolly said. "Having an association with (former Notre Dame head coach and current LSU head coach) Paul Mainieri was huge but I would have followed Pete wherever he would have taken me with him."
Connolly did follow Hughes when he became the head coach at Oklahoma. The Notre Dame graduate spent two seasons (2014-15) as assistant coach and recruiting coordinator for the Sooners, helping Hughes bring in the top-rated recruiting class in the Big 12 in 2015.
It was the years, and several memorable moments within them, before then that developed such a strong pull from Connolly to Hughes.
"He has an infectious personality; you're just drawn to it," Connolly said. "He's the best natural leader and developer of culture, people and young men that I've ever been with, in any arena. He stands alone. The results will show, not only wins and losses. The results will show in how our young men develop and transform."
One story Connolly brought up as an example comes from his first year at Virginia Tech.
After every practice, the team did speed work. Hughes ran with the team every day. Connolly was the guy who held a stopwatch or stood on the line to run through. One day, Connolly said Hughes looked at him and said, "We're going to test them today."
"He goes out and he said, 'Fellas, you're on your own today. When you feel like you've done enough to go to Omaha, shut it down,'" Connolly recalled. "He walks off and I stay just to be the line for them, do whatever they needed me to do."
What happened next?
"These guys ran themselves into the ground. Not one time, not one guy ever said, 'C'mon, man. That's enough,' trying to shut it down, and there's always those guys around. That struck me big time. It was so impressive," Connolly said. "That doesn't happen because of those guys. It happened because it was the standard. That was the culture, the leadership development that came from the top is what made that team work. That story always pops in my mind because that's a direct reflection of the big guy, his program and what he's all about."
Another story Connolly thought of immediately originates from his first practice at Virginia Tech. The team was getting ready to start batting practice and right before it started, Hughes pulled the hitters together to go over two-strike approach. He only talked for about three minutes. It was enough to raise the hairs on Connolly, however.
"I was getting goosebumps. I was ready to jump out of my shoes for this man. There was just an intensity and a passion and an energy and a, 'I'm going to run through a brick wall seven times over' feel to it," he said. "That was my first true experience with him. That is where he is all the time."
The rest of K-State's staff, Connolly said he's already noticed, directly reflect what Hughes wants in his program: Good people with "high values, the right values, high character and integrity."
Connolly said assistant coach Austin Wates, who played for Hughes at Virginia Tech, "personifies" that combination.
Pitching game coordinator Cord "Buck" Taylor, Connolly complimented as "one of the best and brightest baseball minds" he's ever come across.
Connolly described volunteer assistant coach Shane Conlon, a former K-State standout, as a "huge asset" in recruiting and coaching because of his combination of work ethic, personality and knowledge of the game.
In the short amount of time he's been around strength and conditioning coach Josh Cyr and assistant athletic trainer Blaine Burris, Connolly said he can already tell the pair is "top notch, really good at what they do."
Colin Greaser, who served as K-State director of baseball operations the last two years, is taking on a revised role on the team and has done so without any expected reservations. "The dude loves this program," Connolly said. "He's all in."
"Again, it goes back to Pete," Connolly added. "It doesn't take long to want to buy in and jump on board."
Or in his case, jump across the country.
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