As former standout men’s baseball player Nick Reposa settles into a new role asassistant head coach, he looks forward to helping his former teammates reach their full potential.

Reposa finished his career with the Royals ranked sixth in program history in stolen bases with 35, and eighth in the program’s history in runs with 109. Reposa played as a utility pitcher for the Royals, with a career hitting average of .281 and a career RBI average of 16.3.

Reposa said he loved his time in Scranton and said how the culture of the baseball program was something that he knew he wanted to be a part of past his playing career.

“Seeing the whole culture and how everybody carries themselves, I knew it was anenvironment I wanted to be in especially if I wanted to go into coaching. It was something last year that I knew that I kind of wanted to get in that field, start coaching, talk to (head coach Mike) Bartoletti about it but I really just wanted to carry on that culture, carry on that way of Royal baseball,” Reposa said.

Reposa will be primarily working with the outfielders and infielders and will focus on their fielding as well as base running, something that was a big part of his success as a player for the program. Reposa said he understands the role of a coach a lot better than when he was a player for the program.

“It’s kind of one of those things you see from a different point of view. It’s fun and it’s a special thing too that some of these guys on the team you just played with last year and you can connect with them a little bit more. That reassurance in the guy’s years, that’s the whole goal for this year,” Reposa said.

Reposa will be coaching a lot of players he played with during his career and grew a tight knit bond with the team seeing them every day. Reposa said with his new role he must be more professional and take on the coaching mentorship role so that he can expand his relationships with his old teammates so that everybody is ready to work when practice starts.

“It changes a little bit (transitioning from player to coach) there has to be some kind of boundary. It goes from one of the teammates, eating lunch with them every day to one of the ones that he’s now your player. You can’t make the jokes with them anymore, you can’t go out with them anymore, so being able to form that boundary was the toughest part but I feel there is enough respect from the players to myself but also myself to the guys. I think we’re in a good spot right now,” Reposa said

Reposa said that the most rewarding part about being a coach for the program is to see the players reach their full potential. To see the first-year players grow into the resilient stars they were meant to become within this program is something Reposa and the whole coaching staff looks forward to in the beginning of every season. Reposa finds his new coaching role to be rewarding because of the individual successes he gets to see within every player. The Factoryville, Pennsylvania native said he is grateful to give “little nuggets” of wisdom to the players to help benefit their playing style.

“I think the most rewarding part is seeing these guys succeed, especially the ones that you know, the struggles that they might have had. Maybe they were struggling with their swing and they couldn’t find a way out of it, maybe they were going through a tough dry spell on the field in hitting. You know what they’re going through behind closed doors but then helping them out with an adjustment and the next thing you know they go four for four in our next scrimmage,” Reposa said.

Reposa and the Royals will start their season against Washington & Jefferson College in a double header in Washington, Pennsylvania on Feb. 23 at noon.

Top photo: Nick Reposa up to bat for the Royals during his playing career. Courtesy of ZJ Morse