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When Coach Nicholas Strong stepped onto the field at Florida National University midseason, the odds weren’t exactly in his favor. Seven games into the season, he took over a program with limited resources, minimal depth, and players still adjusting to a new system. Yet, what might have been a stumbling block turned into an opportunity—one that would define his approach to coaching and reshape the program from the ground up.
“I took over on the fly,” Strong recalls. “I had to coach games with nine pitchers, eighteen position players. It just wasn’t the best setup. Some kids weren’t comfortable with a new system. But we did what we had to do.” By the end of that turbulent first partial season, the team finished 7–40—a record that, on paper, seemed dismal. But for Strong, those numbers told only part of the story.
“They didn’t see when I was hired, how we had to adjust, what we had to overcome,” he explains. “It was my record, yes, but it reflected the reality of the situation, not the potential of the program.”
By the following season, that potential began to shine. With a full off-season to recruit and build the roster, Strong guided the team to a 16-win regular season—a school record at the time—and later to a 24-win campaign culminating in a trip to the Small College World Series. “It was all about understanding what we needed to recruit and sell—showing kids that they were coming to a winning program,” he says.
From Player to Coach: The Foundation of His Philosophy
Before he ever picked up a coaching clipboard, Coach Strong was a player himself. He competed at Texas Southern University, where he learned firsthand the rigors of collegiate baseball: long bus rides, doubleheaders, and the constant need to maximize every at-bat and inning.
“That experience taught me the fundamentals of preparation and mental toughness,” he says. “I learned how to compete every day, no matter the circumstances or the facility. That’s something I bring to every player I coach.”
It’s that foundation that informs his coaching philosophy today: a focus on fundamentals, depth, and smart, team-first baseball. Whether it’s improving batting averages, refining pitching mechanics, or teaching situational hitting like bunting and drawing walks, Strong emphasizes consistency over flash.
“One of the things I teach is simple: get on base once per game,” he says. “It could be a hit, a walk, a bunt, whatever. If everyone does their part, runs and wins take care of themselves. Baseball is a game where you fail seven out of ten times. Even the greats do.”
Recruiting and Selling the Program
Florida National University isn’t a traditional baseball powerhouse. The school does not have its own dorms, meal plans, or a dedicated field. Players live off-campus, navigate downtown Miami, and balance academics while pursuing baseball at a competitive level. Yet, for Strong, these challenges are opportunities to sell a different kind of program—one focused on personal and athletic growth, development, and winning.
“You can’t sell this in one phone call,” he explains. “It takes two or three conversations with players and parents to show them that this is a place where they can thrive.”
Part of his pitch is honesty: the program isn’t about promises of professional baseball, but about giving athletes a college experience that combines academics, development, and competition. Florida National, like some other institutions, is for-profit—a detail that can make parents hesitant. But Strong emphasizes the school’s commitment to education, player development, and a winning culture.
“We’ve gone from seven wins to 16, then to 24 wins and the Small College World Series,” he says. “We show that kids will play, develop, and compete at a high level, even without dorms, meal plans, or our own field.”
Depth is a central part of his recruiting strategy. With only 12 scholarships to give per varsity roster, he leverages academic incentives to bring in players who not only contribute on the field but strengthen the roster as a whole. “I vowed to be deep,” he says. “If someone gets hurt, or if I need to rotate players, I know I can depend on anyone in the lineup to produce.”
Coaching by Numbers and Principles
Coach Strong takes a methodical, numbers-driven approach to coaching. At Florida National, practices focus on team development rather than individual instruction. His “69 drills,” for example, ensure that every player contributes to hitting nine balls in six innings—a metric designed to reinforce teamwork and accountability.
He also emphasizes situational baseball, teaching players to bunt, draw walks, and get on base by any legal means. “Trying to swing for a second hit is insane,” he says. “Smart baseball is about putting yourself on base and helping the team.”
This philosophy extends to pitching, where success is measured not in perfection but in consistency. “Seven out of ten appearances being solid—that’s average. Eight or nine? That’s superb,” he says. “It’s about controlling what you can, every single game.”
Broadcasting: A Love Beyond the Diamond
Off the field, Strong has a deep connection to sports broadcasting. His love for play-by-play began as a kid in Chicago, recording Cubs and White Sox games on a boom box and imagining the excitement of calling the action. That early passion evolved into a career, including experience with six-man football, wrestling, and the Black Sports Network.
Broadcasting isn’t just a hobby—it informs his coaching, too. “Calling games teaches you to see the flow, the momentum, and the subtleties that players can’t always feel in the moment,” he says. “It makes me a better coach and a better teacher of the game.”
Leaving a Legacy
Ultimately, Strong wants players to remember him not just for wins or championships, but for the experience he creates.
“I want them to say, ‘I had a great college experience. I learned, I competed, I grew.’ Even without our own field, we’ve taken players to the World Series, we’ve broken records, and we’ve done it together,” he says.
His approach proves that success in baseball—and in life—isn’t about facilities or flash. It’s about preparation, depth, teamwork, and the ability to turn every challenge into an opportunity. And in that, Coach Nicholas Strong has built a program and a legacy that players, parents, and the wider baseball community will remember for years to come.
This interview is not one you want to miss—Coach Nicholas Strong shares his journey, philosophy, and secrets to building a winning program against the odds. The full interview is below.
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