By Steve Gunn
LocalSportsJournal.com

MUSKEGON – The Muskegon Community College baseball team, in the middle of a great season, will have to navigate the rest of its schedule with a new coach.

LSJ Logo incertCarl “Cap” Pohlman, the Jayhawks’ veteran head coach, resigned suddenly on Monday morning, according to MCC Athletic Director Marty McDermott.

Assistant Coach Brody Anderson also resigned, McDermott said.

The team will be coached by Greg Guzman, a former longtime assistant coach who last worked with the team in 2013. Guzman will have the title of interim coach and will finish the season with the Jayhawks.

Guzman will accompany the team on its road game to Glen Oaks Community College today.

Cap Pohlman

Cap Pohlman

“This took us all by surprise,” McDermott told Local Sports Journal. “I got a call yesterday morning from Cap saying he was resigning, that he couldn’t do it anymore. His team is obviously playing very well, but he had a tough time reaching this group (of players).

“I don’t know if that’s why he decided he couldn’t continue. He always told me if he couldn’t get through to the kids he wasn’t going to do it.

“He had a great run here. I wish he was still here.”

Pohlman, contacted at his home Monday morning, said there were a “number of reasons” for his sudden resignation.

He acknowledged he was unhappy with the way that some players had treated Anderson, his assistant coach, who played on the team last season.

“It was a longstanding thing,” Pohlman said. “The best way to put it is that we had differences (with school administrators) in regard to the direction of the program. (McDermott) is correct in saying there were incidents in terms of disrespect, especially toward the guy who was helping me. It was a longstanding problem that got worse and worse.”

Pohlman, who was in his 17th season as MCC coach, expressed dissatisfaction with the team’s schedule. He mentioned that the Jayhawks had recently played four doubleheaders in a row, returned home after midnight from two games in the Detroit area Sunday, and was scheduled to play in Flint on Monday before the game was rained out.

He also expressed unhappiness about the MCC administration outside the athletic department, without being specific.

“You’ve probably noticed that a number of coaches have resigned over there,” Pohlman said. “I don’t think the higher-ups know how to treat coaches over there.”

Pohlman said the fact that the team is playing so well affected the timing of his resignation. The Jayhawks are currently 18-8 overall and 7-1 in league play.

“I wouldn’t have resigned if we were 1-7 in the league,” he said. “That would have come across as quitting. I felt the time was right.”

Pohlman had tremendous success with the MCC baseball program. His teams won two Michigan Community College Athletic Association championships during his career, including last year’s title.

The Jayhawks qualified for regional play in 13 of his 16 complete seasons and only had one losing season.

Last spring Pohlman celebrated his 500th career victory as MCC coach.

Guzman faces the challenge of taking over the MCC baseball squad with no advance preparation, in the middle of the season.

McDermott said he’s confident that Guzman is up to the task.

“This is really tough on everyone involved,” McDermott said. “But Coach Guzman has a relationship with a lot of the kids on the team. He recruited some of them, or had given some of them lessons when they were younger. He’s been tied into the local baseball scene for a long time.”