Mike Clark: Longtime Cat baseball coach says his 'batteries are

Topeka Capital-Journal, The, May 6, 2003 by Kevin Haskin Capital-Journal

Mike Clark

By Kevin Haskin

The Capital-Journal

MANHATTAN --- The seed was planted, high and tight, during the 1999 season.

A road trip

for Kansas State lasted the entire baseball season and spanned more than 17,000 miles. Frankly, it left coach Mike Clark weary.

"I almost quit after that season, but didn't because I wanted to see the stadium get finished," Clark said.

Eventually, the boondoggle that left K-State without a home field in '99 as part of a construction project that took several years to complete, was overcome. Now, the Wildcats have modern amenities at Tointon Stadium.

But Clark never quite recovered.

On Monday, he announced he will resign his position at the end of this, his 17th season, as K-State's baseball coach. Clark, 50, takes a 432-485 record into tonight's home game against Wichita State, the only K-State coach in any sport to win more than 300 games.

At 12-33 overall and 2-19 in the Big 12, this has been one of Clark's most trying seasons, especially after the Wildcats returned seven position starters and four pitchers off a squad that qualified for the Big 12 Tournament a year ago.

Still, Clark didn't attribute his resignation to the Cats' recent skid, which has included nine straight defeats and losses in 25 of their last 27 games.

"There has been no pressure in this at all," Clark said. "I have just been feeling so much pressure inside, not because of the losing. Heck, I went through 13-43 back in 1992. I have lost before, but it was a situation where my batteries are really low."

K-State athletic director Tim Weiser sat with Clark at Monday's briefing and said he will consult with Clark on the hiring of K- State's next coach.

Although there was growing speculation Clark's job could be in jeopardy, Weiser said the two did not speak during the season about K- State's troubles. But Weiser, a former college baseball player at Emporia State, did outline his expectations Monday.

"Making the (Big 12) tournament, when you're talking eight out of 10 (conference) teams, is a baseline expectation, assuming you're supporting the program at a level that gives it a chance to do that," Weiser said. "I don't think we can win a championship every year, but I'd like to see us compete for a championship every so often and make the NCAA Tournament every so often."

Weiser realizes, however, that a lack of tradition is a problem.

K-State has never qualified for the NCAA Tournament and its only conference titles came in 1930 and '33 when it tied each season for the Big Six crown. K-State has had 20 winning seasons since the inception of the Big Seven in 1948.

That is the legacy a new coach will inherit. Monday, however, was a day for officials in the athletic department to attend Clark's announcement and celebrate the blood, sweat and tears he gave K- State.

"He is certainly the winningest coach in our baseball history," said Weiser, "but to have done it in a way that has brought great pride to the university and to represent us in a very positive way, is, I think, the real story here today."

Clark, who almost resigned last winter to take a scouting position with a major-league team, said he seriously began contemplating his resignation during the past month after his wife, Julie, suggested the move might be for the best.

"For three months, I've had a rage inside of me where I have not been myself," he said. "I've had a tough time going to the office, and this is before the season started. Once I was on the field, I was fine. Once I was with the players I was fine."

Before his news conference Monday, Clark met with his team and apprised them of his decision in a meeting Weiser also attended.

"We were all shocked. My head just dropped," said senior first baseman Tim Doty, the Cats' leading hitter with a .350 average. "My first thought was to dedicate the rest of this season to coach. I still feel like we owe him and I want to send him off the best way I can."

Likewise, Clark vowed to do his best during the seven remaining games and reiterated that his resignation was not a reflection on his team.

"I'm just as proud of these guys as any group I've had," Clark said. "They may have been tested more than any group. This league is unbelievable."

See CLARK, page 2D

Clark: Skid is not a factor in resignation