Luke Glancy is only in his second season with the University of Tampa baseball team, but the grad student has undertaken a transformation into a player-coach in his last year of eligibility.
The 26-year-old outfielder has a reduced role on the field this season but has not let that discourage him from helping the country’s No. 1-ranked club in any way he can off the field.
In his new position as an assistant strength coach, Glancy is putting his wealth of college baseball experience and his degree in exercise and nutrition science to good use.
“It’s rewarding to be able to apply (my degree) to something I genuinely care about,” said Glancy, in an interview on Thursday. “I found in my last couple years of playing, I get way more satisfaction out of seeing other guys do well … than myself – my own successes.”
Though he spent his career in the outfield, Glancy’s new role is coaching pitchers through weight training.
That means understanding the body positions they use on the mound (using the eye test and video), where they have to be strong, and working on programs from there.
Between studying film, generating routines, and holding players accountable for making their twice-weekly workouts, Glancy has far more on his plate than he had in previous seasons.
The former Tulane player, however, says, “it doesn’t feel like work at all.”
Glancy has always tried to help his teammates grow but admits that was more challenging before he received his certificate to be a strength coach.
“I would push guys … but didn’t know quite enough … to explain it as well to them,” said the Andover, Mass. native. “Once I gained a deeper understanding of things, then I was like, alright, I need to help everybody I can.”
In 19 games played and 61 plate appearances this season, Glancy sports a .265 batting average, with 11 runs batted in and a home run.
His numbers in limited appearances won’t blow anyone away, but UT’s coach Joe Urso is confident that Glancy will be a key contributor as the season goes on.
“In the past, he has been streaky, and I’m starting to see the signs coming now of his bat getting hot,” said Urso, in a Wednesday morning video scrum.
“You’ll see him in the lineup, and you’ll start seeing him move up in that lineup, hopefully getting back into the middle … like he did last year.”