Panther Baseball Coaches Corner

Rick Hitt
Head Baseball Coach
863-784-7036

Hitt and his wife Jayma recently celebrated their 21st anniversary together. Jayma and daughters Sydney, 16, and Cassady, 14, are fixtures at Panther Field every day and are the Panther coach’s biggest fans.

Coach Hitt is in his seventh year as the Suncoast Conference Baseball Chairperson, following five years as the chairperson for the Southern Conference. As a member of the Florida State College Athletic Association (FSCAA) State Baseball committee and Council for Athletic Affairs, he supports all coaches and athletic programs throughout Florida. He is also the vice president of the NJCAA Coaches Association and works as the NJCAA International Baseball Chairperson, helping to organize and coordinate international competition for the NJCAA Summer All-Stars.

During Hitt’s tenure, the Panthers have qualified for the post season four times, including a region tournament berth in 2004 and in 2011, Hitt surpassed the 400 win mark with his team’s 4-3 victory over State College of Florida. Over the last 12 years, 103 players have matriculated to four-year institutions or signed professional baseball contracts, a statistic Hitt is very proud of. “We all love winning baseball games each year,” he said. “I do not know anyone in this business that doesn’t, but helping players realize their goals in advancement is something very special. I think all of us as coaches take great pride in those statistics as well.”

As a pitcher at Santa Fe Community College, Hitt helped lead the Saints to the NJCAA World Series in 1985 under NJCAA and ABCA Hall of Fame Coach Harry Tholen. Hitt completed his playing career at St. Thomas University, playing for current Louisiana State University head coach Paul Maineri. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in sports administration in 1988.

Never one to make predictions, Hitt holds true to one approach: “The only guarantee I can make is that we will work as hard as we can to help prepare our players and represent our institution at a very high level. I look forward to the challenges that this season will bring.”

Andy Polk
Assistant Baseball Coach
863-784-7036

Coach Andy Polk begins his fifth year as an assistant coach at South Florida Community College. He assists in all aspects of the program but primarily works with the pitching staff. As a former Panther player, he helped lead the team to the 2004 Regional Tournament. That team won a school record 38 games, and in his two years at SFCC, the team won 71 games. He was selected to play in the State All-Star Game in Lakeland during his sophomore year.

Following his SFCC career, Polk moved on to Division II Florida Southern College, where he helped the Moccasins to the Regional Tournament in 2006. He then transferred to NAIA Webber International University, where he finished his playing career and degree. Following his college career, he signed a professional contract with the Charlotte County Redfish of the South Coast League. He finished his professional career as a 2008 Frontier League All Star for the Chillicothe Paints.

Coach Polk is SFCC’s student life coordinator and just finished his master’s degree in sports management at Webber International University.