USF coach Billy Mohl said he generally doesn't use the experiences of his playing career as a teaching tool for his Bulls players.
"I never really live in the past,'' Mohl said. "The game has changed so much. These guys don't want to hear some old geezer stories from about 20 years ago.''
But they are really good stories.
Mohl was one of the most productive pitchers in Tulane University history, contributing to a glorious era of Green Wave baseball that saw the program earn four NCAA Tournament bids, two Super Regional appearances and a trip to the College World Series in Omaha as the No. 1 seed.
Mohl, 39, is among seven former Green Wave athletes (and one team) to be inducted Friday into the Tulane Athletics Hall of Fame. It's an honor that Mohl never expected.
"When you think about the amount of people who have gone into that Hall of Fame — and all of their accomplishments — it's a pretty incredible thing,'' Mohl said. "This is very special and it's very exciting.
"I was never Shane McClanahan (former USF ace now with the Tampa Bay Rays), that's for sure. I was Steady Eddie. I was not necessarily going to blow you away. But I threw strikes, would give you six or seven innings every time out, and I wouldn't beat myself. When I had the ball, I prided myself on doing whatever it took to help the team win.''
Mohl, who played high-school baseball in Sugarland, Texas, still ranks in Tulane's all-time top 10 for victories (25) and innings pitched (308). He was 9-0 as a senior and he set the Tulane record for fewest walks per nine innings (single-season 1.27 as a freshman in 2003 and career 1.67). After injuries ended his shot at professional baseball — he was a 25th-round pick of the Philadelphia Phillies — Mohl spent three seasons as a Tulane assistant coach.
Former Tulane coach Rick Jones, who is now retired in Wilmington, North Carolina, has fond memories of Mohl.
"You have lots of players who played for you over the years and some you think about more often than others,'' Jones said. "And then you have a very few who you regard as family. Billy Mohl is family to me. I consider him like a son. If I had a son who was playing for Billy Mohl, I'd be a really happy guy.
"There's obviously a reason why he's being inducted into the Tulane Hall of Fame. The numbers speak for themselves. But it's also because of who he is, how he behaved himself and how he took care of his business. He was a total team guy and a great teammate. Everything he did, he did at the highest level. It doesn't surprise me one bit that he has gone on to become a successful coach. Billy is just one of the finest people I've met in my life and it's an honor to be associated with him.''
Jones, as with any baseball coach, had a particular affinity for Mohl's pitching ability because the player consistently threw strikes. Mohl's favorite pitcher was Nolan Ryan — almost a requirement for any Texas-bred ballplayer — but he also loved Atlanta Braves control artist Greg Maddux. In fact, Mohl wore No. 31 because of Maddux.
Mohl said he learned about the importance of control early on while playing catch with his father.
"He gave me a (strike) zone to hit in the chest area and if I didn't hit it, my father wouldn't catch it … and I got tired of chasing the ball down the street,'' Mohl said with a laugh. "And at Tulane, Coach Jones always said you don't pitch if you don't throw strikes. I didn't even care about how hard it was. I just cared about throwing the ball in the strike zone and letting it do its thing.
"I had no patience for it (walks). I just hate it. If you look at my numbers, if you beat me, you beat me. There might be times when you hit me around, but I was not going to beat myself.''
Mohl said it's a difficult lesson to impart these days — especially with the emphasis on velocity — but he often points to Phoenix Sanders, a former USF player who also despised walks.
"And he made the big leagues (with the Rays),'' Mohl said. "I stress it constantly. If you throw it over the plate, you've got at least a 70-percent chance to win the battle. I think if you work hard and work smart, you have a much greater chance of success.''
Jones said he always knew Mohl was a hard worker. But he learned a lot about Mohl's character when he hired him on the coaching staff.
"He worked as hard as if he was making a lot of money, if you know what I mean,'' Jones said. "He started out as a volunteer, but I trusted him with everything at the highest level. That's because he earned my trust with the type of person he was.''
Mohl said he first became interested in coaching just before the 2006 season, when Tulane's program shifted to Texas Tech after the Category-5 Hurricane Katrina ravaged New Orleans, sending Green Wave athletes and students to different parts of the country while the campus and city was being rebuilt.
"We had a lot of free time on our hands, so I found myself being around Coach Jones and Coach (Mark) Kingston (then a Tulane assistant who Mohl later followed to USF),'' Mohl said. "If the position players needed fungos, if the coaches needed anything … I just did it and loved it. I was constantly learning.
"That's when I said to myself, 'When I'm done playing, I'm going to teach and coach high-school baseball.' I got drafted by the Phillies, but my shoulder was shot. I turned down $5,000 and a plane ticket to Batavia, New York (rookie league). I knew it was time to hang it up. Coach Jones gave me the opportunity to be a student assistant while I finished my degree. That's where it started and I haven't looked back.''
Now Mohl comes full circle as he's honored by a university and baseball program that helped to shape his life.
"It made me who I am today,'' Mohl said. "I met my wife there. I graduated from there. That place is really special to me.
"I remember getting there and nothing was promised. I had the opportunity to come in and start as a freshman. I started a lot of games, right from the beginning, and was part of a great program. All these years later, to be honored and remembered, it means a whole lot. And I am very, very grateful.''
