The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1456098
TRACKING THE PACK MARCH/APRIL 2022 ■ 19 In August, Bo Robinson was hired by NC State baseball coach Elliott Avent to be his director of player and program de- velopment. Robinson came to Raleigh af- ter spending the previous nine seasons at Charlotte as an assistant baseball coach. His latest stop is part of a lifetime ex- perience with the sport of baseball. How did this career path come about for you? "I grew up in Char- lotte, N.C., played high school baseball at South Mecklenburg High School and ended up going to UNC Charlotte to play for four years. Those were some of the best times in my life, playing in college, and I tell these guys all the time about how awesome the college experience is. "Had the luxury of having a chance to play professional baseball. I did that for eight years with the Yankees, the Mari- ners and St. Louis Cardinals, all in their minor league system. The highest I got there was Triple-A. "After that career was over, I got a chance to go back and coach at my alma mater, UNC Charlotte, under coach Lo- ren Hibbs. I got a chance to coach there for nine years — as an assistant coach under him for seven years and Coach [Robert] Woodard for two years." What was minor league life like? "The fun thing about minor league life, and [NC State pitching coach] Clint Chrysler can say because we were team- mates for three or four years, there's a lot of fun. A lot of long bus rides, that's for sure, but there's a lot of fun playing minor league baseball. "You wake up every morning, you have a job to do and you show up at the base- ball field and prepare the right way and you pretty much play every day for six months. It's well worth it and a lot of fun." Were there any ballparks in the minors that stood out: "Some places in the minors are better than others, let's put it that way. "There are a lot of nice ballparks. There are a lot of older minor league ball- parks that probably weren't well taken care of. … The minor league lifestyle is not exactly glamorous, by no means, but at the same time it was a lot of fun and well worth it. I look back at playing those eight years and it was a blast. "But I tell the kids all the time that the best time of my life was my four years in college." What motivated you to get into coaching? "My dad [Ron Robinson] played professional baseball, so I've been around a baseball household pretty much my whole life. I ended up working out in a baseball academy for a few years after pro ball was over with. "I got into teaching and trying to run a program down in South Charlotte, which is my hometown, and I just loved coaching. I loved coaching just as much as I loved playing." Did you and Clint Chrysler stay in contact after being teammates? "Clint and I played our first time to- gether after our freshman year in college baseball. We played in a summer league in Waynesboro, Va., It's called the Valley League. That's where we met, and then, crazy enough, three years later we both got drafted by the Seattle Mariners. We played three years together in the Mariners system and obviously became close, great friends. "We communicated all the time, stayed in touch, saw each other on the road a lot. He's as good as it gets as a person, a teammate and a great friend." — Matt Carter SITTING DOWN WITH: NC State Baseball Director Of Player And Program Development Bo Robinson After an eight-year professional career during which he played at the minor league level for the Yankees, Mariners and Cardinals, Robinson spent nine years as an assistant coach at his alma mater, UNC Charlotte. PHOTO COURTESY NC STATE ATHLETICS A PERCENTAGE OF EVERY HOME SALE GOES TO SUPPORT ALZHEIMER'S RESEARCH AND CARE. McKeeHomesNC.com | 910-672-7296 PROUD TO SUPPORT THE NC STATE WOLFPACK Faye eville | Raleigh | Pinehurst | Wilmington