Kevin O’Rourke: What was your reaction to the team’s performance at the inaugural Big East Match Play event?
Jason Bataille: It was very good. The first match kind of made most of the week work. Marquette, they are the Big East champions from two years ago. To beat them was a big win for us. Like in any golf event, you have to go out there and take 70-plus strokes on the course, so anything can happen. I don’t think the loss to South Florida was as big a deal as the win over Marquette. I think that was really the highlight of the week and it showed the rest of the Big East how competitive we can be.
KO: What was the reaction to playing a match play format rather than the usual stroke play style?
JB: It brought a whole aspect to college golf that we never experienced and it makes tournaments more team oriented. If I was asked my opinion, I would say that the more match play events they could bring to college golf, the more popular college golf will get.
KO: What is the biggest positive from the fall season that the team can take into the spring?
JB: Our scoring average is lower than it was last year and I think just working on the small things and seeing how much that helps our score. Sometimes you go along in a season and you don’t pay attention to [little things] … but I think now the attention to detail in their games and the approach to tournaments is helping the team overall.
KO: What aspect does the whole team need to improve upon moving toward the spring?
JB: I think it’s course management, and I think that’s my job to make sure that we can continue to improve that. You can always learn something as far as course management goes, and I think that we definitely have a lot to learn.
KO: What was your experience like for your first semester as coach after playing for four years and graduating from Rutgers in 2006?
JB: I was excited and had high expectations coming in, and I’m definitely leaving this first half of the season even more excited going towards the future. I think my expectations are just getting more and more, and I think the limits we can push the program keep increasing.
KO: Were there any challenges or surprises that you didn’t anticipate?
JB: I think the advantage that I had was that all the challenges I faced I was already prepared for because I’ve been part of the program. I knew what the routine was. I knew what to expect. I knew the kids already because I had worked with them and I work very closely with [women’s head coach Maura] Ballard, who’s been running the team for 19 years now. So there weren’t really any surprises. The only surprise was maybe how much more I enjoyed it than even I thought I was going to.
KO: Did you learn anything from the players themselves?
JB: I think every day at practice is a learning experience. I learned better ways to coach them and better ways to help them relate to what I’m saying. Obviously each kid is different, so as the season progresses I learn more and more about each one of the kids.
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