Kian O’Brien has been playing baseball since he was five, so when his playing career came to an end it was only natural that he found a way to stay in the game.

“After I was done playing, I knew that I wanted to stay around the game in some aspect. I figured that it would be a fun way to stay in baseball and be able to help current players with some things that I learned as a player and hope that they can get something out of that,” O’Brien said. 

O’Brien is entering his first year as an assistant coach with the Madison College baseball team.

“I just got done with my baseball playing career last spring, so it hasn’t even been a year,” O’Brien said. “I coached for the first time last summer for a youth travel baseball team (Greg Reinhard Baseball Academy). That was my first time coaching other than at camps and clinics as a player.”

A Madison native, O’Brien started his college career at Madison College in 2016 and 2017, where he played in 80 games and made 72 starts as an infielder and catcher.  He was named first team All-N4C in 2016, as a freshman. 

So when O’Brien got a chance to come back to Madison to coach he did.

“I chose Madison College because I respect Coach Davenport and know that he is one of the best in the business. I believe his coaching style is how the game should be played, so I wanted to coach for this program,” O’Brien said.

Being a former player at Madison College O’Brien credits his time at Madison College for teaching him a lot on and off the field.

“Madison College taught me a lot of things on and off the field that are useful both in life and in coaching,” O’Brien said. “Being a former player has definitely helped – being familiar with what the style of this program is and the expectations that are set forth for all of the players.

“I was fortunate to play under one of the best baseball coaches in the country here in Coach Davenport, and I credit a lot of what I know in relation to baseball from him. It has been fun getting to see a side of him with not being a player and learning how he goes about his business.”

O’Brien can easily relate to the current players on the Madison College roster, as he was one of them a few years ago. 

“My favorite part about coaching is being able to relate to the guys on the team because I was in the same shoes they were in and have taken the route they have,” he said. “I know what Coach D’s expectations are when it comes to his players since I experienced it, so I have enjoyed being able to help with making sure guys know what they have to do.”

O’Brien believes that his coaching style is focused on how the game of baseball should be played. 

“I believe in small ball and being able to do the little things right throughout a game rather than relying on home runs and things like that,” he said. “I believe that the game should be played hard while still being able to remain composed and relaxed.”

O’Brien’s first year of collegiate coaching was cut short due to the Covid-19 outbreak, and now he’s just looking forward to being able to work with the players once again.

“I was really looking forward to being able to watch our players develop as the year went on and seeing the jumps they made throughout the season,” he said. “I especially remember my time here looking back on how our team played at the end of the season compared to the beginning of the season and the progressions we would make. I think that was what I was most looking forward to.”