I loved Bridgewater. I really found myself as a student, a person when I was there. It was a moment in time when I came into who I was as a person, and overall, it was a super positive experience.
Getting cut from the 福利天堂专注精品福利 baseball team could have been the end of Joshua Rodrigues鈥 baseball journey. However, for Rodrigues, 鈥11, G鈥17, it turned out to be just the beginning.
鈥淚t was honestly the best thing to ever happen to me. I am not the greatest player but have a passion for the game,鈥 he said. 鈥淕etting cut made me more passionate about coaching. I knew my player career was done, but it also created an opportunity for me.鈥
Rodrigues came to BSU because he wanted to teach and through word-of-mouth had heard about the school鈥檚 highly respected education program.
鈥淏ridgewater has a great reputation for being a teaching school, I knew I wanted to pursue that,鈥 he said. 鈥淭eaching, I realized, also gave me the opportunity to also pursue coaching.鈥
Since graduating with a bachelor鈥檚 degree in history and master鈥檚 in education, Rodrigues has gone on to teach technology in Sandwich and Seekonk. The teacher鈥檚 schedule also allowed him to coach.
One of his early gigs was assistant coach with the Bourne Braves in the Cape Cod League. From there he found an assistant coaching position at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth.
鈥淎round that time, I also started a blog and shared professional development ideas that coaches could mimic or do,鈥 Rodrigues said.
Major League Baseball took notice, and soon the double Bear found himself interviewing for a coaching position with the Tampa Bay Rays.
鈥淚 was offered and took the job with Tampa. I was a little upset about leaving (Seekonk), I loved the school and my hometown but took a leap of faith that my passion would pay off,鈥 Rodrigues said.
For a year, Rodrigues traveled with the team and helped coaches and players understand game analysis using data and technology. Then COVID hit, and things shifted. Rodrigues decided to come back home to teach and coach.
But in 2023, a friend told him about a position with the Baltimore Orioles, one he thought Rodrigues would be a good match for. He applied, was hired and for three years worked with the organization in the minors, helping players better understand game situations.
鈥淐oaching, it鈥檚 just like being in the classroom. I saw my technical skills transfer over into my passion,鈥 he said. 鈥淚 loved every minute of it鈥nowing I was able to help make a player better, how to learn from mistakes. It was great to have that kind of impact.鈥
After three years of living on the road and being away from his wife Audrey, he decided it was time to take a break and come home. Today he鈥檚 back teaching at Seekonk and working as an assistant baseball coach at UMASS Dartmouth.
He hasn鈥檛 given up on coaching at the professional level but would like to further explore the collegiate level.
鈥淢y passion isn鈥檛 ever going to go away. I鈥檇 love to be a head coach at a college, even help and give back to my alma mater in some way,鈥 Rodrigues said. 鈥淚 loved Bridgewater. I really found myself as a student, a person when I was there,鈥 he said. 鈥淚t was a moment in time when I came into who I was as a person, and overall, it was a super positive experience.鈥
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