Coaching college baseball in the Cape Cod League is a unique opportunity on its own, but having the chance to do it under former Wichita State head coach Loren Hibbs made the experience even more special for Friends University assistant coach Kevin Frady.

Frady and Hibbs go back over 20 years, so when Hibbs made the call to Frady to join his coaching staff in the Cape, it didn't take long for Frady to jump aboard.

Frady and Hibbs – along with the rest of the Cotuit Kettleers coaching staff – guided their team to a second-place hitting finish in the Cape and came just one run away from reaching the finals.

But the wins and losses weren't the biggest takeaways for Frady.

Instead, it was the opportunity to coach against other experienced coaches and players and the ability to share the experience with family that meant the most.

A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity

The Cape Cod league is one of the most prestigious leagues in college summer baseball, so Frady knew he was in for a treat, both on and off the field.

"The competition, not just the games itself, but going up against the likes of Kelly Nicholson and Jim Lawler, both with long-time Division I experience was tremendous," Frady said. "Scott Pickler, a legend in the state of California at Citrus College was also there. Coaching against the other coaches in the league, that was tremendous competition."

But perhaps the best part of the experience was being able to share it with his family.

"My mother and father were able to come out, and their trip overlapped with my sister and nephew being able to come out," Frady said. "Just being able to share it with people that have supported me throughout my coaching journey, that was my favorite part."

Frady also relished the opportunity to learn from Hibbs, who has over 40 years of coaching experience at the Division I level.

"He's been to Omaha multiple times as a player and coach," Frady said. "And then he has over 800 wins in Division I baseball, been a manager or coach of the year in four different conferences. Having that type of mentorship and being able to continue to build a relationship that started 21 years ago when I did a camp for him when he was at UNC Charlotte is just priceless."

"I'm incredibly thankful to him for that opportunity."

Learning from the best

In addition to the personal growth, Frady also had several takeaways from his time in the Cape.

"Seeing things at a faster pace allows me to slow it down," Frady said. "When I got back here to Friends, it's not that our kids play the game at a slower pace, but there's a difference. We saw pitchers as high as 98 and 99 miles an hour."

"We consistently saw 92 to 96, and just teaching the kids some ways to simplify their process, to be able to handle that speed and be on time with it, and prepare for it as well is huge."

Frady also mentioned the situational experiences that he encountered throughout the season.

"We had some grinder games, and you learn how to handle different situations, so I think that's going to benefit me as well," Frady said.

Overall, the experience in the Cape was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Frady, but he's not sure if he would do it again.

"I feel like I'm at a point in my career where I'd only do it if it worked out personally and professionally," Frady said. "It's a grind. After you get through a college season with as early as we start in January, get done in May, then you spend the month of May recruiting, and you've got to trek 1,700 miles away and go to 40-plus games, and then trek 1,700 miles back, you're just away from your guys and building your program. It would have to be the right fit for me to do that again."

Tenure at Friends

Frady is entering his second season as an assistant coach for the Falcons and is excited about the future of the program.

"My time at Friends has been outstanding so far," Frady said. "I'm very thankful to Coach Adam Neisius for the opportunity. I'm very grateful for the guys that have accepted me as a new coach in the program."

Frady believes that the 2026 team will be very different from previous seasons and is confident that they can put together a winning team that will represent Friends University well on and off the field.

"I'm excited for these young men to take the field and see what we can do to get us to be back to the top of the KCAC where we feel we belong year in and year out," Frady said.

"Again, this opportunity to coach in the Cape Cod League never would have been possible if Coach Neisius didn't allow me to go out there. I'm incredibly thankful to him for that opportunity."