Meggs Family: Turning For Home

Head Coach Lindsay Meggs and son Jack, a Husky outfielder, look to make the most of their final season together at UW.

By Allyson Ahern

For Washington Head Baseball Coach Lindsay Meggs, creating a family environment on his team took on a very literal meaning seven years ago. He never imagined himself coaching first his oldest son, Joe, and then his youngest son, Jack. But that is where his path took him. Now, as Meggs wraps up his eighth season at the helm of the Huskies program, and his final year coaching one of his sons, that reality is sinking in with him.

"I find myself thinking about it more, but there's not really anything out of the ordinary that I've done or we've done," Meggs said. "I think it'll kind of sneak up on me as we get going."

Before the whole journey began, Meggs decided to do his homework. He was wary in the beginning, never having coached either of his sons, or his daughter, Kelly, in any sport. So he reached out to one of his good friends, Ritch Price, the head baseball coach at Kansas, who coached three of his own sons. What he learned from Price was that it could be either the worst or the best experience of his life.

"He said it was more about how the kids handled it," Meggs remembered. "How your children handle it will really kind of determine how it affects you, and that's really been the theme for us."

The elder Meggs praised his sons for their ability to handle the ups and downs that come with being a college student-athlete. Although the way they both handled the dynamics were different, he couldn't say enough about how tough both of his sons remained through the process of playing for their father. Every step of the way they took the challenges in stride, and the mental and emotional strength of the sons allowed their father to focus on finding the right balance when it came to being a coach and a father.

Finding that balance over the past years and even sometimes now is the most challenging part of coaching his sons. Initially, Meggs struggled to be fair and treat them the same as any other player; constantly concerned that his sons wouldn't be accepted by their teammates or that accusations would fly that he was showing favoritism.

From firsthand experience however, Jack knows his dad found a way to make it work. While his dad is tough on his teammates, half of the time, Jack is the one getting it the hardest. He is able to go into the locker room and be just a player without getting blamed for being the coach's son.

"It's the best of both worlds," Jack said. "I think guys know how to separate us when we're on the field and know that it's not personal."

For Coach Meggs, it only worked because he realized early on that it was naïve to pretend he wasn't coaching his sons. He was honest with the fact that he couldn't be completely impartial when it came to either Joe or Jack.

"I got on board a while ago," Meggs stated. "I can either fool myself into thinking I'm treating them exactly like I'm treating everybody else or I need to treat everybody else like they belong to me."

This new attitude made him a better and more well-rounded coach. He is now more patient and understanding about the kinds of distractions or issues that occur off the field, because he saw what his sons went through. He appreciates that he is more compassionate and his coaching style improved with his sons around.

He also knows that both have earned everything they've accomplished. Jack is the youngest, and what you might expect from that role. Dad describes him as louder and that likes to be the center of attention, which comes from him always trying to catch up with his older siblings growing up. Joe, the oldest, was always a quieter teammate - more reserved and steady. Despite their differences, both became natural leaders and were voted captains by their teammates.

One of the best parts of coaching his sons is that Meggs got the opportunity to watch them interact with their teammates and ultimately earn respect on their own. Going into this last season he is embracing the final chance to be involved in all aspects of their lives.

"(The best part is) just being able to see what in my opinion, quality kids they are," he said. "I get to see them around their teammates, I get to see them out socially, I get to see them as students."

All of the talk about one final ride with his sons almost nearly moot. After being selected First Team All-Pac-12 last season, Jack was giving consideration to leaving a year early to play professional baseball. However, after not hearing his name called in the 2016 MLB draft, Jack decided to return for his senior season. It wasn't what he planned, but Jack mentioned his entire family as the reason he was able to get through it and begin focusing on what lay ahead.

"We're all a pretty close-knit family and we're each other's biggest supporters," Jack said. So having them in my corner and being able to talk to them, that helped me get over it faster. It was just great having them."

From his dad's perspective, Jack's experience with the draft differed from other players. Although scouts advised Jack to be ready to get a call on the last day, they took into account the other options he had. As the son of a baseball coach, scouts mostly likely assumed Jack wouldn't accept a late round pick with the chance to play and compete one last year for his dad.

"I think they would have thought, the typical parent would help him out the door and say go do it," Meggs explained. "But because I have a little different perspective I think they were leery of doing that, and I think that played into it."

Similar to most parents though, Meggs used what he knew about his son and kept Jack's best interests in mind when giving him advice about the draft. He ultimately knew what would be a good fit for his youngest son.

"We knew if he was drafted, he wasn't going to be drafted high and we talked a lot about how much he loves the team concept," Meggs said. "Minor league baseball is purely about development and not about winning. He is really into the team concept, wants to win and likes to win."

While Jack enters his final collegiate season, his older brother, Joe, is also still actively involved in the program. He currently works as the Director of Baseball Operations, a position that, according to Lindsay, is a perfect fit.

"It has to be such a catchall thing when you're drawing up a profile for somebody that you'd like to be in that position," Meggs said. "You want it to be someone who played for you, who played at the institution where he's going to work, who was a player of substance, meaning somebody who had a key role, who was a good student, who had a chance to play professionally, and who knows enough about this campus that they're dialed in enough and can hit the ground running when they start."

Joe is thriving in this role because he is detail-orientated and can account for some of the areas his father isn't best suited for. His job description ranges from handling travel details and budgets, to talking to current players about being a student-athlete. Like Jack in the locker room, Joe earned this position because of the value he brings to it, not because he is the coach's son.

"In that position you have to have somebody who you trust, who's talented, who's smarter than you, and who can clean up your messes," Meggs said. "And that's what I have, so it's been great."

While he spent seven years coaching his sons, his daughter, Kelly, also excelled athletically. Out of high school she attended UC Irvine and played basketball. Growing up, his only daughter was independent and had her mind made up to move away from home. The decision was made easier by the fact that his wife, Teresa, had family in that area. When the Meggs family made trips down to see Kelly play, they got to see much of their extended family as well. Although it wasn't as often as he would have liked, Lindsay, worked around baseball schedules to support his daughter as much as possible.

Seeing his daughter also became a lot easier when Head Coach Heather Tarr asked Kelly to play for the softball team during the 2015 season while she attended UW for a one-year grad school program. The two developed a relationship when Kelly was first coming out of high school, but she ultimately chose basketball. This time however, Kelly jumped at the opportunity to play for Coach Tarr. It was the perfect situation for the family.

"I could go to practice here, do my thing, then walk over there and watch the end of their practice or catch a game," Meggs describes. "So that was a lot of fun."

Through all the challenges of coaching his sons and trying to support his daughter as best as possible, one thing remained steady, his wife, Teresa.

"My wife has held everything together," Meggs recognizes. "She's the rock in this whole thing. I don't know that she's had a day off in 30 years and that's pretty remarkable."

When the family moved from Indiana, Meggs sometimes worked 14-hour days at the start of his career at UW. Teresa sold their old house and found new schools for the kids. She always understood the nature of the job because her dad was a high school football coach. For Lindsay, her positive attitude and support means everything.

Now, she's widely recognized around the program because of her dedication to the players and their families. Not only does she attend every home and away game, but she also tries to make the transition easier for families who are sending their kids away from home. Although Meggs isn't always comfortable with how close his wife is to the parents of players he makes coaching decisions about, like everything else, she handles it was ease.

"She finds a way to make those families feel like we are a family out here," Lindsay said. "At one point in time we handed our daughter off to a coaching staff that was a three-hour plane ride away and trusted them. So she knows what they're going through and I think that eases their anxiety about kids being away from home."

Although coaching his sons wasn't part of Meggs' plan, the trajectory of the Huskies program certainly is.

"We're all pretty impatient around here but I feel like we are in a good spot," he said. "I feel like whether it's where we thought we would be or not, it's where we should be. We've pushed most of the right buttons."

Since taking on the role of head coach, a new ballpark was built, the team GPA is higher than ever and the Huskies have the second-best winning percentage in the Pac-12 over the last three years. The next step in Meggs' mind is to get to the College World Series. Although this is always the ultimate goal, both father and son agreed that it means just a little more with Jack being on the team one last year.

"I want to get this program to Omaha with my dad and change the culture," Jack said. "I'm very excited that I get that opportunity."

As the season comes to a wrap this weekend, the Huskies are 26-25, 12-15 in Pac-12 play. Realistically, the Huskies will need to sweep USC and get a little help from the NCAA Selection Committee to continue play in the post-season. But, no matter what, the program is in a lot better shape than when the Meggs family arrived on Montlake.

The remodeled Husky Ballpark set in front of one of the most picturesque backdrops in college baseball has improved the environment and encouraged fans to buy in more often. As Meggs grew in his role and developed his players to understand the culture he wanted to create, the fans learned along with them.

"As time goes on, the fans are becoming more savvy, more into the game and more aware of the things we're trying to do," he said.

As Meggs nears the end of coaching his youngest son, he will try to soak in everything that makes it a positive experience. In particular, he gets one last chance to experience pride as both a father and a coach.

"I think the most important job in this world is being a good parent and so you'd like to feel like some of the decisions you make and some of the time you put into that is reflected by the way your kids behave," Meggs said. "And I think both my boys have done a good job of that. So that really makes me feel good."

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