LIVE OAK — Although it may look comical at times, as if he were trying to get a bug off his uniform, the various motions and signals that Suwannee head coach Justin Bruce gives to his runners and hitters from the third base coaching box is a pretty serious matter.

A sacrifice bunt, steal, or well-timed hit-and-run could make the difference in the game. A missed sign or miscommunication can also have a negative impact and cost a team a game.  

With that in mind, Bruce doesn’t try to complicate signs for his players. He’s most concerned with having everyone on the same page.  

“The best system you can have in place is the most simplest one that your players can understand,” Bruce said. “The more complex you make it, the more they start thinking and things can go wrong.”

Some teams will go to great lengths to make signs complicated, trying to create a complex system so other teams won’t be looking to steal signs. 

For Bruce, who has coached third base during all five seasons of his head coaching career, going through a simple set of signs at a normal pace — not extremely fast nor slow — has worked well.

“There’s a lot of situations in baseball where everyone can see it (a play) coming,” he said. “There’s rarely times that you’re going to try and surprise a team. The biggest thing that’s helped me as a young coach is keeping things very simple.”

One play Bruce remembers well from this season didn’t come from giving signs, but through another one of his duties as a third base coach: verbal communications with baserunners.

In Suwannee’s road game at Baker County on March 23 — with runs hard to come by —  both teams remained scoreless in the fourth inning. With Zane Stephens on third base and another SHS runner on first, Bruce saw an opportunity to steal a run. 

Bruce walked up to Stephens and told him to steal home if the Wildcats’ left-handed pitcher tried to throw a pickoff to first. It worked as Stephens reached home safely for a big run.  

“With keeping it simple, there’s also times that calls for you to have to be creative to get a run,” Bruce said. “It took a little trust. It kind of broke the game open from there.”

It’s not just Bruce who gives signs and communicates with the team during games. SHS assistant coaches are also involved in different aspects of the game.

Pitching coach Daniel Tillman gives signs to catcher Sam McMillan to call pitches. Billy Moran is in charge of the infield, communicating bunt coverage and special plays when there are runners on first and third base.

In addition to coaching first base, Matt Campbell also gives signs when Suwannee is on defense, moving outfielders to position them against different hitters.

Bruce’s strategies as a head coach and third base coach have worked this year as the Bulldogs are 18-4 with three games left in the regular season. Trust in his players and coaches have been some of the keys to a successful year so far. 

“I’ve been big on not trying to micromanage every situation,” Bruce said. “I try to do a good job of letting our coaches have responsibility.  The real in-depth coaching comes from allowing your players to make situations happen on their own.”