The next time the Patriots toe the rubber another milestone will be checked off by head coach Art Inabinet. The 2021 season is tentatively set to begin Feb. 5, against Southern Wesleyan University and will mark coach Inabinet's 1,000th game at the helm of the Patriot baseball program.

Inabinet is entering his 23rd season here at Francis Marion University. He arrived on campus as an assistant coach in the fall of 1998, wide-eyed and eager to learn under FMU Hall of Famer Gerald Griffin. A South Carolina native, Inabinet grew up just an hour and a half away in the small town of St. Matthews, but that wasn't the only reason he made the move to Florence.

"The campus is extremely beautiful, and the Pee Dee region itself has always been a hotbed for baseball players," said Inabinet. "The people in this part of the state like baseball as much as they do football, which is a little unusual for South Carolina. Usually, it's football first, then everything else, but for some reason, Florence is baseball first. I think those two or three things are what really helped bring me to Francis Marion."

In his first game as part of the Patriot baseball program, Francis Marion defeated Barton College 3-0 on Feb. 7, 1999, and in his first game as head coach, he guided the Patriots to an 8-5 victory over Newberry College on Feb. 6, 2001. Those moments would only be a glimpse of what was to come. When asked to recall those moments he said, "I think we beat some quality opponents. That's first and foremost, but any time you get the opportunity to work with young people and do something that you love daily, that is always very rewarding."

"The guys that have come through this program, hopefully, we've had an impact on them as people, and as ambassadors of baseball. More importantly, we hope that we lead all of them to get good jobs and become better human beings," said Inabinet.

A lot of things can change in 23 years, but if you ask Inabinet, baseball isn't one of those things. It's still a bat-and-ball game where two teams take turns batting and fielding, and the team that scores the most runs wins. However, one thing that has changed is the facilities used.

In 2012, Francis Marion University cut the ribbons and opened up the Griffin Athletic Complex, and with that came Cormell Field at Sparrow Stadium, a state-of-the-art baseball facility, part of the 11.1 million dollar sports complex. "This facility has allowed us to recruit young men that we know will represent Francis Marion well, and hopefully put us in a position to win a lot of games," said Inabinet. "The main thing is it's an icon of this area because it's so beautiful. It allows our kids to play in a first-class facility every single day, even at practice."

A lot can be learned and experienced in 23 years of coaching, but 2020 brought us something that no one was ready for. On March 12, 2020, the sports world stood still. Games were postponed and seasons would proceed to be cancelled. The COVID-19 pandemic was the true definition of a curveball. "It's been a thorn in the side," said Inabinet. "We've definitely had to adapt to how we go about our daily life. There's been a lot of time spent with my family in the last 5-6 months. We've eaten at home more in the last 5-6 months than we have in the last 10 years."

"From a baseball perspective, we are still trying to figure this thing out. What's the best way that we can attack it, so that we can still do what we need to do on the baseball field, in the weight room, conditioning, all of those good things. I think we'll adapt to it as we learn more information, but we're just taking it slow right now," Inabinet said.

"Our first practice of 2020 was Sept. 18. We did some small group work, 6-8 players at a time, and they will stay in their own individual group throughout the next two weeks of work. Hopefully, from there we can progress to more of a typical baseball practice where we have all the hitters out there at one time, and maybe some more team situation stuff. But we just have to wait and see how that goes," Inabinet said.

When it comes to coaching, it's not always about what you can do for the players, sometimes it is what they do for you. "I think you learn something every day sitting in this chair, but I think the main thing that I have learned is just patience with young people and trying to understand where they are coming from," said Inabinet. "That doesn't mean you have to change and do what they are telling you, but you have to listen. That is one of the main things that I have tried to do with all the players that have come through this program. To be fair, but yet hold them accountable for their actions, like missing class and things like that; just try to be fair, but consistent in dealing with young people."

In nine of his 20 seasons as head coach, the Patriots have won 30 games. Seven times Francis Marion has earned invitations to the NCAA Division II national tournament.  Nine times during his tenure the Patriots have appeared in the final Top 30 national poll at the conclusion of the season, and 12-players have been chosen in the Major League Baseball draft over the past 16 years, but there are two moments that stick out the most.

"One of my most gratifying times here at Francis Marion was in 2006 when we won the NCAA II Southeast Regional to go to the College World Series. Then in 2012, we hosted the University of South Carolina," Inabinet said.

On April 11, 2012, Francis Marion opened the gates to the new Cormell Field at Sparrow Stadium versus back-to-back College World Series champs, No. 9 South Carolina. In a game for the ages, the Patriots got the best of the Gamecocks in a 5-4 victory. The victory tallied win No. 400 for Inabinet, and would be the cherry on top to the already special night.

Coach Inabinet has been around the game of baseball for basically his entire life. He's coached some of the best players in Francis Marion history, and has checked numerous milestones off his list. "I have been doing this for a long time, but at the same time, I still feel young at heart," said Inabinet. "I still get the same urge to go out there on the baseball field every day. Looking back at the players that have come through the program, you just want to always reflect on that and have good memories. You always hope that the players have good memories as well. Moving forward I just want to make sure we do everything we can to put our players in a good position to be graduates of the university and also competitive student-athletes on the field." 
 
QUICK HITS
21 Years as Head Coach at FMU
23 Years at FMU
Record at FMU: 610-387-2
Winning Percentage: .611
Overall Record: 694-441-2
Overall Winning Percentage: .605
18-4 in season openers
The 6th win of the 2021 season will mark overall win No. 700