Opportunities abound for Squeeze head coach Ruben Felix

The Florida Collegiate Summer League is, by design, a springboard.

For its players, it can be a way to get valuable exposure in front of professional scouts and to, in some instances, make a case for more playing time at their respective collegiate programs.

While the league is all about its players, it can also be a springboard for the its coaches, too.

Ruben Felix, after coaching the Winter Garden Squeeze through their inaugural season, finds himself with job prospects in the works from a number of college programs — including potential positions with FIU’s baseball program and Ole Miss’ softball program.

“It [coaching in the FCSL] does help,” Felix said of his role this summer and its impact on his job prospects. “For the resume, it does wonders.”

Felix, who has spent the past four years as the lead assistant coach and recruiting coordinator for UCF’s softball program, has an extensive background in baseball and softball from over the years — including Major League coaching experience with the Baltimore Orioles, time with USA Baseball and having played professionally, himself.

And even though Felix may find himself with a new gig in the next few weeks, he said after the Squeeze’s season-ending loss to Winter Park on Aug. 1 that he looks forward to hopefully continuing to lead the Winter Garden franchise in the summer of 2015.

“Going into next year, hopefully they ask me back,” Felix said. “I have a good idea of who to bring in, who not to bring in … that’s going to help me mold the team, next year, even better.”

Felix credited the league’s other coaches for making the 2014 season a positive experience and helping to show him the ropes of coaching in league.

Squeeze General Manager Adam Bates expressed excitement that Felix would want to return to coach Winter Garden again in 2015, saying that it is a strong possibility so long as things line up on both sides of the equation.

“If he wants to and it works out in the cards, I would love to have him back — he’s the definition of first-class,” Bates said. “If we could have him back, him and [Squeeze assistant coach] Tony [Perez], oh man — it would be really, really cool.”