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Bio

Head Coach Boston College High Eagles for the past 3 seasons. in those years, he has been the Massachusetts Division 1 State Champs in 2024 Division 1 Massachusetts Coach of the Year in 2024 2018 ABCA Assistant Coach of the Year Presently serving as President of the Massachusetts Baseball Coaches Association

On the show we talk about his state champion group last year, his preparation for taking on the head coaching opportunity, and what they do for culture development in the fall. Here is part 1 with Steven Healy!

Time stamps part 1

02:00- 2024 state champs

09:00- preparing for his head coaching opportunity

14:00- fall development

21:00- culture development

26:30- being a great assistant coach

Contact

healy@bchigh.edu

Jake McKinley, who spent four seasons (2018-22) with the Milwaukee Brewers and has more than a decade of collegiate coaching experience, begins his third season at the Nevada helm in Fall 2024.

He was the Brewers’ Vice President of Player Development since 2021, having previously served as the organization’s Director of Player Development Initiatives (2019-21) and minor league pitching coordinator (2018-19). He oversaw player development strategies throughout the entire organization, as well as oversight of all minor-league coordinators. The Brewers made the playoffs in each of McKinley’s seasons with the club, capturing the National League Central Division pennant in 2018 and 2021, and earning wild card berths from 2019-20.

Prior to joining the Brewers’ organization, McKinley spent 13 years in the collegiate ranks, including five seasons as a head coach (2014-17 at Menlo College; 2018 at William Jessup). At Menlo College, McKinley won 131 games over his four seasons at the helm, becoming the program’s all-time winningest head coach. The following season, he inherited a William Jessup team that had won just 10 games the previous year, and guided it to a 41-17 campaign, marking, at the time, the largest single-season turnaround in college baseball history.

Time stamps part 1

04:00- “more with less”

08:00- Fall Development

19:00- Competitions

31:00- culture and standards

38:00- throwing programs

Time stamps part 2

40:00- 02:00- January throwing program

43:30- 05:30- Attacking weaknesses

50:00- 12:30- Pre season Team Development

55:00- 17:30- developing role players and hard conversations

1:05:00- quick hitters

EMAIL baseball@unr.edu

This episode of Ahead of the Curve is brought to you by New Era. New Era is the official headwear provider of the MLB, NFL, and NBA. If you love to rock New Era Caps as much as I do, then you won’t want to miss out on the opportunity to wear what the players wear AND get 15% off when you go to NEW ERA CAP DOT COM/AOTC and use code aotc at checkout. That's 15% off your order using promo code aotc.

Bio

Chris is fresh on leading the Heartland Community College baseball team to a national title this past season. Chris Razo also was named the 2023 ABCA NJCAA Division II Coach of the Year.

Under Razo’s leadership, the Heartland baseball team has made two appearances in the NJCAA DII National Tournament, and won the tournament this past season.

Razo joined the Heartland staff in 2018, serving as pitching coach, and became Interim Head Coach in the winter of 2020.

As a player, Razo spent two years as a Heartland Hawk before moving to Illinois State University where he was drafted by the Milwaukee Brewers in the 24th round in 2013. While at ISU, Razo was selected to the MVC All-Conference first team, and also won Pitcher of the Year in the Missouri Valley Conference.

On the show we discuss the national championship run from last year, what it was like being named interim head coach at semester, and why the value winning first and development next. Here is Chris Razo!

Time Stamps
02:00 National Champs
04:00- Being named interim head coach at semester, and during COVID
08:30- Past summer agenda
11:30- Culture over Everything
18:30 - Fall Development
27:30- Pre Season to In Season
41:00- Post Season
45:00- Quick Hitters

Contact
Chris.Razo@heartland.edu

Bio
Nate Thompson, Hitting coach and recruiting coordinator for Arkansas
Following the completion of his own collegiate playing career at Dallas Baptist in 2006, Thompson aided a Dallas Baptist coaching staff working with the DBU outfielders while assisting with hitting instruction and the implementation of the club’s strength and conditioning program.
Nate then spent three seasons at Nebraska as the Cornhuskers’ volunteer assistant, then served as Hutchinson CC’s primary hitting coach from 2011- 2014 season. Nate next took a job as the hitting coach at Missouri State and they went on to hit .270 or better in each of his three seasons and averaged just under seven runs per game.
And since 2017 Nate has been in his current role as the hitting coach and recruiting coordinator for the Arkansas Razorbacks
From 2018-20, Arkansas leads the conference in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, weighted on-base average, OPS, runs, homeruns, extra-base hits, runs batted in, total bases and sacrifice flies.
 
So on the show we talk…..
 
Time Stamps

3:00- Recruit Evaluation

9:00- Player Evaluation

19:00- Using upperclassmen as leaders.

20:20- Training adjustability

29:30- Balancing tech with player development

35:30- Training Competitiveness

48:00- In Dugout talks

50:00- Last things

Resources

Bible

7 habits of highly successful people

Andy Andrews (author)

Contact

https://twitter.com/CoachT_RZRBacks

natethompson@uark.edu

Go to WhatAboutBaseball.com/curve to get your special offer. 20% off AND free shipping. 


Bio

Matt Parker started in 2018 as head coach of Eastern baseball. Year one they were 25-23, last years COVID year was 19-4, nationally ranked and leading league when shutdown and this year they are 26-3, nationally ranked, and were leading the league at the time.

Before Eastern, Matt over and took the Oklahoma Wesleyan baseball program to new heights, breaking program records and turned the Eagles into an NAIA regional power and national contender. They won four conference championships and two NAIA World Series appearances. He was a three-time conference Coach of the Year and two-time ABCA Region Coach of the Year.

Prior to Oklahoma Wesleyan, Parker spent three seasons as an assistant at California Baptist University, two seasons as an assistant coach at Garden City (Kan.) Community College, and he also spent the 2005-06 season as an assistant coach at Henderson State University.

On the show we talk about how he implemented a championship vision to 2 programs on 2 different levels which includes standards on and off the field, consistent self reflection, and building players not only on the field, but off the field and in the classroom.

Time stamps
1:30- Vision when you started (at both OKWU and Eastern)
10:20- Developing Arms
25:00- Standards 
30:00- Offseason Calendar 
53:00- In season Changes
102:00- Last things
 
Resources
Rapsodo
Synergy 
Core Velo Belts
Driveline/J-Bands
Clean Fuego Balls
Mind Gym- Gary Mack
 
Contact
https://twitter.com/MattParker37

mparker@eosc.edu

Go to WhatAboutBaseball.com/curve to get your special offer. Thats 20% off AND free shipping. 


Bio

Freddy Hilliard is in his 11th season as Head Baseball Coach at Malvern Preparatory School in Malvern, Pennsylvania.  

In his time at Malvern Prep, he has amassed a school record for wins with a 282-71 record and has led the Friars to 7 league championships  and 6 State titles including the previous 3 in a row to go along with 8 straight seasons of making the state final.  Coach Hilliard has been named Coach of the Year 3 separate times during his tenure, and his teams have been nationally recognized both with preseason and postseason national rankings in several publications 7 times.  

Coach Hilliard has helped mentor over 65 players onto the collegiate baseball ranks including 40 that have gone on to play at the division one level.  He has also had a player of his selected by MLB in 3 of the previous 4 drafts. 

On the show we discuss the meaning behind Malvern having "no rules",  defining and teaching core values, and practice organization.

Time Stamps
1:00- Vision of the program
7:00- Making the switch from assistant to head coach
10:20- "Our rule is we have no rules"
13:50- Core Values
20:00- Offseason Calendar
30:00- Practice Design
50:00- Lightning Section
 
Contact
@coachhilliard16
fhilliard@malvernprep.org

Go to WhatAboutBaseball.com/curve to get your special offer. Thats 20% off AND free shipping. 
 
Bio

Matt Hobbs is in his third season as the Arkansas pitching coach in 2020, joining the Razorbacks in November 2018.

Matt helped craft the Razorback pitching staff into one of the top groups in the country in his first year on the Hill in 2019. and In a shortened season, the Hogs put together a 3.68 ERA and an 11-5 record with three saves and one shutout. Arkansas racked up 143 strikeouts in 142.0 innings

Hobbs has coached eight players that have been drafted in the top-10 rounds, including 2018 first-round pick Griffin Roberts, and has helped develop a total of seven big leaguers.

Before Arkansas, Hobbs was the Pitching coach at Wake Forest and in each of his first three years in Winston-Salem, the Demon Deacons improved in ERA, strikeouts , walks per nine and opponent batting average 

Hobbs pitched at Missouri from 1999-2002, where he won 13 games and struck out 125 batters. Hobbs was drafted twice, first by the San Diego Padres in 2001 and then by the Kansas City Royals in 2002.

On the show we talk all things pitching development, including who they like to recruit, what pitching assessments they use, and how they use tech for offseason development and measuring in season progress.

Time Stamps

5:00- Things he has changed from 2020
14:00- How has player development changed?
21:30- Recruiting talk
27- Assessments 
30:30- Readiness Scores
36:00- Recovery 
42:00- In season development
58:00- Using tech for development
1:07:00- Last Things
 
Contact
Twitter

mh099@uark.edu 

On today show we have on Tanner Reklaitis

Tanner works as the Director of Operations at Tread Athletics. He also writes a weekly email newsletter for coaches called Monday Morning Edge which will have you thinking every Monday morning. His work is focused on helping coaches succeed in the 21st century. Previously, he worked at Driveline Baseball and was a Minor League Pitching Coach for the Los Angeles Angels. 

 
On the show we discuss the systems approach, power laws and the what, why and how of coaching. 

 
Time Stamps

• :30- Journey to Tread
• 2:00- Systems approach
• 1940- The Power Law
• 29:00- What, why and how of coaching
• 35:20- Studying coaches in other sports 
• 40:20- The Importance of communication
• 43:50- Getting players to own their career
• 55:- Last things

• https://tanners.blog/mme/
• Jurgen Klopp Biography
• Conscious Coaching- Brett Bartholomew
• Alchemy- Rory Sutherland
• Zero to One- Peter Thiel

• https://twitter.com/treklaitis
• https://tanners.blog/

Bio
Spencer Allen is the 26th head baseball coach of the Northwestern program and was named to the position on June 14, 2015. 
 
Allen came to Northwestern after serving as an assistant coach at Illinois in 2015. He helped the Fighting Illini set the school record with 50 wins and win the first NCAA Regional in program history. the Illini ranked near the top of the Big Ten in numerous offensive categories, leading the league in hits, runs, RBIs, total bases, home runs and slugging percentage.

Prior to his stint with Illinois, Allen served a two-year stretch as the associate head coach and recruiting coordinator at Creighton. Reaching the college world series. From 2010-12, Allen worked as an assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at Washington State University.  Allen was the recruiting coordinator for the Boilermakers during the 2008-09 seasons. He also worked as a scout in the Detroit Tigers organization, and as a volunteer coach at Iowa (2004). Allen's coaching career began at Edmonds Community College in 2002, where he was an assistant coach.
 
He played three seasons at Iowa State from 1999-2001. He was a team captain during his final season and a 2001 All-Big XII Academic selection.
 
On the show, we discuss the pillars that Northwestern is built upon which includes a high challenge, high support environment and Deliberate practices
 
This episode is so good with Spencer Allen!
 
Time Stamps
1:20- Vision of the program
5:00- The Underdog Story
8:00- Compared to what?
13:00- High Challenge, High Support
16:45- Consistent Habits and Routines
20:45- "Everything that happens to you is your fault"
30:00- Deliberate Practice 
40:00- Drills for developing infielders
47:00- Last Things
 
Resources

• Eat smarter- Shawn Stevenson
• Golfs Sacred Journey- David Cook
• The Gift of Failure- Jessica Lahey

Bio
Today we have on John Carter, Head Baseball coach at Round Rock High School. John is a graduate of Round Rock High School and attended Round Rock schools growing up. Upon graduation from high school, Coach Carter attended Texas Tech, where he played both football and baseball. After his playing days ended, he remained at Tech as a graduate assistant from 1992 – 1994. He returned to Round Rock in 1995, coaching multiple sports including softball, soccer, football, and baseball. John became the head coach in (when). John also was the texas HS baseball coach of the year in 2017 a year after graduating 7 D1 players. 
 
On the show we talk culture, competition and core values so much more! Here is John Carter!
 
Time Stamps

• 3:00- Vision of the program when he started
• 6:20 - Core Values
• 16:00 - Culture building
• 21:20 - Competitions
• 227:00 - Parent Involvement
• 31:30 - Transition periods from offseason to in season
• 36:13- Baserunning
• 38:00- Quick Hitters

• Culture Code- Daniel Coyle
• Lead for Gods Sake- Todd G. Gongwer

• Twitter- https://twitter.com/Rockhardball
• Email- john_carter@roundrockisd.org

Bio
Nate Thompson, Hitting coach and recruiting coordinator for Arkansas
Following the completion of his own collegiate playing career at Dallas Baptist in 2006, Thompson aided a Dallas Baptist coaching staff working with the DBU outfielders while assisting with hitting instruction and the implementation of the club’s strength and conditioning program.
Nate then spent three seasons at Nebraska as the Cornhuskers’ volunteer assistant, then served as Hutchinson CC’s primary hitting coach from 2011- 2014 season. Nate next took a job as the hitting coach at Missouri State and they went on to hit .270 or better in each of his three seasons and averaged just under seven runs per game.
And since 2017 Nate has been in his current role as the hitting coach and recruiting coordinator for the Arkansas Razorbacks
From 2018-20, Arkansas leads the conference in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage, weighted on-base average, OPS, runs, homeruns, extra-base hits, runs batted in, total bases and sacrifice flies.
 
So on the show we talk…..
 
Time Stamps

• 3:00- Recruit Evaluation
• 9:00- Player Evaluation
• 19:00- Using upperclassmen as leaders.
• 20:20- Training adjustability
• 29:30- Balancing tech with player development
• 35:30- Training Competitiveness
• 48:00- In Dugout talks
• 50:00- Last things

• Bible
• 7 habits of highly successful people
• Andy Andrews (author)

• https://twitter.com/CoachT_RZRBacks
• natethompson@uark.edu

This podcast is powered by Stick & Ball TV. Today we have on Jamey Carroll from the Pittsburgh Pirates. Jamey Grew up in Evansville Indiana, graduated from the University of Evansville, and after earning all-american honors at SS, he was drafted in the 14th round by the Montreal Expos. Jamey made his Major League Debut in 2002 and in 2004, scored the Expos final run in their history before moving to Washington DC. Besides playing with the Expos/Nationals franchise, Jamey also played for the Rockies, Indians, Dodgers, Twins and Royals franchises. Jamey retired and got into coaching in 2015 as a Pirates front office assistant. On the show we discuss what his role with being a Defensive Coordinator entails, we go over how coaching has changed since he played and what he has implemented, and he gives us us a ton of drills we can take to practice tomorrow. Here is Jamey Carroll! Time Stamps 2:10- What does a Defensive Coordinator do? 6:02- Discussion on Shifts 11:32- How to scout infielders. 16:00- Unique skills per position 21:40- Unique skills that are innate and we can teach. 27:15- What can amateur players get better at? 32:56- Teaching the game within the game 44:40- Practical ways to use sports psychology 48:40- Tao Training 51:40 Blending Science and Art of coaching 56:20- Pushback with trying new things 58:05- Last things Resources Keep Chopping Wood- Kevin DeSchazo

What can we learn from a ship captain that got his ship stranded in the ice 80 miles the coast of Antarctica? Find out next.

This episode of Ahead of the Curve is brought to you by New Era. New Era is the official headwear provider of the MLB, NFL, and NBA. If you love to rock New Era Caps as much as I do, then you won’t want to miss out on the opportunity to wear what the players wear AND get 15% off when you go to NEW ERA CAP DOT COM/AOTC and use code aotc at checkout. That's 15% off your order using promo code aotc.

Bio
Scott is coming off back to back state championships in class C in New York State . He is 3X ABCA Regional High School Coach of the Year, a 15+ year member ABCA Selects the ABCA (American Baseball Coaches Association) Region 1 High School All-Americans for the Northeastern states.

On the show we discuss how he turned the program from a .500 ball club to competing for state championships, we go over how he adjusts his practice and development for multi sport players and how they contribute to get better as the season goes on. This episode is so good with Scott Steltz!

Time stamps
02:30- state champs
08:00- offseason development
17:00- culture and standards
28:00- pre season structure
36:00- arm health with multiple sport and multiple position athletes
41:00- in season practices
52:00- quick hitters

Contact
Email- steltzs@chatham.k12.ny.us
Instagram- https://www.instagram.com/hangingcurve5

This podcast is powered by Stick & Ball TV THE baseball and softball streaming platform. If you haven’t check it out, there are hundreds videos and so much great content waiting for you. And the cool part? It’s all updated weekly. Check it out at StickandBall.TV, or on the Stick & Ball TV mobile app Today we have on Alan Jaeger- founder of Jaeger sports. Alan founded Jaeger Sports on the principle that athletes need to develop both their physical and mental skills in order to be successful in game situations. Since 1991 Alan Jaeger, as a personal trainer and consultant, has worked with over 200 professional players, including 2002 Cy Young Award Winner Barry Zito, and All-Stars Dan Haren and Andrew Bailey. Alan, has also consulted with many schools and professional organizations. Alan’s intention is to help athletes merge the “mechanics” of the Western athlete with the “insight” of the Far Eastern mind, to position athletes to best realize their potential on and off the playing field. On the show we extensively cover all things mental game. Including meditation, visualization, routines, self talk, and awareness. Not only do we go over the methodology behind it, Alan puts it all on the table for us with countless practical drills and scenarios that you can take to practice tomorrow. Heres Alan Jaeger! Time Stamps 2:00- Defining the mental game 11:20- What separates the good team from great teams? 16:40- Where do we start? 26:40- Getting players to buy in 36:40- Practical Strategies to use 42:40- Routines and process oriented 50:30- Failure Recovery 52:10- Mindfulness Plans and Breathing 1:03:10- Last things Resources https://www.jaegersports.com/mental-practice-plans/ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7h4er5U38SU&ab_channel=AlanJaeger Contact https://www.jaegersports.com/ @jaegersports

How do we make data relevant? By giving in the story or experience. In order to gain attention from players using data. We have to show that we can connect with them in meaningful and useful always. And we use data to positively influence an outcome, one way or another.

Bio
Ryan has a degree in Exercise Physiology from University of California at Davis and he has worked on improving athlete’s visual performance on the field since 1999.  Through the years he has worked hundreds of baseball stars. He has also worked with the 2010, 2012 and 2014 World Champion San Francisco Giants, the Toronto Blue Jays, the Philadelphia Phillies 2009-2012 as well as 9 other Professional Baseball Organizations. Collegiately he has worked with the 2016 NCAA Champion Coastal Carolina, the 2012 NCAA Champion Arizona Wildcats,  the 2013 NCAA Champions UCLA Bruins, as well as Oregon State, Wichita State, Kentucky, and Long Beach State.  Ryan has worked with many Collegiate Softball programs
 
On the show we go over several drills you can take and implement in practice tomorrow. We talk balance, depth perception, and one of my favorite discussions was over when, where and how to look
 
Here is Ryan Harrison!
 
Time Stamps

3:00- Where do we start?

6:30- Cognition tests

15:50 When, where and how to look

23:50- Setup to see

29:10- Depth Perception

33:00- Balance and its effect on vision

36:60-  "mechanics are a result of proper vision"

40:30- In game discussions

47:30- Reaction time vs predictive vision

55:50- Perception/Action Coupling

58:30- The Barry Bonds drill

1:01:30- Drills

1:13:00- Last Things

 
Contact

https://www.slowthegamedown.com/

ryan@slowthegamedown.com

https://ndvperformance.com/

Most of us are transitioning from offseason to in season this time of year. So I wanted to put some thoughts together from things I've learned and some thoughts on what I would do different.

Today we have on Patrick Murphy, Head Softball Coach, University of Alabama Murph is in his 25th year at Alabama; 23rd year as head coach. In his tenure, he is the winningest coach of all-time in any sport at Bama. They have been to the NCAA tournament 22 straight years and all 15 Super Regional rounds that have been played. They have been a 12-time WCWS participant. He is a 6-time SEC champion, they have been the national attendance leader 14 years running and they have had the most academic All-Americans of any softball program the past 10 years.
 
On the show, we discuss all things program building which includes leadership dinners, involving parents, creating a culture of affirmations and gratitude and so much more.
 
You're gonna love this episode with Patrick Murphy!
 
Time Stamps

4:00- Vision when Patrick got the job

8:11- First Steps

12:30- Combating the anxious generation

15:30- "its all about the relationships"

17:15- Leadership Dinners

23:15- "Dont hold grudges"

27:20- Involving Parents

35:00 The power of affirmations

41:30- Holding teammates accountable

46:40- Classroom Sessions

49:40- Practice Planning Advice

56:30- Quick Hitters

Resources

Leadership from a dancing man

The Choice- Edith Eger

 
Contact

Coach Murphy

pmurphy@ia.ua.edu

This week, we're talking why we should start with and continually focus on clarity.

Intro
Entering his 13th year in the Cleveland Indians Organization, and his second year on the Major League Staff. Justin spend the first 7 years as a minor league player reaching AAA, and the past 6 years as a coach. He was a hitting coach from 2016-'19 and Spent 2020 in his current role as the Major League hitting analyst. Justin Attended/played collegiately at the University of Iowa. Spent a week in the American Association before he was fortunate enough to sign with the Indians as a non drafted FA. He just finished a masters program in Performance Psychology this past March.
 
On the show dive into the art of coaching, facilitating a learning environment, blending intuition and science, simplifying analytics, and of course, psychology.
 
Time Stamps
2:00- What does a hitting analyst do?
6:00- Filtering Information
9:45- Advanced Reports
16:50- Evaluating new players
20:00- Communication
23:32- Teaching and its role in coaching
30:40- Blending the art of coaching with science/data
37- Facilitating learning environments
43- Mastery vs Performance goals
47:20- Giving Better Feedback
50- Focal Points, Routines and breathing
56:00- Quick Hitters
 
Resources

The Coaches Guide to teaching- Doug Lemov

Greenlights- Matthew McConaughey

Daniel Coyle Books

Legacy- James Kerr

Relentless- Tim Grover

Mind Gym- Gary mack

Range- David Epstein

Contact

https://twitter.com/Tooleyj24

This episode is powered by stick and ball. If you'd like a free month? go to stickandball.tv and enter the code AOTC2021 for a free 30 day trial, it WILL be worth it.
 
I'm going to do some shorter podcasts on some topics i'm passionate about, periodically and in addition to the weekly podcast. Todays topic is about creating a system for retaining information.
 
 

Bio
Born in Northern Alberta, Canada in an area where there is very little baseball, his parents let him move to Lewiston, ID when he was in the 9th grade and live with a host family and play high school baseball. He then played at Spokane Falls Community College and  Whitworth University
After playing he coached at Spokane Falls CC for 4 years working with hitters and outfielders and  also serving as the S&C coach. During that time, he got His Master’s degree in Exercise Science from Eastern Washington University. Robin then got out of coaching and pursued a PhD and While working on it, he was Ed Cheff’s S&C coach at Lewis Clark State College. Robin completed his degree in 2002 and landed a tenure-track faculty position in the Department of Kinesiology in cedar falls Iowa. After 18 years, he got back into coaching and became the volunteer assistant for the University of Northern Iowa softball team in the Fall of 2018 and then in January of 2019 he took a job at the university of Iowa,  where he started as the hitting coach and then became the pitching coach in the Fall of 2020.
 
On the show, we go over player assessments, developing motor learning plans, and blending the art and science of coaching.
 
Time stamps
3:50 - Player Assessments
16:00- Blending art and science of coaching
18:30- Motor Learning Plans for pitchers
25:27- Motor learning plans for hitters
33:30- Using in game data for pitchers
37:00- Using in game data for hitters
43:30- Gameplanning
45:00- Pre-pitch routines
46:45- Post Game reports
50:30- Simplifying data
55:30- Quick Hitters
 
Resources
Motus Sleeve
Trent Otis
Google sheets/Pivot tables
Functional Movement Screen
Frans Bosch
 
Contact
@Lunderton
robin-lund@iowabaseball.com

Today we have on Lance Zawadski, Minor League hitting coach for the Boston Red Sox. Lance played at San Diego State University and Lee University. He also played for 6 different organization and indy ball before getting into coaching.
 
On the show we talk about the lower half function in the swing,  training adjustability in the swing and using technology efficiently
 
Time Stamps
2:30- Player Evaluation.
10:48- Exploring the lower half.
13:00- Environment/Adjustability.
19:50- Training vs preparation
28:00- Lower half adjustability
35:00- Bill Belichick on technology and Technology best practices
46:30 Gameplanning
51:30- Resources
 
Resources

https://www.synapse-ccr.com/

Anticipation and Decision Making in Sport 1st Edition, Kindle Edition by A. Mark William

 
Contact

IG- @Lancezawadzki

Twitter -@Lancezawadzki

This episode of Ahead of the Curve is brought to you by New Era. New Era is the official headwear provider of the MLB, NFL, and NBA. If you love to rock New Era Caps as much as I do, then you won’t want to miss out on the opportunity to wear what the players wear AND get 15% off when you go to NEW ERA CAP DOT COM/AOTC and use code aotc at checkout. That's 15% off your order using promo code aotc.

Bio
Tyler, in his first year  leading his team, led them to the first NAIA National Championship in program history. The  Warriors went 48-9 last season, which culminated in a 7-6 victory over Lewis & Clark State in the 66th Avista NAIA World Series.

LaTorre  came to Westmont from Sacramento State where he served as pitching and catching coach. He also previously coached at San Jose State and San Francisco State. While at San Jose State, LaTorre was honored as both the 2018 San Jose Assistant Coach of the Year and the 2019 Fellowship of Christian Athletes Coach of the Year.

On the show we discuss last years national championship run, how they are attacking the transition from NAIA to division 2, and we go over lessons learned in his first season that set them up for success. You’re gonna love this episode with Tyler LaTorre.

Time stamps
01:00- national champs
07:00- fall development and the transition to d2
20:00- year 1 reflections
28:00- fear of failure
33:00- Pre season
42:00- in season / post season
50:00- quick hitters

Contact
EMAIL tlatorre@westmont.edu
PHONE 805-565-7092
Twitter-@tylerlatorre

On todays show
Keith is currently a senior baseball writer for the Athletic. He previously wrote for ESPN.com and ESPN Scouts, Inc. and for Baseball Prospectus. Keith also worked in the front office for the Toronto Blue Jays from 2002-2006.
 
On the show, we discuss scouting and its role in player development which includes a discussion on what traits can be taught, and what cant. Then we take a deep dive into analytics and what Keith thinks could be the most impactful information for the next decade.
 
Time Stamps
2:30- How Keith started in baseball
8:30- Analytics
11:30- Future Trends
25:30- Scouting
34:30 cognitive Biases
40:00 Traits that we can develop and traits that are innate
47:35- Acquiring players with traits you can develop
53:00- Resources
55:30- Last Things
 
Contact
The Athletic
Paste
Twitter
Blog
 
Resources
Thinking Fast and Slow- Tversky and Kahneman
Inside Game- Keith Law
Smart Baseball- Keith Law
Whistling Vivaldi- Steele
Biased- Eberhardt

Today we have on the Athletic Mission Baseball Academy staff Geoff Rottmayer and Darrell Coulter. AMBA is located in Tulsa Oklahoma and specializes in helping two way baseball players develop a strategic advantage mindset so they can deliver on game day.
 
Geoff is the owner of AMBA, was Drafted by the Florida Marlins out of High School 2003 but went on to sign at Seminole State College 2003 and later Florida Gulf Coast University 2004. He has 15+ years of coaching and mentoring hundred of player through the college recruiting and pre-draft and draft process and is the Creator of “The Command Hitting System”
 
Darrell signed with the Philadelphia Phillies out of High School in 1986 and played 4 years in Phillies Minor League System. Darrell has more than 15 years of College Recruiting Consulting and Advising for Parents & Players. he has Consulted with over 100+ College and Professional Pitchers. and he is the Owner of S.T.A.R.T.T. Pitching and theCreator of “The Strategic Pitcher Program”
 
They both also Co-Host of The Strategic Baseball Podcast.
 
On the show we go dive into what player development consists of, how to create strategic in game advantages, we talk game-planning, assessments and much, much more.
 
 
Contact
http://www.athletic-mission.com/staff
https://www.strategicbaseballpodcast.com/
 

Today we have on Trevor Burmeister, MiLB hitting coach for the Colorado rockies.
Trevor started his coaching career at UW-La Crosse in 2014 as Outfield and Assistant Hitting Coach. In his second year at the school the team went on to take second place in the NCAA World Series.
 
The following season, Burmeister started pursuing his Master’s Degree at the University of Minnesota-Duluth and in his first season there, they also had the third best batting average and second best home run totals in NCAA DII.
 
Before getting hired by the Rockies, Trevor was an assistant coach at Madison College. And In 2019 he was named the NJCAA Division II Assistant Coach of the Year by the ABCA and Baseball America
 
on the show, we discussed how to best use technology, how to create a challenging training environment,  and Trevor goes in depth with implements and constraints training.
 
Resources
Old School vs New School
https://108pa.com/book
 
Contact
https://twitter.com/T_Burm

On todays show we have on Kyle Stark who is a leadership and coaching consultant. Kyles went to ball state, got his law degree from Toledo but he always knew he wants to be in baseball, so much so that in grad school he also serves as the pitching coach for St. Bonaventure, where he got his masters in business administration. He started as an intern with the Cleveland Indians and then he was hired by the pirates and worked his way up to be the assistant GM until 2019. On the show we discuss coaching and feedback, we take a deep dive into culture and we discuss why conversations need to start with clarity, connectedness and consistency.
 

Resources

The Bible

Contact
tkstark8@gmail.com

Today we have on Bhrett McCabe Clinical and Sports Psychologist. Bhrett has worked with professional athletes including 12+ PGA and LPGA Tour players whose rankings have reached #1 in the world. He has been a consultant and Sports Psychologist for The University of Alabama Athletic Department, working with all teams and coaching staffs and he has been a featured speaker to numerous Fortune 500 companies and organizations.
 
On the show dive deep into his experiences at LSU playing for Skip Bertman, we go over practical mental game strategies, and we discuss "how to win awareness" which includes classroom sessions and how we can coach in game strategy to players. 
 
 
Contact
https://www.bhrettmccabe.com/
https://twitter.com/DrBhrettMcCabe
 
 

Today we have on the Jim Maciejewski, Athletic Director/Head Baseball Coach at Mauldin HS in South Carolina.
 
Maj has been the head baseball coach at Mauldin since 2009, so we go over what building the culture over the last decade has looked like, we discuss how we can leverage social media as a celebration tool but also how to use it to keep alumni connected and we dive deep into what he has done differently because of the COVID pandemic.
 
Resources
Joe Torre's Ground Rules for Winners
 
Contact
https://twitter.com/Maciejewski24
jmaciejewski@greenville.k12.sc.us
 
 

Today we have on Andy Bass Coordinator of Mental Conditioning for the Pittsburgh Pirates.
 
Andy has an awesome story, with playing professional baseball and developing the yips, then deciding he wanted to focus his attention onto helping players with the mental side by getting his advanced degrees in psychology and then motor learning.
 
On the show, we discuss how to integrate mindfulness into our practice sessions, we go over how to allow some autonomy players, we dive deep into game-like practices and feedback loops
 
 

Resources
Blackbox thinking- by Matthew Syed
Beartown- by Fredrick Backman
 
Contact
Andy.bass@pirates.com

Today we have on Jeremy Sheetinger, head baseball coach at Georgia Gwinnett College. Sheets is by far one of the most popular baseball coaches in the world. After working for the American Baseball Coaches Association and running the podcast, he took the job at GGC last year. On the show we discuss what he has learned during the 4 years he stepped away from the field, and how he has implemented so much information into what they do at GGC. We go all in on competitions, classroom sessions, and how to teach the mental game. If you're looking for a copy/paste episode, sheets delivered. This episode is so good, and here is Jeremy Sheetinger!

 
Resource

Baseball Playbook- Ron Polk

Help the Helper- by Kevin Pritchard, John Eliot

Contact

@CoachSheets3

Sheets@ggc.edu

Rich Benjamin begins his 6th year at the helm of the Indiana Wesleyan University
 
In Benjamin's first year at Indiana Wesleyan the Wildcats had one of the most successful seasons in program history as they advanced to the NAIA National Championship Opening Round for the first time.The Wildcats topped their 2016 success two years later going 37-20 in the 2018 season, winning the Crossroads League and reaching the NAIA Opening Round for the second time in program history. Coach Benjamin was named the Crossroads League Coach of the Year for his leadership during the 2018 season.
Prior to Indiana Wesleyan, Benjamin was the head baseball coach at Judson (Ill.) for eight seasons where he accumulated the most wins in program history with 304. 
On the show we go over how being a pitching coach early on helped him to develop a well rounded approach as a hitting coach and now head coach, we discuss why we need to simplify things in a world of constant noise, and we dive deep into what Rich calls “training zone focus vs performance zone focus”
 
Resources
Romans- The Bible
 
Contact
rich.benjamin@indwes.edu
 

Subscribe here! Description Kyle is a former standout high school baseball player who went on to play Division 1 baseball at Wake Forrest and a year professionally in the Angels organization. Kyle was also a part of the historic 2015 Red Land Little League team that wen on to win the United States Championship. He is the author of two books- Green light hitting and How the Rivercats won. Kyle is one of my favorite twitter follows because he always helps me to think deeper on different subjects like practice design and player development. Resources How The RiverCats Won: Lessons on Relationships and Competition Green Light Hitting from the backyards to the big leagues Contact https://twitter.com/GowagsKyle  

Bio

Rob Valli has amassed 30 plus years of experience educating students and has worked at every level of baseball from youth to Major League Baseball.

Coach Valli is entering his 24th season of collegiate baseball with 20 years of experience as head coach That span includes an impressive 650+ wins, averaging 35 wins per season, 12 of 13 trips to the NJCAA World Series, and 1 NJCAA National Championship.

Regarded among the finest player development experts in college baseball; 28 of his players have been named All American, 72 advanced to professional baseball, including 7 major leaguers. The vast majority Gloucester players are receiving high value baseball scholarships at prominent universities. In 2019; 7 of alumni began professional baseball careers.

As a Major League Baseball Scout for 9 years; Valli served five with the Colorado Rockies and four with the Miami Marlins. Working primarily in the Northeast; his role was to identify and evaluate top high school and college prospects being considered for the amateur draft. Additional responsibilities included evaluating minor league players in opposing organizations and administering personality evaluations to top prospects.

Valli and his wife Sara have two children, Sophia and Alex.

Contact

Phone:
856 468 5000 Ext. 2213
Email:
rvalli@rcsj.edu

Today we have on David Jeans, head baseball coach for De La Salle HS. David is an industrial engineer by trade and after pursing that for several years, started coaching a 6th grade basketball team. This led him to coaching football at De La Salle during the Bob Ladouceur era, which is one of the most successful dynasties in HS football history. He worked his way up the ranks and became the head baseball coach in 2012. And Since 2012- De La Salle Baseball has reached title game every year, won in 12,14,16,17,18,19. So on the show we discuss how being a football coach has helped Under coach Lad helped him to establish a “development first” program. We discuss how being an engineer has helped with with practice plan design in limited space. And we dive deep into what being Spartan looks like on a daily basis. 

Today we have on Curt Nelson, Professional Hitting Consultant and NW bandits head coach (WA). Curt works with players from the big leagues to little league. So on the show we discuss what his evaluation process looks from when a person walks in the door for the first time, to fine tuning professional hitters mechanics. We dive deep into hitting mechanics, game planning, timing and much more.

For over 19 years, Kevin Wilson has been one of the most sought after hitting consultants in the game. Kevin currently works with or has worked with with Minor and Major League players from all 30 MLB organizations. In 2013, Kevin was the hitting coach for the USA Baseball 18U National Team. Team USA beat Japan for the Gold medal at the IBAF World Cup in Taiwan. On the show Kevin and I discuss what #goodbatting is, we talk about how hitting is a conversation. And Kevin walks us through what it sounds like to be in a cage session with him.

Today we're joined by Tom Sutaris. Tom has spent time coaching at every level. He was a high school English teacher and coach, a college coach, and is now the AA hitting coach for the Colorado Rockies. On the show Tom shares with us some ways he has grown as a coach, especially getting to coach at each level, we talk how to make changes with the player and how to ask questions to get to the root of the problem, and Tom dives deep into how to create a hitting culture. Resources Energy Bus- Jon Gordon Atomic Habits- James Clear.

Today we have on Billy Berry, Head Baseball Coach at Tennessee Wesleyan University Billy was the head coach of TWU from 2005-2015 and then returned to TWU in July of 2017 after a two year coaching stint at the Baylor School. Billy and TWU have won 2 NAIA national championships during his 2 stints and In his twenty + years of coaching, He has seen over forty former players move on to professional baseball. He wants to continue to help young men use baseball as an avenue to get their education, continue on the bulldog baseball success and have kids that represent the school, their families and the program with pride. So on the show we talk about how he uses the Weslyan tradition to ingrain the culture every year. How he helps players to own their career and holds them accountable, and he discusses how to “attack the day” everyday. Books: Energy Bus; Books about programs or seasons.

Today were joined by Episode #1 and #5 guests Butch Chaffin and Wes Brooks. Wes Brooks is the head coach at Oxford HS in Alabama and Butch Chaffin, Head coach at cookeville HS in Tennessee.  I may have mentioned it several times on the podcast, but I want to reiterate it here. Butch and Wes are two of the best coaches in the country and they absolutely get the most out their guys and love them to death. So on the show, we talk about what’s important to them. We discuss what growing men in your program means, we talk all things culture building, and you can develop a system that works for your program. Contact: @oldgoldsports @gawbage29 

This episode is sponsored by Athlete's Brand. Today we have on Ryan Sienko- Catching Coordinator for the LA Dodgers Ryan was a catcher at the University of Iowa, played professionally for the Texas Rangers, Chicago White Sox and in independent baseball where he was an All-Star. His current responsibilities include catching philosophies and drills, deciphering receiving metrics, blocking philosophies and drills, throwing philosophies and drills, coordinating player plans, working with the research and development department, drills and skill work, and traveling to all affiliates to work with the catchers. On the show, we discuss how he evaluates catchers, what data and trends we can look for, and we go through several drills and thought processes with how we can setup up catchers to maximize their potential, on and off the field.  Resources Choose love not fear Getting outside of your comfort zone. “Ask other people what challenges the face, and how they overcome them." Contact @Catch_and_Throw https://www.catchandthrow.com/ Show notes courtesy of Zach Casto.

Today we have on Jason Kanzler Jason was undrafted/unrecruited out of high school, tried to walk on at Northeastern University in Boston and Was cut after fall ball, He Went on to attend the University of Buffalo and became the first D1 player ever to win the gold glove award twice, won MAC player of year, won UB student athlete of year, then was drafted in 20th round by Twins as senior sign for $1k Jason played 3 years in twins system, during which they a Florida state league championship and then spent the next 2.5 years teaching high school physics/chemistry while also coaching baseball He was hired by with Astros last year, and was the hitting coach in high A. On the show we talk about the art of coaching, we discuss the importance of data and how subjective measurements are also important. We dig in conversations in the dugout an how we can teach the game within the game. Resources: owntheoffseason.com Antifragile- Nassim Nicholas Taleb Stuart McMillan Blog. Show Notes (Zach Casto).

Today we have on Chris Gimenez from the Los Angeles Dodgers and Michael McCarthy from the Minnesota Twins. In parts of 10 seasons, Chris appeared in 386 Major League games and tallied 1067 plate appearances between the Indians, Twins, Mariners, Rays, Rangers and Cubs. While the bulk of Gimenez’s work came behind the plate, he was versatile enough to spend time at first base, in the outfield corners and, more briefly at third base. Beyond that, Gimenez took the ball for 11 relief appearances in his career.  He is currently the game planning coach for the LA Dodgers. Mike went from mowing lawns, dragging infields and “just trying to be a part of” Cal State Bakersfield’s first baseball team to being 14th round selection by the Boston Red Sox in the 2011 MLB draft and he spent parts of his final three seasons with Triple-A Pawtucket. His final season came in 2016. and is currently the pitching coach for AAA Rochester in the Minnesota Twins organization. On the showOn the show we dive deep into the pitcher/catcher relationship, we discuss how we can break down data for players into a tool thats most relevant for them, and we go over game-planning and in dugout conversations. You’re going to love this episode with Michael McCarthy and Chris Gimenez. Resources Books Smart baseball MVP Machine Make your bed Jocko Willink Fortitude https://www.baseballmiracles.org/ Contact Chris Gimenez https://twitter.com/ChrisGimenez5 Michael McCarthy https://twitter.com/mmccarthy35 Show notes courtesy of Zach Casto.

Today we have on Aaron Bates. The Dodgers MLB assistant hitting coach, and he’s also the director of hitting for the minor leagues. Aaron was a third-round pick out of North Carolina State by Boston in 2006, and played eight professional seasons — he logged 12 plate appearances with the Red Sox in 2009 — before joining the coaching ranks. His final swings came with the Dodgers in 2014. From there he served as a hitting coach in the Arizona, Midwest, and California leagues. In 2018, he became the assistant hitting coordinator for LA’s minor league system. On the show, we discuss the process and what that means to the Dodgers minor league system. We go over game planning, simplification, what he has learned during COVID and so much more.  Favorite books Culture Code- Daniel Coyle Talent Code- Daniel Coyle Contact https://twitter.com/a33bates Show notes courtesy of Zach Casto.

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Bio
Brook Cupps is the Head Boys’ Basketball Coach at Centerville High School in Ohio.  Brook graduated from Graham High School in St. Paris, Ohio near Springfield in 1995, and following a 4-year playing career at Capital University in Columbus, he returned to Graham.  He became the head coach in 2000 and spent 12 seasons at Graham.  In 2012, following his time with the Falcons, including a trip to the state semifinals, Coach Cupps left his alma mater to become the head coach at Centerville High School where he has earned several coach of the year honors while guiding the Elks to multiple sweet 16 and elite 8 appearances. His 2021 team recorded a school record 26 wins on the way to the Division I State Championship in Ohio, the first in school history.  His 2022 team was the state runner-up.
Brook is the author of the book “Surrender the Outcome”, teaches two leadership courses at Centerville and also writes a weekly blog on bluecollargrit.com

On the show we discuss installing culture, how to live out and establish core values, and we take a dive into application of roles and parent advice! You’re gonna love this episode with Brook Cupps!

Time stamps
01:00- intro
02:30- off season personal growth
10:30- installing culture
21:20- core values
43:00- application of roles
49:10- parent advice
53:00- Quick hitters

Contact
Twitter
Blog

Today we have on Rick Franzblau. Rick is in his first year as the director of olympic sports strength and conditioning. The previous three years he served in the capacity of assistant director of olympic sports strength and conditioning. He is responsible for the supervision of the assistant strength coaches, graduate assistants and volunteer interns. Rick oversees the strength and conditioning for all 14 of the Olympic Sports an he is directly responsible for the strength and conditioning efforts of the baseball, men’s soccer and track and field teams. On the show we discuss how to match hardware and software, in both hitting and pitching. How what we find on movement screens affects in game performance. How to communicate and collaborate with on field staff and strength staff. We talk deceleration training, proper breathing and so much more. Here is Rick Franzblau! Resources Understand basic concepts of postural restoration institute Basic anatomy  Contact https://twitter.com/FranzblauRick Richarf@clemson.edu Show notes courtesy of Zach Casto. 

This episode is brought to you by Marvbands. Use code AOTC for 10% off of team sets! Today we have on The King of Jewish Baseball Nate Fish. We go over what he has learned in playing and coaching in 20 plus countries. He also has experience in the world baseball classic, in Cape Cod and starting the national baseball program in Israel. And one of the coolest things about Nate is his experience coaching from little league, to coaching in the minor leagues with the Dodgers.  Contact https://twitter.com/kingofJbaseball Show notes courtesy of Zach Casto.

This episode is brought to you by Marvbands. Use code AOTC for 10% off of team sets! Today we have on Joe Espada, Bench Coach for the Houston Astros. Joe grew up in Puerto Rico and attended college the University of Mobile before being drafted 45th overall in the 1996 draft by the Oakland A’s. Joe played 10 years in the Minors before retiring and getting into coaching. He got his first coaching job in 2006 with the Marlins and was named the big league 3B coach in 2010. In 2014 he was hired by Brian Cashman and became an assistant to the GM and the infield coach with the Yankees, and in 2017 he was hired by the Astros to be the bench coach. On the show we discuss lessons learned throughout his professional career, we discuss how working in the Yankees front office helped him become a better on field coach and we dive deep into how to learn about and build the culture in the clubhouse. Resources Extreme ownership- Jocko Willink Measure what matters- John Doerr We’re all in this together- Mike Robbins Contact Joeespada4@gmail.com https://www.instagram.com/josueespada/ Guest Speaker PDF show notes courtesy of Zach Casto.