2019 Carolinas Conference Coach of the year after leading Barton to the biggest turnaround in D2 baseball
Former Head Coach Lock Haven University where he lead the program to another turnaround from 13-28 to 32-18
He left the Penn State Greater Allegany as the winningest each in their programs history and led them to 6 World Series appearances
Prior to PSGA he was the HC of Mercyhurst Northeast college for 2 seasons (his first HC gig), and was the assistant at Seton Hill University for 2 seasons.
Man of faith serving heavily in the FCA
Always willing to share and help grow the game
Show notes
Program turnaround/success is NOT about me!
Its about our players and coaches
Passion about everything outside of the boxscore
Being selfless, relentless, and blue collar as a leader of the program
Selfless - community service
Relentless - we are about 110% and figure out a way to make it happen, no bad body language
Blue Collar - hard work, get yourself dirty and make it work
Delegate by mapping out responsibilities of each person on staff. Have the coaches tell me “I got it.”
More concerned with AB and approach (charting QAB, barrels, AB)
Love flow and function (a lot of people on the field working together)
Practice plan
Team prayer
Warm up band routine
Dynamic warm up
Speed segment
Everydays - position drills
Throwing program - position specific
3 man PFP and lead into pickoffs
Bunt D or 1st/3rd defense
BP, extended I/O,
Repetition is huge!
Ron Polk's playbook!!
We created a playbook of everything we like to do at practice
Skeleton of the week (use the prior weeks plans to plan out)
Everyday meeting detail/refine each day
Go against the checklist and see what we need to do
Map out to the minute and groups organized
Culture and makeup trump so much!
Don’t give up on a kid, be passionate about them, and know they will make mistakes, be there at their best and their worst.
Hold kids accountable, tell them what they need to know, and they may not like it, but they need to hear it.
Don’t give up on the kid, and show them you are invested.
Practice is about the coaches preparing the players. The game is about the players performing, and going out as a cohesive unit doing something they have never done before.
If a player messes up a coach needs a mirror
3 inning games - play the 7th, 8th, and 9th
Play at least 2 and most 4 - that is where the game is lost/won
Ed Chief article -
Competitive BP - points per rounds, live
Bunt game
Consider myself a great thief and taylor it to myself