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Coaches Corner – Kermit Smith, Lander University: New Lander skipper Kermit Smith is in the Palmetto State for the first year after a landmark run at Division II Belmont Abbey. As a young coach for the Crusaders, he transformed that program into a National contender, as evidenced by their run into the DII World Series this spring… DP-How many years have you been in coaching? What got you into the business? KS-This is my 10th year in coaching, 9th as a Head Coach. I couldn’t play anymore and wanted to stay in the game.  DP-What is the most rewarding thing about being a baseball coach?  KS-To watch the maturation process of young men. I often say to the student-athletes that we are recruiting that it is not like you can have a team meeting and say, "Alright guys, tonight we are going to learn life." This is something that they pick up from all the people that they are surrounded with throughout their life. Some of those people are their coaching staff and we take that very seriously. To track their maturation and know that you had something to do with that person that is up there on graduation day is humbling. DP-What does the term "coach" mean to you?  KS-Father with a baseball background DP-What is something you wish everyone knew about your profession?   KS-All coach’s wives should be recognized as assistant coaches. DP-We all know there is very little money in getting started in coaching at the college level yet the time involved is mind-boggling, why did you do it? KS-I don’t want to sound like a cliché’ but, "For the love of the game." DP-How do you balance the time demands of coaching and your personal life? KS-You might need to ask my wife if I do balance that or not. When I can get home I get home. I make most of my recruiting calls at night from home. It is not hard really because I love and cherish my time with my wife and son. DP-You built a program from virtually scratch at Belmont Abbey into a national contender, tell us what that journey was like: KS-The journey was fun at times and miserable at times. The early days of laying the foundation and setting the standard for which we would hold ourselves were long. Once I found someone that shared my National Championship vision, Chris Anderson (My recruiting coordinator, pitching coach, and friend), it really gained momentum and started to get fun. I wish I could say that when we took the field at the World Series it was a great sense of accomplishment, but as a coach we were there to win a National Championship not pat ourselves on the back. But overall, I would not trade one thing that happened at Belmont Abbey for anything in the world. The journey was an education. DP-Tell us what Lander must do to get into the same World Series you played in this past spring: KS-My beliefs are entrenched in family and hard work. We need to get as many good people as we can into our program who want to work daily towards winning a National Championship. It is not easy to hold yourself to that standard everyday not only as an athlete but as a person and a student too. We ask each player to hold themselves accountable to be the best son they can be to their parents, the best student they can be in the classroom, and the best athlete they can be on the field. When we have a team full of these guys we will be in a position to get to the World Series. DP-When you hear the expression "old school baseball", what does that phrase mean to you?  KS-I think "brutally honest." Constructive criticism is not designed towards hurting feelings it is designed to make players better. I think that people take honest answers and constructive criticism as negative. When in my opinion is the farthest thing from the truth. DP-What is the definition of a "student-athlete"?  KS-To repeat an earlier answer: 1-To be the best son that you can be to your parents 2-To be the best student that you can be in the classroom 3-To be the best athlete that you can be on the field DP-What is your most memorable experience as a baseball coach?  KS-The experience of leaving Belmont Abbey for Lander University. After being at the same place for nine years you develop relationships with a lot of people; players, parents, alumni, administrators, and people in the community. The amount of people that reached out to my family and me to say that they would miss us was humbling. The excitement of going to Lander University and coaching in the Peach Belt in a new stadium was incredible. The emotional transition is something that I will never forget. DP-Who has made the greatest impression on you as a baseball coach and why?  KS-Chris Anderson, my recruiting coordinator and pitching coach. He walked into Belmont Abbey 5½ years ago, pinned his ears back and worked diligently towards putting us in a position to win a National Championship everyday, when at the time there was probably no other person in the world who believed we could do it except him and me. Five years later we were one of three teams left in the country. There has never been a day that he didn’t hold himself or our players to that standard.  DP-Who are the best three players you have coached against?  KS-Shannon Wilkerson, Augusta State University, Eric Lovett, Mount Olive College, Kevin Pucetas-Limestone College DP-What does it mean to be a good teammate and is that important?  KS-To be accountable to the rules and regulations of the program and to be internally motivated to be a better player. Yes, it’s imperative. DP-Do you have any superstitions? If so, what? KS-I have an undershirt that I wear on game days. The rest of the superstitions, I kind of pick up throughout the season. If things are rolling pretty well then we usually don’t change what we are doing. DP-What do you …

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Coaches Corner – Randy Carlson, The Citadel: Bulldog assistant coach Randy Carlson is one of very few coaches at The Citadel that was not homegrown, but he bleeds blue now and is very energetic about his program. He is also shares a great passion for the coaching profession and recently took some time for DP to talk about everything from a military school to professional baseball, he even gave us an insight to some of his personal favorites off the field:  DP-How many years have you been in coaching? What got you into the business? This is my 8th year overall and 5th year at The Citadel. I got into coaching because I couldn’t picture myself being away from the game. Coaching was the natural choice when playing was no longer an option. DP-What is the most rewarding thing about being a baseball coach?  Seeing the sense of accomplishment that players feel when they are rewarded for all of their hard work, both on the field and in the classroom, is very rewarding.  DP-What does the term "coach" mean to you? At the college level a "coach" is much more than a teacher of the game. A coach is also a friend, academic advisor, role model, motivator…a guardian to all the players whose parents have put their trust in you to look out for their son’s well-being while he is away from home. DP-What is something you wish everyone knew about your profession? If for no other reason than just so I don’t have to answer the question so often, coaching is a full-time profession…all year long. We have to work just as hard, if not harder, during the parts of the year when we aren’t playing as we do in the spring when we are in the middle of our schedule. There is always something that needs to be done, whether it’s recruiting, scheduling, practicing, ordering equipment, checking up on players’ academics, fundraising, etc. DP-We all know there is very little money in getting started in coaching at the college level yet the time involved is mind-boggling, why did you do it? Like I mentioned earlier, I just couldn’t see myself without baseball in my life every day. There is nothing in the world quite like the feeling of being part of a team with a common goal in mind. Quite honestly, when you’ve never made any money in the first place you don’t realize how little you are making so it’s not a big deal starting out. I felt very fortunate to be given my first coaching opportunity by Mike McGuire, who has become a very good friend of mine, at Lander University and his generosity in paying me through camps gave me more than enough to pay the rent and put food on the table…and I even had enough left over to make sure I had the MLB Extra Innings package every year. Haha. DP-Describe your coaching experience at The Citadel, from how it began to some of your highlights while there.  I have had so many great experiences here at The Citadel and developed so many close relationships. I was lucky to be given an opportunity to become the volunteer here by Coach Jordan in August 2005 and then a full-time position in the summer of 2008. There have been so many great moments during that time, from multiple wins against opponents ranked in the Top 5 in the country to some great runs in the Southern Conference tournament to seeing many former Bulldogs play professional baseball, but the highlights to me have been getting to know the incredible people that have come through this program and getting to be a part of The Citadel family. DP-You chose a military school to coach at. What is the benefit of obtaining a degree from a military school? There are many benefits of a degree from The Citadel. This degree carries an incredible amount of weight in the "real world." It will open many doors for you and present you with many opportunities. It’s up to you to take advantage of those opportunities but they will be there for our graduates. Many of our players have very good jobs waiting on them when they finish. DP: How do you balance the time demands of coaching and a personal life? Well, truth be told, I haven’t really had to figure this one out yet. I just got engaged about two months ago, and luckily for me, my fiancée, Sara, is a college volleyball coach so she understands what goes in to the profession. Up until this point I have never had to balance the two. Check back later and I’m sure Sara will let you know how I’m doing. DP-When you hear the expression "old school baseball", what does that phrase mean to you?  Old-school baseball is usually winning baseball. To me, it is putting the importance of your team’s success far ahead of the importance of your line in the box score. It is finding a way to compete and win on a day when things aren’t going your way. As a team, can you find a way to score when you can’t seem to buy a hit? Can you keep a team off the scoreboard when you don’t have your best stuff on the mound? That’s what sets the men apart from the boys. DP-What is the definition of a "student-athlete"?  A "student-athlete" is someone who has a desire to put in the work that it takes to excel in both academics and athletics. There is enough time in the day to accomplish both. The best "student-athlete" is the one who can manage his time in a way that he doesn’t have to sacrifice either. If you prepare yourself you should never have to give up something on one side to achieve something else on the other. DP-What MLB feat in history do you wish you’d been inside the stadium to witness and why?  I have to pick two here, one that is very …

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Coaches Corner – Grant Rembert, USC Upstate: Spartan assistant coach Grant Rembert has quickly emerged as a quality position coach that is not immune to spending plenty of time on the road in search of future talent. Rembert was a fierce competitor on the field, nothing has changed as he has transitioned his focus to building a program and his resume:   DP-How many years have you been in coaching? What got you into the business? This is my 3rd year. I realized coaching is what I wanted to do my senior year of college. I had to take a medical redshirt due to an early season injury. For the first time I had to sit back and really watch the game. It was a different perspective that I really appreciated. I followed Coach Kennedy and Coach Starbuck around the whole year picking their brain and watching what they did. My injury turned out to be a blessing in disguise and set up my career. DP-What is the most rewarding thing about being a baseball coach?  The most rewarding aspect of coaching is watching a young person grow, mature, and hopefully reach their potential over 4 years. It is special when they buy into your program and apply it and as a result, reach their potential academically and athletically.  DP-What does the term "coach" mean to you?  Being a coach encompasses a lot of things. Being a coach is being a mentor, leader, motivator, teacher, and sometimes a dictator depending on the situation. It is important that a coach can take his knowledge and experiences and relate it to the athlete, so they become better people and players.  DP-What is something you wish everyone knew about your profession?  I wish everyone understood the amount of time spent that is not coaching. On the field coaching is only about 10% of the job at the Division I level. There is so much time spent RECRUITING, lifting weights, conditioning, dealing with academics, doing laundry, working on the field, setting up trips, and doing scouting reports. All of this together is what gets us up at 5:00 AM and at home around 7:00 PM or later. I wouldn’t trade it for anything.  DP-We all know there is very little money in getting started in coaching at the college level yet the time involved is mind-boggling, why did you do it? I don’t care about the money. All I need is enough to get by. I coach because I want to make a difference in lives. I see baseball as the best life tool. I want to see student-athletes receive their degree and achieve their goals knowing my experiences, knowledge, and leadership helped them along the way. I got into this business to make a difference, not to become rich.  DP-How do you balance the time demands of coaching and your personal life? Honestly, I haven’t quite figured that one out. I have a lot to learn about this. I know it will become easier the longer I coach. DP-When you hear the expression "old school baseball", what does that phrase mean to you?  That may be my favorite phrase. That is a phrase that defines players who played the game hard, smart, injured, hurt, and with passion. Nothing got in the way of winning. The phrase describes a player who literally left every ounce of energy on the field.  DP-What is the definition of a "student-athlete"?  Student first and athlete second, but a close second. I tell recruits academics are 1a. and baseball is a close 1b. Those are the only two priorities for your next 4 years. High school players have to understand that programs are investing a lot of money and resources in you over a span of 4 years. This can have a residual effect if you struggle in school. For example, you can hurt a coaches APR, which in the long run can eliminate scholarships if it gets too low. No one wants to be a bad investment, so remember that you are choosing to become a student-athlete and there is a lot of responsibility with that title. You can have a social life only if it doesn’t effect reaching your potential on and off the field. The athletes that buy into this are the ones that are successful in the classroom and on the field. In return for doing this, these are the student-athletes that have the most rewarding and fulfilling college experience.  DP-What is your most memorable experience as a baseball coach?  Winning the Southern Conference Championship and Southern Conference Tournament Championship. That was a group of guys that really believed in what was being taught and strived for the same goal.  DP-Who has made the greatest impression on you as a baseball coach and why?  Mike Kennedy, I had the opportunity to play for him 3 years and coach under him 1 year. He is a great competitor, motivator, and teacher. He just knows how to win. Greg Starbuck who has basically taken me under his wing for the past 5 years. He has taught me a lot about recruiting and teaching the game.  DP-Who are the best three players you have coached against?  Dustin Ackley-UNC, Rex Brothers-Lipscomb, Chris Sale-Florida Gulf Coast DP-What does it mean to be a good teammate and is that important?  Absolutely it is important. A good teammate is someone who you can count on every day. You know this person will work hard in every aspect of the game and always be there when called upon.  DP-Do you have any superstitions? If so, what? Yes, I do have superstitions. My big one is I can’t ever let anyone know of my superstitions.  DP-What do you see as the biggest difference in high school-aged players today versus when you played?  When I played there wasn’t as much specialization going on. Everyone played more than one sport and as a result they were better athletes (not necessarily better baseball players) and they had a different mindset. They were more …

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Coaches Corner – Kyle DiEduardo, Winthrop University: Eagle pitching coach Kyle DiEduardo (left) is in his eighth year at Winthrop, fourth overall in charge of the moundsmen. In his Q & A for DP, he spent quite a bit of time answering us in great detail. Not only does he provide an interesting perspective on an array of topics, DiEduardo also had a college roommate whose name you’ll know, that has a skill-set that is consistent with what college coaches are in search of… DP-How many years have you been in coaching? What got you into the business? I’m entering my 9th year coaching. I knew I wanted to be a coach after spending a year behind a desk doing a few internships with financial advising firms. I would watch the clock go by every day and didn’t enjoy the set hours. While being a student assistant at my alma mater, the University of Cincinnati, I knew I wanted to coach. I could spend all day doing something I loved and didn’t care about how many hours went by or how much money I made. DP-What is the most rewarding thing about being a baseball coach?  Helping players get the most out of themselves both on and off the field is very rewarding. There is a huge maturation process that takes place between when they graduate from High School to when the graduate college. They come in a boys and leave as men. It’s great to see where kids are when they enter a program and then where they are when they leave. I love keeping in contact with former players and seeing what they are doing with their life today. DP-What does the term "coach" mean to you? Someone who is willing to be there for a player 24/7. Someone who truly cares about every player regardless of each one’s talent level. A coach is a leader of young men and needs to realize that he is always an example for his player’s. DP-What is something you wish everyone knew about your profession?  That being a college baseball coach is a year round job. I often get asked, at Christmas parties or functions, from people what do we do in the off-season. Sometimes I think people do not realize what all is involved. Being a college baseball coach is a year round job. Here are a few things we do other than actually coach baseball: recruiting, team travel, camps, scheduling, video, equipment, fundraising, and lots of paper work and returning emails.   DP-We all know there is very little money in getting started in coaching at the college level yet the time involved is mind-boggling, why did you do it? It really was and has never been about the money to me. I knew I loved it from the beginning when I could spend all day doing something and not get tired of it. I wake up every morning in a great mood and am always excited to get to work. Not many people can say that and there isn’t a price you can put on that. It was hard to stay afloat those first few years, but you do what you can to make it work. I am very fortunate to be where I am today.  DP-How do you balance the time demands of coaching and your family? It’s extremely hard. Coaching is a very demanding profession. Coaching is not a 9-5 job and we usually do not have many weekends off. My wife and I recently had a baby girl about 3 months ago, so now I’m learning a lot about being a dad. It’s hard being away from both my wife and now my daughter, but I try my best to be the very best husband and father I can be. My wife would definitely love to have me home more often but understands that I love what I do and hopefully one day my career can support our entire family. Coach Hudak is a great guy to work for and he allows all of us here to spend time with our families when needed. DP-Quite a few rules have changed the recruiting game over the past 5 years. Which rule changes do you like, not like and how has it altered your approach to recruiting? I really like the transfer rule. I think kids are more apt to think a little more about their decision before just committing to a school because they know that they will have to sit out a year if they want to transfer to another institution. In the past, I believe kids would go to the bigger schools and try to make it work there first and if it didn’t work then just transfer to somewhere they where going to play. Some kids do a little more homework before making a decision now. I don’t really care for the NCAA telling us that we have to at least offer a kid 25% scholarship. I know when I went to school I was on a lot less than 25%. Every little bit of scholarship helps every family. It would be nice to be able to offer a kid a scholarship based on what we believe he deserves rather than the NCAA telling what we have to do. It would also be nice if we could be like most of the other sports and have more than 11.7 scholarships to distribute between 27 players. When you hear the expression "old school baseball", what does that phrase mean to you?  Playing the game hard. Players not afraid of getting dirty. Hustling down the line even if they hit a pop up or ground ball out. Hustling in and out of the dugout after innings. Pitchers that aren’t afraid to pitch inside. They are aggressive on the mound, at the plate, and on the bases.       DP-What is the definition of a "student-athlete"?  A person who wants to first get a degree and second represent that …

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Coaches Corner – Dan Roszel, College of Charleston: Dan Roszel is in his second season as the Cougars recruiting coordinator and pitching coach. After a stint at Gardner-Webb, Roszel landed back in this area following a stay at Florida Gulf Coast. Roszel is very passionate about the game, teaching college-aged kids and his family. In his spotlight, Roszel took quite a bit of time to give us a glimpse of who he is and what drives him. DP-How many years have you been in coaching? What got you into the business? 11 years. I got into coaching because of my love of the game. My goal was to make it to the big leagues like most players, but I fell short of that goal and the next best job to that was to be a coach and possibly help others fulfill their dreams. DP-What is the most rewarding thing about being a baseball coach? The most rewarding aspect to me is getting a chance to make an impact and mentor young men as they turn into men. We as coaches get to teach through the many up and downs of a baseball season/career and prepare our players for life in the real world. DP-What does the term "coach" mean to you? Mentor/teacher DP-What is something you wish everyone knew about your profession? Though coaching looks glamorous from the outside looking in, coaches spend a tremendous amount of hours into being successful. Most people underestimate the amount of time required to be good at this profession. Coaching on the field is our reward after doing all of the emails, letters, office work, phone calls, recruiting travel…    DP-We all know there is very little money in getting started in coaching at the college level yet the time involved is mind-boggling, why did you do it? I was a little crazy I guess. Actually, the explanation is very simple. During my senior year in high school I hurt my arm. In many ways, getting hurt molded into who I became today. I didn’t have a pitching coach growing up and didn’t have anyone there to protect my arm. I have always felt that my injury was something that could have been avoided. I had to take a different path than most after being injured. I had to figure things out for me if I was going to be able to do the thing I loved the most; hold that baseball in my hand and compete till the end of a game and win. I studied the game; read books, watched endless amount of games to study pitching mechanics, talked to every pitching coach I could contact, took care of my body and formulated a routine through weights and thera-bands and stretching that helped me stay on the field. I still went through plenty of pain to pitch, but like I said before, I am probably a little crazy and the thrill of winning outweighed the pain. I did learn early on that if I wasn’t going to pitch in the big leagues that I at least wanted to stay around this game and help kids learn how to pitch and do it without pain. I have a passion for teaching the game of baseball and endured a lot during my playing days to hopefully keep kids from repeating what happened to me. Money never factored into the equation when I first started because baseball was the life I knew and you couldn’t put a price on happiness.      DP-How do you balance the time demands of coaching and your family? There is no balance. When it is recruiting season and baseball season, baseball wins. December and January is all family time. The thing I try to do the most is to be the best father/husband I can be to my wife and two girls. My first love is them, though baseball requires a lot of time. There is no true balance in this profession, we can only give 100% of our time to our families whenever we are given the chance and hope that our families understand that we are helping young men to become men and great fathers themselves one day. DP-Quite a few rules have changed the recruiting game over the past 5 years. Which rule changes do you like, not like and how has it altered your approach to recruiting? The rule change I like the most would have to be the Quiet Period from November-March. Much needed rest/recovery time and even more important family time. Which is a change in my stance on this rule after it first came out. I am a firm believer if games are being played then I want to be there, but after I had my first daughter Madyson, being at everything lost its luster. Now knowing that we can’t go out during that time eases my mind. The biggest rule change that I believe is a negative for college coaches is the transfer rule. Many kids get pressured into signing or put ego ahead of feeling and play for the wrong program. Baseball is a funny sport in that it has as much to do mentally as it does physically. For most kids, they will never reach their full potential unless they are at the right place. Whether it is playing for the right coaching staff, playing time, academic atmosphere… I loved when kids had the chance to look at a certain environment and then make a decision to leave if they would have a better opportunity or fit elsewhere. We as coaches now can only hope that kids take everything into account before making decisions because their options are limited.   DP-When you hear the expression "old school baseball", what does that phrase mean to you? As a player that means that you love the game and are a ‘baseball rat’, which plays the game with passion. As a coach it is someone who respects the game and runs a program in which …

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Coaches Corner-Dusty Blake, Wofford College: Wofford recruiting coordinator Dusty Blake is amid his third season in the Palmetto State after spending his playing and early coaching career in North Carolina. In his Q & A for DP, Blake let’s us know him better, talks about the Terriers night practices and family life too:  DP-How many years have you been in coaching? What got you into the business?   I’m in my 6th year of coaching. I was fortunate enough to be contacted by Mark Hayes (Head Coach) at Pfeiffer University when my playing career ended and he gave me an opportunity to join his staff. DP-What is the most rewarding thing about being a baseball coach? The opportunity to develop young men and be a conduit to their success on the field and as human beings is what I enjoy most.    DP-What does the term "coach" mean to you?  The term "coach" is very dynamic in my opinion. I believe we as coaches are responsible for finding a way to communicate, teach, motivate, mentor, discipline, and encourage every player through words and/or actions in order to help them reach their maximum potential. DP-What is something you wish everyone knew about your profession?  You have to love it in order to make the necessary commitment and sacrifices required to have success. DP-We all know there is very little money in getting started in coaching at the college level yet the time involved is mind-boggling, why did you do it? I had two choices when I finished school, take a job that would make it easier to pay the bills, or take a job I knew I would enjoy.  DP-How do you balance the time demands of coaching and your family? It’s a difficult task to say the least. My wife is an exceptional woman and is very supportive of what I do. I try to organize my schedule around any opportunities I have to spend with my family. A lot of work gets done after they go to bed and before they get up.  DP-You’ve coached at the Division I and II level. What are some of the differences between the two?  Off the field, the recruiting timeline is much different. At Pfeiffer and Catawba, the majority of players we signed were after the early signing period. At Wofford, the majority of our recruiting is completed by the early signing period. On the field, the best Division II teams would be competitive at the Division I level. There have been several DII teams that have made the transition to DI and were immediately competitive. However, I think there’s a bigger gap among DII schools top to bottom compared to DI.  DP-At Wofford, many of your practices are at night. Tell us the pros and cons to developing players under the lights: The premise behind night practices at Wofford is two-fold. First, many of our games are played under the lights and we feel there is an advantage to practicing in that environment. Second, several of the classes and labs at Wofford are only available in the afternoons. Practicing at night gives our players the time needed to manage their academic requirements and allows us to have every player on the field at the same time and practice as a team. DP-When you hear the expression "old school baseball", what does that phrase mean to you?  Playing hard and working your butt off every day! DP-What is the definition of a "student-athlete"?  A student-athlete is an individual who can excel in both the classroom and on the field/court. DP-What is your most memorable experience as a baseball coach?  Winning the South Atlantic Conference with Catawba College in 2005 Winning the Carolinas-Virginia Athletic Conference with Pfeiffer University in 2004 DP-Who has made the greatest impression on you as a baseball coach and why?  I would be remiss to only named one individual to answer this question. I’ve been very fortunate in my short coaching career to have worked or spent time with 3 coaches who’ve taught me a great deal about the game. Todd Interdoanto (Head Coach-Wofford), Jim Gantt (Head Coach – Catawba) and Chris Pollard (Head Coach – Appalachian State) have all been major influences on me as a coach.  DP-Who are the best three players you have coached against?  Mike Leake – Arizona State, Justin Smoak – South Carolina, Ike Davis – Arizona State DP-What does it mean to be a good teammate and is that important?  Being a good teammate means putting your personal agenda aside and helping your team succeed any way possible. It’s important for everyone on a team to pull the same direction; I think bad teammates make that task more difficult.  DP-Do you have any superstitions? If so, what? No superstitions. DP-What do you see as the biggest difference in high school-aged players today versus when you played?  I feel high school-aged players today have more opportunities to be seen and more resources at their disposal to improve their game.  DP-What is your greatest thrill, or two, beyond high school? The birth of my daughter, Mia.  DP-Who were the three best players you played against?  Stephen Drew– Florida State, Andrew Miller – North Carolina, Kyle Sleeth– Wake Forest DP-Who has made the greatest impression on you as a person and why?  No doubt my wife, Amy.  Like I mentioned earlier she is an exceptional human being. I don’t have enough room to list everything but I’m a better dad, person, and coach because of her love and support.  DP-What MLB feat in history do you wish you’d been inside the stadium to witness and why?  October 27th, 2002. Angels won their first World Series DP-Who is you favorite athlete outside of baseball? Peyton Manning Who is your favorite MLB pitcher and position player to watch? Justin Verlander, Chone Figgnis DP-Who is your favorite MLB team Angels DP-What is your favorite sport to play other than baseball?  Golf DP-What is your favorite sport to watch other than …

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By: John Berrian – September 13, 2007 In this article, John Berrian outlines a piece of equipment that is more than just a piece of leather. Many adults still have the gloves they grew up with as young children. The glove can serve as a reminder of a time when things in life were much more simple and carefree. Anything and everything you need to know about your glove is right here! Choosing Your Glove: -Make sure you select a glove that fits your hand firmly but not too tight. –Middle infielders would ideally like to have a smaller glove. The reason for the smaller glove is that the player should field like he has a paddle on his glove hand. The player should think about being able to transfer the ball out of his glove after the ball is fielded. Having a smaller glove allows this transition to take place more quickly. -Corner infielders can have larger gloves but this is purely up to the kid individually and what they prefer. Some kids may prefer a first baseman’s mitt while others may not. Again, go with what they feel comfortable with! -Pitchers should have closed webbing on the glove so they do not tip their pitches to the hitter. The size of their glove should be what they prefer. -An outfielder needs more glove space to catch fly balls and make plays on the run. An extra inch can be the difference in a catch or a double in the gap! However, the glove should not be so big as to hinder the player’s ability to catch the ball. Breaking in your Glove: -The best way to break in a glove is to play catch with it as much as possible. -Pound your fist into the glove to continue to loosen the leather. -Some people will soak the glove or stick it in the oven. I do not feel this is necessary. -Wrap the glove up with a baseball or softball to form your pocket. Caring for your Glove: -Never leave your glove laying flat. This can cause the glove to lose its pocket and resemble a pancake! -Condition the glove when needed. I prefer the “grease” type substance over an “oil” type substance. -Stick a baseball or softball in your glove in the off-season and wrap it up. This helps the glove to keep its pocket longer. -Treat your glove with care and respect. Some players love their gloves so much they will sleep with it! The condition of an individual’s glove says a lot about that player’s dedication and respect for the game. Other Things to Consider: -Obviously, the price of a glove is going to be a factor in which glove a player chooses. Trust me, it is worth a few extra dollars to get a quality glove. I recommend the Rawlings Pro Preferred, Wilson A2000 and any glove made my Mizuno. Ammended… About the Author: John Berrian is a 2003 graduate of Lexington High School. Berrian started at second base on the Wildcats’ 2003 Upper State Championship and earned a baseball scholarship to Presbyterian College where he spent three years playing for coaches Doug Kovash and Elton Pollock… He is presently an assistant coach at his prep alma mater, the 2013 4A State Champions .

  Pitch Counts: A Survey of college coaches and pro scouts Compiled by: Austin Alexander – September 5, 2007 A burning question that begins at a young age and becomes a divisive topic at the prep level has been asked and addressed by a number of college coaches and scouts in the Carolinas. What do they think about pitch counts at each level of the game? We apologize in advance that names, schools and organizations could not be attached to the responses, Diamond Prospects had to protect their identities to avoid violations, either at the collegiate or professional level. This article is long, we’ll go ahead and forewarn you, but equally as informative, enjoy the read. A Junior College Head Coach said: As for the pitch counts, that is a way to achieve parity between teams and players. I don’t think it is the pitch count but the number of pitches thrown at maximum effort over consecutive days that leads to problems. The only way to build arm strength is to throw. People today have a tendency to believe that means from the mound and it does not mean that at all. I understand throwing a baseball is not a natural act, but kids today do not throw enough to develop their arms and they are not taught the correct way to throw at an early age. If they are not throwing bullpens or in a game situation they do not throw and this is what leads to the development of problems and injuries. A person can throw every day, but not at max effort from the mound. And each kid is different in his development physically, so why put each kid on the same number of pitches? Some kids recover quick and some kids take longer to recover, it is an individual thing that you have to learn about each kid. But kids need to throw and throw with the correct fundamentals everyday. The problem today is everyone is caught up in velocity and not the proper fundamentals of throwing. If we teach a kid the proper fundamentals, he can throw longer with less stress on the arm and with the proper fundamentals, he will eventually gain velocity as he develops physically. If you want to run fast, go run. If you want to get big muscles, go lift weights. If you want to learn to swim, go swim. If you want to learn to throw, go throw! A Division I Pitching Coach said: Pitch counting has become a crutch for criticism in baseball in the 21st century. Every arm has a certain point where his stuff lessens, delivery wavers and arm fatigues, it varies from pitcher to pitcher though. The media and parents tend to be the most guilty of pointing to the pitch count in supporting whatever point they are looking to make. Though I seldom have guys eclipse the 120-pitch mark, I concern myself far more with recovery time and preparation than how many pitches he throws. And why do we just count the pitches during the game? I guess that is a different discussion. Conditioning an arm is the exact same thing as training for a marathon. You can sit on the couch all week watching television and hope to complete a 26-mile trek on Friday night. Your body is sure to break down. The same goes for the kid who sits around playing video games or kicking a soccer ball, his arm is just not going to be conditioned well enough to withstand the rigors of a baseball game or season. A Division I Head Coach said: Pitch counts are something to be considered at all times throughout a player’s career. However, I do believe there is more to protecting a young man than just a pitch count. I am going to start by saying players do not do nearly enough throwing and conditioning between appearances. It is evolving in such a way where players are thinking they need to only rest between times on the mound as opposed to working through it. There is a difference between being sore and being hurt. Injuries need to be treated immediately and seriously. Soreness needs to be worked through in the proper way in order to develop more and more endurance in their arm and in their bodies. It seems pitch counts are getting lower and lower each year for the idea of protecting a young man. We need to focus more on daily routines and developing arm and body strength as oppose to just dropping pitch counts for the sake of protecting a young man. In terms of during a game, his pitch count is only one of many factors that should be taken into account. The example I will use is as follows: We were in the conference tournament and our #1 started opening day. He went through six strong innings only using 99 pitches. His innings were simple and and free of stress because he was not allowing many baserunners. Had this been a regular season game he would have easily been able to extend to 120-130 due to the lack of stress he was going through during the game. However, we knew we were going to need him again so we pulled him knowing he was going to get short rest before his next appearance. A week later we opened up in a regional and this young man was starting the opening round again. This time his innings were not free of stress and he was constantly needing to work out of jams. The stress of each individual pitch was grinding on him as he needed every ounce of energy he had on each and every pitch. By the time he was through four innings, he was only at 76 pitches but was completely out of gas and now susceptible to injury. So there we are, one week apart where the same young man could have easily been up to 120-130 without any risk of injury and now needing to be done before 80. …

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Preparing to Win: Pre-game Pitching Routine By: Banks Faulkner-March 23, 2007   One of the most important ingredients to a pitcher’s success is having a solid pre-game routine. In this article, I will discuss the pre-game routine I use with my pitchers at Gilbert High School.  The starting pitcher’s pre-game routine begins one hour prior to game time. Our starting pitcher will go through his stretching routine with the rest of the baseball team. He will stretch his entire body completely. After stretching, he returns to the dugout and finds a quiet place to relax. During this time I want our starting pitcher to begin focusing on the game at hand. Some of them choose to listen to their music during this time. Others will just chat with our starting catcher, Chip Mallory. It is during this time I want them to start visualizing the game they are about to pitch. I want them to see themselves being successful and pitching a great game. It is almost like making a movie with them as the star performer. This time is all about building their confidence and getting focused on the game they are about to pitch. Approximately thirty minutes prior to game time, we begin the next stage of our pre-game routine. I have our pitcher jog from foul pole to centerfield and back. I will run some guys more than others depending on the temperature and other circumstances. I like for them to get a good sweat going during this time. We then go to our tubing routine, which consists of about seven exercises designed to loosen/warm-up the throwing arm. Next, we do our body blade workout. This is something new we are doing this year and all my pitchers love it. We move from the body blade to stretching our throwing arm. We are now ready to begin throwing. Our warm-up throwing program lasts anywhere between 6-9 minutes. Some of our pitchers will take longer to warm up than others. For example, Bryce Davidson is a slower guy warming up than Kyle Owings.  I will simply allow more time for Bryce’s warm-up. We throw to around 120 feet on a line. I like for my guys to make ten throws at 120 feet before they are finished. One thing we do when we throw past 90 feet is move our feet. This takes stress off of our throwing arm that is added when long throwing. I teach our pitchers to go toe to toe with their shoulders square to their partner. I do not like my guys to crow hop or go behind as this can cause their upper body to over-rotate. When we finish long throwing, we move in to 70-75 feet and throw our change-up. I like this drill because it forces my pitchers to keep the same arm speed with their change-up as they do with their fastball. We normally throw 10-12 of these. It is now time to hit the bullpen! When going to the bullpen to warm up, I will usually give my starting pitcher a couple short reminders about his mechanics. I try to limit mechanical talk to no more than two things during gameday. Practice is the time to worry about mechanics. We begin by warming up from 50 feet. We throw 5-7 pitches from the stretch just to get loose and adjusted to being on a mound. Once loose, we begin our pre-game bullpen. There are a few things I stress that I want to achieve with our pre-game bullpen. The primary thing I want to do is establish throwing the fastball to spots and leaving with at least one off-speed pitch we can throw for strikes. I also want to see how much the fastball is running and how much break is on off-speed pitches so we can adjust reference points as needed. We begin by throwing all our pitches in sets of three to the middle of the plate. Here, we are working on the pitch only and not location.  Next we begin locating our pitches. It is very important to simulate game situations with your pre-game bullpen. For example, if I am going to ask my pitcher to throw a fastball chin high in the game he must practice making that pitch in the bullpen. A player or I will stand in as a batter when we begin locating. We work in sets of two to begin with and move to throwing all pitches to all locations. We also work out of both the stretch and the wind-up. When I feel comfortable that the starting pitcher is commanding the strike zone I will let him throw whatever he wants. This allows the pitcher time to work on something he may not be as confident in and leave the bullpen confident in himself and his pitches.  When the bullpen is finished, I remind our pitcher to make sure he drinks plenty of water. I stress being aggressive in the first inning and setting a tone for the game. I want my guys to get back in the dugout as quickly as possible in the first inning. As you can see, our pre-game routine is very detailed and structured. I feel it is crucial to any pitcher’s success to be ready from the first pitch. Not being ready and spotting a team two early runs can come back to haunt you. A solid pre-game routine also gives the starting pitcher confidence to go out and perform at a high level. When a pitcher feels prepared, there are usually fewer butterflies and worries. Finally, one important thing to remember is to be flexible in your pre-game routine. While the routine is virtually the same for the most part, adjust as needed with your pitchers. I give each of our starting pitchers a great deal of freedom within this pre-game routine to do what makes them comfortable. No matter how well I may think I know them, they still know themselves …

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