First week on the job – 9/16/12
Being a coach is something I’ve always wanted to do since I was a young boy. My dad has coached high school football back home for what has now been 22 years. Growing up watching him coach football and other sports I grew up playing, I knew coaching would be something I would definitely want to do when I was older. This past week has been my first week as a coach and has been nothing less than memorable! Being able to share knowledge and experiences with others while making them better at the same time is a pretty cool thing in my opinion! The only thing I kind of worry about is the age factor between myself and my players. I’m afraid at times my guys will not give me the respect I demand because I am so close in age with a good handful of guys on our team. I guess I will just have to keep a close eye on the situation and assess the problem if and when it does occur. On another note, I have been notified by our head coach (Alex Childers) that I will also be in charge of the strength and conditioning program for our team. As far as baseball stuff this week. It has been a pretty slow week, we finished up with a scrimmage over the weekend, but I took off for Mt. Pleasant, MI for a showcase tournament to watch potential recruits.
Getting into the thick of things – 9/21/12
This week we really started to get into more baseball style activity. Instead of doing drills and having a stereotypical practice, we decided to just try and get as many game like reps as possible to better ourselves. Coach Alex Childers (Head Coach) and I tend to meet before and after practice discussing what we want to do for that specific day or about how we thought practice went for that day as well. Our general philosophy for the fall is repetition. We both truly believe the only way to really get better is by having at-bats and getting innings on the mound. This week we scrimmaged on three different occasions and had a fourth day scheduled, but had to cancel because of weather. During our inter-squad scrimmages my main responsibility is to make sure whoever is supposed to be throwing next is getting enough time to get them ready to go while also maintaining and informing the current pitcher about different things he may or may not see right away while out there on the mound. During these scrimmages I also am the umpire. I stand behind the pitcher’s mound and call the balls and strikes for every at bat during the day. While doing this, it allows me to get a different and better look at each of our pitchers while also controlling the game.
In the early part of the week I was in charge of directing the first thirty to forty minutes of practice because of how bad our defensive performance was the Saturday before when we scrimmaged each other for the first time. Our pitchers seemed to have a hard time fielding their position, so to start the day off Monday I had all of the pitchers and infielders partake in a little pitchers fielding practice (PFP) and a good long round of infield. As Friday approached we posted a sign-up sheet just outside of coach’s office and had our players sign up for a time that worked best for them through their day to have an individual practice session. As a result I had practice sessions starting at 9 a.m. and the last being around 2 p.m. We were able to get some good work in during those individual sessions, but we definitely have a lot of work to do before our first game in February!
Off the field, in the office - 9/24/2012
Today when I got into the office Alex had a few projects for me to start working on, the biggest being getting our spring break schedule finalized. With Alex and myself being in first year positions there have been a few things that have not yet been taken care of from the transition of coaches. Our spring break trip has yet to be taken care of, we have not ordered new gear for the players yet, and have a very long list of recruits to contact so we can begin the process of turning this program around from where it has been over the past few years.
The past couple years the Goshen College baseball team has gone to Clearwater, FL and played in the Russ Mat college showcase tournament. This year, Alex and I both agreed we would like to do something a bit different. You see with the tournament style play you lose the atmosphere that comes with college baseball. You are stuck playing in these large complexes that are just filled with chain linked fencing everywhere you seem to look. So, what we have decided to do is contact a bunch of schools in Florida that we think would be good competition for us and see if we can play all road games instead of the neutral site style we have previously done.
We came up with a list of schools we both thought would be a good fit for us and I attempted to make contact with each one. I was able to get in direct contact with two of the schools and we will be setting something up with them in the next few weeks once they finalize their schedule and see what dates they exactly have available.
This took me pretty well the entire morning and early part of the afternoon. When I came to a good stopping point it was time for me to start getting ready for practice and developing a practice plan for the day. Today was just another day of scrimmaging as we were able to get more guys up on the mound and allow others to get more at-bats and swings. The only way to get better is repetition!
First encounter with a recruit! - 9/28/2012
Today I had to be in the office pretty early because we had another day of individual training sessions scheduled and my first one started at 9 a.m. Later in the day it was time to get my feet wet with the whole recruiting process and what it is like to hold a conversation with them to try and keep them interested in what we have to offer.
The kid on campus today was not by any means a big time recruit for us, but in the situation we are in with having low numbers, we will take anyone and everyone we can get. I honestly do not think I have ever heard or been around a college baseball program with only 21 players on the current roster. Recruiting is going to be a big thing for us this fall.
Once we were finished with our recruit, I buzzed home quickly, loaded up my truck and hit the road for Tiffin for the weekend. This weekend the TU baseball team is having their annual parents weekend festivities and there is going to be a small presentation / ceremony for our 2012 4th place finishing and GLIAC tournament baseball team. I am really looking forward to seeing all of my old teammates and friends I have made over the past three years in Tiffin!
Recruiting trip - 10/6/2012
This week seemed like it flew by so quickly. I feel like it was just yesterday I was in Tiffin hanging out with my old buddies reminiscing and laughing about old times. Coach Wilkins asked while I was in Tiffin this past weekend if I would be available to come back this weekend to assist with a showcase that the TU baseball team and coaching staff is putting on. Supposedly there is going to be other coaches from different area schools being represented at the showcase and he thought it would be a good way for me to meet some other coaches from near by schools as well as seeing good talent to possibly recruit to play for Goshen College. The cool thing about the whole situation is I will be getting reimbursed for my mileage driving to Tiffin since in all technicalities it is does qualify as a recruiting trip. On top of which, Coach Wilkins said I would be getting paid for helping with the camp. Doesn't like too bad of a gig if you ask me!
Scrimmage vs Indiana Chargers - 10/10/2012
Today we hosted an 18U travel team from the local area that uses our facilities to practice. It was a good way for Alex and myself to evaluate local talent while seeing them compete against our own team. There were a few kids who really stuck out to us, but one way more than others. A young man who is from a nearby high school has all the makings of being something great. His body type, mechanics, mental ability, and attitude have me wanting to get him back on campus ASAP for a visit. His coach told me he was looking at a few other schools in our conference, but he would much rather prefer to stay around the area and go to school because he is a very big family oriented type of person and has a very strong relationship with his grandfather.
As embarrassing as it is to say, we actually got beat by these 18 and 17 year old players. Now granite we did not throw our best two or three pitchers at them, but that is still no excuse for college level athletes to be losing to high school level athletes. In our defense, the Chargers do have four to five players going the NCAA Div. 1 rout to play ball, so we were playing against some pretty good talent, but I am still not happy with our performance to say the least!
Just another day of practice - 10/15/2012
Today we got back on the field and had yet another day of inter-squad scrimmaging. We still have a long way to go before we are going to be ready for the season to start, but every day I can start to see signs of progress and movement in the right direction! As a coach, it is so exciting to see progress being made within the team. It gives you a feeling a satisfaction, knowing that what you have been implementing and teaching is finally clicking and working for your players. This is one of the biggest reasons I wanted to become a coach and now that I am starting to see results it definitely reassures me about my decision in choosing such a profession.
Coach Childers and I have been discussing the possibility of me throwing against our guys some time this week. We have been limited with some of the pitchers we have because of a few injuries, and we would really like to be able to get more at-bats for our hitters, so to fill the void, I may just grab my glove and cleats and fire up the ole cannon and show these boys what I'm made of. However, the one thing he is a little unsure about is the possibility of only a couple of our guys actually being able to hit off of me. Guess we will find out though!
Champions Day! - 10/19/2012
This morning at 6 a.m. we had our entire team out on the field dressed warm since it was cold out and laced up in their cleats. They were all chatting with one another about all the different possibilities of what we could be doing. What they didn't know was we were going to put them through a pretty vigorous obstacle course. Last night, Alex and I designed an obstacle course made up of eight different stations, all lasting approximately four minutes. We broke our team down into four groups and staggered them all around the eight different stations. Once a team completed their final station they then had to jump over the fence of the visitors bullpen to be considered the winners.
This was our last official day of baseball for the fall and our guys excelled like true champions this morning and I could not be more proud of them! Most of the guys will be going home for a long weekend as the college is on Fall Break early next week.
When we all return from break we will jump right into our strength and conditioning program that I am also in charge of. In the past this program has not really had anyone strictly in charge of overseeing the weight room activities. Each player was solely responsible for their own workouts. Now, not to say that they didn't get in there and get their workout complete, but there is less accountability and demand if their is not a coach present, so that is what I am going to try and do...make our team accountable. Our work ethic needs to improve and I believe there is no better place then the weight room to build that up.
Being a coach is something I’ve always wanted to do since I was a young boy. My dad has coached high school football back home for what has now been 22 years. Growing up watching him coach football and other sports I grew up playing, I knew coaching would be something I would definitely want to do when I was older. This past week has been my first week as a coach and has been nothing less than memorable! Being able to share knowledge and experiences with others while making them better at the same time is a pretty cool thing in my opinion! The only thing I kind of worry about is the age factor between myself and my players. I’m afraid at times my guys will not give me the respect I demand because I am so close in age with a good handful of guys on our team. I guess I will just have to keep a close eye on the situation and assess the problem if and when it does occur. On another note, I have been notified by our head coach (Alex Childers) that I will also be in charge of the strength and conditioning program for our team. As far as baseball stuff this week. It has been a pretty slow week, we finished up with a scrimmage over the weekend, but I took off for Mt. Pleasant, MI for a showcase tournament to watch potential recruits.
Getting into the thick of things – 9/21/12
This week we really started to get into more baseball style activity. Instead of doing drills and having a stereotypical practice, we decided to just try and get as many game like reps as possible to better ourselves. Coach Alex Childers (Head Coach) and I tend to meet before and after practice discussing what we want to do for that specific day or about how we thought practice went for that day as well. Our general philosophy for the fall is repetition. We both truly believe the only way to really get better is by having at-bats and getting innings on the mound. This week we scrimmaged on three different occasions and had a fourth day scheduled, but had to cancel because of weather. During our inter-squad scrimmages my main responsibility is to make sure whoever is supposed to be throwing next is getting enough time to get them ready to go while also maintaining and informing the current pitcher about different things he may or may not see right away while out there on the mound. During these scrimmages I also am the umpire. I stand behind the pitcher’s mound and call the balls and strikes for every at bat during the day. While doing this, it allows me to get a different and better look at each of our pitchers while also controlling the game.
In the early part of the week I was in charge of directing the first thirty to forty minutes of practice because of how bad our defensive performance was the Saturday before when we scrimmaged each other for the first time. Our pitchers seemed to have a hard time fielding their position, so to start the day off Monday I had all of the pitchers and infielders partake in a little pitchers fielding practice (PFP) and a good long round of infield. As Friday approached we posted a sign-up sheet just outside of coach’s office and had our players sign up for a time that worked best for them through their day to have an individual practice session. As a result I had practice sessions starting at 9 a.m. and the last being around 2 p.m. We were able to get some good work in during those individual sessions, but we definitely have a lot of work to do before our first game in February!
Off the field, in the office - 9/24/2012
Today when I got into the office Alex had a few projects for me to start working on, the biggest being getting our spring break schedule finalized. With Alex and myself being in first year positions there have been a few things that have not yet been taken care of from the transition of coaches. Our spring break trip has yet to be taken care of, we have not ordered new gear for the players yet, and have a very long list of recruits to contact so we can begin the process of turning this program around from where it has been over the past few years.
The past couple years the Goshen College baseball team has gone to Clearwater, FL and played in the Russ Mat college showcase tournament. This year, Alex and I both agreed we would like to do something a bit different. You see with the tournament style play you lose the atmosphere that comes with college baseball. You are stuck playing in these large complexes that are just filled with chain linked fencing everywhere you seem to look. So, what we have decided to do is contact a bunch of schools in Florida that we think would be good competition for us and see if we can play all road games instead of the neutral site style we have previously done.
We came up with a list of schools we both thought would be a good fit for us and I attempted to make contact with each one. I was able to get in direct contact with two of the schools and we will be setting something up with them in the next few weeks once they finalize their schedule and see what dates they exactly have available.
This took me pretty well the entire morning and early part of the afternoon. When I came to a good stopping point it was time for me to start getting ready for practice and developing a practice plan for the day. Today was just another day of scrimmaging as we were able to get more guys up on the mound and allow others to get more at-bats and swings. The only way to get better is repetition!
First encounter with a recruit! - 9/28/2012
Today I had to be in the office pretty early because we had another day of individual training sessions scheduled and my first one started at 9 a.m. Later in the day it was time to get my feet wet with the whole recruiting process and what it is like to hold a conversation with them to try and keep them interested in what we have to offer.
The kid on campus today was not by any means a big time recruit for us, but in the situation we are in with having low numbers, we will take anyone and everyone we can get. I honestly do not think I have ever heard or been around a college baseball program with only 21 players on the current roster. Recruiting is going to be a big thing for us this fall.
Once we were finished with our recruit, I buzzed home quickly, loaded up my truck and hit the road for Tiffin for the weekend. This weekend the TU baseball team is having their annual parents weekend festivities and there is going to be a small presentation / ceremony for our 2012 4th place finishing and GLIAC tournament baseball team. I am really looking forward to seeing all of my old teammates and friends I have made over the past three years in Tiffin!
Recruiting trip - 10/6/2012
This week seemed like it flew by so quickly. I feel like it was just yesterday I was in Tiffin hanging out with my old buddies reminiscing and laughing about old times. Coach Wilkins asked while I was in Tiffin this past weekend if I would be available to come back this weekend to assist with a showcase that the TU baseball team and coaching staff is putting on. Supposedly there is going to be other coaches from different area schools being represented at the showcase and he thought it would be a good way for me to meet some other coaches from near by schools as well as seeing good talent to possibly recruit to play for Goshen College. The cool thing about the whole situation is I will be getting reimbursed for my mileage driving to Tiffin since in all technicalities it is does qualify as a recruiting trip. On top of which, Coach Wilkins said I would be getting paid for helping with the camp. Doesn't like too bad of a gig if you ask me!
Scrimmage vs Indiana Chargers - 10/10/2012
Today we hosted an 18U travel team from the local area that uses our facilities to practice. It was a good way for Alex and myself to evaluate local talent while seeing them compete against our own team. There were a few kids who really stuck out to us, but one way more than others. A young man who is from a nearby high school has all the makings of being something great. His body type, mechanics, mental ability, and attitude have me wanting to get him back on campus ASAP for a visit. His coach told me he was looking at a few other schools in our conference, but he would much rather prefer to stay around the area and go to school because he is a very big family oriented type of person and has a very strong relationship with his grandfather.
As embarrassing as it is to say, we actually got beat by these 18 and 17 year old players. Now granite we did not throw our best two or three pitchers at them, but that is still no excuse for college level athletes to be losing to high school level athletes. In our defense, the Chargers do have four to five players going the NCAA Div. 1 rout to play ball, so we were playing against some pretty good talent, but I am still not happy with our performance to say the least!
Just another day of practice - 10/15/2012
Today we got back on the field and had yet another day of inter-squad scrimmaging. We still have a long way to go before we are going to be ready for the season to start, but every day I can start to see signs of progress and movement in the right direction! As a coach, it is so exciting to see progress being made within the team. It gives you a feeling a satisfaction, knowing that what you have been implementing and teaching is finally clicking and working for your players. This is one of the biggest reasons I wanted to become a coach and now that I am starting to see results it definitely reassures me about my decision in choosing such a profession.
Coach Childers and I have been discussing the possibility of me throwing against our guys some time this week. We have been limited with some of the pitchers we have because of a few injuries, and we would really like to be able to get more at-bats for our hitters, so to fill the void, I may just grab my glove and cleats and fire up the ole cannon and show these boys what I'm made of. However, the one thing he is a little unsure about is the possibility of only a couple of our guys actually being able to hit off of me. Guess we will find out though!
Champions Day! - 10/19/2012
This morning at 6 a.m. we had our entire team out on the field dressed warm since it was cold out and laced up in their cleats. They were all chatting with one another about all the different possibilities of what we could be doing. What they didn't know was we were going to put them through a pretty vigorous obstacle course. Last night, Alex and I designed an obstacle course made up of eight different stations, all lasting approximately four minutes. We broke our team down into four groups and staggered them all around the eight different stations. Once a team completed their final station they then had to jump over the fence of the visitors bullpen to be considered the winners.
This was our last official day of baseball for the fall and our guys excelled like true champions this morning and I could not be more proud of them! Most of the guys will be going home for a long weekend as the college is on Fall Break early next week.
When we all return from break we will jump right into our strength and conditioning program that I am also in charge of. In the past this program has not really had anyone strictly in charge of overseeing the weight room activities. Each player was solely responsible for their own workouts. Now, not to say that they didn't get in there and get their workout complete, but there is less accountability and demand if their is not a coach present, so that is what I am going to try and do...make our team accountable. Our work ethic needs to improve and I believe there is no better place then the weight room to build that up.