Better Men, Better Ballplayers

133 Ben Jones - The Apprentice School

Better Men Better Ballplayers Podcast with  Ben Jones, HC of The Apprentice School. Sponsored By:  * Netting Professionals * 844-620-2707  * info@nettingpros.com [info@nettingpros.com] * www.nettingpros.com [http://www.nettingpros.com]   BIO * HC of the Apprentice School since 2021 and won Small College World Series in 2022 (1st year) * Pitching coach for the Builders since 2007 * Part of the Small College World Series teams in 2007, 2015 * Former pitcher for the Builders  * Winningest pitcher in modern era of The Apprentice School * The Apprentice School HOF class of 2020 * USCAA Hall of Fame in 2018   NOTES * * The Apprentice school 19 trade selections (blue collar), and 8 advanced trades (white collar) * 20% of enrollment get selected into advancement * ALL FREE * Start at $22/hr and finish over $30/hr * 6AM on the shipyard * Classroom 16 hours a week * Other 24 hours they are on the job training * Every 6 months rotated to different shipyards to learn * All year long * Annual leave (40 hours of vacation) * full benefits with company match * 6AM pull in, get out at 330, practice 430 for couple hours based on part of year * 3 time Small College World Series champion * NSCAA schools must have a low enrollment (max 4000) * Follow all NCAA rules and regulations (eligibility, etc) * 80% home games * Play D3, D2, JUCO, along with NSCAA teams * Manage workload based on their job and baseball - light on weights and off season conditioning unlike the traditional college student * Start 11/12 months - every monday with new starts * 250-300 people brought in a year * ****This program will turn a high school graduate into a mature man or woman! * Grades and attendance not satisfactory you can be dropped from the program * Its not for everyone, but it is very rewarding * Athletics contribute to teamwork, teamwork contributes to leadership * AS.edu general admission website * Gobuilders.com athletics website * Guys that aren’t scared to work!! * 1 other trade school that offers athletics * 25% acceptance rate * Team GPA 3.6! * SAT not requirement for admission * Required classes (minimum 4, like to see 6-8) * Focus on math and science  * Any higher math classes? * How many days you were late and/or absent * We are investing into you to be successful! * To see the guys graduate is the ultimate goal!  * Team grade policy - not getting the grades you will not practice and be part of team * Tutors available - do our best to make the program work! * Company first, school second, baseball team third and priorities need to stay that way * We help them keep them priorities straight

132 Justin Hanley - William Penn Charter

Better Men Better Ballplayers Podcast  with Justin Hanley - William Penn Charter Sponsored By:  * Netting Professionals * 844-620-2707  * info@nettingpros.com [info@nettingpros.com] * www.nettingpros.com [http://www.nettingpros.com]   BIO * HC of William Penn Charter  * Associate HC/PC 2012-2017 * Inter AC Champions 2014, 2017, and 2021 * 4 players have gone to play pro ball during his time at Penn Charter * He has help guide several players to college between Penn Charter and his time in travel baseball * Former Director of Baseball Operations and Player development at Elite Sports Factory * North American Baseball Account Executive at Silicon Valley FinTech startup, Pando, that uses predictive analytics to help professional baseball players mitigate their career risk.   NOTES * Win loss and ERA are going out the window and looking more at whip, qab, and other processes * Track bullpens and chart opposing hitters * Do it on your own, and coach it up in between the inning * There is nothing you can tell him that is goin to put him in a better position * Be a voice of positive encouragement * Strong up the middle * Good relationships * Tell me about mom and dad * Analytical and due diligence mindset * Big on self advocacy  * Summer camps to bring in the community * Big on communication  * Kid first, no parents * Pillars * Self advocacy * Don’t care what grade you are * accountability * Expect problems and use it has opportunity to teach leadership * It more than just about the wins.  * We need to prove to them that we care more about them as people * For every school that has their dream school, there is 10 kids at the wrong school * Spend a saturday doing manual labor to build team * School does great job bringing all types of kids together * Video message to the team from alumni * Players this is your program and your responsibility * Representing your family at the same time * Understand the common goal * You can’t do it on your own * Failure is going to find you * Lean on your teammates, your coaches * How are you going to play on a friday night if you can’t handle this chirping * You can tell who the last years state champion was not the PG 16U championship *

131 Anthony Renz - Concordia College & Fargo Moorhead Redhawks

Better Men Better Ballplayers Podcast with Anthony Renz Concordia College Sponsored By:  * Netting Professionals * 844-620-2707  * info@nettingpros.com [info@nettingpros.com] * www.nettingpros.com [http://www.nettingpros.com]   BIO * HC at Concordia College (MN) * AC since 2018 * Acting HC 2022  * 2022 Conference tournament * 2023 Conference tournament and win * Most hits * Most conference players * Bench Coach & Hitting Coach with Fargo-Moorhead * MLB Partner league (Pioneer, Frontier, American Assoc, Atlantic) * American Association champions (1st A.A title since merging) * Former AC and GA Shippensburg University (2016-2018)  * Regional 2017 * PSAC tournament 2018 * 4 guys played pro ball during time at Ship * Indy ball grinder! * Las Vegas Train Robbers * Evansville Otters * Fargo-Moorhead   NOTES * Powerful tool of Twitter * Recruiting world at your fingertips * Form good relationships  * Show I was a good coach and gain trust * Work youth baseball camps to grind and learn * Off season was CAMPS! * The grind makes you better! * Make sure the players know it is there program * Player driven. Coaches put up guard rails * Players win game, coaches lose them * The guys after college are set up for success * For 4 years we want you to feel like you are involved in the world series * Our togetherness is second to none * Town ball, playing more together * Cobber baseball family * Be with a group of guys you can lose with** * Team building days * Community events * Supporting other athletic events * Bus rides - Florida trips * They should want to come to practice as long as the environment is good * Winning helps the experience * What can you do to make practice fun? * Pick teams - compete more * Balance of fun and intensity * Conditioning mix of games * Practice matters * Everyday is a tryout * You got to perform - playing hard is given and at end of day you need to perform * Elimination in the cage - one pitch, in or out * Create competition with the skills set in mind * Reward BP “Dinger club” * Hit the ball hard determines who you are * Line drives - right above the L screen * Gaps/HR - knock down the batter eye * Group BP based on skill set or lineup * Technology helps make live AB more realistic results, provide clarity * Technology turns up the focus * Train for higher EV * Hit a ton of machine * Weighted bat work * Hit plyo * Barrel control * Throw two balls and always hit low ball * Reward batting practice or out of cage if you don’t accomplish task (put a value on each swing) * 2 strikes * Unpredictable of 2K pitch needs to be trained with working on getting your barrel to the ball * Manage your work - know your body * Those who hit often, often hit * Stick to what you believe in and stay consistent. Don’t over react with small sample size. * Be where your feet are * All in right here

130 - Eric Lassiter Windermere HS, Power Baseball, Diamond Allegiance

Better Men Better Ballplayers Podcast with Eric Lassiter Sponsored By:  * Netting Professionals * 844-620-2707  * info@nettingpros.com [info@nettingpros.com] * www.nettingpros.com [http://www.nettingpros.com]   BIO * HC of Windermere HS (started 6 years ago) * 5/5 state playoffs * 4/5  district champs * 3/5 regional finalist * Former HC Tavares (1 year) * HC at alma mater Apopka HS (6 years) * Co Founder of Power Baseball * Former WV Wesleyan College AC * Director of membership for Diamond Allegiance   NOTES * We are really big in the community and focus more beyond baseball * Be the ultimate human being * How you do anything is how you do everything * Support other teams in the school * Supporting little league tryouts, signups, etc * Prep team, feeder team, little league nights * When you feel the community supporting you its playing for something bigger than you * Play for a bigger purpose * Fall season for community work * Grade checks * 1 standard - don’t do anything that embarasses your religion, yourself, or your program * Holding them to the expectations * 9 to 5 - first 9 has to beat their last 5 on the field * Everything counts * Energy, effort, commitment to each,  * Fall season do little things to score points for 9 to 5 * Points for all types of ways to produce wins * Running gets you better, not punishment * Losers take care of the field  * Hold kids accountable on the travel scene will create good groups * Win between innings * The first tournament you set the standards * Finding ways to stay active to improve * Always an opportunity to get better and set yourself apart * You have to have a skill set and it doesn’t matter how you may hit in a tournament * How you fail is a big indicator of how you will succeed * Baseball is how well you can fail * 3-3 should be same energy as 0-3 * Each hitter can get into certain positions, which means they can move to get there * What if your body is not capable of getting to that position. Can we unlock parts of your body to get to those positions? * Power Baseball Foundation - board to help fundraise to help people who cannot afford to play travel baseball * Application to help with practice and planning. Players come out and we donate their time to help * Funded organizations that are not even part of Power Baseball * The more good you do the better you will be *

129 Billy Emerson - St. Paul VI HS

Better Men Better Ballplayers Podcast with Billy Emerson of Paul VI HS Sponsored By:  * Netting Professionals * 844-620-2707  * info@nettingpros.com [info@nettingpros.com] * www.nettingpros.com [http://www.nettingpros.com]   BIO * HC of Paul VI HS * Career record 336 - 191 (winning over 50% games in his career) * PVI since 2003 season * 3 Conference WCAC championships * 4 VISAA championships * 8 times nationally ranked * Over 100 players in college or drafted * Paul VI HOF class of 2022   NOTES * Coaching in the summer is a way for me to learn and get better from the college guys * Each year you are taking a big hunk of clay and hopefully by the end of the year you hope it becomes a masterpiece * You win games you should of lost and you lose game you should of won * If you want consistency you have to be consistent * You have to stick to the plan * Maintain a coaching staff that can stick around a long time * Put together standards and values that you can stick to * Focusing on development players * Its also about developing human beings  * Using the game to create things that they can use later in life * If you focus on the right things the baseball things take care of themselves * End of season meetings * Using the battles to do use as fire and do more than this year * You can do things to foster team chemistry (this is how we do things) * You can’t force it, you need to foster it * You can’t fool the players, it has to be real * You can’t force someone to love you * Expose our guys to different types of people * Classroom session in the off season * Pitchers and catchers, hitters, mental toughness training * When a guy walks out of our program and he is blessed to play college baseball and he is prepared to step on campus that is an awesome thing * Another huge win is when a guy comes back and says I know what you were saying  * We have objectives everyday * Explain to the guys why and how this is gooing ot effect you now and down the road * The game mirrors life because you have to sit there during moments of inactivity but be ready * The value of paying attention to details  * There is a karma around the game and if you don’t pay attention it will bite you! * Keep the baseball demons away from us! * Every time we take batting practice we implement baserunning system * Defensively we take balls live - making people make throughs at game speed * Challenging the pitchers and hitters at practice with game situations * Pitchers that have not gotten innings will be throwing more in practice of game situations * Its about collecting outs. We need to get 21 of them as fast as we can * This is an audition! For the regulars and for the guys who have not had an AB * Keep stats in practice and it makes the process from objective * QPA average - quality plate appearance  - 60% or better * 150 or lower strikeout % * Pop up or routine flyball = airball (set goal for no airballs) * Strike % and first pitch strike % * Force bad contact as early as possible * Defensively 1 error or less * Turn as many DP as games played * Always looking to take 2 until you can’t * Reading dirt balls good secondary, read the trajectory, and take off * Preparation, attention to detail, effort, focus, selfless, and toughness * Aggressive in hitting situations - looking for FB  * 2 strike approach - the strikeout does nothing for us * Execute when called upon * Baserunning excellence - eyes up and hustle * Pitch to spots, execute pitches > selection, make adjustments, rise to the challenge and post a zero * Defense cherish outs - love outs as much as HR * No play no throw - calculated risks * The kids are our customers*** * What did we do to prepare them for the majority of their life?