BASEBALL COACHES UNPLUGGED

Send us a text [https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/1542601/open_sms] What does it really take for a small farming community to build a high school baseball dynasty? We sit down with Eaton High School head coach Todd Hernandez to unpack the real blueprint behind 15 Colorado state titles, four since 2021, and a 74-game win streak that turned heads nationwide. No fluff, no gimmicks—just culture you can feel and drills you can steal. Todd traces the roots back to youth baseball, where kids in Eaton learn varsity habits early and see role models wearing the same hat they do. That pipeline creates continuity, accountability, and pride that shows up on game day: crisp routines, hustle in and out, and players who know their jobs. We go deep on fundamentals—daily base running, bunt coverages, pick plays—and why the “boring stuff” decides playoff games. Todd breaks down his favorite multi-station defensive circuits and how he keeps every athlete moving, even indoors, using gym nets, a pop-up cage nicknamed Big Bertha, rollout carpet for grounders, and indoor mounds in a wrestling room. Leadership and honesty sit at the center of Eaton’s success. Todd shares hard-won lessons, including a state tournament decision to save a closer for tomorrow and the philosophy that grew from it: win the next out before you plan the next day. He talks candidly about embracing the target on Eaton’s back, teaching “pressure is a privilege,” and staying process-first after a walk-off loss that ended the streak. We also explore empowering assistants to own outfield, catching, and pitching development, and how clear communication helps navigate playing time in a deep roster. From small-town roots to a modern, resilient system, Todd shows how to build a program that survives graduation, weather, and expectations. If you’re a coach hungry for tangible practice ideas, culture foundations, and a mindset that travels, this conversation is your field guide. Subscribe, share with a coaching friend, and leave a review to help more coaches find the show. What part of Eaton’s blueprint will you try first? Join the Baseball Coaches Unplugged podcast where an experienced baseball coach delves into the world of high school and travel baseball, offering insights on high school baseball coaching, leadership skills, hitting skills, pitching strategy, defensive skills, and overall baseball strategy, while also covering high school and college baseball, recruiting tips, youth and travel baseball, and fostering a winning mentality and attitude in baseball players through strong baseball leadership and mentality. Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/1542601/support] * Follow: Twitter | Instagram @Athlete1Podcast https://www.athlete1.net * Website - https://www.athlete1.net [https://www.athlete1.net] * Sponsor: The Netting Professionals * https://www.nettingpros.com [https://www.nettingpros.com]

Send us a text [https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/1542601/open_sms] A Hall of Fame coach with 500+ wins doesn’t hang around by accident. Coach Mike Shade of Gahanna Lincoln High School (OH) opens the dugout door to 41 years of lessons: why relationships anchor a program, how practice—not pep talks—decides results, and what “all in” really means for player standards, culture, and accountability. We trace his journey from early assistant days to a sustained run in the OCC’s gauntlet, where weekly battles sharpen teams for the state tournament. We dig into his non-negotiables—character, effort, and being a great teammate—and how he delivers tough feedback without leaving players in the doghouse. Mike shares how the game has evolved around travel ball and shifting norms, yet still revolves around three outs, three strikes, and a pre‑pitch plan. You’ll hear why he respects umpires who hustle and prepare, and how empowering energetic assistants keeps a veteran staff fresh. Off the field, a simple tradition—his wife’s annual senior pasta dinner—reveals how small, consistent acts turn a roster into a family. The stories are the heart: an unforgettable 3–2, bases‑loaded walk‑off that still gives chills, Evan White’s first-base artistry that later earned a Gold Glove, and the all-time trio he’d choose to ride with—Bench behind the plate, Gibson or Koufax on the hill, and Mickey Mantle in the box. If you coach, play, or simply love baseball, you’ll leave with a blueprint for sustainable success: teach clean fundamentals, correct fast and lift faster, respect the craft, and trust your people when the season shrinks to a single pitch. If this resonated, follow the show, share it with a coach or parent who cares about culture, and leave a quick review so more baseball people can find us. Join the Baseball Coaches Unplugged podcast where an experienced baseball coach delves into the world of high school and travel baseball, offering insights on high school baseball coaching, leadership skills, hitting skills, pitching strategy, defensive skills, and overall baseball strategy, while also covering high school and college baseball, recruiting tips, youth and travel baseball, and fostering a winning mentality and attitude in baseball players through strong baseball leadership and mentality. 0:00 Intro & Sponsor Message 2:36 Meet Hall of Famer Mike Shade 3:24 Longevity, Loyalty, and Purpose 4:35 Early Years and Assistant Lessons 7:10 Non‑Negotiables and Player Character 9:18 How The Game Changed, What Hasn’t 11:27 Umpires, Standards, and Professionalism 13:22 Winning, Losing, and Practice First 15:30 OCC Competition and State Runs 17:15 Assistants’ Impact and A Supportive Spouse 19:20 The Unforgettable District Walk‑Off 22:10 Evan White’s Defense and Growth 24:00 Mantle, Seaver, and Baseball Roots 25:40 Hate Losing, Love Seven‑Game Series 27:00 All‑Time Catcher, Pitcher, Hitter Picks 28:30 Closing Thanks & Sponsor Reminder Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/1542601/support] * Follow: Twitter | Instagram @Athlete1Podcast https://www.athlete1.net * Website - https://www.athlete1.net [https://www.athlete1.net] * Sponsor: The Netting Professionals * https://www.nettingpros.com [https://www.nettingpros.com]

Send us a text [https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/1542601/open_sms] What if the fastest way to win more games is to stop spending outs? We take a hard look at the numbers that truly drive runs—on-base percentage, slugging percentage, and the deceptively simple OPS—and show how a smarter lineup can flip close scores in your favor. From a striking Barry Bonds breakdown to a candid reflection on batting a high school star second for extra plate appearances, we lay out why batting average and RBIs often hide the real story and how to build an order that multiplies opportunities instead of wasting them. We start by reframing offense around scarcity: every team owns a limited supply of outs, and the goal is to convert those into runs with ruthless efficiency. That’s where OBP becomes the north star, rewarding hitters who control the zone and keep innings alive. Layer in slugging to capture extra-base impact, then combine them into OPS to compare hitters cleanly. You’ll hear a simple head-to-head that exposes why a .265 hitter with a .900 OPS can outproduce a .300 hitter with a .760 OPS, especially when every plate appearance is magnified in seven-inning high school games. From Moneyball’s 2002 A’s to the 2004 Red Sox and the Rays’ worst-to-first leap, the pattern holds: teams that get on base and hit for power score more and win more. We translate that into a clear blueprint for coaches—elevate your highest OBP bats to the top, stack reliable power behind them, and give your best OPS hitters the most turns. Then we balance the model with practical judgment: park factors, matchups, and game flow still matter, but they should refine, not replace, your default. Walk away with drills and culture shifts that reward plate discipline, punish bad swing decisions, and celebrate the unsexy walk as a winning play. Ready to rebuild your card with purpose and pick up a few extra wins? Follow the show, share this episode with your staff, and leave a quick review telling us your team’s OPS thresholds for the top of the lineup. Join the Baseball Coaches Unplugged podcast where an experienced baseball coach delves into the world of high school and travel baseball, offering insights on high school baseball coaching, leadership skills, hitting skills, pitching strategy, defensive skills, and overall baseball strategy, while also covering high school and college baseball, recruiting tips, youth and travel baseball, and fostering a winning mentality and attitude in baseball players through strong baseball leadership and mentality. Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/1542601/support] * Follow: Twitter | Instagram @Athlete1Podcast https://www.athlete1.net * Website - https://www.athlete1.net [https://www.athlete1.net] * Sponsor: The Netting Professionals * https://www.nettingpros.com [https://www.nettingpros.com]

Send us a text [https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/1542601/open_sms] A thrown chair blocks the stage door, and a young actor freezes—until a director offers three words that change everything: use the difficulty. We take that vivid moment and walk it straight into the dugout, exploring how coaches can turn injuries, slumps, rainouts, and schedule chaos into catalysts for growth. Rather than gritting our teeth and hoping the plan survives contact with reality, we show how to build plans that thrive on disruption—and teach players to see pressure not as a threat, but as an opportunity. We dig into baseball’s core truth: failure is part of the design. A .300 hitter is a master of recovery, not perfection. With that lens, we map practical coaching moves that compound under stress—cross-training athletes to create depth, scripting rainout pivots that develop baseball IQ, adopting constraint-led drills that train decision-making, and running stress scrimmages that normalize chaos. You’ll hear clear, field-tested ways to turn an injured ace into a deeper staff, a cold lineup into a small-ball machine, and a position vacancy into a discovery of unexpected talent. Along the way, we break down the leadership cues that matter when the game gets loud: when to lighten the mood, when to tighten the standard, and how to communicate in short, sharp, useful language that focuses attention on the next actionable rep. If you believe culture is built when things go wrong, this conversation gives you the tools to prove it on Tuesday and again on Friday. We close with a challenge you can use today: name the obstacle, define the opportunity it hides, and design one tiny practice block to exploit it. Subscribe, share with a coaching friend, and leave a review with your best “use the difficulty” moment—we’ll feature our favorites on a future show. Join the Baseball Coaches Unplugged podcast where an experienced baseball coach delves into the world of high school and travel baseball, offering insights on high school baseball coaching, leadership skills, hitting skills, pitching strategy, defensive skills, and overall baseball strategy, while also covering high school and college baseball, recruiting tips, youth and travel baseball, and fostering a winning mentality and attitude in baseball players through strong baseball leadership and mentality. 00:02:02 Show Intro And Weekly Format [https://www.buzzsprout.com/1542601/episodes/17932941-failure-by-design-why-baseball-prepares-you-for-chaos/chapters#] 00:02:31 The Michael Caine Story [https://www.buzzsprout.com/1542601/episodes/17932941-failure-by-design-why-baseball-prepares-you-for-chaos/chapters#] 00:03:33 Use The Difficulty: Coaching Lens [https://www.buzzsprout.com/1542601/episodes/17932941-failure-by-design-why-baseball-prepares-you-for-chaos/chapters#] 00:04:22 Baseball’s Built-In Failure [https://www.buzzsprout.com/1542601/episodes/17932941-failure-by-design-why-baseball-prepares-you-for-chaos/chapters#] 00:05:10 Turning Setbacks Into Strategy [https://www.buzzsprout.com/1542601/episodes/17932941-failure-by-design-why-baseball-prepares-you-for-chaos/chapters#] 00:06:00 Leadership Under Pressure [https://www.buzzsprout.com/1542601/episodes/17932941-failure-by-design-why-baseball-prepares-you-for-chaos/chapters#] 00:07:20 https://www.buzzsprout.com/1542601/episodes/17932941-failure-by-design-why-baseball-prepares-you-for-chaos/chapters# Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/1542601/support] * Follow: Twitter | Instagram @Athlete1Podcast https://www.athlete1.net * Website - https://www.athlete1.net [https://www.athlete1.net] * Sponsor: The Netting Professionals * https://www.nettingpros.com [https://www.nettingpros.com]

Send us a text [https://www.buzzsprout.com/twilio/text_messages/1542601/open_sms] Mason Stookey knows the true meaning of rebuilding. When a tornado hit Coweta (OK) High School's baseball field in 2021, destroying their fence, equipment, and freshly planted rye seed, he faced a critical choice: follow the trend toward artificial turf or recommit to maintaining a premier natural playing surface. His decision to double down on tradition speaks volumes about his coaching philosophy. "When people step into our yard, I want it to be the best surface they can be on," Stookey explains, detailing how he meticulously mows the outfield daily at three-quarters of an inch with a reel mower. This commitment to field maintenance isn't just about aesthetics—it's about teaching players to invest sweat equity into something greater than themselves. This philosophy extends throughout Stookey's program, built on three fundamental pillars: accountability, responsibility, and attention to detail. His weekly grade checks require players to collect performance feedback from all their teachers, tracking not just grades but missing assignments and classroom conduct. "That's not a lesson just for baseball," Stookey emphasizes, "that's a lesson for life." Perhaps most innovative is Coweta's "Tough Fridays" initiative—replacing traditional practice with team-building mental toughness workouts. Players work in "boat crews" to complete challenging tasks that build resilience for high-pressure game situations. The results speak for themselves, with the team winning approximately ten games in walk-off fashion during a recent season. Stookey's coaching journey began after his playing career ended due to injury. Initially walking away from baseball entirely, he experienced an epiphany weeks before college graduation: "There's people and teammates that had given me so much and taught me so many lessons through the game that I wanted to give back." From navigating the challenges between school baseball instruction and travel ball coaching to his unforgettable story of chasing a player's runaway steer across the baseball field, Stookey's conversation reveals a coach who combines traditional values with innovative methods to develop not just successful teams, but successful young men. 00:00:00 Introduction to Mason Stuckey [https://www.buzzsprout.com/1542601/episodes/17892106-3-fundamental-pillars-every-coach-needs-in-their-baseball-program/chapters#] 00:04:50 Rebuilding After Tornado Damage [https://www.buzzsprout.com/1542601/episodes/17892106-3-fundamental-pillars-every-coach-needs-in-their-baseball-program/chapters#] 00:09:15 Natural Surface Pride [https://www.buzzsprout.com/1542601/episodes/17892106-3-fundamental-pillars-every-coach-needs-in-their-baseball-program/chapters#] 00:12:03 Three Pillars: Accountability and Responsibility [https://www.buzzsprout.com/1542601/episodes/17892106-3-fundamental-pillars-every-coach-needs-in-their-baseball-program/chapters#] 00:17:07 Practice Planning and Team Development [https://www.buzzsprout.com/1542601/episodes/17892106-3-fundamental-pillars-every-coach-needs-in-their-baseball-program/chapters#] 00:20:45 Leadership and Communi [https://www.buzzsprout.com/1542601/episodes/17892106-3-fundamental-pillars-every-coach-needs-in-their-baseball-program/chapters#] Support the show [https://www.buzzsprout.com/1542601/support] * Follow: Twitter | Instagram @Athlete1Podcast https://www.athlete1.net * Website - https://www.athlete1.net [https://www.athlete1.net] * Sponsor: The Netting Professionals * https://www.nettingpros.com [https://www.nettingpros.com]