Episodes

Gratitude. Ownership. Impact. Three things Coach Ryan Hall wants his players to carry with them long after their last game—and three reasons I enjoyed this conversation so much. The Oakman High School head baseball coach and USA Baseball 12U training camp coach joins me for an honest conversation about developing competitors, building relationships, and continuing to grow as a coach. We get into preparing players to handle adversity—and want another shot, giving kids room to compete, le...

What goes into building one of the country’s most successful high school baseball programs? Coach Todd Fitz-Gerald takes us inside the daily work at Stoneman Douglas—and there’s plenty every coach can learn from. We talk about building a culture that connects JV and varsity, making catch play and baserunning a priority, teaching players to think, prepare, and compete, developing pitchers beyond the radar gun and trusting your assistants and continuing to learn. Plus, Coach Fitz shares his expe...

Are we giving our players the confidence to make decisions—or making them afraid to make mistakes? Brendan Clary, Head Baseball Coach at Prosper High School in Texas, returns for a conversation packed with practical takeaways for coaches and parents. We get into: Coaching the person first Standards over feelings Talking less and observing more Teaching players to think for themselves Making catch play and baserunning priorities Keeping the joy in the game I always enjoy talking baseball with ...

Conflict is unavoidable in sports. It can happen between coaches and players, coaches and parents, members of a staff, or throughout an entire organization. The real question isn’t whether conflict will happen—it’s how we respond when it does. My latest guest is Bill Taylor, championship-winning collegiate coach, founder of Sports Conflict Lab, and author of Managing Sports Conflict: Five Tools to Master Conflict. Bill and I discuss why conflict isn’t always negative, how emotions can prevent ...

Building a Program That Lasts. My latest guest on Clearing The Bases is Kyle Douglas, Head Baseball Coach at Mt. Juliet High School in Tennessee. Coach Douglas shares an honest look at the challenges of changing a program’s culture, establishing meaningful standards and building relationships strong enough to create genuine accountability. Above everything else, Kyle wants his teams to be known for their resilience:“A Kyle Douglas baseball team will always get off the mat.” This is a thoughtf...

Young players are bigger, stronger, and more physically trained than ever—but do they truly understand how to play the game? My latest guest is Chris Hayes, CEO and co-founder of the 6Tool App. Chris’s journey took him from being a walk-on at Northwestern University to independent baseball, the Kansas City Royals organization, and eventually Triple-A. Along the way, he combined his professional playing experience with a background in computer science and a master’s degree in psychology from Har...

The body may be ready—but is the mind? On this episode of Clearing The Bases, Dr. Robert Cabry—sports-medicine physician, Navy veteran, mental-performance specialist, and author of The Peak Performance Mind Code—joins me for an important conversation about the part of athletic development we often overlook. We discuss building confidence, using visualization, responding to failure, recovering from mistakes, and how the words and reactions of coaches and parents can directly affect a young ath...

The title may say Volunteer Assistant Coach, but the commitment and impact are anything but small. Jeremy Carper of Ohio Wesleyan University Baseball joins Clearing The Bases for an honest conversation about his unconventional coaching journey, balancing baseball with work and family, and giving back to a game that has given him so much. Jeremy brings humility, energy, and a genuine desire to continue learning. This is a terrific conversation for coaches, players, and parents at every level of ...

My latest guest is Coach Drew Briese — Head Baseball Coach at Centre College in Danville, Kentucky and longtime USA Baseball coach and evaluator. His career combines NCAA Division III coaching, player development, recruiting, and extensive experience working with some of the top young players in the country. In this episode, Coach Briese delivers one message that every baseball parent should think about: Your son's strikeout isn't your strikeout. His error isn't your error. Let him experienc...

Coach Joel Sato has spent more than 50 years around Bingham High School Baseball and gives a perspective that very few people in the game can match. In this episode of Clearing The Bases, Coach Sato talks about how baseball has changed, how parents have changed, what travel baseball has done to development, why young players need patience, and why coaches sometimes need to simply get out of the way. This is a conversation about baseball, but even more than that, it’s about teaching, mentoring,...

Today's guest is Chuck Box — Head Baseball Coach and Associate Athletic Director at Jackson Academy — and this conversation is absolutely loaded. He has spent 34 years in baseball. And Coach Box still believes the game is about much more than wins and championships. Chuck has coached at nearly every level of amateur baseball—from high school and junior college to Texas A&M and the University of Texas—and his perspective on coaching, development, culture and relationships is one worth hearing.

What do you do when you sit down with someone who has spent more than five decades teaching the game of baseball? You listen. My latest guest is Mark “Lunch” McKenzie — one of the most respected and experienced coaches in the game, with more than five decades dedicated to teaching, developing players and giving back to baseball. Longtime coach at Concordia University–St. Paul, USA Baseball coach, teacher, mentor, and one of the greatest baseball minds you’ll ever hear. And this conversation ...

This week, I’m joined by Brett Ratcliffe, Head Baseball Coach at Trine University, for a conversation that goes far beyond wins, losses and recruiting. With more than 30 years in coaching and experience at the high school, college and USA Baseball levels, Coach Ratcliffe has seen player development from just about every angle. Why fundamentals are still lacking when players reach college Why development is a process — and why you can’t skip steps What college coaches are REALLY looking for in ...

This week on Clearing The Bases, I'm joined by Kevin Graber, Manager of the Lowell Spinners, former Chicago Cubs Minor League coach, championship-winning high school coach, and one of the most respected player development minds in the game. Kevin's journey has taken him from overcoming cancer as a college player to coaching at the highest levels of amateur and professional baseball. Along the way, he's developed players, built championship cultures, and never lost sight of what matters most—d...

This week, I sit down with Matt Englander, Head Baseball Coach at Case Western Reserve University, to discuss what really drives sustained success. In this episode, we dive into: • Building a championship culture from the ground up • Recruiting student-athletes who fit your program—not just your roster • Developing leaders on and off the field • The importance of fundamentals, accountability, and relationships • Why player development should always come before shortcuts Whether you're a coach,...

This week, I'm joined by Mike Deegan, Head Baseball Coach at Denison University, for a conversation that goes far beyond wins and losses. We discuss: building a program around standards, not shortcuts, what college coaches are really looking for in recruits, the role culture plays in sustained success, why coachability and character still separate great players and what today's players, coaches, and parents need to hear about long-term development. Whether you're a coach building a program, a...

This week, we’re joined by Ryan Vondracek—Assistant Coach at Crown College, Head of Recruiting & Arm Care, and Head of Pitching Operations for Minnesota Renegade. Ryan brings a powerful perspective as a former collegiate lefty who turned down opportunities to play overseas to follow his calling into coaching—and he’s been making an impact ever since. In this episode, we dive into: The biggest mistakes pitchers are making with arm care, velocity vs. true pitching development, what college coach...

Every high school baseball player dreams of playing at the next level…And a lot of families believe baseball will pay for college. The truth? There is very little scholarship money out there for collegiate baseball players. So what does that mean for YOU? It means if you’re only relying on baseball… you’re already behind. College admissions expert Shellee Howard, has helped over 15,000 students earn more than $23 million in scholarships — many without relying on athletic money. She’s helped fam...

This week I'm joined by Matt McGuire, author of Fairfield American - A Legacy of Little League Dreams and longtime leader within Fairfield American Little League. Matt spent 15 years as a coach, board member, and president during one of the most remarkable eras in Connecticut Little League history — a time when Fairfield American reached the Little League World Series three times. But this conversation — and this book — isn’t just about winning. It’s about the moments on the field. The storie...

No scripts. No talking points. Just real questions and honest answers about the current state of youth baseball. In this episode, Jeff and Kevin tackle the issues coaches and parents are actually dealing with — development vs. winning, expectations, athlete health, communication, and where youth baseball needs to be better. This isn’t about hot takes. It’s about accountability, education, and doing right by the kids who play the game. If you’re involved in youth baseball in any way, this is a ...

This is the final episode of our three-part series, “Insights from the 2025 ABCA Youth Baseball Summit.” We close the series with a powerful conversation featuring: ⚾ Paul Gallo ⚾ Steve Nikorak ⚾ Jeff Sopha In this final installment, the focus turns to leadership, accountability, and what real change in youth baseball actually looks like. The conversation challenges coaches, parents, and administrators to move beyond awareness and toward action — putting kids first in every decision we make...

We’re back with Insights from the 2025 ABCA Youth Baseball Summit – Part 2, featuring another powerful group of leaders working to improve the youth baseball experience: ⚾ Kevin Coe ⚾ Mark Wrighte ⚾ Tracy Tanguay ⚾ Blake Hibler This conversation continues the deeper work — focusing on athlete health, movement quality, coach education, and creating environments where kids can develop safely and confidently. This episode reinforces an important message: meaningful change in youth baseball happens...

This special episode features Insights from the 2025 ABCA Youth Baseball Summit, with powerful voices from across the game: Rob Hahne Duke Baxter Mike Cassidy Deven Morgan Together, we dive into the conversations, challenges, and solutions that came out of the 2025 ABCA Youth Baseball Summit in Austin, Texas. You’ll hear about coaching education, parent education, player health, and creating better long-term outcomes for young athletes. This episode isn’t about opinions for the sake of opinion...

This week we’re joined by Gary Thrapp, founder of Beyond The Baseline and author of The Wild World of Youth Sports. Gary pulls back the curtain on the current state of youth sports — the good, the bad, and the uncomfortable truths we don’t talk about enough. From parental pressure and over-competition to the long-term impact on kids, this conversation challenges us to rethink what youth sports should look like. This episode isn’t just about baseball. It’s about protecting kids, supporting coach...