Coaching Management 17.2 by Momentummedia

Coaching Management VOL. XVII NO. 2

B A S E B A L L

P R E S E A S O N

E D I T I O N

PERFECT TIMING The art of situational hitting

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Being a Great Recruiter

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Circle No. 100

CONTENTS

Coaching Management Baseball Edition Preseason 2009 Vol. XVII, No. 2

LOCKER ROOM

COVER STORY

Bulletin Board . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 Oklahoma State player sues NCAA … Alumni weekend a success … Starting a program from scratch … Making a co-op work … H.S. player grants his own wish.

Q&A . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13 Mike Chiapparelli, Head Coach at Mamaroneck (N.Y.) High School, won his first state championship in 2008, while also coaching the boys’ ice hockey team and assisting the football team. CONTINUED ON: Web Site . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48 On the cover: Long Beach State University AllAmerican Shane Peterson’s exceptional situational hitting was vital to the team last season. Head Coach Mike Weathers talks about his strategy in our cover story, which begins on page 16.

Perfect Timing

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Situational hitting is all about executing the right hit at the right time. It also takes a lot of patience to teach its nuances. Here, expert coaches share their tips and strategies to coaching this subtle art form.

Recruiting

In Their Dreams

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

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STRENGTH & CONDITIONING

Swinging For The Fences

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The University of North Carolina’s recent resurgence is fueled by a progressive multi-phase conditioning plan that develops the specific speed, power, and agility needs of its players.

Infield Mixes & Soil Additives . . . . . . . . . 34 Nets & Cages . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36 NEW Product Launch . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37 Baseball Facility Equipment . . . . . . . . . . 38

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Team Equipment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42 Practice Aids . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44 More Products . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47 ADVERTISERS DIRECTORY . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

Publisher Mark Goldberg Editor-in-Chief Eleanor Frankel Associate Editors Dennis Read, Greg Scholand Assistant Editors R.J. Anderson, Kenny Berkowitz, Abigail Funk, Kyle Garratt, Mike Phelps

Marketing Director Sheryl Shaffer Marketing/Sales Assistant Danielle Catalano Business Manager Pennie Small Art Director Pamela Crawford Administrative Assistant Sharon Barbell Special Projects Dave Wohlhueter

Circulation Director Dave Dubin Circulation Manager John Callaghan Production Director Maria Bise Prepress Manager Neal Betts Assistant Production Director Jim Harper Production Assistant Natalie Couch Ad Materials Coordinator Mike Townsend

Advertising Sales Associates (607) 257-6970 Diedra Harkenrider, ext. 24 Pat Wertman, ext. 21

The Coaching Management Baseball edition is pub lished in February, September, and December by MAG, Inc. and is distributed free to college and high school coaches in the United States and

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LOCKER ROOM BULLETIN BOARD Oliver Challenges NCAA Agent Rule

would tell you that your lawyer can’t do that? Nothing. “When Andy signed his National Letter of Intent, there was nothing in the 10 pages of materials saying, ‘Here are the rules you have to follow,’” Johnson continues. “The National Letter of Intent form says you may jeopardize your amateurism if you have an agent—it doesn’t say that you will—and that’s in one small line of five-point type. How about actually enclosing the rules that would tell you how amateurism is defined and what you have to do to follow the rules? That way, if Andy wanted to hire a lawyer to represent him, he would have at least known he was risking his amateurism if he had the lawyer do his job.”

In his first two years at Oklahoma State University, pitcher Andrew Oliver enjoyed great success on the mound, going 13-3 and striking out 138 batters in 142 innings. But whether he’ll have a chance at another successful season in 2009 remains to be seen. Oliver is currently in the middle of a lawsuit against the NCAA regarding his eligibility—a suit that has far-reaching implications for both high school and college coaches. Oliver’s story begins in the spring of 2006, when he was drafted in the 17th round by the Minnesota Twins after graduating from Vermilion (Ohio) High School. His lawyer at the time sat in on a meeting Oliver and his father had with the Twins. Oliver turned down the Twins’ contract offer and elected to attend Oklahoma State instead.

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NCAA rules state that only athletes and their parents are allowed to have direct contact with professional teams. If an advisor, such as an attorney, has direct contact with a professional team, they are considered an agent. And having agent representation makes the athlete a professional in the eyes of the NCAA, and thus ineligible for collegiate competition. In May 2008, the NCAA learned of the lawyer’s presence during Oliver’s meeting with the Twins, and began an investigation. After late night interviews with Oliver and his father hours before the start of an NCAA regional game, Oklahoma State decided to declare Oliver ineligible. The Cowboys then lost the game to Wichita State University, sending them into the losers’ bracket, where they were eventually eliminated. After an Oklahoma State appeal, the NCAA reduced

Oklahoma State University’s Andrew Oliver throws a pitch in a nine-inning shutout game against the University of Nebraska this past April. Oliver sued the NCAA in August after being ruled ineligible for having a lawyer present at a meeting with a professional team the summer after graduating from high school. Oliver’s total ineligibility for 2009 to 70 percent of the season, making him eligible for a potential postseason run. But Oliver wasn’t satisfied with the compromise. Oliver and his current attorney, Rick Johnson, a legal malpractice lawyer in Cleveland, sued the NCAA in August, challenging its authority to prohibit high school athletes from having a lawyer communicate directly with professional teams. The suit also claims the NCAA illegally interferes in the attorney-client relationship and limits an attorney’s ability to properly represent his or her clients. After failed mediation attempts between Oliver and the NCAA, his case was heard in an Ohio court in January. Within a week, both Johnson and the NCAA’s lawyers rested their respective cases. At this maga-

zine’s press time, there is no decision from the judge. If the judge rules in favor of the NCAA, Oliver will likely face the major suspension originally assessed to him by the NCAA. And if Oliver wins the case, he will likely be reinstated and the NCAA will have to revisit its rule pertaining to high school athletes’ lawyers having direct contact with professional team officials. The timing of the NCAA’s investigation proved to be a sore point. “Some people think Oklahoma State lost its chance to win the College World Series because Andy did something wrong, but Andy didn’t do one thing wrong,” Johnson says. “How is Andy supposed to know that a sports advisor, which is legal under NCAA rules, isn’t allowed to talk to a professional team? What on earth

Although he would not talk about the Oliver case itself, Scott Williams, Associate Athletic Director for Compliance at Oklahoma State, says the school tries to educate incoming student-athletes about NCAA rules. “The NCAA has ramped up the educational material it provides,” Williams says. “We have also created our own educational materials that include common rules every high school student has to deal with, which we distribute once a student has committed to Oklahoma State University. That way we can at least give them a head start on things that could become stumbling blocks before they arrive on campus.” Both Johnson and Williams say it’s important for high school coaches to learn about the eligibility rules so they can help their players during the recruiting process. “High school coaches need to get the specific rules that their kids are supposed to follow,” Johnson says. “And I think there should be some sort of educational program that can be given to athletes in high school. That way, coaches can educate their players on what they have to do if they want to maintain

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LOCKER ROOM BULLETIN BOARD their amateur status and get athletic scholarships.” Williams believes college coaches can also serve as good resources. “They have a little bit better handle on what the rules and regulations are, and that’s who high school coaches will have the most contact with, especially if they have a prospective student-athlete on their team,” he says. “Talking to college coaches can also open up a communication avenue through the school’s compliance office, and someone there can provide good information.”

alumni game T-shirt and cap. The weekend raised upwards of $2,000 for the school’s baseball program. Starting on a Friday afternoon, the weekend kicked off with a golf outing at a local country club, followed by batting practice and a picnic at a nearby park. Saturday’s festivities included an old timer’s game

“The players enjoy being able to talk to the alumni, especially ones they’ve heard about who have gone on to play at a higher level,” he says. “There was one guy who came last year who was a minor leaguer for several years. It helps us build a sense of tradition.” To work the event, Lansberry relies on his coaching staff

a special picture of the guys from those teams,” Lansberry says. “We also had retro hats designed from 1978, which were a hit. We ran out, and I still have people asking me if they can get one.” For next year, Lansberry is hoping to contact more local businesses about donating door prizes. Prizes were given away

Calling All Alumni Entering his 38th year as Head Coach at Clearfield (Pa.) Area High School, Sid Lansberry has seen his fair share of players come and go through the Bisons program. Recently, however, he’s begun seeing more and more of those graduates come back, thanks to an alumni game turned alumni weekend. Five years ago, Lansberry was in a coaches meeting discussing fundraising opportunities when a member of his staff suggested coordinating an alumni game. As the discussion grew, plans for the game turned into plans for a weekend-long experience. “We tried to make it more attractive so people who live out of town would have a reason to come back,” says Lansberry, who graduated from Clearfield in 1964. “The first year or two, it was mostly local guys, but now after our fourth year, we’re drawing more players who graduated and moved outside the immediate community.” Lansberry estimates that close to 70 former Clearfield ballplayers came back this past fall, traveling from as far away as Virginia and as far back as the class of 1957. Each attendee gave a $50 donation, which paid for food and drinks during the weekend as well as an

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Clearfield (Pa.) Area High School alum Merrill Dunlap (class of ’57) connects during the baseball team’s 2008 alumni game. Head Coach Sid Lansberry has turned Clearfield’s annual contest into a weekend-long event. “We tried to make it more attractive so people who live out of town would have a reason to come back,” says Lansberry, who graduated from Clearfield in 1964. for players who graduated prior to 1990, a youngster’s game, and home run derbies for both groups. A catered dinner in the park followed with a DJ and 50/50 raffle. The golf tournament wasn’t part of Clearfield’s weekend until last year and batting practice was added in the event’s second edition. “Batting practice has been a real drawing card,” Lansberry says. “Former players want to get swings in so they’re not embarrassed the next day at the actual game.” Many current players’ fathers play in the games, so much of the team comes just to watch.

and volunteers from the community. Several local umpires give their time to work at the games and other volunteers man the PA system and interview players from the dugouts during the game to give the event a big-time feel. Lansberry also tries to honor a past Clearfield team each year. In 2008, he recognized the 1978 team for its district title and for being the first squad to take the now-annual southern trip, and the 1988 team that won the district championship in a wild, 15inning game—still the longest contest in Clearfield history. “We made a banner and took

this year at the golf outing, and each participant in the home run derby donated $5, with the winner taking home half of the pot. After each game, awards were also handed out to the most valuable player, best rookie, and a gold glove winner on each team. The only problem Lansberry has faced in putting together the event each year is keeping track of all his former players. Clearfield has fielded a baseball team since 1939, and while Lansberry has rosters for every team, locating players has been tough. To help, he publicizes the event on the radio and in the local newspa-

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LOCKER ROOM BULLETIN BOARD per, but mostly relies on word of mouth. “We have a database of names and addresses, but it’s not nearly complete,” he says. “It’s one thing I’ve definitely been paying more attention to these last four years. We make sure to keep close tabs on the guys who have graduated recently.” The players who attend praise the event and are always asking when the next year’s alumni weekend will be held. Lansberry says the weekend has been a great fundraiser for his program and is always a lot of fun. “A lot of these guys haven’t seen each other in a long time,” Lansberry says. “It’s also a fun weekend for me, because I see players that I haven’t talked to since they graduated. It makes me feel

good when they come back and play, and it’s been a boost to the program by drawing so much interest. “I would recommend it for any coach,” he continues. “It’s easier for me because I’ve been here so long, but almost any program that’s been in operation for a few years could do it. It’s a good fundraiser and a great way to build morale.”

Bakersfield Hits the Big Stage In 2008-09, California State University-Bakersfield began a new chapter in its athletics history, moving from NCAA Division II to Division I. The jump in divisions involved raising the curtain on its baseball team’s inaugural season, and because launching a new team with new players, new tradi-

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tions, a new facility, and, well, a new everything is no easy task, Bakersfield needed a coach undaunted at having to start from scratch.

point in my life, the only way I would return to coaching is if I thought there was a viable opportunity to play in a power conference, get on the map, and compete nationally.”

Having successfully led the California State UniversityNorthridge baseball program from Division II to Division I in 1991—including finishing that season one game shy of competing in the College World Series—Bill Kernen had the resume Bakersfield was looking for.

To test the waters, Kernen served as a volunteer assistant coach at the University of California State University-Fullerton under George Horton for one year in 2007-08 before deciding to apply for the job at Bakersfield. “I wasn’t 100percent sure I would even get the Bakersfield job, but I was thinking I wanted to give coaching another shot,” Kernen says. “I knew getting a taste at Fullerton would help me make the right decision.”

Kernen, however, had switched gears from baseball to broadway and had a career writing and directing plays and screenplays in New York City. “I was in the middle of my writing career,” Kernen says. “Plus, I didn’t want to get back into coaching just to have a job and do something at a mediocre level. At that

Kernen was offered the Bakersfield job, and days after accepting the position in June, he hit the recruiting trail. Pulling players from a number of

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western states, he assembled a 25-man roster comprising 13 freshmen and 12 junior college transfers. Unable to hire an assistant coach until the school year started, Kernen singlehandedly recruited each player.

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“I recruited all the freshmen during the early signing period, then I spent the rest of the spring on the JC trail,” Kernen says. “I did nothing but recruit during that time—I was somewhere new every day.”

California State University-Bakersfield freshman Martin Medina bats during the team’s inaugural intrasquad scrimmage this past fall. As part of its move to NCAA Division I, Bakersfield is adding baseball as a sport in 2009. Head Coach Bill Kernen was charged with starting the team from scratch.

Bakersfield has one of the smallest rosters in Division I, but for Kernen a small roster is nothing new, nor is it necessarily a handicap. “In 1991, our first year in Division I at Northridge, we had 18 players on a team that finished 10th in the country,” he says. “We will make up for our lack of numbers here by having a bunch of two-way guys who can hit

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LOCKER ROOM BULLETIN BOARD and pitch and guys who play multiple positions.” Putting together a schedule was Kernen’s next big challenge. Because of its jump to Division I, Bakersfield isn’t eligible to join a conference or participate in postseason play until at least 2011. Still, Kernen used his connections and put together a challenging schedule that includes five Big West teams, UCLA, the University of Nebraska, the University of Missouri, and 2008 NCAA Division I National Champion Fresno State University. “I talked to colleagues and coaches I had competed against years ago—there are three coaches in the Big West who played for me at Northridge—and I basically demanded they play us,” Kernen says with a laugh. “For example, Mike Batesole at Fresno State used to assist me at Northridge, so I called and asked him to put us in their tournament. We’re also scheduled to play them three more times here and twice at their place, so we play the defending national champs seven times next year. I don’t think a first-year program has ever beaten a defending national champion, so if we can win just one of those games it would be pretty big. “When people see who we’ve got on our schedule, they know we’re not messing around,” Kernen adds. “We’re in the deep end of the pool and our guys are going to have to learn to swim right away.” Since Kernen took the job at Bakersfield, everything has been in fast forward. From recruiting to building facilities to fostering relationships, he says every step has been done at warp speed. “After recruiting, the next most important thing was to cultivate relationships in the community—particularly business relationships,” he says. “There isn’t a state university in California

that can support a program on its own, so you have to have community involvement. “For example, the guy who is building our playing facility donated the first million dollars toward the project and oversees the day-to-day operations of the construction,” Kernen adds. “He is going out of his way to make sure we play our first game on campus in February. It takes those kinds of relationships to make something like this work.”

to field a j.v. team.” A model was already in place since the two high schools have had co-ops for cross country and track since 2000. The team goes by the name Georgetown-Ridge Farm, and GRF calculates the cost of the entire baseball program, then divides the total by the number of players, and Chrisman pays GRF per player (Because of Chrisman’s small size, the combined enrollment is still

“Everything has worked out really well,” says McFarland. “It lets us buy equipment that I don’t think we would otherwise be able to afford, it gives kids an opportunity to play who otherwise wouldn’t, and it’s made us a lot more competitive.” The co-op team went 18-8 in its first season, and last year captured its regional title. McFarland says the biggest benefits have been a more

With his plans in motion, Kernen’s expectations are lofty. “I don’t think a postseason appearance in 2011 is out of the question—in fact, I fully expect it to happen,” he says. “It took us 30 months at Northridge to have a situation where I thought we were on the map. I’d like to do it little faster this time around.”

United in Baseball Although not a new idea, coop teams are looking more and more attractive to high school athletic programs that are struggling with declining enrollments and tighter budgets, but don’t want to cut their programs. GeorgetownRidge Farm and Chrisman High Schools in Illinois came together to form a co-op in 2004 because both schools were having trouble fielding full teams, and the fused program is a great example of how to make a co-op work. “It started with concern about participation numbers,” says Head Coach Ryan McFarland. “The year before we started the co-op, I coached at Georgetown-Ridge Farm. We had 17 kids in our program while Chrisman had maybe 10. In 2004, it was possible Chrisman wasn’t going to have enough kids to play at all, so they approached us about a co-op. I was all for it because I thought we could pick up four or five good players, and it would also allow us

Illinois high schools Georgetown-Ridge Farm and Chrisman combined to form a co-op baseball team in 2004. The team competes as Georgetown-Ridge Farm, but Head Coach Ryan McFarland decided to have the team uniforms be a combination of both high schools’ colors—black and purple, seen above. low enough to keep the squad from moving up to a larger enrollment classification). Practices and home games are held at GRF, and Chrisman busses its players the 11 miles that separate the schools. For away games north of GRF, Chrisman transports its players to GRF and the team leaves from there. When the team heads south, GRF picks up the Chrisman players on the way.

complete lineup and the ability to develop younger players. The starting first baseman, catcher, left fielder, and top pitcher will all come from Chrisman this year. “The year before the co-op, our bottom three batters would come up and we would say, ‘Let’s hope this isn’t three outs in a row,’” says McFarland. “Now, every time a player comes up to the plate we

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LOCKER ROOM BULLETIN BOARD know we can do something. We can bunt and run, hit and run, steal, and squeeze. Not having any holes in the lineup is very helpful for a small team.” McFarland did little to assimilate the players, mostly because he didn’t have to. He says many of them already knew each other and hung out together outside of practice. The schools are not natural rivals because GRF is traditionally a football school and Chrisman is known for having strong basketball teams. One change, however, was made to promote unity among the team members. Chrisman’s school colors are red and black while GRF dons purple and gold. So the baseball team sports purple and black uniforms with a stylized B, for Buffaloes, the GRF mascot.

“Changing the colors was important so that both schools could say, ‘Those are our colors when we’re playing baseball,’” says McFarland. “We also try to put Chrisman’s name or a C on as many things as we can, like warmup shirts, to make their kids feel like they’re part of this team.” McFarland says the only problems with the co-op are logistic—getting both teams fitted for uniforms, keeping track of absent athletes, and other communication issues— but they are minor. “The big thing is getting practice and travel plans worked out beforehand,” says McFarland. “When I looked at the possibility of making our varsity team better and being able to field a j.v. team, I said, ‘That’s worth any inconvenience we might encounter.’”

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Building Upon a Wish When Sam Bridgman tried out for the baseball team at Seattle’s Nathan Hale High School in 2006, Head Coach Keith Bosley noticed some clumsiness in his base running and did not select him for the squad. For Bridgman, who had always dreamed of playing in the major leagues, being cut was the biggest disappointment in his life. Before the end of the summer, the news grew much, much worse. Bridgman was diagnosed with Friedreich’s ataxia, a rare genetic disorder that causes progressive nerve degeneration, lack of muscle coordination, hearing loss, and slurred speech. Doctors told him he’d never play baseball again. Although this meant

there was no way Bridgman could ever make the team as a player, Bosley did the next best thing and named him team manager. “It was an easy decision,” says Bosley, who is beginning his third season as head coach. “Sam was willing to do anything to be part of this team, and even though we’d never had a manager, we were happy to create the position for him.” As manager, Bridgman keeps statistics, writes game summaries for the school Web site, and spends time with the team before, during, and after every practice and game. With the exception of the running drills, which he can no longer perform, Bridgman consistently participates in team warmups and batting, throwing, catching, and fielding practice. And even though

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he’s never played a game for the Raiders, there’s no ques tion he belongs.

pitch before a Seattle Mariners home game at Safeco Field.

“I feel like I’m just one of the guys,” says Bridgman, who expects to graduate in May. “They’re my friends, and being part of this team allows me to relax, forget about everything else that’s going on, and just have fun. My teammates have helped me through the process of letting go, so I’d like to give back as much as I can.”

“It was a dream come true,” says Bridgman, who got auto graphs from the entire team, met his heroes Ichiro Suzuki and Raul Ibanez, and watched the game from a suite with 20 of his friends. “It was one of the best experiences of my whole life. I took batting practice, played catch, and as I was walking out to the pitch er’s mound, I had 400 friends cheering really, really loud.”

Last year, Bridgman approach ed the Make-A-Wish Founda tion with a proposal to reno vate Nathan Hale’s ballfield, which is badly in need of improvement. The $450,000 pricetag turned out to be far too expensive for the Founda tion, but last August, they granted Bridgman a simpler wish: to throw out the first

Having seen one wish come true, Bridgman has moved on to the next. As his senior proj ect, he and his mother have taken the lead in raising funds to renovate the Nathan Hale ballfield themselves and have been making steady progress toward their goal. The engi neering and landscape archi tecture firm that designed

THE

Safeco Field has agreed to donate its services to the ren ovation project, dubbed Sam’s Dream Field, and over $200,000 in goods and servic es has been raised. In November, voters approved a $146 million tax levy to improve Seattle’s public parks. Bosley would like some of that money to be used for Hale’s home field, and though similar fundraising projects to reno vate the ballfield have failed twice in the past, he remains hopeful Bridgman can suc ceed. “He wants his friends to play on a new field, and if he has to lead the project him self, he’ll do it,” Bosley says. “That’s how much he loves baseball and this team.” Although most people with Friedreich’s ataxia require a wheelchair by their early 20s and die in their mid-30s, Bridg

man is still healthy enough to go to the gym every other day. He has college plans in the fall, and has applied to Gonzaga University and the University of Portland, which have both offered him positions manag ing their baseball teams. He intends to pursue a degree in athletic training, physical therapy, or sports manage ment, and ultimately dreams of becoming a baseball coach. “Even if I can’t play it,” says Bridgman, “I can still love it.” “Having Sam on our team is a daily reminder that there’s more to baseball than just win ning and losing,” adds Bos ley. “As coaches, we’re here to mold young athletes as people and provide a sense of belonging. By demonstrating how to handle a life-threaten ing situation, Sam has become a real role model.”

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Q&A

Mike Chiapparelli Mamaroneck (N.Y.) High School

Mike Chiapparelli says he doesn’t like to sleep much— which is a good thing, because he doesn’t have a lot of downtime. For the past 30 years, “Coach Chap” has been the Head Coach at his alma mater, Mamaroneck (N.Y.) High School, where he is also a phys. ed. teacher and Head Coach of the boys’ ice hockey and j.v. football teams. It may sound like Chiapparelli is spread thin, but you wouldn’t know it by looking at the record books. Chiapparelli entered this season in 10th place on New York’s all-time high school hockey coaching wins list, has amassed 14 league championships and two section titles in baseball, and has won over a dozen Coach of

CM: What did winning the first state championship for any boys’ team in Mamaroneck history mean for you? Chiapparelli: It was great for our community. We played up in Binghamton, N.Y. The whole town was on their cell phones and computers trying to find out how the championship game was going. When we came back at 2 a.m., 400 fans met us at the high school. People were going crazy. There was a parade for the whole team with 2,000 people on the side of the road. Then at Mamaroneck’s fireman’s parade, they put us up on a fire truck and took us through the village. It was great for the young kids who are the future

the Year awards. This past season, his baseball team won the state title—the first for any boys’ sport at Mamaroneck. Chiapparelli also received the prestigious Frank McGuire Award in 2008, an honor given to high school coaches who exemplify the coaching ideals of the legendary coach. Chiapparelli was a guest of honor at the awards dinner in New York City, and received $5,000 for the baseball and hockey teams as part of the award. In this interview, Chiapparelli discusses his first state title, the challenges of coaching two varsity programs, and how he helps his players with being recruited.

of the program to see that happen and think, “I can do that.” In 2007, your team entered sectionals as the top seed, but was upset in the first round. Did you use it as motivation in 2008? It was a devastating loss, but that was a young team with a lot of sophomores. Afterward, I just said, “That was a hard game, wasn’t it?” I told them they had to use that loss and come back next year to work harder, play smarter, and be better prepared for the playoffs—and they were. We played that same team in the first round again, and

we beat them. We scored 81 runs in the playoffs and only committed two errors. Our rallying cry all year was “unfinished business,” and the kids answered the call. When you were a student at Mamaroneck, you played football and baseball, but never hockey. How did you end up coaching the hockey team? When I was in school, all my buddies played hockey, but I wasn’t a very good skater, so it was something I couldn’t really get into. But I was watching all my friends play, and when I went to college at SUNY [State University of New York] Cortland, a bunch of my friends were hockey players, so I went to a lot of games. My first year here, we needed a hockey coach. I said I couldn’t skate, but they told me I already knew how to coach, and I could learn how to skate. That first year, we went 18-0 and won the section championship. I haven’t looked back since.

Led by Head Coach Mike Chiapparelli (kneeling far left), the Mamaroneck (N.Y.) High School baseball team won the school’s first ever boys’ state championship last season.

You also coach the j.v. football team. Is it difficult coaching so many sports? It’s very tough. I’m really never without coaching. I have about 10 days off at the end of the summer, but that’s about it. That’s how I like it. I have no problem getting up at five in the morning for work or practice. In February, the baseball team starts running at 6 a.m., and I’m coaching hockey at the same time. The days are a little bit longer, but the fire’s still there and I’m still hungry.

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I’ve always felt that if you want to do the job right, you have to give up certain things. It works because I don’t really like to sleep anyway, my kids understand my situation, my wife helps, and I get a lot of support from the school. They know I’m here for the kids and they give me the resources I need.

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What is your coaching philosophy? My philosophy is very simple and it’s the same for every team I coach: I go out 1/28/08 3:39 PM Page 1 and play the best opponents I can. I’m not afraid to lose, and playing a tougher

schedule has made my teams better physically and mentally throughout the years. We might get slaughtered the first time we play a top team, but year after year the score gets closer and closer, and eventually we will beat them. After a couple years at Mamaroneck, we were floundering around .500. I met the baseball coach at North Rockland High School, which had a powerhouse team. He told me that in order to get better, I had to play better competition. So I played his team, and they beat us 25-3.

Eventually, I won my first sectional title with a win over North Rockland. It was fitting. We came a long way. Does the team travel to play competition outside of New York? This year, we are taking another trip to California to play some of the toughest teams out there. We haven’t won a game out there yet. In the last six years, we’ve played the number-one team in the country three times, and we haven’t beaten one yet, but we’re going to keep trying. How do you fundraise at Mamaroneck? We raise about $30,000 for the baseball team and $10,000 for the hockey team every year. We do floor hockey clinics at the elementary schools and baseball clinics almost year-round. For example, on Columbus Day we had 100 kids here on the baseball field. Groups of 10 led by two baseball players rotated through 10 stations teaching diving catches, ground balls, pitching motions, and running the bases. The parents get their kids out of the house for the day, the kids are active, and we made around $3,000 in one day. We do it mostly with kids’ activities. We don’t sell a lot of stuff. This way, our players are giving back to the program by teaching future players proper technique. It’s a nice cycle. As a multi-sport coach, are you an advocate of multi-sport athletes? The better athletes play three sports in high school. If you’re a baseball player, and you play baseball year-round, next season, the kid who played football and hockey in between will be a better baseball player than you.

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Playing multiple sports forces kids to be competitive all year. They have different coaches who have different coaching techniques, they’re competing against different kids, working on different skills, and working different muscles. I think you’re better off doing that than playing baseball all the time, which is only throwing, hitting, and light running. I don’t mind kids doing a little baseball work in the off-season, but they should play other sports, too.

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Is there a lot of player overlap between the hockey and baseball teams? Right now, I have six who play both. We were 23-4 in hockey and 30-2 in baseball last year, and because of our success, I think those players have confidence in me and I have confidence in them. You have to want to play for your coach and believe in your coach.

1/30/09 2:04:52 PM

Q&A How else do you get your players to believe in you? I’m honest with them. After I make cuts one week into the season, I sit down with each kid who made the roster and tell them where I think they stand in terms of

coaches to try to sell my kids. I also find out whether the school is a good fit for my player. If my kid is a second baseman, the first question I ask a college coach is, “What’s your second base look like?” If that school already has a freshman

“Over the years I’ve developed good relationships with many college coaches because I don’t oversell my athletes. I won’t put a kid in a place where he won’t be able to play. That not only hurts the player, but can also hurt me later on when that coach won’t talk to me again because I sent him a dud.” playing time. They can always prove me wrong, but I don’t want them to come to me later and say, “Coach, you told me you were going to play me.” I just try to be honest with the kids and tell them where I think they’re going to fit. How involved are you in the college recruiting process for your players? For most of the kids, I’m pretty involved. I make highlight videos and call the college

or sophomore in the position, that’s no good, because my kid would be blocked. I tell players to find six schools they might want to go to, and I work with those six schools to find the best fit. Over the years I’ve developed good relationships with many college coaches because I don’t oversell my athletes. I won’t put a kid in a place where he won’t be able to play. That

not only hurts the player, but can also hurt me later on when that coach won’t talk to me again because I sent him a dud. One of the players who moved on to college is your son, Michael. What was it like to coach him? I treated him a little tougher than anyone else. I probably should have moved him up to varsity as a sophomore and I didn’t, in favor of a senior. The senior ended up hitting .178 and my son hit .456 on the j.v. team. Politically, it was a tough call. After that, my son played so well under pressure that I could play him without worrying about what other parents would think. Do you think about coaching at a higher level? I wanted to pursue coaching at the professional level when I was younger, but my wife wanted to stay in Mamaroneck, so I started coaching in high school, still trying to be the best coach I could be. I’m very happy being a really good coach here in Mamaroneck. I like seeing our kids grow. When I’m done, I hope to leave the program in really good shape so somebody can just step in and keep it going.

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PE RF EC T

M BY KYLE GARRATT

G N I TIM

Sit rig uatio of ht h nal co pati it at hitti co ache ence the ng is ac hin s sha to t right all a g t re eac tim bo his the h i e. ut su ir t ts n It a exe bt le ips a uan lso cuti art nd ces tak ng for st . H es the m. rat ere a lo eg ies , exp t to ert

Costanzo was a first-team All-American at Coastal Carolina University when the Philadelphia Phillies selected him in the second round of the 2005 amateur draft. He was the 2004 and 2005 Big South Conference Player of the Year, hitting 21 and 16 home runs in those seasons, respectively. He’s the kind of player you plug into the three-hole to watch pile up RBIs. ike

He’s also a lefty pull-hitter and other teams took note. Three times during his All-American season, Costanzo came up to bat with a man on third and less than two outs, and opponents employed an infield shift against him anyway. All three times Costanzo laid down a bunt. Result: three RBIs and three infield hits for one of college baseball’s best power hitters—just another season in the life of a slugger at a program keen on situational hitting.

Kyle Garratt is an Assistant Editor at Coaching Management. He can be reached at: kg@MomentumMedia.com.

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COVER STORY

Long Beach State University All-American Shane Peterson bunts in a game last season. Long Beach State puts a big emphasis on situational hitting, and Peterson was a major contributor in 2008, leading the team with a .510 on-base percentage and driving in 50 RBIs. Photo by Long Beach State Media Relations CoachingManagementOnline.com

COVER STORY

“Here’s a guy who hit 20 home runs a year,” says CCU Head Coach Gary Gilmore. “But he would look to me for the bunt sign when the proper situation presented itself. People criticized me for having him bunt, but the kid wanted to win. Obviously, he would rather be swinging away, but he also knew that if they were handing us a run, we’d take it.” Home runs are glamorous, and also a luxury for many teams because, after all, you can’t teach power. But situational hitting—bunting, hitting ground balls to the right side of the infield, driving balls to the middle-opposite field, lifting a sacrifice fly—are all skills any player is capable of learning. These plays also get the job done at a higher rate than waiting for the big hit. Through repetition, player buy-in, and knowledge of team personnel, any coach can position their team to get the right hit at the right moment. Teams with good pitching and defense that have the ability to produce runs in any part of their lineup tend to win, not teams with one home run slugger on the roster.

“You can’t win if you can’t situationally hit,” says Gilmore. “Without it, you limit your ability to compete with the teams that can do it. When you play only by the three-run homer, sometimes it’s good to you and sometimes it’s not. But when we peck away at you, getting one run here and there, the energy level in our dugout is amazing compared to the heads in the other dugout that drop every time we push one across.” Getting Situational Defining situational hitting is no easy task. A sacrifice bunt to advance a runner from first to second is an example of situational hitting. So is a line-drive double to right field that scores a runner from second. So is a ground-out to second base that advances a runner to third. “Every at-bat is situational hitting to some degree,” says Gilmore. “Every time a pitch is thrown, the situation changes and we stress that a lot. Players can’t be mentally locked into batting with nobody on, nobody out, or have just one mindset about how to get on base. We want to be

Teaching players the intricacies of situational hitting has changed over time and coaches often find themselves

working on skills once assumed to be common knowledge, even at the college level. Club and travel teams, the professional game, and television have all had their hand in re-adjusting the learning curve. “Kids don’t do a lot of situational hitting with these elite teams, or at showcases and tournaments,” says Mark Johnson, Head Coach at Sam Houston State University. “When you play 130 games a year through winter, summer, and spring leagues, the games run together and you lose focus on the little things. “It used to be common knowledge that sometimes you sacrifice and hit to the opposite field,” Johnson continues. “In professional baseball, there used to be more guys who made a living playing in the middle of the infield and who couldn’t hit much, but they could move runners around the base paths. Now that has to be taught and we do it every day.”

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very knowledgeable and flexible, thinking ahead of the game.” Situational hitting is often associated with a game’s defining moments, though they may not seem major at the time. “When two good baseball teams play each other, there are usually three or four plays that either get your team over the hump to a win or cause them to falter, and settle for a loss,” says Craig Coheley, Head Coach at Farmersville (Texas) High School. “By teaching your team how important good defense and situational hitting are, kids understand that they have to concentrate in practice and bear down in those situations.” Getting your players to recognize key moments and execute within them is the foundation for successful situational hitting. “It gives us a game within the game, and teams that master that win championships,” says Mark Johnson, Head Coach at Sam Houston State University. “At the end of the game, we recognize certain points that turned the corner for us that a casual fan didn’t see. “Learning to play that game within the

BACK TO BASICS The way young players watch the game—or don’t—could change the way you approach them. “This genera-

tion—I call it the microwave generation—wants everything explained to them in 30 seconds,” says Gary Gilmore, Head Coach at Coastal Carolina University. “They watch the highlights, but they won’t watch a whole game. Consequently, they miss some of the finer points that my generation was lucky to see.

“So much of travel baseball is about winning, but it’s not the kind of winning we’re doing in college,” continues Gilmore. “It’s more about showcasing the players than winning. Guys paying $1,500 to play for a travel team don’t want to lay down five sacrifice bunts over the weekend. Those kids come here and have to learn how to play as a unit with a common goal.”

COVER STORY

game makes it more intriguing for the slashing, and hit-and-runs to put pressure Sales Time Coaches wear many hats. You can be players,” Johnson continues. “It’s some- on the defense.” thing they weren’t aware of when they One thing most coaches agree on is teachers, counselors, and surrogate parfirst got here, so they relish the execution that solid situational hitting is essential ents all before noon. Add salesperson to and joy of it.” to beating the best teams and pitch- that list. Coaches must sell their philosoWhile some coaches define situation- ers. “When you get to the playoffs and phies and gameplans to their players, and al hitting as what players do in pivotal ‘Charlie Ace’ is on the mound, you better situational hitting is no different. moments, others define it as treating every at-bat like a crucial one. “Situational hitting is about going Selling situational hitting to your team isn’t just to the plate each time with a plan and a purpose,” says Jeff about emphasizing that it is important, but also Kane, Head Coach at Westford why. “If a player is batting 0-for-20, or going (Mass.) Academy. “Your player against a dominant pitcher, maybe a drag bunt is must understand what his team and coach expect out of him in the best way to get a big inning started,” says certain spots and how to be proWeathers. “Maybe that rattles a pitcher and he ductive in those spots.” can’t recover.” Part of making situational hitting work is creating productive outs. “Sometimes we look “We do everything we can to scrap for at making our best possible out,” says be able to play situational baseball,” says Mike Weathers, Head Coach at Long Johnson. “You don’t need a high batting runs, and that approach has to be very, Beach State University. “That may sound average to win those games provided very clear to our guys,” says Gilmore. “It’s strange, but we talk about making good you can match ‘Charlie Ace’ and play of paramount importance that the head outs all the time. Baseball is a game of defense. From there, it comes down to coach and assistants preach that philosophy every day.” failure, so we stress skills like bunting, your ability to situationally hit.”

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Selling situational hitting to your team isn’t just about emphasizing that it is important, but also why. “If a player is batting 0-for-20, or going against a dominant pitcher, maybe a drag bunt is the best way to get a big inning started,” says Weathers. “Maybe that rattles a pitcher and he can’t recover. You never know the psyche of the game, and that’s why we have everybody practice bunting. We explain that the practice may be for one bunt a year for some guys, but that bunt could be a game changer.” Reinforcement from a credible coach can go a long way, but nothing sells like results. Players are more likely to practice what you preach if they see it work. Coheley coached his 2006 team at Rogers (Texas) High School to a state title before arriving at Farmersville, and believes that team won at least 10 games that season because of good situational hitting. “If you score every inning, the percentages say you’re going to win,” says Coheley. “If you get that message across,

the kids are more likely to go to bat every inning thinking, ‘We need to win this inning. We need to get a run across.’ When they go out there and win a onerun game, it makes it easier for them to

researched CCU’s games over the past decade or so and found the team won roughly 95 percent of its games when it scored seven or more runs. Now stickers and posters displaying the number

The greatest benefit of building your team around situational hitting may be that it breeds accountability and motivation. “Our core players have seen the value of it,” says Johnson. “They’re so motivated to be the guy who everybody can trust. That’s when you have a winning team.” concentrate on the idea of situational hitting in practice because they saw what the end result can be.” Coheley isn’t the only coach to preach the importance of scoring every inning to keep pressure on opponents. Coastal Carolina Assistant Coach Kevin Schnall

seven adorn the team’s locker room and clubhouse. “Every game begins with the push to get to seven,” says Gilmore. “That track record is why our kids are willing to peck at other teams one run at a time. We’re hoping we get seven opportunities and

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we will do whatever we have to so we don’t leave runners on base.” Once a few of your players are sold on situational hitting and are contributing at the right times, it can become highly contagious. “Our number one goal is getting the runner in scoring position across the plate,” says Johnson. “I give my batter a sign with a man on second and no outs and they have to physically return the sign to me. That tells his teammates, ‘I’m giving my at-bat for the team even if it’s just to move a runner over.’” Many coaches find that strong situational hitting makes an impact in more places than just the scoreboard. Stringing hits and runs together, and making sacrifices helps build team unity in a way that waiting for the star hitter to come through can’t. “When a guy battles and scratches his way to a ground ball to the right side with a runner on second, and then 15 guys bounce off the bench to pick him up, that certainly shows team chemistry and camaraderie,” says Kane. Building a team of situational hitters demands that every player be capable

of executing. When every player knows they could be called on to sacrifice, it reinforces the team concept. “We always talk about the idea that we’re all in this together,” says Gilmore. “I expect my players to look at me and see that I work as hard on the field as the assistants and vice versa. Our freshmen do every bit as much work as the seniors and no one is above doing their job.” The greatest benefit of building your team around situational hitting may be that it breeds accountability and motivation. “Our core players have seen the value of it,” says Johnson. “The demand from within becomes the most important motivation because our players know they are accountable for each other. They’re so motivated to be the guy who everybody can trust. That’s when you have a winning team.” Another selling point for coaches comes when star players take one for the team. Weathers has coached elite players who have gone on to successful professional careers like Troy Tulowitzki, shortstop for the Colorado Rockies, and

Evan Longoria, third baseman for the Tampa Bay Rays and 2008 American League Rookie of the Year. He put them through the same daily drills as the rest of the team and uses them as examples that every player is equal. “Tulowitzki became our best drag bunter, not because he drag bunted much, but just because he’s so competitive,” says Weathers. “Every day in practice he wanted to be the best guy in the bunting station. All of our better players have been our better bunters and it’s because they want to be the best. As a coach you couldn’t ask for more than your best players to be your most competitive guys.” Gilmore also uses Costanzo as an example. “I reference Mike all the time,” he says. “He was pretty much the lone power hitter on our team, but he was also the guy everyone wanted on their team for bunting competitions. The fact that he bought into small ball and situational hitting really sold it.” The team that executes in tough situations reacts without thinking and sees the

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COVER STORY

value in repetitious situational practice. Coaches on the same page as their players will have an easier sell. “A player’s willingness to hit situationally comes down to your relationship with him,” says Kane. “If your kids trust that you have confidence in them, they will do what you ask. I put a lot of emphasis on making sure my players know that we are helping them achieve their personal goals while still trying to do what we need to as a team.” Practice What You Preach When it gets to the late innings against the best pitcher in your conference, the difference between a win and a loss could be determined by which side of the infield your number eight hitter grounds out to. An out to the second baseman might advance a runner to third who scores on a wild pitch, while an out to the third baseman leaves the runner at second and his teammates wondering what could have been.

“We practice for our moment,” says Johnson. “The ball will eventually find us defensively or offensively, and put us in a spot with the game on the line. We practice those key moments so we’re

to simulating game scenarios—a lot of game scenarios. “The key is to be mentally ready for every situation that arises,” says Coheley. “By practicing these situations over and

Most coaches agree that practice is less about fine-tuning mechanics and more about exposing players to a wide variety of gametype situations ... Repetitive practice, player buy-in, defined roles, and psychology are all a means to the end of having players who are mentally and physically capable of getting the hit that sucks the life out of the other team. ready for them, and so we can visualize ourselves executing.” Recreating that moment and that pressure in practice is impossible, but preparing your players to get the right hit in game-changing moments comes down

over, the wheels are already turning in the players’ heads before the play starts. It’s like putting little file folders in their head so when they get ready for action, they open the folders up and know exactly what to do.”

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Coheley runs a controlled inter-squad situational hitting drill for most of his Wednesday practices. Players are put through a multitude of game situations, which he dictates from the mound. He has them execute hit-and-runs, sacrifice bunts, sacrifice flies, and plenty of other specific situations. He frequently uses his j.v. team as the opponent in this drill—a move that yielded an unexpected benefit last year. “In 2007, we went 36-2 and then lost eight senior starters,” says Coheley. “In 2008, we had eight new starters who all came from the j.v. We turned around and went 28-10. A big reason was that those kids got experience with the varsity every day, and it got them ready to take over.” Gilmore emphasizes how quickly the game changes from pitch to pitch by running a rapid fire inter-squad game. He gives the two teams an inning, pitch count, runners, and number of outs, and has them execute a play in 90 seconds before clearing the bases and announcing a new scenario. “Until they get in a situation and have a little success, the game is going to be racing like a rat in their head,” says Gilmore. “There’s no easy way to slow the game down to a snail’s pace. They have to experience some things and fail, and my job is to do as much of that in practice as I can. That way, even if we physically fail to execute a play in a game, we’re mentally trying to do the right thing.” Gilmore also makes sure his batting practice is about more than just hitting for the sake of hitting. He gives each player 30 swings and six or seven different game scenarios to execute with those swings. He awards points for each successful hit, and a certain number of points keeps the players from running or doing sit-ups at the end of practice. Johnson also uses a modified scoring system for his inter-squad games. If a player fails to advance a runner from second with no outs, his team loses a run. Players are also assessed a negative run by popping up or striking out with a runner on third and less than two outs, or failing to reach first base in five seconds after putting the ball in play. Striking out looking with a runner on third and less than two outs will cost a team two runs. Each seven- or nine-inning game is broken into three smaller games of two or three innings with a winner of each. This magnifies each at-bat and inning. The shortened games become a

best two-of-three series, and the winning team gets to watch the other team run. Most coaches agree that practice is less about fine-tuning mechanics and more about exposing players to a wide variety of game-type situations, with as much pressure as possible. “In terms of mechanics and attacking the baseball, nobody is reinventing the wheel,” says Kane. “We emphasize the same sort of mechanics all coaches do, just with an added emphasis on hitting with a plan.”

Repetitive practice, player buy-in, defined roles, and psychology are all a means to the end of having players who are mentally and physically capable of getting the hit that sucks the life out of the other team. “Each team and each pitcher is different, and that’s the beauty of this game,” says Coheley. “My players understand how to react to every situation and win games together. Get your head right, get your job done, and understand what you need to do to win.” n

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RECRUITING

BY Dan TuDor

IN THEIR DREAMS

How do you make high school prospects picture you in their future plans? By being a great salesman. A salesperson? Yes. To effectively recruit the student-athletes you want in your program, you must learn the art of selling. Your first thought is probably, “No way! Sales is the last profession I’d enter.” But I’m not talking about becoming the pushy car salesman who sold you your Ford Focus. I’m talking about understanding how to sell a Cadillac to even a reluctant buyer.

You may not like to think of recruiting as selling, but it is. You are trying to convince a young person to choose your school over others. You are promoting yourself as a great coach and parent figure. If you don’t use effective sales techniques, you are entering the recruiting game without a gameplan. Buyer’s Market Business author and sales guru Jeffrey

Dan Tudor is the founder of Selling for Coaches, a program designed to help coaches improve their recruiting, marketing, and communication skills. He conducts personalized on-campus workshops for colleges across the country and can be reached at: www.SellingForCoaches.com.

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CHRIS GASH

ne of the most challenging aspects of being a coach today is that you have to be good at so many different things. You need to be upto-date on the latest training techniques, able to communicate well, organized, in tune with kids, and full of new ideas. If you’re a college coach, you also need to be a first-rate salesperson.

PAgE RECRUITING Top Head

Gitomer has a saying: “People hate to be sold, but they love to buy.” That’s a great thing to remember when you’re recruiting student-athletes. Ask yourself this question: What is it you’re selling, and is that what they really want to “buy” from you? A common answer to the first question is “a scholarship” or “my college” or “our program’s successful history.” While those are all adequate answers (and answers most of your competition would give), they aren’t the best answers. It’s a little like asking a car salesperson what they’re selling. If I heard them answer, “I’m selling a car” or “I sell Fords” I would guess that they’re a mediocre salesperson. On the other hand, professional, successful salespeople will answer the same question by saying, “I’m selling the dream of owning a new Ford Mustang convertible” or “With gas prices going through the roof, I’m selling my customers on great-looking cars that get fantastic gas mileage, which saves them lots of money.” As a college coach, you’re selling a

lot more than a scholarship or a college. You’re selling the dream of competing at the college level. Or the dream of having college paid for and getting a great start to a successful life. Or the dream of being wanted and appreciated for all of their hard work and sacrifices.

world—is different. They have different needs and motivations. In sales, these are called “hot buttons”—the things that get a customer’s attention and cause them to buy. Coaches who don’t take personalized approaches with athletes, and don’t take the time to understand why an athlete

Connecting with a prospect may be as simple as taking note of the trophy in the living room. But don’t just say, “Beautiful trophy.” Ask them about the tournament where they won it. A key to signing recruits is finding out what your prospect’s dream is. If you can discover what they want to buy, you can offer it for sale. When it comes to approaching individual prospects, I find that today’s college coaches tend to have one standard approach, which doesn’t vary much from athlete to athlete. But every recruit— just like every customer in the business

would choose their school, are probably going to be unsuccessful when it comes to consistent recruiting success. Don’t get me wrong—you’ll still sign recruits. Probably even enough to fill your roster and be competitive year in and year out. However, you will never really understand why one athlete responds to your message and another doesn’t. And odds are, the one who doesn’t respond

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will be the one you really, really want. Getting To Know Them For coaches to make the most of their time with a prospect (whether it’s an hour with an entire family or 10 minutes over the phone), they usually talk. A lot. They talk about their college. Their team. Themselves. They spew facts, figures, statistics, winning percentages, and more. Going back to the car example, an average car salesperson would make the most of their time by quoting engine size, horsepower, stereo features, and on and on and on. If I’ve jogged a memory or two of a past agonizing car buying experience, good. Remember how you felt? If you’re like me, you probably just

wished the guy would stop talking long enough for you to look at the car. Compare that to professional, successful car salespeople. They ask questions right off the bat. They spend time getting to know their customers—their needs, wants, and how the car is going to be used day to day. They then mold their sales approach to the customer. Coaches who struggle at recruiting are often too busy rattling off facts and figures. Instead, they should be doing more listening than talking. When I work one-on-one with coaches to help them develop winning recruiting strategies, I recommend they try to talk only 20 percent of the time when they are engaging a prospect over the phone

or during a visit. (See “Best Questions” below for examples of how to get prospects talking.) Of course, the questions shouldn’t only be for the prospect. Coaches actually need to make multiple sales pitches when recruiting a player. Not only do you have to connect with the athlete, you have to connect with the athlete’s parents. Furthermore, you’re probably going to need to sell to the athlete’s high school coach, too. Along with asking questions, you can get to know your prospect by looking for clues around them. The first thing good salespeople do when they walk into a new client’s office is take a mental inventory of the surroundings. They notice any pictures

BE S T QU E S TIONS

When trying to connect with a prospect, the more they tell you about themselves, the closer you get to really knowing how to recruit them. How do you get them talking? The key is asking openended questions that will provide more than a yes or no response. Here are some suggestions: What prompted you to consider our program?

How they answer allows you to find out what they’re thinking and why they’re thinking it. You can then use that information to further the recruiting process. It’s a great question to begin to understand their dreams, and can easily lead to lots of good follow-up questions. Listen to their answers carefully, and find ways to point out why their interest is justified.

What are your expectations of our program?

You’re looking for a “to-do” list here. From this question, prospects may tell you exactly how to recruit them, and exactly what would cause them to choose you as their college coach.

What thought process will you go through to determine how you’re going to choose a college?

You may have to press your prospect on this one, since they probably haven’t verbalized it to anyone before. You’re trying to see who else is involved in the decision, how serious they are about assessing different options, and specific things they will be looking for in a program.

What are your thoughts right now in terms of where you want to continue your athletic career?

Okay, this one takes a little guts, but can yield a gold mine of information. It’s important to note that you aren’t asking them for a commitment. You’re just asking for their “thoughts” at that moment. That’s a big dif-

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ference, and should give your prospect enough wiggle room to feel comfortable answering honestly.

What challenges does the recruiting process create for you and your family?

This is what I call a wildcard question. It might yield very little information, or you might get a wealth of insight into the family dynamics associated with the stressful recruiting process. It’s also a question that will frame you, the questioner, as someone who is concerned about the entire family.

What are the best parts of the recruiting process?

Their answer to this might be an important key in uncovering your prospect’s “hot buttons.” Once they tell you the best things about the process, make sure your recruiting efforts touch on those positive aspects.

What other items should we discuss?

Let your prospects bring up anything that is on their mind. This is a great question to prompt them to talk about any concerns so that you can address them as soon as possible.

How will you make your final decision?

Make sure they give you specifics. Ask follow-up questions to their first answer. You can simply say, “And then what?” over and over again until you get to the real source of their decision—a school’s major, the coach, their parents’ input, their coach’s input, or even what kind of uniforms you have. The bottom line is that you’ll know what their decision rests on.

PAgE RECRUITINg ToP HEAd

on the wall, whether the desk is messy or organized, and if a hobby is evident. Connecting with a prospect may be as simple as noticing a picture and asking them about it. Or taking note of the trophy that sits prominently in the living room. But don’t just say, “Beautiful trophy.” Ask them about the tournament where they won it. What was the ballpark like and how did their team perform? Observing how the student-athlete interacts with his family can also provide clues to help you tailor your approach, as can their economic situation. For example, a prospect with a single mom living in a two-room apartment will probably have a different motivation for deciding which school to attend—and why—than a prospect living in a six-bedroom house. Along with asking questions and noticing clues, you have to find out what the prospect’s hesitations might be. Every athlete has some objection to what you’re offering, from “I don’t think you focus enough on my event,” to “Your school is too far away.” If you don’t ask recruits what their res-

ervations are, you’ll be clueless about why they don’t sign with you. If you do ask, you can address their concerns. Even if you can’t change the fact that your school is far away from their hometown, you can talk about how your team is a family itself and how your current athletes stay in touch with their families. Think back to a prospect you lost to

a personal sales approach, it tells the prospect you care about them. And the two need to constantly be intertwined. In Your Court Even though you want to tailor your approach to each individual prospect and let them do most of the talking, that doesn’t mean you give up control of the

Once you find an athlete who you know you want for your team, it’s never too early to ask if they are ready to commit to your program ... You’ll be surprised how often you get a positive response. a competitor last year. Do you know why they didn’t sign with you? I do. You left an objection unanswered. Addressing nine out of 10 concerns isn’t good enough. Every objection has to be answered, and you need your prospect’s assurance that it has been answered well. Asking questions and noticing their surroundings not only helps you build

recruiting/selling process. In fact, the opposite is true. It’s important that as the coach, you guide the prospect through an orderly, planned, systematic process. That begins with getting to know each other, then talking about why your program is best suited to their needs and goals. You can also use what are called “trial

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PAgE RECRUITING Top Head

close” techniques throughout the sales process. That means asking questions like, “When you sign with us, do you have any requests for a specific dorm or roommate?” Controlling the process means gently directing the conversation toward the outcome you desire. A key to the whole formula, of course, is then “asking for the sale.” However, many coaches neglect to do this very simple thing. In my opinion, once you find an athlete who you know you want for your team, it’s never too early to ask if they are ready to commit to your program. If you’ve built trust, gained an understanding of the athlete’s needs, and successfully addressed any objections, the next logical step is to ask for the sale. You’ll be surprised how often and how early you get a positive response from your recruits. One tactic that usually backfires, however, is using threats to get their commitment. When you say, “We’ll need you to give us a yes or no by Wednesday or the scholarship is off the table,” you’ve come on too strong for today’s athlete.

It’s also poor form to use further threats—or any sort of negative response—if the prospect’s answer to your offer is, “No thanks.” I recently read an article that detailed the story of a very well-known sports program that blackballed a local high school coach when a prized recruit chose an out-of-state school instead of the local university. All this did was build a bad name with people the college coach should be counting on for “sales leads.” Instead, what if the coach sent a letter of congratulations to that athlete and their family (and high school coach), wishing them best of luck in the future and thanking them for the chance to speak with them? That leaves the kind of impression that will help a coach have future sales success. Plus, if the athlete ever thinks of transferring to a different school down the road, the coach who congratulated them will be the one they remember. Act like the professional you are, and lose with grace. Good salespeople do it all the time. It will pay off for you

later, and more than that, it’s the right thing to do. Be Natural By now, I hope I’ve convinced you to embrace the strategies of the best salespeople in your recruiting gameplan. But you may wonder: Can these ideas mesh with who I am? Definitely. Coaches need a firm understanding of their strengths and weaknesses when it comes to recruiting, and must approach their prospects in a manner that seems genuine. Being “real” with a prospect is the key to connecting, and the best way to do that is to be aware of your own unique sales personality and how it is viewed by prospects. This approach is not about changing your style or your personality. It’s about recruiting that leads to the best results. It’s about finding your own natural sales approach and letting it flourish. n A version of this article is appearing in other sport-specific editions of Coaching Management.

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STRENGTH & CONDITIONING

swinging for the fences

The University of North Carolina’s recent resurgence is fueled by a progressive multi-phase conditioning plan that develops the specific speed, power, and agility needs of its players.

AP PHOTO/TED KIRK

here was a time when strength and conditioning for the University of North Carolina team could be described as somewhere between haphazard and non-existent. Players weren’t required to strength train or complete conditioning workouts under any organized program, so most trained on their own with little guidance. the few team conditioning sessions that were held consisted of long-distance running that disregarded

the specific needs of baseball. and most years, the team’s on-field performance was good but not great. ten years ago, however, that all changed. New head Coach mike Fox brought with him a serious emphasis on strength and conditioning, and my staff and i designed a sport-specific program that would address all the key areas of development for optimum baseball performance. today, our team trains with a purpose throughout the entire academic year.

By GREG GATZ Coach Fox is adamant about players completing workouts and making consistent progress in their conditioning, and the players accept that being in great shape is part of being a tar heel. and it’s no coincidence that we have ended two of the last three seasons playing in the NCaa Division i College Greg Gatz is the Director of Strength and Conditioning for Olympic Sports at the University of North Carolina. He can be reached at: ggg@uncaa.unc.edu.

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STRENGTH & CONDITIONING

World Series championship games. I believe in breaking down the training calendar into several distinct phases. We begin with general conditioning and strength building, and as we get closer to opening day, our focus shifts to the specific skills and types of power needed to excel on the diamond. Philosophy & Basics Our training philosophy isn’t complicated: We want to develop all the athletic qualities important to baseball success, and create players who are fully prepared for every situation that might occur in a game. That simple approach guides every decision we make in our strength and conditioning program. Baseball is primarily a power sport. Each pitch is an exercise in acceleration and strength. Each swing of the bat

ers follow that up with summer league play for another two months. Although the game has a slow pace with frequent “down time,” this grueling competition schedule takes its toll on players both physically and mentally. For that reason, we always strive for maximum efficiency in our workouts. Most players enter our program with some general knowledge of foundational exercises—they might have played high school baseball for a coach who prioritized conditioning, or played a second sport that required strength training. But we leave nothing to chance and always assume we’re working with a blank slate when we welcome a player to our program. Every responsible coach knows that improper technique in the weightroom is an easy way for an athlete to end up injured, so we begin each year with an emphasis on evaluation and teaching good form. When we perform initial evaluations, we look for any movement flaws or functional weaknesses, then work with athletes individually to correct them before increasing resistance or load. For example, the majority of our incoming players suffer from tight hamstrings and overdeveloped anterior muscles of the upper body (chest, anterior shoulders, and biceps). We test for this by having them perform an overhead squat using a wooden stick. As the athlete moves through a full range of motion, we can observe movement flaws in all major joints, and this helps us pinpoint specific areas to address through individualized training protocols.

Each workout at this time of year begins with a dynamic warmup that includes some form of flexibility work, such as hurdle walks using adjustable hurdles. This allows players to perform step-over and step-under maneuvers at different heights, putting the legs and hips through a full range of motion. attempts to generate force to put the ball in play, and most swings attempt to generate maximum force. The infield and outfield players anticipate and react explosively in order to field hits, make throws, and prevent runners from advancing. Everything involves short bursts of intense effort, as the ball is almost never in play for more than a few seconds at one time. Taking these specific needs into account, our program focuses on improving strength and power, speed and agility, and flexibility. While doing so, we need to beware of overtraining, since the NCAA Division I baseball season typically exceeds 60 games, and most play30

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Early Fall Our program follows the basic principles of overload, progression, and specificity. We rely heavily on multijoint, multi-directional, and groundbased exercises along with core training, because we know these activities transfer to the field and help us accomplish several training goals at once. The structure of the college baseball calendar makes steady improvement a

challenge, so we have to plan our schedule very deliberately. In the fall we have 12 weeks, but must work around the fall baseball practice season (five to six weeks), fall break, and Thanksgiving break. To promote reliable progress despite these interruptions, we break our fall training into specific cycles, each with its own primary goal. The first three weeks consist of general physical preparation. Whether they’re freshmen who took the summer off from baseball, or returning players who spent June and July in a summer league, we assume that most players arrive for the fall semester needing to make a gradual transition back to serious conditioning. Each workout at this time of year begins with a dynamic warmup that includes some form of flexibility work, such as hurdle walks using adjustable hurdles. This allows players to perform step-over and step-under maneuvers at different heights, putting the legs and hips through a full range of motion. We also use medicine balls for rotations, swings, chops, and throwing movements to develop flexibility from top to bottom. We like medicine ball work because it develops the linkage between the upper body, core, and lower body. Coordinated strength in these areas is essential for many baseball-specific movements that we’ll be developing later on. Workouts during this phase combine basic movement patterns to challenge total-body parameters. For instance, we might combine a light-weight squat with a lunge and a squat jump—typically in two to three sets of 10 to 12 repetitions each. Combinations like these increase the body’s overall conditioning level, which will help the athletes perform more intense work later on. Rest intervals are kept short to further enhance the conditioning benefit, and weight loads remain fairly light (50 to 70 percent of one rep max). In addition, at this time we begin to introduce acceleration training and starting mechanics, since short bursts of speed are important to successful fielding and base running. We emphasize maintaining proper body position to apply force to the ground quickly and explosively, using hill running, ramps, stair climbing, 50-yard sprints, and shuttle sprints. We pay little attention to prolonged top-speed running, since baseball players don’t run long distances

STRENGTH & CONDITIONING

for a single stretch. Our typical distance for intervals does not exceed 60 yards. Late Fall Once fall practice begins, we reduce training volume to accommodate daily practices and scrimmages, and our focus shifts from general conditioning to developing strength and power. For instance, to build leg strength that translates into swinging power, running acceleration, and throwing force, we use squatting, stepping, and lunging exercises. We also use jumping as a training mechanism for functional leg development, performing exercises such as single-leg and doubleleg jumps and hops with various bounding challenges to mimic the demands of explosive starting speed. For the upper body, we take a somewhat unique approach—each pressing movement is matched with two pulling movements. As mentioned earlier, many baseball players tend to be front-side dominant, because most of their upper-body strength training experience has involved pressing movements, such as push-ups

and bench presses. The underdeveloped posterior musculature, particularly in the back and shoulders (posterior deltoids and rhomboids), results in increased injury risk because the accelerating muscles of the front side produce throwing forces that are difficult for the back-side muscles to absorb during arm deceleration. We correct this imbalance with exercises for the posterior musculature using dumbbells, barbells, and medicine balls, augmenting them with pulling movements using cables and stretch bands. We want all of our players—pitchers and fielders alike—to exhibit a proper throwing motion with support from primary muscle groups and stabilizers, all the way from acceleration to follow-through. The core muscles are also a focus during this strengthening phase. We use a combination of crunches, rotations, and twists with exercise bands, cables, and medicine balls to create overload. A typical core workout segment might include standing rotations, multiple sets of hanging knee raises, and medicine ball pull-over sit-ups.

As fall practice winds down, we take the last three weeks of the semester— roughly between Thanksgiving break and winter break—to optimize “specialized” strength, or the types of power most important for baseball. At this time, the main goal for the lower body is to generate speed strength with the hips and legs in a way that will transfer to game-like movements. Acceleration training continues during this phase, with a focus on base stealing starts, infield/outfield runs that mimic field play, and high-speed curve running around the bases. Running a curve at full speed places different stresses on the hamstrings and foot muscles than straight-ahead running, so we want players to train for speed under sport-specific conditions. One of our favorite drills involves repetitive sets of rounding one, two, or three bases at sprinting speed to develop muscle memory and maximum efficiency. For the upper body, we build specialized strength using dumbbells. Dumbbell exercises allow for greater

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STRENGTH & CONDITIONING

freedom of movement, rather than locking athletes into a single plane of motion. This in turn forces the hands, wrists, and forearms to stabilize the weight while also developing grip strength, something all baseball players love to work on. We combine the specialized strength work during this phase with more speed and agility training, consisting of hill sprints, starting drills, footwork drills, and reactive agility drills, along with interval training and shuttle runs. These exercises challenge the athletic qualities needed for key baseball-specific movements. Over winter break, we put the onus on our players to continue training on their own. I prescribe workouts for each player as an extension of the specialized strength phase, focusing on any areas where they need improvement. We also ask all our players to condition themselves through interval sprints, shuttle runs, and hill running, using whatever facilities are available to them during the time off.

Spring & The Season In mid-January, when our athletes return to campus for the spring semester, we immediately transition into a preseason phase aimed at building game readiness. This lasts until the season begins in February. Preseason is an ideal time to perform baseball-specific drills that donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t heavily tax the body, so we implement things like coach- or partner-assisted reactive drills using tennis balls to develop handeye coordination in a fast-paced environment. Our movement drills at this time of year deal largely with lateral and angular movements, so players can fine-tune the agility patterns developed in the fall and prepare to implement them in game situations. Agility sessions consist of drills incorporating agility ladders and minihurdles, rope jumping, and footwork drills on a mat. These are short in duration, with an emphasis on quality and intensity. During preseason, we continue to strength train three times a week, but the sessions are reduced to 45 minutes

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because field practice is now the top priority. Each workout contains some form of conditioning, acceleration, or agility movements. After warmup, a typical workout involves 10- to 15-yard starting drills and fast-footwork drills, followed by strength and power exercises. We finish up with shuttle sprints, hill or stadium stair intervals, or threeminute runs. The strength and power work during these sessions focuses on explosive movements like dumbbell hang cleans into split jerks, which use the hips and legs in a combined effort. We also use dumbbell squats combined with jumps (squat jump, tuck jump, ice skater, or split jump), along with resisted multidirectional lunges and step-ups using dumbbells or weighted vests. The players also continue to perform upper-body exercises that support anterior and posterior shoulder stability, mainly using dumbbells, exercise bands, and cables. Pressing, pulling, reaching, and rotating movements keep the upper body and core muscles

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conditioned for the rapid movements required on the diamond. Once the season begins, we shift into maintenance mode, typically using just two short training sessions per week. Workout planning at this time is largely dictated by our game schedule and travel. During a stretch of home games, Monday is our heavier training day. This session has a strength theme, and typically includes a squat movement (DB squat, leg press, or weighted vest squat) combined with a lunge series in three directions (front, side, and rotational), pressing and pulling exercises, and two to three core exercises. The second session, usually held on Thursday, is more explosive in nature with a power theme, using speed ladder drills, total-body power throws, plyometrics, and core training. If we are traveling for a weekend series, we’ll still do our typical Monday workout, but the second session will be combined with a team practice—we’ll usually conduct it on the field immediately beforehand. At these sessions, the players perform power exercises and

core work with weighted vests, bands, and medicine balls. Year-Round Priorities Even with specialized phases of the year, there are certain areas in which we’re trying to improve all year long. Total-body fitness is the best example— even though baseball players rarely run long distances, we know that a conditioned athlete has a better chance of avoiding overuse injuries caused by a breakdown in mechanics due to muscle fatigue. General fitness work also trains our players to be mentally ready, disciplined, and tough enough to push through any difficult situation. A full conditioning workout for our team, which we’ll implement throughout the year as needed, typically consists of sprint intervals from 20 to 60 yards, 100- and 300-yard shuttles, and threeminute intervals that alternate 30 seconds of running at 80 percent of max effort with 30 seconds of jogging at 50 percent effort. We use a modified version of this

conditioning workout to test the players in the fall when they arrive on campus, and again at the start of the spring semester to see how hard they worked during winter break. It’s our way of validating each athlete’s commitment to fitness, and showing that we expect them to take that commitment seriously all year long. At North Carolina, our baseball team has recently ascended to a level of consistent performance that’s allowing us to build a tradition of success. Our players realize that maintaining this level takes dedication and lots of hard work. Putting the necessary effort into training for strength, skill, and fitness prepares our team to perform at its best, and hopefully, with a little luck, to realize our dream of winning an NCAA championship. n A version of this article was previously published in Training & Conditioning, a sister publication to Coaching Management. More articles from T&C can be found at: www.Training-Conditioning.com.

USE LESS... PLAY MORE

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Personal Pitcher Pro Now 20% OFF for Coaching Management Readers You & your team will really benefit from the PERSONAL PITCHER PRO Portable Pitching Used by Machine! Develop your ML Pro team’s game and hit Chris with more power & Richard confidence! Great for pre-game warmups! Visit personalpitcher.com & see why the Personal Pitcher is GUARANTEED to improve your game!

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Infield Mixes & Additives DiGeronimo Aggregates, LLC 888-593-0395 www.hayditegame-on.com

EP Minerals, LLC 800-366-7607 www.epminerals.com

Game On Soil Conditioner Blend Game On into your infield soil for increased drainage and reduced compaction.

PlayBall! Infield Conditioner PlayBall! is made from 100-percent calcined diatomaceous earth for maximum durability. Its low density, large pore space, and 10-percent-byvolume application rate allow you to effectively condition more field for less money. PlayBall! is highly absorbent, taking in up to 130 percent of its weight in water. Use it in your infield mix to permanently reduce compaction, increase drainage, and create a more playable surface, or use it as a topdressing to control puddles and eliminate rainouts.

Game On Red Topdress your infield at 1/4 to 1/2 of an inch for a consistent playing surface and a deep red color. Game Dry Apply Game Dry to puddles for quick absorption, and blend it into your infield after it dries. Game On Warning Track Install this mix at your preferred depth for a professional-looking warning track. Customer Portfolio Ohio Dominican University Upper Arlington High School, OH Osceola Softball Complex, FL Chicago Sports Fields, IL Ashland University

THE NEW SCOUTWATCH ! Introductory offer for Coaching Management Save $20... Now only $29 ! (+$4 shipping)

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Great tool for Coaches looking to get an Edge ! Visit www.timit.com or Call 1(800) 474-8243 Don’t Forget To Use Your Special Discount Code: CM2 when Ordering. *ScoutWatch does not use radar. It takes elapsed time and converts to MPH.

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Circle No. 501 Profile Products, LLC 800-207-6457 www.turface.com

Pro’s Choice Red This infield conditioner is designed to meet the challenges of wet, dry, or compacted infields. It manages the moisture on your field, keeping the field in top playing condition. Pro’s Choice Select This premium infield conditioner has a unique particle size blend that gives you the look of a professional ballpark, making it the perfect infield topdressing. Pro Mound This packing clay delivers all-star performance on the mound and in the batter’s box by bonding to form a solid sub-surface that players can really dig into. It holds up season after season. Rapid Dry This drying agent quickly wicks away excess water from your playing field and helps improve soil consistency. Just pour it on any wet spots and get back in the game, fast. Pro’s Choice Pro Red This infield topdressing is specially formulated and boasts Pro’s Choice’s deepest red color to give your fields the long-lasting color you want and the conditioning you need. Customer Portfolio St. Louis Cardinals New York Yankees Florida Marlins Colorado Rockies

Turface Quick Dry By eliminating puddles and standing water, Turface Quick Dry rids infields of muddy, slippery conditions—just apply it and rake it into the ground for longlasting performance.

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Customer Portfolio Hillsboro Stadium Athletic Complex, OR Indianapolis Colts Practice Field Irvine High School, CA 3 Creek Ranch Golf Club, WY Walt Disney Concert Hall, CA

Pro’s Choice 800-648-1166 www.proschoice1.com

CALL 800-474-8243

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AXIS Premium Soil Amendments Use AXIS in your turf root zones to increase porosity, air and water holding capacity, and available plant water for a healthier and more resilient turf grass system. Its unique shape and large pore size allow irrigation savings of up to 30 percent.

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Turface ProLeague Red The first and only patented red clay conditioner, Pro League Red combines rich color with proven infield conditioning benefits to create an excellent sliding and fielding surface. Turface MVP Turface MVP absorbs more water per pound than its competitors, improving drainage, reducing bad ball hops, and helping keep athletes safe. Turface ProLeague Used as a topdressing, ProLeague saves games and turf by preventing the slick and muddy conditions that destroy turf and make fields unsafe and unplayable. Customer Portfolio Seattle Mariners Arizona Diamondbacks Boston Red Sox Baltimore Orioles

Infield Mixes & Additives BEAM CLAY 800-247-BEAM www.beamclay.com

Southern Athletic Fields 800-837-8062 www.mulemix.com

Diamond Pro 800-228-2987 www.diamondpro.com

BEAM CLAY® Baseball Diamond Mix This premium infield mix provides a consistent playing surface that’s firm yet soft, with great drainage and color.

Mulemix Field Conditioners Conditioners are used to reduce compaction and absorb moisture. Mulemix Field Conditioners reduce the tackiness of a field’s clay to keep your games on schedule.

Infield Conditioner This vitrified clay product can be applied to skinned areas to enrich color, prevent rain delays, reduce compaction, and improve safety.

BEAM CLAY® Regional Infield Mixes These mixes are blended at bulk plants nationwide to meet the unique needs of every state and climate.

SAF Coat Infield Topdressing This crushed red rock is used primarily as a percolation product—it allows water to percolate and helps athletic fields dry more quickly.

BEAM CLAY® Pitcher’s Mound Mix This mix is an extra-firm mound clay, available in red, orange, brown, tan, and gray. Mound and batter’s box bricks are also available, along with red polyurethane pads that give the feel of natural clay.

Mar Mix This screened red infield mix is compactible, yet it allows water to percolate. It’s great for use with Mulemix Conditioners or SAF Coat, and features a natural blend of approximately 70-percent sand and 30-percent clay.

BEAM CLAY® Red Warning Track Surfaces Use this material for premium long-lasting warning tracks—firm yet crunchy with low maintenance, great drainage, and excellent color.

Mar Mound Clay This screened red mound and home plate clay is ideal for pitcher’s mounds, batter’s boxes, and high-wear areas. It’s compactible, easy to use, and available in bags or in bulk.

Customer Portfolio Cleveland Indians New York Mets New York Yankees Tampa Bay Rays Toronto Blue Jays

Customer Portfolio Atlanta Braves Houston Astros Louisville Riverbats Louisiana State University Ohio State University

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Calcined Clay Topdressing, Professional Grade, and Drying Agent These calcined clay products are used as conditioners on the infield. The professional grade has a more uniform particle size, and the standard topdressing has a larger particle size. Mound/Home Plate Clay This screened clay has a rich color and is easy to use. It binds into holes and low areas for greater durability and consistency. Warning Track Mix Several mixes are available for creating a safe, well-drained warning track. Customer Portfolio Philadelphia Phillies San Francisco Giants Baltimore Orioles Little League World Series Rosenblatt Stadium

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Nets & Cages Cages*Plus

www.cagesplus.com 866-475-9148 See ad on page 38 Circle No. 506

Primary Advantages—Cages*Plus offers affordable and durable cages, all of which come with an L-screen. Schools enjoy using them as an extra indoor hitting station with quick assembly and disassembly. All cages come with a one-year money back guarantee. Cages*Plus offers excellent customer service.

Customer Portfolio— Fort Lupton High School, CO Loftus Middle School, TN North Dakota State University Bellarmine University McMichael High School, NC

PRODUCTS: Cages*Plus—Portable batting cage with L-screen

C&H Baseball

www.chbaseball.com 800-248-5192 See ads on page 45 Circle No. 507

M.A.S.A., Inc.

www.masa.com 800-264-4519 See ads on page 15 & 21 Circle No. 508

Primary Advantages— C&H Baseball’s products are built to last. The company’s all-welded fielding equipment has set the industry standard since 1968. C&H also knows the meaning of customer service. Its customers’ satisfaction comes first. C&H Baseball supplies only the highest-quality products.

Customer Portfolio— New York Yankees San Diego Padres New York Mets University of Michigan Oklahoma State University

PRODUCTS: The “Original” Ball Caddy—This rolling ball caddy holds close to 150 baseballs and features all-welded construction. CAG100–The Pro Cage—This cage was designed in 1968 and is still an industry leader, with all-welded construction.

Custom Dyneema Backstop Systems—With more than 300 stadium projects, these custom designed and built systems are an industry standard. Custom Wall Padding—C&H Baseball padding is built using only quality products and workmanship. All sizes and applications are available.

Primary Advantages—M.A.S.A. has improved and expanded its selection, offering five grades of netting to meet the demands of every level of play and prices to meet any budget. Regardless of which grade you choose, rest assured you will be getting the highest quality. PRODUCTS: Pitcher’s L-Shaped Screen—The framing of this screen is constructed of 1/2-inch heavy-gauge steel tubing, and assembly is very easy. Pro Model Backstop Batting Cage—Flo-coated steel construction makes this giant backstop extremely durable. Use the quick-lift crank for easy transportation.

Memphis Net & Twine Co., Inc.

www.memphisnet.net 901-458-2656 See ads on page 43 Circle No. 509

SPI Nets

www.spinets.net 866-243-6387 See ads on page 20 Circle No. 510

Primary Advantages—Memphis Net & Twine manufactures its products in the United States— custom-made batting cages and backstops that are produced to meet customers’ exact specifications.

PRODUCTS: Batting Cages—Four different twine sizes are available to meet any budget, and custom cages can be manufactured to customers’ exact specifications. Backstops—Four different twine sizes are available to meet any budget, and custom backstops can be manufactured to customers’ exact specifications. Primary Advantages— SPI Nets offers a full range of nets for your training needs. The quality and excellent pricing are matched only by SPI’s outstanding service. The company’s products and customer service are carefully monitored to ensure that you receive maximum value for your dollar. PRODUCTS: Premium Batting Cage Nets—SPI Nets premium cages offer top quality, lots of features, and some of the best prices available. Deluxe Practice Screens—SPI Nets practice screens are among the highest-quality screens in the business, and they’re available at very competitive prices.

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Customer Portfolio—M.A.S.A. nets and cages are used all over the U.S. at youth, high school, college, and professional facilities. Go online or call the company for expert help in choosing a net or cage that is best for your organization and budget.

Pro Series Batting Tunnel—This pro industry workhorse is constructed from #36 nylon that has undergone a 320-pound breaking test. Batco Batting Cage—The unique design of this product means excellent portability and storage. It weighs just 45 pounds. Custom sizes are the company’s specialty. Call the company or visit its Web site to request a free 48-page catalog.

Protector Nets—These protector nets are manufactured to customers’ exact specifications.

Customer Portfolio— SPI nets are used all over the United States at youth, high school, college, and professional facilities.

Custom Netting—SPI Nets can fully customize your nets to meet your exact specifications at an affordable price.

NEW Product Launch 9 Hole Pitchers Pocket Unique features: • Great for evaluating pitchers’ accuracy • Provides a range of targets for a pitcher to improve and evaluate his or her accuracy around the strike zone

BetterBaseball.com www.betterbaseball.com 800-997-4233 Circle No. 511

PlayBall! Advanced Formula Infield Conditioner Unique features: • PlayBall! soaks up as much as 130 percent of its weight in water, resulting in fewer rainouts and delays • 10-percent-by-volume application rate • Holds moisture longer to control dust Benefits for the user: • Uses less material for better results and cost savings • Used in the soil profile, PlayBall! is permanent • Water the field before the game and play dust-free all day long

EP Minerals, LLC www.epminerals.com 800-366-7607 Circle No. 512

Hot Glove Sting Off Pro Mound Red Packing Clay Unique features: • New color option • Premium mound clay • Deep red color Benefits for the user: • Championship looks and playability

Pro’s Choice www.proschoice1.com 800-648-1166 Circle No. 513

Unique features: • A vibration-reducing bat grip • The secret is in the unique elastomer absorbing pad below the synthetic grip Benefits for the user: • An ounce of prevention is worth a season of play • Sting Off absorbs the sting caused by off-center hits to protect batters’ hands from shock and vibration

Hot Glove, Inc. www.hotglove.com 800-554-3707 Circle No. 514

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Baseball Facility Equipment Jaypro Sports, LLC 800-243-0533 www.jaypro.com The Professional Pitcher’s Safety Protector is a 7’ x 7’ L-shaped screen designed to accommodate left- or righthanded pitchers. It’s constructed of heavy-gauge 1 5/8-inch O.D. galvanized steel tubing with a durable green powder-coated finish. Two-inch square galvanized legs provide extra rigidity. A weatherproof nylon slip-on net is included, along with two eight-inch wheels for easy transport. Circle No. 515 Aer-Flo, Inc. 800-823-7356 www.aerflo.com Wind Weighted® baseball tarps are virtually windproof. These rain covers for the 1/4pg 1/28/04 3:38 PM Page 1 mound, home plate, and

the bullpens have steel chain in their edge hem, so wind cannot get under them. They stay down in high winds without stakes or sandbags. They’re also easy to install, remove, and store. The tough, waterproof vinyl-polyester fabric is treated for UV rays and mildew. These patented tarps are protected by a three-year factory warranty, and they’re widely used by high schools, colleges, and even Major League teams. Circle No. 516 Bannerman Ltd. 800-665-2696 www.sportsturfmagic.com Restore your diamond’s luster in 20 minutes or less. Bannerman manufactures groomers that can level and provide maintenance care for baseball and softball diamonds, warning tracks, and walking trails. The B-DM-6 Diamond Master has five grooming tools: a ripper blade, a rake, a leveler, a roller, and a finishing brush. Available options include an extension wing brush kit, a hydraulic

tractor top link, a 50-gallon water tank with a spray nozzle, a long-tine “fluffing” rake, and the new highway transport kit. Circle No. 517 When player safety comes first, look to Bannerman. The company manufactures groomers that shape, level, and provide maintenance care for baseball diamonds and softball fields. The B-BP-4 Ballpark-4 (shown) and the B-BP-6 Ballpark-6 models each have five tools: a ripper blade, a rake, a leveler, a roller, and a brush. Available accessories include a wing brush kit, a top link kit, a 50-gallon water tank kit with a spray nozzle, and the new highway transport kit. Circle No. 518 BaseballTips.com 800-487-7432 www.baseballtips.com Contact BaseballTips.com to discuss your team equipment needs with real coaches and seasoned ballfield experts. The company’s Pro and School

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QUALITY STADIUM CHAIR MANUFACTURER Circle No. 129

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Baseball Facility Equipment Division assigns you a former coach or athletic director who speaks your language. BaseballTips. com is an old fashioned, value-driven service company that can meet your budget, your terms, and your needs while using high-tech tools to cut costs and improve delivery times. Circle No. 519 BetterBaseball.com 800-997-4233 www.betterbaseball.com BetterBaseball.com is a total baseball supply house, specializing in nets and batting cages that are custom cut to any size you want. The company provides quick, friendly customer service. BetterBaseball.com supplies everything, including bases, plates, mounds, gear, and hardware. All team equipment needs can be found easily online, or mp_place 8/20/02 11:20 AM Page 1 you can call the company toll-free for more product information. Circle No. 520

Want to save even more on great products at the BetterBaseball.com Web site? Try the Easy Auction feature. Each item up for bid is described in detail and a product image is shown. Get fantastic deals on everything from bats and gloves to windscreens and practice balls. Go online to learn more, and youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll be placing bids in no time. Circle No. 521 BigSigns.com 800-790-7611 www.bigsigns.com BigSigns.com is a national leader in stadium graphics. With its top-notch design team, you can create a brand for your program that helps promote team spirit. Coaches across the countr y have found that the Dura Mesh product not only beautifies their

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stadium, but it also helps in recruiting and building team pride. Call a BigSigns.com national sales rep and get started on changing the plain chain-link areas of your stadium into sources of pride for your school. Circle No. 522 Imerys 800-552-9677 www.plus5linemarker.com Plus5 is an all-American athletic field marker. It is preferred by coaches and groundskeepers and is licensed as the official marking material of the NFHS. There are five good reasons to choose Plus5: it is economical, easy to apply, good for turf, harmless to skin and clothing, and produces a bright white line. For more information, go online or call Imerys today. Circle No. 523

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AD V E RT I S E RS D I R E CTOR Y circle Company page circle Company page No. No. No. No

Heat Treatment Breaks in new gloves in minutes! Guaranteed! Softens, conditions, waterproofs and forms a superior glove pocket. Works on leather and vinyl gloves. Hot Glove Treatment will have you catching balls with your new glove today! Millions have successfully treated their new gloves over the last decade. Simply Amazing !

“It works!” Bobby Cox

Professional baseball manager for over 25 years

101. . . . Aer-Flo

(Wind Weighted Tarps) . . . . . . . . .

109. . . Aer-Flo

(Tuffy Windscreen). . . . . . . . . . .

137. . . . Allstar Ace

(Joyner Technologies). . . . . .

131. . . . Master Pitching Machine. . . . . . . . . . 39

134. . . . Memphis Net & Twine Co. . . . . . . . . 43

111. . . . Bannerman. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

128. . . . Muhl Tech. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

144. . . . BaseballTips.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . BC

135. . . . Plus5 Field Marker

141. . . . Beam Clay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

107. . . . Prep Gear. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 120. . . . Pro’s Choice Field Products . . . . . . . 25 110. . . . ProGrass. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

129. . . . Cages*Plus. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

140. . . . Save-A-Tooth. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46

104. . . California University of Pennsylvania . . . 6

130. . . . Seating Services. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

113. . . . Diamond Pro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19

124. . . . Southern Athletic Fields . . . . . . . . . . 32

132. . . . Earth & Turf. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

114. . . . SPI Nets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

126. . . . EP Minerals. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33

143. . . . Sports Attack. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . IBC

136. . . . Extra Innings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

127. . . . Sports Products Consultants . . . . . . 34

105. . . Fair-Play Scoreboards . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

123. . . . Sports Tutor. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31

122. . . . Game-On Field Conditioner. . . . . . . 28

117. . . . Sportsfield Modular (Sportsfield Specialties).22

108. . . GameTime Athletics . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

121. . . . Strike Out Strippz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

118. . . . Glove Radar/Swing Speed Radar. . . 22

115. . . . TeamPacks.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20

142. . . . Heying Co.

100 . . . Turface Athletics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . IFC

(Infield Drag). . . . . . . . . . . .

102. . . . HighSchoolSports.net. . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

116. . . . White Line Equipment. . . . . . . . . . . . 21

138. . . . Hoosier Bat Company. . . . . . . . . . . . 45

125. . . . Wizard Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32

133. . . . Hot Glove. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

103. . . . Woodhaven

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P r o d u c t s D I R E CTOR Y circle Company page circle Company page No. No. No. No

542 . . . Aer-Flo

(Bunt Zone). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

555. . . K&K Insurance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

516. . . . Aer-Flo

(Wind Weighted tarps) . . . . . . . .

508 . . . M.A.S.A. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

551. . . . Allstar Ace

(Joyner Technologies). . . . . .

529 . . . M.A.S.A.

518. . . . Bannerman

(Ballpark-4). . . . . . . . . . . . .

546 . . . Master Pitching Machine . . . . . . . . . 44

517. . . . Bannerman

(Fence Guard Lite). . . . . . . . . .

(Diamond Master) . . . . . . . .

509 . . . Memphis Net & Twine Co. . . . . . . . . 36

519. . . . BaseballTips.com

(equipment) . . . . . . .

547. . . . Muhl Tech

(Advanced Skills Tee). . . . . . .

533 . . . BaseballTips.com

(products) . . . . . . . .

548 . . . Muhl Tech

(Power Bag) . . . . . . . . . . . . .

(Imerys). . . . . . . . .

521. . . . BetterBaseball

(Easy Auction). . . . . . . .

535 . . . Power Systems

(Power Throw-Ball). . . . .

520 . . . BetterBaseball

(nets and cages). . . . . . .

536 . . . Power Systems

(X-Ladder) . . . . . . . . . .

511. . . . BetterBaseball

(Pitchers Pocket) . . . . . .

537. . . Prep Gear. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

523 . . . Plus5 Field Marker

522 . . . BigSigns.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39

502 . . . Pro’s Choice. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

507. . . C&H Baseball. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

513. . . . Pro’s Choice (Pro Mound Red Packing Clay) . . 37

506 . . . Cages*Plus. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

560 . . . Profile Products

554 . . . California University of Pennsylvania . . 47

530 . . . ProGrass . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

(Turface)

. . . . . . . . . . 34

505 . . . Diamond Pro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

556 . . . Save-A-Tooth. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

524. . . . Earth & Turf . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

557. . . Schedule Star . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

(product launch). . . . . . . . .

559. . . . Extra Innings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 47

www.HOTGLOVE.COM

(The BenchCoach).

106. . . K&K Insurance. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

512. . . . EP Minerals

Check out our other exciting baseball accessories at:

119. . . . BetterBaseball. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23

501. . . EP Minerals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34

840 McFarland Parkway Alpharetta, GA. 30004 USA 770-442-1977

(Imerys). . . . . . . . .

139. . . . C&H Baseball. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45

503 . . . Beam Clay . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35

HOT GLOVE Inc.

112. . . . M.A.S.A./Osborne . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15

531. . . . Seating Services . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41 504 . . . Southern Athletic Fields . . . . . . . . . . 35 510. . . . SPI Nets . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36

525. . . Fair-Play

(BA-7128-2). . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

549. . . Sports Attack

(Hack Attack) . . . . . . . . .

526. . . Fair-Play

(CaptiVue). . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

550 . . . Sports Attack

(Junior Hack Attack). . . . .

(DiGeronimo Aggregates). . . .

552. . . Sports Tutor

(HomePlate) . . . . . . . . . . .

527. . . GameTime Athletics . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41

553 . . . Sports Tutor

(TriplePlay). . . . . . . . . . . .

543 . . . Glove Radar. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

532 . . . Sportsfield Specialties. . . . . . . . . . . . 41

500 . . . Game-On

545 . . . Strike Out Strippz . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

558 . . . HighSchoolSports.net. . . . . . . . . . . . 47

544 . . . Swing Speed Radar. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 44

534 . . . Hoosier Bat Company. . . . . . . . . . . . 42

538 . . . TeamPacks.com. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

514. . . . Hot Glove. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37

541. . . . The BenchCoach. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

528. . . Heying Company

539 . . . Hot Glove

(Infield Drag). . . . . . .

(Baseball Caddy). . . . . . . . . .

515. . . . Jaypro . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

540 . . . Wizard Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Baseball Facility Equipment Earth & Turf Products, LLC 888-693-2638 www.earthandturf.com

GameTime Athletics 877-891-2476 www.gtathletics.net

Earth & Turf has introduced a hydraulicdrive option for its MultiSpread model 320, a one-cubic-yard topdresser with an exclusive widespread beater. Normally driven by two-wheel ground drive, the model 320 with hydraulic drive offers several benefits for owners with tow vehicles equipped with a remote hydraulic valve and a minimum flow of six gallons per minute. With the hydraulic option, the speeds of the apron and beater are independent of ground speed. Both apron speed and beater speed are also infinitely adjustable independent of each other, providing excellent spreading flexibility for a wide variety of materials. Circle No. 524

Enhance your field with RedField infield conditioner and warning track mix. RedField is a red scoria lava, maroon in color and specifically sized for use on infields and warning tracks. GameTime Athletics also handles all types of field equipment and baseball equipment, including balls, bats, gloves, and uniforms. GameTime is the one-stop shop for all your athletic needs. Call today for a free sample or a quote. Circle No. 527

Fair-Play Scoreboards 800-247-0265 www.fair-play.com Fair-Play manufactures a complete line of electronic LED baseball scoreboards, including accessories, for high schools, municipalities, colleges, universities, and professional sports teams. Along with providing all the essential game information, the BA-7128-2 model scoreboard incorporates larger 24-inch digits for at-bat, ball, strike, out, and hit/error indicators. This feature makes it an ideal choice for larger stadiums. Catch the spirit of Fair-Play at the company’s Web site. Circle No. 525 Communicate with the baseball fans in your community by adding a CaptiVue full-color marquee from Fair-Play. It will be the crown jewel of your sports complex. CaptiVue displays inform sports fans of upcoming events, promotions, and game times. Display community news, public service announcements, and time/temperature information. ProLine software for CaptiVue allows users to display superhigh-quality pictures, graphics, and animations in astounding detail. Catch the spirit of Fair-Play at the company’s Web site. Circle No. 526

Heying Co. 712-756-8847 www.infield-drag.com The PR72 Pro Groomer™ Infield Drag levels infields, warning tracks, granular running tracks, and more by cutting off high spots and filling in low areas. It keeps infields level, well-groomed, and in safe playing condition. It can be used to mix in new material or to break up hard, compacted surfaces. The PR72 Pro Groomer saves labor, reduces water puddling, removes weeds, and more. It’s six feet wide and doesn’t require hydraulics or a three-point hitch. The unit can be pulled with a variety of towing machines, and no tools are needed to make adjustments. This product is available with a manual or electric lift. Circle No. 528 M.A.S.A., Inc. 800-264-4519 www.masa.com www.sportsadvantage.com M.A.S.A. has welcomed the Fence Guard Lite to its family of fence guards. Fence Guard Lite is priced for the tightest budgets. It protects against chain-link fence injuries, increases fence visibility, and can add beauty to any field. With the addition of Fence Guard Lite, M.A.S.A. now offers three grades of Fence Guard: Premium, Standard, and Lite. All three feature exterior-grade

UV-resistant polyethylene construction that is maintenance-free and designed to last for many years. Call or go online today for more information. Circle No. 529 ProGrass, LLC 866-270-6003 www.prograssturf.com ProGrass is a leading choice for synthetic turf baseball fields. The company can create a product tailored to your needs. ProGrass mimics the natural transition from the outfield to the infield by using turf of two heights. Call ProGrass when you want a superior field. Circle No. 530 Seating Services, Inc. 800-552-9470 www.seatingservices.com Seating Services is proud to announce the newest product in its seating line, the Eagle Model Series 1000 plastic bench seat module. This seat is designed to be bolted to existing or new bench seating to provide a more comfortable individual seat for your spectators and create enhanced VIP seating that can be sold to raise revenue for your complex. Circle No. 531 Sportsfield Specialties 888-975-3343 x1460 www.sportsfieldspecialties.com Finally, you can have the dugout you want without the hassle and expense of on-site construction. LongGone

Dugouts are completed on time and finished to your specifications. There are numerous color and material choices available, and all that’s required on site is a concrete slab. LongGone Dugouts are covered by a five-year warranty—try to match that with a concrete block or wood structure. Circle No. 532

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Team Equipment BaseballTips.com 800-487-7432 www.baseballtips.com Selection and price are key, so BaseballTips.com offers you good, better, and best. You get a choice of manufacturers on a wide variety of products: 32 pitching machines, 14 batting cages, custom netting and turf of all grades, and more than 95 new and unique training aids, plus field goods, screens, covers, and Pro Style fixed, portable, and rolling batting cages. Enjoy great prices on the newest 2009 MLB radar guns, wood bats, and more than 200 videos and instruction books. BaseballTips.com has been an active ABCA member since 1999. Circle No. 533 Hoosier Bat Co. 800-228-3787 www.hoosierbat.com Hoosier Bat Co. makes all-ash bats used by many Major League and minor league players. The company’s patented three-piece wood bat, the WoodForce 2000, is now NCAA-approved. With ash in the handle, hickory in the sweet spot, and maple on the barrel end, the WoodForce 2000 provides a solid sweet spot that will not flake while retaining the same look and feel as a traditional all-ash bat. All of Hoosier’s bats are made from quality wood and are crafted to exacting standards. Circle No. 534 Power Systems 800-321-6975 www.power-systems.com Develop dynamic strength through the throwing motion with the Power ThrowBall. Available in baseball and softball sizes, these weighted balls make an excellent tool for strengthening or rehabilitating the shoulder. Color-coded by weight, the balls are sold individually in seven-, 14-, and 21-ounce sizes or in sets of three with a carrying bag. These durable balls are constructed with a rugged vinyl shell and filler material. Circle No. 535

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The X-Ladder from Power Systems features three separate sections for setting up multiple configurations, so athletes can perform forward, backward, and lateral movement patterns in the same run. Two sections measure 67 inches and one measures 158 inches. They attach together with buckles. The ladder has high-impact round PVC rungs that stay fixed and provide instant feedback when stepped on. The X-Ladder comes with its own carrying bag. Circle No. 536 Prep Gear Headwear 800-279-7060 www.prepgear.com In five short years, Prep Gear Headwear has become a national leader in factory-direct headwear products for high schools and institutions. At Prep Gear, each hat is assembled from scratch using the highest-quality materials and expert craftsmanship. In today’s economy, why pay an extra mark-up when you can buy premium products direct from the factory? Call or go online for more information. Circle No. 537 TeamPacks.com 877-302-0548 www.teampacks.com TeamPacks.com offers sports programs quality uniforms and practice wear. For baseball and softball programs, TeamPacks offers the Home Run Pack, which includes one hooded sweatshirt (two-color print), one performance batting practice top (twocolor print and number), one two-color print T-shirt, one two-color print pair of sweatpants, a pro-mesh short (onecolor print, seven- or nine-inch inseam), and one long-sleeve mock (two-color print). This six-item package costs only $75—with no art fees. Turnaround time is two weeks, and custom packages are available. Circle No. 538

Hot Glove 800-554-3707 www.hotglove.com Make practice easier with the innovative Hot Glove Baseball Caddy. Use it to pitch from, use it to pick up balls, or use it to transport balls securely. The handles lock down to put the basket at waist height for pitching, then they lock up for picking up balls. The tough, lightweight polypropylene design holds 24 balls. Also try the Softball Caddy, available with a bigger basket to hold 20 softballs. Circle No. 539 Wizard Sports Equipment 888-964-5425 www.wizardsports.com New Wheeled Custom Bat Bags are now available. Wizard custom bags are some of the most durable and affordable bat and equipment bags on the market. They are manufactured in the U.S. and built to last, with heavy-duty 600D nylon featuring a PVC backing and a limited lifetime warranty. You will not find a better-quality bag at a lower price. All bags are made in your team colors and decorated to include your team name, number, and logo. Circle No. 540 The BenchCoach 972-740-5417 www.thebenchcoach.com The BenchCoach is among the most complete portable dugout organizing systems available for baseball and softball teams. It holds and protects equipment for up to 18 players. Each compartment is sized to hold a player’s glove, hat, helmet, and water bottle, and can be personalized with player names, numbers, and your team logo. The bottom shelves store catcher’s equipment and a include bat hanging frame for 18 bats. A shoulder carrying bag is included. Circle No. 541

Web News Diamond Pro’s Web Site Gets Even Better Diamond Pro has launched an improved, more user-friendly Web site. While this new site better communicates the benefits of all the great Diamond Pro products, some of the old features remain available, such as the how-to section, the Ask the Pros question-and-answer forum, and the pages containing field dimensions. New features include downloadable PDFs of instructions, applications, and MSDS sheets. Users can view Diamond Pro’s latest products in the Professional Groundskeeping line, and see distributor information. Diamond Pro welcomes customer feedback and will continue to make site modifications based on this input. As always, the company will notify its customers of these improvements as they happen. www.diamondpro.com Get What You Need To Maintain Your Field PlayBall!® infield conditioner is made from 100-percent calcined diatomaceous earth (DE). PlayBall! can be used on the skinned areas of your field for puddle and moisture control, applied as a topdressing, or incorporated into the soil profile for maximum effectiveness. It reduces compaction, increases drainage, and all but eliminates rainouts. Go online today to learn more, and to watch a video on how to renovate a field using PlayBall! The site also offers application rates for all sizes of baseball and softball fields. See how PlayBall! stacks up to other infield soil conditioners and how you can save time and money while increasing the playability of your fields. www.epminerals.com/playball.html Two New Features Enhance Pro’s Choice’s Site The Pro’s Choice Web site offers product information, installation instructions, and industry articles about the company’s line of sports field products. Two new features were recently added

to the site. The first is “Ask an Expert,” an interactive Q&A section where users can pose questions about sports fields and turf and receive direct answers. The second is information on the Pro’s Choice Field Day program, a series of hands-on sports field seminars sponsored by the company and its nationwide distribution network. Go online today to learn how Pro’s Choice will keep your field in winning condition, season after season. www.proschoice1.com Daily Updates, Impressive Product Selection Available Online BetterBaseball.com offers a wide selection of baseball and softball products at competitive prices. The company specializes in custom batting cages and manufactures L-screens, backstops, and pitchers’ pockets. Its Web site is updated with new products daily to satisfy even the most demanding baseball players and coaches. BetterBaseball.com does not sell, share, or rent any customer information collected on the site. Information collected during the ordering process is for billing and shipping purposes only. Nobody is added to the company’s e-mail list unless they choose to add themselves online. www.betterbaseball.com Newly Updated OPTP Site Offers You More OPTP’s new and improved Web site makes it easier than ever to find and purchase OPTP products. Additional images and product information have been added to assist you in making purchasing decisions. Utilize the “My Wish List” feature to plan upcoming purchases, or save frequent orders under your account to access and easily re-order at your convenience. The new site also allows you to read and write product reviews, and to rate your product satisfaction. www.optp.com

Memphis Net & Twine Co., Inc. See our Web Site at: www.memphisnet.net Memphis, TN 38108

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Our top quality nets are custom made to your specifications. • Baseball Cages, Backstops, Protector Nets & Pitching Machines • Golf Driving and Barrier Nets • Soccer and Tennis Nets • Lacrosse Backstop Nets, Windscreens and much more!

See our Web Page at: www.memphisnet.net Or e-mail us at: memnet@memphisnet.net Circle No. 135

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Practice Aids Aer-Flo, Inc. 800-823-7356 www.aerflo.com

Glove Radar® 888-542-9246 www.gloveradar.com

Swing Speed Radar™ 888-542-9246 www.swingspeedradar.com

The patented Bunt Zone™ Infield Protector-Trainer features color-coded target areas built into a quality batting practice turf protector. It teaches batters where to bunt successfully for hits or sacrifice plays, plus pullhitting and hit-andrun targeting—never bunt into the red “pitcher’s triangle.” It gives instant performance feedback. Sizes are available for all infields, including softball and Little League fields. The industrial vinyl-polyester mesh is spike-resistant. Grommets and low-profile stakes are included. Circle No. 542

The Glove Radar® is a small, inexpensive, and accurate microwave Doppler radar device that attaches to the back of virtually any baseball or softball glove. It “sees” through the glove and measures the speed of a ball thrown from any distance, just before the ball is caught. The Glove Radar can withstand softball impacts of more than 75 mph and baseball impacts up to 100 mph. Take it from Ken Griffey, Jr.—The Glove Radar is the ideal aid for developing the throwing skills of infielders, outfielders, pitchers, and catchers. The Glove Radar is a big hit among coaches, players, and parents, and it costs much less than most radar guns. Circle No. 543

The Swing Speed Radar™ is a small, inexpensive Doppler radar velocity sensor that measures the swing speed of baseball and softball batters. The Swing Speed Radar helps players develop optimum bat speed for distance and quickness, and bat control for consistent ball contact. The Swing Speed Radar provides real-time velocity feedback that assists players, coaches, and instructors in measuring performance improvement and troubleshooting swing mechanics. Circle No. 544

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www.eifranchise.com This franchise is not being offered to residents of the following states: HI, KY, NE, ND & SD. This communication is not directed to any person in the states listed above by or on behalf of the franchisor or anyone acting with the franchisor’s knowledge. No franchise can be offered or sold in the states listed above until the offering has been registered and declared effective by the appropriate regulatory authority and the UFOC has been delivered to the offeree before the sale within the applicable time frame. This franchise is offered only by delivery of a franchise offering circular.

Strike Out Strippz, LLC 877-688-7123 www.learn2pitch.com StrikeOut Strippz is the world’s first and only patented training glove for pitching and throwing. The system is guaranteed to improve speed, accuracy, and throwing mechanics. The glove can be used indoors or outdoors and no catcher is needed. The easy-to-follow instructions blend rhyme and visual references to help master the mechanics of pitching and throwing. The glove and DVD provide simple 10-minute drills that enable an entire team to develop pitching and throwing skills. Circle No. 545 Master Pitching Machine, Inc. 800-878-8228 www.masterpitch.com

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the pitcher’s arm is a key to successful hitting. That’s why every pitching machine from Master Pitching Machine features the company’s exclusive Iron Mike pitching arm. With each pitch, the batter can see the Iron Mike pitching arm wind up and deliver the ball— just like with a real pitcher. These machines are among the only proven training devices that give you this advantage. Circle No. 546

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Practice Aids Muhl Tech 888-766-8772 www.muhltech.com Want to give your hitters instant feedback? Look no further than the Advanced Skills Tee (AST). The tee of choice for more than 3,000 high school and college programs, the AST’s unique forward arm design and outside barrier give instant visual and physical feedback. Eliminate casting, looping bats, and dropping shoulders with this portable and extremely durable batting tee. It comes with a two-year warranty. Circle No. 547 Hitting for power? Try the Power Bag from Muhl Tech. It was designed to teach hitters to use their lower half when hitting the ball—not just to rotate the hips, but actually to use them as a power source when driving through the ball. The Power Bag allows the hitter

to power through contact and finish the swing. Use good point-ofcontact mechanics and the bag will swing higher (visual reward). Use lazy hips, rolled wrists, or swing around the ball and the bag will not move nearly as much. Circle No. 548 Sports Attack 800-717-4251 www.sportsattack.com The exclusive design of the Hack Attack baseball pitching machine allows the hitter to see the ball clearly all the way through the feeding motion, acceleration, and release, just like with a live pitcher. The Hack Attack throws unmatched right- and lefthanded major

league fastballs up to 100 mph, and all breaking pitches by simply changing the speed of the wheels with three dials. This eliminates the need for timeconsuming adjustments of the throwing head. Circle No. 549 The Junior Hack Attack from Sports Attack is designed to develop serious young players using an exclusive threewheel vision that allows the hitter to see the ball clearly all the way through the feeding motion, just like with a live pitcher. In developing hitters, there is nothing more important than timing and vision. With just a quick turn of the dials, the machine can throw fastballs and breaking pitches, including curves, sliders, split-fingers, and knuckle balls up to 70 mph. Circle No. 550

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Practice Aids Joyner Technologies 770-867-1957 www.joynertechnologies.com The ALLSTAR ACE® 5000 baseball pitching simulator is a programmable multi-pitch system featuring

a HomePlate pitching machine from Sports Tutor. The SurePitch synchronization system ensures that the ball and video are in sync on ever y pitch, ever y day, guaranteed. A team rotation mode operates at five to 15 balls per player, or you can set it to throw continuous pitches. The ball inter val is programmable, and the unit can deliver fastballs, cur ves, sliders, and more from left-handed or right-handed pitchers with variable speeds and locations. You can even film your own pitchers and incorporate them into the training experience. The unit is easy to oper-

ate and there’s no computer to boot or hang during practice. Exciting lease options are available. Circle No. 551 Sports Tutor 800-448-8867 www.sportsmachines.com The HomePlate pitching machine is the first programmable pitching machine designed for both batting cage and on-field use. You can store up to eight different pitches—including fastballs up to 90 mph, curveballs, changeups, sliders, and more—in eight different programs, with only seven seconds between pitches. The programmed pitches in the HomePlate can be thrown sequentially for specific hitting drills, randomly for game conditions, or in a way that simulates an opposing pitcher. Choose the 80-ball auto-feed model at $6,595, or the hand-feed model at $5,295. Circle No. 552

The Most Innovative On-Line Buyer’s Guide for Athletic Organizations

Batting practice just got easier. Simply push a button on the TriplePlay pitching machine from Sports Tutor to choose the type of pitch you want. It can automatically throw fastballs, sinkers, curves, and sliders. The pitch speed is digitally displayed and adjustable from 40 to 90 mph in five-mph increments, and it takes just 30 seconds to change pitches. Additionally, the baseball is visible from the time it leaves the feeder’s hand until it is pitched, allowing hitters to more naturally time the pitches. The TriplePlay uses a three-wheel pitching mechanism for greater accuracy. Two large transport wheels make the TriplePlay easy to move. It can be purchased for $2,895. Circle No. 553

800,000 Teeth are Knocked Out Each Year During Sports! Protect Your Athletes!

l View the complete product lines of companies listed. l View catalog pages or spec sheets from many of the top companies. l Read a profile or description of select companies. l Send an e-mail directly to a supplier or make a request to be contacted by a company representative. l Request catalog and sales literature from companies.

AthleticBid.com is a free service to help buyers at schools and athletic organizations contact many companies in the most efficient fashion to request product specs and pricing information. It used to take hours to contact dozens of companies to research products and plan purchases. With AthleticBid.com, it now only takes minutes. See for yourself why more than 13,000 unique users each month rely on

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Save-A-Tooth gives you time to treat more serious injuries and get athletes to the dentist or emergency room. Call (888) 788-6684 or visit www.Save-A-Tooth.com for more information Circle No. 140

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Star user to upload team schedules for home games directly to the officials’ assignors. The officials’ assignors who

California University of Pennsylvania has helped build the character and careers of its students for more than 150 years. Cal U’s dedication to providing high-quality, in-demand programs to its students continues through the University’s Global Online 100-percent online programs of study. Through an asynchronous format, Global Online allows students the opportunity to complete coursework anytime, anywhere. All that’s required is a computer with Internet access. Go online for more information. Circle No. 554 K&K Insurance Group 800-426-2889 www.kandkinsurance.com Insurance isn’t expensive—it’s priceless. Protect your organization with coverage from K&K insurance, including programs designed for sports camps and clinics, youth and adult teams, leagues and associations, and coaches and instructors. K&K’s emergency claim service is available 24/7, and credit card options make payment easy. One client says: “Just a note of thanks for your patience and incredible customer service.” Another writes: “Really impressed with your service and great attitude.” Circle No. 555

use TheArbiter.net will have schedules and schedule changes transferred to them directly from Schedule Star. Go to ScheduleStar.com, sign in, and click on “Utilities” to get started today. Circle No. 557 HighSchoolSports.net 800-258-8550 www.HighSchoolSports.net The Coaches Clipboard on HighSchoolSports.net has free tools for coaches to showcase their teams all in

one location. Athletic directors can save time and assign coaches the tools they need to stay ahead of the game. Add, postpone, or cancel events and practices, enter scores and stats, access your roster, and get cumulative player and team stats—all on HighSchoolSports.

net. Go to HighSchoolSports.net and click on “Coaches Login” to start saving time today. Circle No. 558 Extra Innings 978-762-0448 www.eifranchise.com www.extrainnings.us Extra Innings is the nation’s premier indoor baseball and softball training center. Each location offers year-round indoor practice facilities for ballplayers of all ages and ability levels, professional instruction, and a nationally recognized Pro Shop that carries the top names in equipment and apparel at the lowest advertised prices. Do you love baseball or softball? Want to run your own business? Then play ball with Extra Innings. Visit the company online today to learn more about this winning franchise opportunity. Circle No. 559

Save-A-Tooth® 888-788-6684 www.save-a-tooth.com Without proper care, a knocked-out tooth begins to die in 15 minutes. The SaveA-Tooth emergency tooth preserving system utilizes Hank’s Balanced Salt Solution (HBSS) to not Untitled-13 1 only preserve, but also reconstitute many of the degenerated cells. Use to Maintain, The patented basket and net container Restore & Build are designed to protect tooth root cells. Infields! This is the only system that keeps tooth cells alive for up to 24 hours. Circle No. 556

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Infield Drag

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Heying Co. 515 6th Ave. Alton, IA 51003 Ph. (712) 756-8847 Circle No. 142 CoachingManagementOnline.com Untitled-8 1

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EXTRA INNINGS

CONTINUED ON… CoachesNetwork.com There’s no offseason in coaching, so Coaching Management keeps the information ﬂowing all year long on our Web site: www.CoachesNetwork.com. Here’s what you will ﬁnd when you visit.

Coaching Videos: Open and Close: ABCA Hall of Fame Inductee Jerry Weinstein offers a pair of drills designed to keep pitchers from opening up too soon.

Aiding Agility Working with agility ladders can help your players improve their quickness on both offense and defense.

More Articles: Weekly and archived articles designed to help you in your job. Coaching Life

Injury Prevention Student-Athlete Welfare Strength & Conditioning

Setting clear roles is one of the keys to dealing with parents. Just because the game or practice hasn’t started, doesn’t mean your players are immune from injury. When athletes want to play two sports in one season.

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