Jeremy Hall, assistant baseball coach
Agriculture Education Teacher
FFA Advisor
John Hardin High School
Elizabethtown, Kentucky
Twitter: @AgTeach24
The moment you first realized that you might like to make coaching part of your career: As a high school teacher I naturally like to help and guide young people. Baseball has always been a love of mine so it just sort of made sense to coach as well. I’ve always enjoyed working with young people and helping them and coaching just gave me another avenue to be involved in something I love and be able to help and work with more students than just in my classroom. I would also say that having one of my sons so heavily involved in playing baseball helped push me into it as well. I enjoy working with him and his friends as well.
Outside of mentors, talk about one way you’ve learned some aspect of coaching: Wow, so many different ways! I would say that I am a great observer. Probably the biggest way I’ve learned some different aspects of coaching has been just watching and listening to coaches I respect and look up to. I live by the saying “God gave you two eyes, two ears, and one mouth. You should watch and listen twice as much as you speak”. I honestly believe you can learn so much from a coaching aspect by just watching and listening to other coaches. There are many other ways, however, that I have learned different aspects. I am a huge fan of podcasts; I listen at my desk, in my car, while I’m making dinner, and when I lay down to get my 4-year old daughter to sleep! I’ve picked up on so much good stuff just listening to various baseball and baseball coaching podcasts. I’ve also went any coaching clinics that was near my area as well.
If you could go back to your rookie coach self and give one piece of advice, what would it be? DO NOT BEND YOUR BETTER JUDGEMENT FOR THE SAKE OF WINNING!!! My example comes from my travel ball coaching experience, not the high school side of things. The worst mistake I made as a rookie travel ball assistant coach is getting my son and I involved in a baseball group that put winning ahead of everything else with no interest in developing players or high character young men. I realized that winning wasn’t everything but the pursuit of coaching isn’t about just winning. It’s fun to win, we all want to win, but at what cost? Teaching these young men character and how to play the game the right way is more important than any trophies or rings you could receive. Thankfully we got out of that situation before my son was destroyed and my reputation was destroyed. Surround yourself with the right people and for the right reasons!!!
Best Career or work advice you have ever received? I’ll keep this answer short and simple because I think it speaks so loudly no expansion is needed! “Every day is a chance to make a difference in someone’s life, every interaction is an opportunity to lift someone up, bring them down, or do nothing at all. What is your “why” and what do you want your legacy to be?”
Your dream lunch date. One coach. Any sport. Who is it? Without hesitation it would be Nick Mingione, Head Baseball Coach at the University of Kentucky. I say Coach Minge, not because I am a huge UK fan (one of my alma maters), but because he is a man of strong faith. Like Coach Minge I am a Christian and I love the way he makes his faith such a large part of who he is and makes no apologies about it. Also it doesn’t hurt that he is a brilliant baseball mind as well! I believe he is a genuine, caring coach that really loves his players and it shows. He puts relationships with his players and preparing them to be better men, students, and players as his priority. At the end of the day, in my opinion, the best coaches focus on just that, making their players the best all around version of themselves, not just on the diamond. To be able to sit and talk with Coach Minge about his philosophy and methods would be such a blessing and awesome experience.
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