Fresh off an NCAA D2 World Series championship in Texas, West Chester‘s Jad Prachniak was exactly where you’d think he would be when I caught up with him for this interview. That’s right — recruiting. Specifically, he was sitting in his car (sweltering!) under an overpass for I-94 after completing a long day of scouting.
Couldn’t believe it is only our fourth trip to the great baseball state of Michigan! Only the fourth, but we’re making it count with someone who’s been able to sustain success for 25 years at Adrian College in Adrian, Michigan. Head coach Craig Rainey has seen an incredible run the last 15 seasons or so,
In the talent rich state of Georgia, there’s some awfully good baseball being played. Over the last 20 years there’s maybe no place that’s been winning more consistently than Columbus State University. During that span, head coach Greg Appleton has guided the Cougars to over 700 wins, three trips to the NCAA D2 World Series,
He got his start in the NCAA Division 3 ranks in New York state and jumped to the biggest of big time, landing in Clemson, South Carolina on Jack Leggett’s staff for six years. When the Leggett era ended at Clemson, Dan Pepicelli had a decision to make and it appeared that the door opened
Something special is happening in the state of Arizona. Jay Johnson came into Tempe with little on the resume that would give an indication of how things would play out. To say he’s been a pleasant surprise would be an understatement. University of Arizona baseball is on a roll in this, Johnson’s second season, and
Recruiting is a difficult proposition at best. What if I shrink your potential recruit pool exponentially? That’s what I imagine that Todd Carroll is up against at MIT. Coach Carroll, assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at one the nation’s elite academic institutions, would tell you that his task is actually made easier because of what
Next up to the plate in a long line of great coaches at Tulane University is Travis Jewett. When Rick Jones retired a few years ago after a wonderful run at Tulane, David Pierce stepped in briefly before he got plucked by Texas to replace Augie Garrido. That left Tulane in a tight spot, opening up
This week we’re back in Connecticut, talking to old friend, UConn head baseball coach, Jim Penders. We had a tremendous visit with Coach Penders back in episode 140, where he shared a lot about coaching your son and being coached by your father. Now he’s back for a long overdue part two and you won’t
Click here! Mention TOP COACH and receive 10% off your entire order at Burbank Sport Nets! This week we’re talking to Rusty Stroupe (pronounced Strap) of Gardner-Webb University in Boiling Springs, North Carolina. As we’ll find out, many things in his orbit are not pronounced the way they’re spelled (see Chair’-a-vul). Coach Stroupe is no
Click here! Mention TOP COACH and receive 10% off your entire order! You asked for it, you got it! After our first conversation with Scott Malone, we’ve got an incredible amount of feedback commenting on that episode. The Texas A&M Corpus Christi coach knows how to pack some energy into every answer. This native Texan was more than happy
There are many factors that going into being a “top coach”, but winning the College World Series in Omaha certainly doesn’t work against you. Gary Gilmore has had one busy schedule since his Coastal Carolina team won it all in Omaha last June. In fact, the weekend I ran into him at the Texas High
Wow! Need a lift this week? Perhaps you can just recharge your batteries by siphoning off some of the energy of this week’s guest, Scott Malone. If he was a player, we’d perhaps call him a high motor guy. Does that go for coaches as well? Coach Malone has been putting his energy into the
Since the dawning of the 21st Century, Kermit Smith has plied the coaching trade at NCAA D2 schools, Belmont Abbey and Lander — and, it must be added, was extremely successful, appearing in the D2 World Series on multiple occasions. That caught the attention of Appalachian State, who would love to see Coach Smith bring
Johnny Cardenas is a Texas boy and former professional ballplayer who’s sure that he’s found the right place — coaching college baseball at Stephen F Austin. He knew he could stretch the pro career out just a bit more, given primarily that he was a bilingual catcher, but he was ready to move on. After
We had such a great interview with University of Washington head coach Lindsay Meggs the first time around that we’ve invited him back for a part two. Frankly, we could have added a part three. As is the case with the baseball coaching tree, Coach Meggs has a connection to so many others in the profession, including former Top
Lindsay Meggs says he learned the most from a football coach. This California guy has learned to pick up and apply lessons learned from many sources, including guys like Joe Maddon. The University of Washington head coach says that “It’s a simple game. People have complicated it.” So from that standpoint, he likes Joe Maddon’s
Kevin Schneider has proven himself as a successful travel organization coach/administrator and high school coach — including a state championship and three consecutive city championships. Now he’s hoping to parlay that success into a run of success at the NCAA D3 level at Immaculata University. In this episode, we talk to Coach Schneider about Catholic
This is the first time we’ve presented an episode a second time. I’m often asked for episode recommendations and this is one that comes up often. Southern Maine’s Ed Flaherty is held in high regard by almost every person that’s ever meet him. One of the things you’ll quickly discover when listening to this interview
It’s got to be a dream job when a Missouri boy can land an SEC coaching job without leaving his home state. And that’s exactly what Steve Bieser did. After growing up in Missouri, playing his college ball in the state, and then spending 13 years in professional baseball, Steve Bieser got into coaching via
Skip Bertman’s name is nearly synonymous with the rise of college baseball as we know it today. What he crafted at Louisiana State University started a ripple effect through the SEC and across the nation. A fixture at the College World Series, LSU fans got so used to going to Omaha that many still go
Now that we’ve got our foot in the door in Arkansas, we plan on returning occasionally. Our trip to Arkansas this time around takes us to Pine Bluff, where we’ll talk to the head coach at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff, Carlos James. UAPB and the city of Pine Bluff have been known
We are thrilled to welcome back for a part two, the head coach at the University of San Diego, Rich Hill. In this episode, Coach Hill talks about the benefits he derived from coaching in the legendary Cape Cod League for many summers. We also talk about the value of high school baseball and summer travel (and showcase) baseball,
Much of what the University of San Diego’s head baseball coach does comes from his desire to help influence young lives, much the same as what helped him coming from a divorced home. Rich Hill has been paying it back — and forward — for nearly three decades now in a big way. Hill comes
There are just not a lot of brand new programs starting each season, but when they do, it’s fascinating to peek inside and see what all needs to be done to get the program off the ground. Today we’re talking to David Valesente, head coach of the new program at Wells College in New York
