GT Athletic Consulting and Baseball Instruction

GT Athletic Consulting and Baseball Instruction

Adrian, Michigan

Gordie Theisen

Current Pitching Coach at Adrian College (since 2005)

Previously Head Baseball Coach at Siena Heights University (1988-2003)

gtathletic@hotmail.com

517-605-1263

Instruction in hitting and pitching

50 minutes = $35

End of fall ball, beginning of 8 more months

A week and a half ago we finished our fall baseball season.  We spent four weeks trying to evaluate, teach, and improve so that the Adrian College Bulldogs can get started on a quest to win a fifth straight MIAA Championship.  No championship is a given; none come easy.  A championship has never been won on paper or based on rosters.  Championships are not given to the most talented teams, the strongest teams, the biggest teams, or the fastest teams.

Championships are earned through a combination of ingredients.  Some of those ingredients have to do with physical preparation, others have to do with the development of championship attitudes, and some are related to the ability of the athletes to make sacrifices for their teammates.  The ability to learn, develop consistency in execution and effort, overcome adversity, and improve at selflessness will go a long way in helping a team become champions.

For our team, the last four championships are in the past. The 2013 college baseball season is the one that our players have been preparing for, and last year's great season can help give us the confidence that we can do it again, but it gives us no guarantees.  Other teams in our conference also have their sights winning the MIAA Championship, and teams throughout the Great Lakes Region hope to advance to the Regional Tournament and win that to advance to the DIII World Series.

Every team in the country is working hard to achieve team goals and win championships.  Many teams have enough talent to win championships.  Hundreds of teams believe they work harder than every other team out there.  Lots of teams will have players with tremendously unselfish attitudes.  There will be plenty of teams whose players remain disciplined for the next several months.  Dedicating each day to improvement is a challenge for all college student-athletes, and it takes the consistent motivation of teammates to help each individual to become the best teammate he can be.

Our team can be the team that represents the conference in the post-season, but it has to be earned for 168 hours of every week from now until Memorial Day.  Players should be able to see the big picture, and at the same time have the self-discipline to sweat the small stuff, every day, and never ever let their teammates down.

Summer Forever at the Little League World Series

This past week I spent two fantastic days in Williamsport, Pennsylvania watching the Little League World Series and experiencing all of its surroundings.  Earlier in the summer, Eric and I had talked about the possibility of going there, and when we each had a couple of rare free days, we hopped in the car and took off.  We also took Devon Roberts with us.  Devon is the ten year old son of some friends, and he seems to love baseball as much as Eric and I do.

We left early Tuesday morning and arrived at the LL complex in the 4th inning of an historic game, even though it was a consolation game.  The team from Uganda won the game 3-2 over Gresham, Oregon as we watched from the famous hill on the other side of the right-center field fence.  It was the first victory ever for a team from the Middle East-Africa (MEA) in the LLWS.  We worked our way into some sixth row seats for the next game, which was a 6-2 Mexico victory over Curacao, then got even closer, just behind the parents of the Petaluma, California team for their 5-0 elimination game win over Fairfield, Connecticut.

On Wednesday we visited the LLWS Museum for a while, bought some t-shirts to bring home, and then got into the stadium early enough to sit one row behind the parents of the Panama team as their boys played in the winner's bracket game against Japan.

I can't say enough how this experience was more fun than I imagined it to be and even better than what it appears to be on television.  The enthusiasm that can be felt throughout the stadium and around the entire LLWS complex is electric and as genuine as I have ever experienced.  I am now wondering why it took me 54 years to get there.  I know that Eric and Devon enjoyed it as much as I did.  Next time we'll have to take Tess with us!!!!

Watching the teams do their pre-game warmups and taking infield-outfield was great, even though those are things that Eric and I see almost daily in our lives.  One of the most impressive things was the way the Japanese kids took their pre-game infield and the way they ran off the field into the dugout after the third out was made each inning, making sure the game ball was properly placed on top of the pitcher's mound for their opponents.

It is hard not to cheer for all of the kids, but to be sitting in the midst of their parents and family members was awesome!  As I write this here in my living room, I am watching the International Championship game between the two teams we saw on Wednesday, Japan and Panama!  Seeing the close-up shots of the Panamanian parents brings me right back to the stadium!!!

"Panchalo! Panchalo!"

The end is only a new beginning

The more years I spend coaching, the more often I am able to remind myself of the many reasons I love coaching.  Way back in the spring of 1979 there was one moment that led me to decide that I wanted to spend my adult life in coaching, but little did I know back then that there were more benefits to coaching than just enjoying the moments on the field or court.

This summer and my experience with the Adrian Post 275 American Legion team provided me more than just fun on the field.  There was more to it than watching these 16-19 year old athletes compete in games for a couple months.  There was more to it than winning games and championships.  There was certainly more to it than telling players to go out there and give a complete effort.  And there was more to it than just being a part of a successful team.

It was a privilege for me to be involved with these young athletes who were eager to improve, who were eager to learn more, and were excited about the achievements of their teammates.  When the season ended on Monday, just a day before the potential flight to North Carolina for the American Legion World Series, there was nobody in that dugout who was ready for the season to end......just as it should be.

These players made gradual improvements all throughout the season.  They understood that they should improve every day, and they did so, not only in their individual baseball skills, but also in their understanding of game situations and in their abilities to play their roles for the benefit of their teammates.

Each guy understood that he was not as big as the team, and that each of his teammates also had the same understanding.  Each guy put the team in front of himself, and thus made the team much better as each week and each tournament passed.

I saw them improve, I saw their passion for playing a boy's game, I saw their love for their teammates, and I felt the joy of victory and the heartbreak of a season's end.  I felt all the things that make coaching such a fabulous way to spend my entire adult life.

Congratulations to the players of Adrian Post 275 American Legion.  Thanks to their parents, to Dave Stanifer and Don Cappelletty for allowing me to be a part of it.  I have gotten back more than I have given.....trust me on that!!

Legion National Regional Tournament

Today I'm sitting in a hotel room in Midland, Michigan, waiting out the rain during the American Legion National Regional Tournament.  Day 1 was yesterday, and we defeated the Moline (IL) Legion team by a score of 4-1 with Andrew Wood on the mound to put us in the winner's bracket and assure that we play at least two more games.

Our M.O. yesterday was similar to what got us through the State Tournament last weekend undefeated.  Offensively, we again got key hits with runners on base.  As a matter of fact, after the Moline left handed pitcher threw a perfect first four innings, we erupted with all four of our runs and all six of our hits in the bottom of the fifth.  I don't know the specific statistics from our last couple of weeks, but it seems like most of our runs have been scored by getting hits with two outs and runners on base.  Credit goes to our hitters, who have obviously been thriving in those situations.

On the mound, Wood did what most of our pitchers have been doing lately.  He gave up only four hits, one of which was a home run.  Due to rainy weather, the tournament committee made adjustments yesterday and decided to use two fields and play 7-inning games rather than 9-inning games.  We ended up playing at Bullock Creek High School, where only the short porch in left field prevented our left fielder Marcell Grayer from having room to catch it.  As was the case last week, again our defense was great!

Andrew threw 84 pitches, which meant he averaged 12 pitches per inning, the exact average he had in game one of the State Tournament last week.  He threw his fastball and changeup for strikes, and only needed about a half dozen breaking balls to basically own the State Champions from Illinois, who came into the game with a 43-6 record.

As for today, I've got no problem with waiting out the weather.  I'm pretty certain that the weather is out of our control, so when the time comes, we can head out to the field and try to win our next game to advance further in the winner's bracket.  The Olympics are on television and I have my Kindle, Galaxy II cell phone, and laptop to chill with.

In the meantime, hopefully the players are relaxing and continuing to visualize being successful on the field.  They have played their best at the most important time of the season.  I can't ask for anything more from them!!!

Walk like a Champion

As I continue to grow in age, it becomes easier for me to be reminded that I am so fortunate to be able to enjoy all the things I do on a daily basis.  This weekend I am so grateful to have been involved in something very special.  As a coach who is lucky to spend my free time with young guys who love playing baseball, I thoroughly enjoyed being a part of the 2012 State Championship with the Adrian Post 275 American Legion team.

As hosts of this year's State Tournament, we were able to sweep through the state tournament and beat the Midland Berryhill team twice to earn the championship and an automatic bid to the National Regional in Midland next week.  The Adrian team hasn't won the state title since 2001, and I was present in 2002 when they lost to Midland in the title game in Menominee, Michigan in the Upper Peninsula when my son Eric and his teammates completed a great season.

This weekend's tournament victory was simply a joy to be involved with.  Dave Stanifer and the Tournament Committee, as always, went above and beyond with their preparations and execution of providing a fabulous tournament atmosphere for all of the six teams involved.  There is a tremendous amount of selflessness involved with Dave and his staff in performing so many tasks that often go unnoticed.

What gives me the greatest joy though, is the performance of the players with whom I am fortunate enough to share the dugout.  This team has earned a 29-10 record after beginning the season making about two mental errors per inning (that's roughly how I remember that first weekend) back in June.  As individuals and as a team, these guys have gradually improved from game to game and week to week.

They seem to have bought into the idea that a baseball season should be a gradual climb from point A to point B, with some peaks and valleys that undoubtedly occur during the season.  They are now peaking and playing their best baseball when it really matters the most, in the post-season.

This weekend's play was highlighted by some timely hitting, especially by hitters near the bottom of the batting order.  In addition, they played great defense and had outstanding pitching.  In three nine-inning games, the pitchers averaged 11 pitches per inning.  That is a tough enough task for one guy to accomplish in one well pitched game, but to have a staff of pitchers do so for an entire tournament is indeed a great accomplishment.

As a coach, there were two major highlights to the weekend.  The first one was the performance of Phil Carey, a 2014 Tecumseh High School player, who was almost perfect in throwing a one-hitter against Midland on Friday night.  Phil gave up a ground ball single on the first pitch of the fourth inning, and then allowed only one walk to a hitter with one out in the 9th inning.  It almost seemed to be cheating to watch him carve up the Berryhill hitters.  Phil was named the tournament MVP yesterday!!

The other highlight was to see and feel the sense of happiness, satisfaction, and pride in the fifteen players.  They don't even have to tell anybody.......they are champions, forever!!!

As for me, I am grateful, as always!!

In game dugout lessons

I'm sure coaching is similar to other professions, in that so much of what we learn is through our interaction with others in the same field.  Though I may have heard earlier in my career as either a teacher or a coach, I remember an outstanding coach, Lance Hershberger of Indiana Tech, telling me about trying to get his guys to understand that coaching is a negative business.  In other words, athletes often need to be told about their mistakes so they can work on limiting them in the future.

I think that most good coaches are not only good teachers, but they are also pretty competitive people. Sometimes during competitive situations coaches expect their athletes to understand situations and execute according to what they have been previously instructed.  Unfortunately, especially for younger athletes who are still learning from new experiences, they repeat mistakes enough times that it becomes the mistakes that ultimately teach the lessons.

The fact that athletes can and do learn from their mistakes of understanding and execution does not eliminate the idea that correction from coaches isn't helpful, but as I have to remind myself sometimes, the way that the corrections are made during intensely competitive situations is in control of us coaches.

For coaches as well as athletes then, controlling our emotions......not allowing our emotions to control us, is a constant skill to try to improve!

Unposted from archives?

Eighteen games into the MIAA schedule we are now 17-1, with ten games left to play.  Half of our four game series against Hope College was postponed due to Friday's weather, and those games will be made up on May 10th.  Though I was hoping we would play last Friday, now we will be able to use six different starting pitchers on that last week (Friday, Saturday, Tuesday) and thus have some more of our pitchers prepared for the Regional Tournament.

Though we still can't count our chickens before they hatch and we can't take a Regional appearance for granted, our practice of believing in ourselves gives us the opportunity to visualize the regionals already.  Our closest competitor in the loss column is Kalamazoo College at 9-7, and the next best team in the win column is Calvin College at 12-8.  We play our Kalamazoo series in two weeks, and we have already played Calvin.

Early in the season, or actually in the pre-season, I had the pitchers use visualization while we practiced inside.  For the returning players, I told them to envision being on the mound at Marietta College's field.  That is where the Mideast Regional tournament was last year and again next month that will be the site.  All of the players who played last season in that tournament are able to visualize themselves being successful on Marietta's field, and that can only help us when we get there.

Again though, we still have to take care of business in our last ten games.  Yesterday we swept Hope, throwing another shutout in game #1, which gives our pitching staff eight shutouts in our 18 conference games, and seven shutouts in our last twelve games.  That is an indicator that we are continuing to improve, but we have to keep reminding our guys that no matter how well we have been playing, there are still mistakes made that we can learn from and thus make ourselves a better team.

The luxury that a team has when it is playing well is that in trying to improve on weaknesses, or mistakes, it is easier to pick out those mistakes after games because there aren't as many of them as in a poorly played game.  In providing feedback after a bad game, there are often so many mistakes to try to hash out and then some of them can unfortunately be overlooked.  After well played games, we can look at the mistakes we made and spend some time in dialogue as well as in practice to try to take care of those situ

Causes of flare-up?

I've been procrastinating on this, but I want to put into writing some of my internal questions regarding the possible reasons for my recent flare-up.

I wonder what brought it on, or whether it was a combination of things or just something that was eventually going to happen.  After all, I did go two complete years without a flare-up after my diagnosis and two week hospital stay back in May of 2010.

So, was I drinking too much coffee?  Did I eat too many fresh fruits (blueberries, strawberries, blackberries) this summer?  I had abstained from corn on the cob so far!!

Was it because I drank a few beers and a few shots on Thursday night and then four more beers on Friday night?  I generally drink a few beers perhaps 2-3 times per month.  The flare-up began Monday night, three days after Friday night.  Or how about eating Mexican food on Friday night?

Was it caused by independently decreasing my medication by 33% over the past handful of months.  I'm pretty sure the doctors know their stuff better than I know their stuff.

Or what about the 'protein' shake I drank a couple days prior to the flare-up?  Is something like that too high fiber for my large intestine?  Perhaps it isn't a coincidence that I had been eating sunflower seeds in the dugout this season, for the first time in about ten years or so.

How about taking some occasional Tylenol (Acetaminophen) whenever I had a little headache, although the last time would have been at least 3-4 weeks prior to the flare-up.

Was I eating too many high fiber foods in the past few months?  Things such as wheat breads, granola bars, cereals.

Whatever it was, perhaps we will never find out for sure.  Perhaps future flare-ups will occur regardless of how carefully I stick to the prescribed diet and regimen.  I am glad to be off of the blood thinning drugs now, though.  I am not so afraid of being hit in the head by a bat or ball now, though I'm sure it would still leave a mark......may provide me with more sense, too!!!

American Legion Baseball Post-Season

After having to miss a weekend of Post 275 American Legion baseball I was more than happy to be able to be at the Zone Tournament the past couple days at River Valley High School in Three Oaks, MI.    Since we are hosting next week's State Tournament, we automatically qualify to compete in it, but as a team we want to earn our way there.  The top two teams in this Zone Tournament qualify.

We assured ourselves a spot by winning our first two games on Friday, thus forcing the other teams to battle for the right to play us and also qualify for the state tournament.  Due to the costs of lodging and feeding the team, the tournament committee decided on Friday night that once we were down to two teams, there would be no need to play the 'if necessary' game of the double elimination on Sunday.

I made sure to let the powers-that-be know that I disagreed with that decision.  They called it a 'meaningless' game.  We all have our own interpretation of the word meaningless.  To them, since the two teams had already been determined, there was no point in playing an extra championship game and spending extra money.  But to me, from a coaching perspective, there are numerous reasons to play that final championship game.

First of all, I think we are doing both teams a disservice by not playing, as an extra game of competition can only help both of the Zone's representatives prepare some more for the state tournament.  Players and teams improve by playing.  In addition, in looking at our team specifically, we have a pitcher who will be a 2014 high school graduate who hasn't pitched in two weeks.  He is also a potential college pitcher, and he is now denied an opportunity to pitch, potentially in front of a few college coaches.  And it isn't just the opportunity to see this one kid, but two entire teams of potential college players are denied the opportunity.

We will be playing next week, as will the Berrien Springs team, but both squads were denied an opportunity to not only prepare more for the state tournament, but also to improve in a big game situation.  The same scenario occurred last year in our Zone Tournament.

The American Legion Baseball Administrators have clung to some old-school values, which is a good thing.  But they have also created situations that has caused a drop in the number of teams and quality players who choose to play Legion Baseball in various regions and states across the country.  When I first became a college coach in the late 1980s, most of the top players in our state were playing Legion baseball.  Today, there are only a few geographic areas of the state that attract the best local players to Legion Baseball.

Personally, I think some input from 'baseball' people would do some good for the players and administrators of American Legion Baseball.

Recalling Undergrad Classes

I know the subtitle of the blog says something about a journey through a baseball season, but that was a couple seasons ago and so I am deciding, for the moment anyway, to add some thoughts outside of baseball....because I can.

This morning I was a little light-headed for the first couple hours at school, but as the day continued I felt as though I had more energy than I did yesterday.  I had a hitting/pitching lesson with a ten year old, had a nice workout at the Y, and then did some grocery shopping, came home and made some dinner for Eric and myself.

At the grocery store I ran into and said hello to Spencer Bennett, a retired History/Social Science professor from Siena Heights University.  As a social Science major during my undergrad years, I had the opportunity to have a handful of classes with Spencer.  I'm pretty sure the first one was a class titles 'Popular Culture in the US'.  I remember having an assignment requiring us to go to downtown Detroit and watch a movie that had just come out that was called 'The Buddy Holly Story.'  Since then the movie has been on television countless times and I always watch at least a little bit of it if I've got nothing else going on.  I still love to hear many of the Buddy Holly (and the Crickets) that were featured in that soundtrack.

I remember another time, during my senior year of college, when I missed a test in Spencer's American History class on a Friday morning.  I was prepared and I knew the information and would have probably scored well on the test.  My roommate, JD, was also taking that class, and we always studied for the tests together on the morning of the tests.  JD took the test and earned a 'B' I think.  He was a business major and was taking the course as an elective.  I went to Spencer's office to explain that I was sorry for missing the test and that I would take the test if he would give me the opportunity.  He told me to forget about it, that he knew I would have done fine, and allowed me to slide by without penalty for missing it.  Needless to say, JD wasn't please with either me or Professor Bennett!!  I have seen Spencer a number of times at the YMCA over the past few years.  I am thankful for so many people like him!  He was an extremely intelligent man who enjoyed his job and had a great sense of humor!

Anyway, I do feel much better tonight, though I'll probably get to sleep earlier than normal.  On to what I hope will be a speedy recovery from the scary flare-up of last week.

My kids are both awesome!!

Second Home

Today was to be a day full of work, a YMCA workout, and then coaching a doubleheader in the evening.  Our summer school days end at 1:30, and by about noon I was dragging and just about out of energy.  I decided to skip my Y workout and try to nap a bit before our games, and what a great choice that was.  I ate some good food and napped at home and barely got to the game before the first pitch was thrown.

I must say it was great to get back into the dugout, but I also wasn't as involved as I normally am.  I let the catchers call the pitches and I basically hung out at the front corner of the dugout with no responsibilities other than teaching situational things, attitudes, and the other normal things that coaches must do during games to help their teams and players make improvements.

I'm home now, but I need some sleep.  I know my body needs to get back to full strength again and I guess it will tell me when to rest......hopefully I will listen!!

We did win two games to bring our season record to 24-9, which so far is progress from last year's 21-19 finish.  Most of all, I felt at home in the dugout, which probably really is my second home!

Coming to

So, today I went back to work after having last week off due to a flare-up of my colitis.  I've got to admit, this time it attacked me like a tornado.  Without warning, I had significant rectal bleeding Monday night and Tuesday morning.  While getting ready for work Tuesday morning I fainted twice on the toilet and fell off, then twice more in shower--one time falling completely out of the shower and another time falling in the shower.  I called my daughter Tess, and she told my ex-wife Vicki, who picked me up to take me to the ER at Bixby Medical Center.

Each time I 'came to' after fainting, I was immediately confused about where I was and also felt like I had been in a fight.  Since I have been on blood thinners for two years, those falls could have resulted worse than what happened.  They did a Cat Scan and found no bleeding in my brain, thankfully.  Steroids and other drugs in the hospital got my colon functioning closer to normal, and I only needed to spend three nights there before coming home.

I spent my weekend in recovery at home, watching a lot of the British Open Golf and Major League Baseball on television and spending some nice time with both of my kids in the evenings. I missed our Legion (Adrian Post 275) team's District Tournament, but we swept through it to qualify for next week's Zone Tourney.  I am truly thankful and lucky for so many of God's Blessings, most notably the people with whom He has allowed me to be with.

Today I went back to work, though it was an easy day.  Jason Boring and I had to pick Sammy up at his house in Tecumseh, bring him to the Hope Center, work on his goals, and we even to take him to the Lenawee County Fair.  I haven't been to that fair in a few years, and we went before it was too crowded and hot.  I appreciate the willingness of Jason to do most of the physical work, pushing Sam's wheelchair around the Fairgrounds.

Though I did get tired kinda easily, I came home, ate lunch, had a decent workout at the YMCA of Lenawee, and then came home to read, shower, make dinner, etc.  Being back to work is a blessing, and so are the people in my life.

I'm trying to become better at being me and understanding my body.  More to come later.  Thanks for taking a few minutes to read about me!

Observing the mental game

Today is basically the last day of my stay-at-home recovery from this past week's flare-up.  I am reminded of my initial bout with colitis in 2010 and my recovery at home.  At that time my hospital stay was fourteen days and my at home recovery was virtually all summer.  This time I only spent three nights in the hospital and am now in my third day at home, thankfully.

Each time I returned home from the hospital I have been able to relax and watch major sporting events on television as a doze off and come to the realization that I don't always have to be doing something.  Two years ago, my mother-in-law Jean Murray took care of me for a week while we watched the French Open Tennis Tournament all week.  Jean is a huge tennis fan and player.  I was struck by the television broadcasters and how much they talked about the mental game during that week.  I was also able to share some mental tips with Jean's husband Mike, who was also visiting and playing rounds of golf during his week here in Adrian.

Today, during the last round of the 2012 British Open, again I can observe not only the performances of these fabulous professional athletes, but at the same time I can listen to the broadcasters and their opinions of the nerves, the mental preparation, the sleep patterns interrupted, and the emotions of the golfers.

The more I am involved in athletics and have the privilege of working with kids of many ages, I can clearly observe while watching some of the world's top athletes, that the mental game and the ability to control emotions is so vitally important to success in competitive athletics.

In saying that, I want to give a shout out to 23 year old Rick Porcello of the Detroit Tigers, who dominated the Chicago White Sox yesterday, and to the Adrian Post 275 American Legion Baseball Team, who swept through the District Tournament the last two days by allowing only three runs in three games.

Gratitude and perspective

While I spend a lot of time coaching in the summer and enjoying the game of baseball and the people around it, occasionally events outside of my own life give me the opportunity to remain grounded and grateful for all that I have.

The terrible shooting rampage at a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado could not remind us enough of how we never know which day will be our last, or when we will see our loved ones for the last time.  My own kids have been spending time with me this week while I went through a flare-up of my colitis.  I have always said that once we choose to be parents, we have chosen a new life priority.  Acting on that priority, which some may consider to be a sacrifice, is one of our greatest contributions we can make to the world around us.

Every year I come to realize more and more that God didn't put us here by ourselves.  He put us with all of His other children so that we could share His love in whatever ways we can do best.  Having gratitude for my family and friends helps me to handle any bumps (real or imagined) along my path.

My prayers go out to the families and victims in and around Aurora, Colorado.  May they feel God hold them in His hands and comfort them.

Success

So another season ended yesterday, but it's never really just another season.  It is a journey that includes so much more than competing against opponents on the field.  A season is like an adventure with a group of guys who are all in it for like reasons, to have each other's backs and to succeed in reaching common goals.

This season and this team were similar to past seasons and past teams, only different.  As is the case every year, this particular group of guys have only one year together.  Eight of them graduate and move on, and next year some new players will join the core group of returning players.  This isn't anything new; it takes place every year for every team in America.

This season was filled with success.  Some people didn't expect this team to be as good as it was, due to the graduation of several of the league's top players last year.  Personally, I expected nothing but success and expected to compete for the NCAA DIII National Championship.  The fact that we were eliminated from the Mideast Regional Tournament on Friday means that we will not win the National Championship, but by no means was the season a failure.

We can measure success in many different ways.  This was a team which was among the DIII statistical leaders in several categories, such as batting average, slugging percentage, scoring, triples, earned run average, pitchers' walks per game, and strikeout to walk ratio.  But those statistics are not what made the season a success.

Several individual team members set or broke team and MIAA Conference records as well, in hitting and pitching categories, and five guys were named to the Mideast All Region teams.  But that really isn't what made this team successful.

This year's Adrian College Baseball Team won 37 games, setting a school record and giving this senior class the most wins of any class in Adrian Baseball history.  It also won it's fourth straight MIAA regular season championship and became the first ever MIAA Conference Tournament Champions.  Successful?  Yes, but not due to on the field performance.

The great success of this squad has more to do with a group of college student-athletes who cared about the team more than they cared about themselves.  They were friends and mentors, teachers and students, companions and warriors.  They put the team ahead of themselves and nurtured positive relationships with each other.  They trusted each other and knew that when they stepped on the field for practices and games they were going to help each other improve as teammates and as players.

Most importantly, they gave everything they had for each other, and expected nothing in return.  By expecting nothing in return, they were rewarded with a lifetime of brotherhood and memories.  For that reason, they were so very successful.  I congratulate them and love them!!

On to the next task

Yesterday we won the championship in the first MIAA Baseball Tournament, earning a automatic berth into the NCAA DIII Regionals next week.  In past seasons we earned the privilege to compete in the regionals by winning our regular season championship.  Though we did win the regular season title again, we had to prove it all over again on the field this week by winning the four-team, double elimination conference tournament.  We completed the job without a loss, thanks to some fantastic execution by our hitters, defensive players, and pitchers.

Congratulations to our eight seniors, who were MIAA Champions all four years here at Adrian College!!  They are the first group to do so since some Alma College players did it back in the 1950s!!

Our players know that the season does not end here; we've still got some work to do!  We advanced to the DIII College World Series in 2008, but that was a year before these seniors put on their AC uniforms.  We now must go win a Regional Tournament, most likely in Marietta, Ohio, to advance to the CWS again.

Obviously, the regional tournament will have other championship teams trying to achieve the same goal that our team has.  One of those teams is Marietta College, the defending national champions who just won their conference tournament today.  In 2011 we played them in a doubleheader in Florida and split the two games with them, losing 3-1 and winning 2-0.

What do we have to do to continue our success in the post-season?  The answer is that we need to keep executing in the batters box, on the mound, and with our gloves.  Our plan as a pitching staff has been the same all season: throw first pitch strikes, get leadoff batters out, throw to the bottom of the strike zone, and successfully manage damage control.  The pitchers know that this team's offense is going to put some runs on the scoreboard, and that always takes some pressure off of the defense and pitching.

Our team is among the DIII national leaders in some statistical categories as we prepare for the regionals.  Among those categories are slugging percentage, batting average, runs per game, triples, earned run average, walks allowed per game, and strikeout to walk ratio.  With some of those categories, the keys to success have so much to do with taking care of the little things and focusing on the task at hand.  Once we take care of the task at hand, we can focus on the next one.  One pitch at a time, on batter at a time, one inning at a time, and one game at a time.

We call that Business as Usual.

Before I finish this, I want to give a proud shout out to my Alma Mater and former team, the Saints of Siena Heights University, who won the WHAC Tournament and advanced to the semi-finals in the opening round of the NAIA National Tournament.  Congrats to Coach John Kolasinski, his staff and all the players.  In addition, continued good luck to our former AC coaches Luke Harrigan and Xander Younce, who are currently in their third game of the WVIAC Tournament.

The privilege of coaching

I am using this blog post to remind my brothers and sisters out there who volunteer to coach youth teams how important it is to put the kids first and foremost every time you step on the field, court, or diamond.  Later this week I will update the blog about the past couple weekends of the Adrian College Baseball Bulldogs.  I spend a little time working with kids and coaches in our local communities. Below is a reminder I recently sent to many of or great community volunteer coaches:

Since many teams are now beginning to play games and compete in tournaments, especially in the pre-high school age groups, I thought it might be an appropriate time to remind coaches what a great privilege it is to have the opportunity to be a leader of young athletes.

 

The position of coach rates right up there with parents, teachers, and clergy members.  We sometimes need to be reminded that with this privilege comes responsibility that is bigger than the idea of winning games.  As a matter of fact, if we win games but are not outstanding role models then we haven’t really won at all.

As we head onto the softball and baseball fields each day it would be a good idea to take a silent moment to have a some self-reflection and remember that the children we work with are the main priorities.  Each individual athlete is more important than the outcome of any game, tournament, or season.  If we let one kid down, or fail to live up to the words we have spoken to them, or contribute to damaging their self image and self worth in any way, any championships won will be shallow and pointless.

Each of us has a life outside of coaching.  We have families at home and professional responsibilities at work.  We often have stressful circumstances at home and work that can result in heavy burdens as we go from one place to the next and put on our coaching hats in place of the other hats we wear away from coaching.  Though it can sometimes be difficult to leave the thoughts of those stressors behind, the clay-like psyches of the kids we work with are so important to take care of.

I first started coaching in the late 1970s and haven’t stopped.  I have been guilty at times of carrying my own frazzled self into the coaching arena and acted unreasonably toward the athletes and toward the sport itself.  That was an unfair and selfish thing for me to do.  As we gain in experience and maturity it usually becomes easier to understand that our young athletes are always the number one priority in our coaching situations.  As the saying goes, kids don't care how much you know until they know how much you care!

Take care of yourself, check your thoughts, clear your mind, and love the kids you coach!!

The climb to the peak

Now that we have the first two MIAA series under our belts, we have opportunities to continue to evaluate how we are pitching and try to tweak some things so that we can gradually make improvements during the season.  One goal that we occasionally talk about is that the season isn’t a sprint, and that we want to get better every day and thus be playing our best baseball in May when we get nearer to the post-season.

This year will be a first for us in the MIAA, as there will be a four team, double elimination tournament after the regular season ends.  For us at Adrian, having won the regular season championship the last few years and thus qualifying for the NCAA DIII Regionals, we now have to prove our mettle in the MIAA Tournament if we want to assure ourselves a spot in the Regionals.  I like the idea of a conference tournament, as there will now be very meaningful games (with post-season implications) played for everyone throughout the entire conference schedule.

With the idea that we will likely play again against our conference opponents in the MIAA Tournament, becoming familiar with their strengths and weaknesses is a given, but even more important than understanding the tendencies of our opponents is to get better at the things we do.

Some of the things we have discussed as a pitching staff in the last couple of weeks are things we have made improvements in.  As a staff in general, we are doing a better job of throwing to the bottom of the strike zone.  It is still important to make progress in that area, especially when there are runners on base. A location mistake up in the strike zone can lead to a run or two allowed, and in a conference that so far in 2012 has been littered with low scoring games, the fewer times we make mistakes up in the strike zone the better chance we have of putting zeros on the scoreboard for our opponents.

One of the points of emphasis for the next couple of weeks now are to continue to be aggressive in the strike zone early in the count.  We have only walked nine batters in our first eight league games, and one reason for that is that we have done a pretty good job of getting ahead of hitters early in the count.  When we get ahead in the count, it becomes easier to force the hitters to expand the hitting zone and make them hit pitchers’ pitches, thus hopefully hitting more balls away from the barrel of the bat.

In addition, we are trying to do a better job of attacking the opponent’s running game, not only by utilizing our pickoffs, but also by working on having quicker feet, more accurate throws, and disrupting the timing of the good, aggressive base runners.

After 18 games, we are nearly half way through our regular season schedule and over a quarter of the way through our conference schedule.  That means that we are really not even half way through with our climb to becoming as good as we can become in 2012.  Every season has high points and low points, and as we develop as a team we can improve the definition of what playing our best really means.  We haven’t yet come close to reaching our peak, but we are on our way there.

A game of inches

For many years we have heard that baseball (as well as other sports) is a game of inches.  So many parts of the game make that saying as true as true can be.  In just one game or series of games you will see many instances where in inch one way or another could have changed the outcome of a batter's turn at bat, or caused either an extension or end of an inning, and of course an inch or two can mean the difference in scoring one or even several runs.

A full count pitch with the bases loaded could appear to be an inch outside to an umpire and cause a walk and thus a run being scored, or it might be called a strike and end an at-bat or a possible big inning.  A fly ball to the fence could be just out of the reach of a defensive player and result in a big homerun, or a slightly higher fence may keep the ball in the park and thus prevent more runs from being scored.

A pitcher might miss his targeted spot by an inch or two and the result could be an rbi hit rather than a relatively easy out.  A softly hit ball may fall barely out of the reach of a fielder and allow a batter to reach base safely, and in the next at-bat the batter might hit a ball squarely with great velocity only to have it go directly to a player's glove for an out.

An inch here or there can make a batted ball be fair or foul, a pitched ball be a strike or ball, a long fly ball either a homerun or an out.

Regardless of the enormous importance of a pitcher's pinpoint control or the batter's ability to place a bunt in a specific location, perhaps the most important inches involved in a baseball game are the few inches between a player's ears.  A player can have all the ability in the world, but if he doesn't use his brain to make wise decisions and to respond to adverse circumstances in a positive, controlled manner he is going to have some difficulty getting consistently good results.

More than just the ability to make good decisions and respond to adversity positively, a baseball player must be able to approach each pitch, each play, each inning and each game with the confidence and belief that he is prepared to succeed.  Belief in one's self, which is based on positive thinking, is a pre-requisite to achieving success.  

There are many ways to develop a strong belief that one is going to help his team achieve goals.  Some people do a better job at practicing having positive self-talk than others do, some are better at visualizing successful execution, some are better than others at forgetting a previous play that had a negative result.  No matter how a player decides to create positive thoughts for himself, the more often he practices doing that the easier it will be to have great results in competitive situations, which can be stressful for athletes.

Ultimately, an athlete on a baseball field can develop the ability to improve the thoughts and thinking patterns and habits that he has during a game.  The more he chooses to check his thoughts, practice making positive statements and thoughts about himself, and visualize success, then the more he is going to help his team win games and be successful.  

Choosing to make the few inches between the ears the most important inches in a baseball game can often make the physical game of inches on the field seem like extra teammate.

Southern trip recap, moving forward

We've been back from our southern trip to Georgia and Florida for almost a week, and we've had a pretty good week of practice in preparation for next weekend's trip to northern Kentucky for a couple more games before we commence with the rest of our season here in Michigan.  Today we began our northern JV schedule with two games and we have two more JV doubleheaders the next two days.  Coach Nate Sarkissian's squad played well and won a couple games today against Muskegon Community College by scores of 3-2 and 10-0.

I have been wanting to update the blog all week to quickly recap our trip, but it seemed that every night I sat down and it wasn't long before I was looking at the backs of my eyelids.  Regardless, after a day outside in the cold wind, being in the dugout for fourteen innings has renewed the hunger for competing against other teams again.

There were a few interesting things that happened in Georgia and Florida.  We defeated the nation's #4 team (Christopher Newport University) as well as the #15 team (Piedmont College) on back to back days.  They are now ranked #3 and #10, respectively.  In Florida, we played a couple crazy games against Capital University in Port Charlotte.  On Thursday we won in eleven innings by scoring ten runs in the 11th.  Then on Friday Capital turned the tables on us and had a ten run inning of their own in coming from behind and beating us 13-10 for our only loss of the trip.

In last Saturday's game, Jason Fryman started the game by throwing nine pitches in the first inning, all strikes, and struck out all three batters.  Not a fair ball was hit in the inning.  I can't say that I recall that happening before in any of the 1200 or so college games that I have coached.

On Friday in Port Charlotte, we were able to see Michigan and Ohio State play each other and also see a few innings of the Northwestern vs. Western Michigan game.  The Buckeyes won the game 8-4.  In talking to our pitching staff, I was glad that they noticed a couple things about the DI games.  One of the things that we talk about multiple times on a daily basis is for our pitchers to try to throw their pitches on a downhill plane.  Some of them do a pretty good job of it, but some don't get on top of the ball as consistently as we would like them to.  For them to be able to visually notice the DI pitchers throwing downhill consistently was a good thing, and that served as one of our main pitching themes this week during practices.

Our players have done a pretty nice job so far, but we really do have considerable room for improvement.  We improved in the national rankings, but that doesn't mean a whole lot to me at this point in the season.  It will mean something around Memorial Day weekend if we can continue to become a better team each day and week in the next couple of months.  So far, we are doing a fair job in trying to achieve some of our pitching staff statistical goals, but we still need to get better at throwing first pitch strikes and getting leadoff batters out.  And perhaps most importantly, we must improve on taking care of damage control.

As for the trip, I'm glad I won't have to spend twenty straight hours on a bus again for a while.  I must be getting old!

Efficiency at its best

After game two of the 2012 season, we have won both of our games and are feeling pretty good this morning as we wake up and prepare for game number three.  After coming from behind to win our opener against Blackburn College in a game that we didn't play very well in, yesterday's victory against the #4 ranked team in DIII gave us an opportunity to see and feel what it is like to successfully compete against top teams.
On Sunday we had some struggles with all aspects of the game--- potching, hitting, defense and baserunning.  We fell behind 4-0 in the second inning.  To the credit of our players, nobody pressed any panic buttons and we came back to win the game 8-7.

As far as piching is concerned, we learned first hand that it isn't easy to execute pitches to close out a long inning. We threw over twenty pitches in each of our first two innings, and the difficulty of pitching well and maintaining a proper and positive demeanor when some bad luck occurs was apparent to me, especially in the second inning.

After two quick outs, Blackburn hit a bloop single, then a base hit that traveled fifty feet and then a bunt single.  A bases loaded walk resulted in a run, and some negative thinking ultimately led to two more walks before we went to the bullpen to get out of the inning.

Two senior pitchers finished the game and our offense scored plenty of runs to start the season on the right track.

Yesterday against #4 Christopher Newport University, senior Jason Fryman found himself in a pitcher's duel.  Though he hit CNU's leadoff batter, he cruised through the first three innings without allowing another baserunner.  We gave up a run after they hit two doubles in the fourth, both of which I still feel were the result of poor pitch selection by the pitching coach, whoever that clown is!!
Ultimately, Jason was so efficient and allowed only one infield hit the rest of the game and had no walks, throwing only 98 pitches in nine innings.
Last night Jason told me that on the night before, he kept visualizing the execution of all four of his pitches.  The result was really a sight to see, as almost every pitch he threw hit the spots that he was trying to hit.  He got ahead of hitters, got leadoff batters out, and competed like it was business as usual as our defense made every play and our offense scored three big runs in the 8th to secure a 3-1 victory.
This was an almost perfectly pitched game, but as good as it was, today is a new day and when we get to the park we're going to have to compete with another nationally ranked team on their home field.
We haven't made an infield error yet. With that kind of defense and a team of battlers, we're anticipating another successfully competed game today!

First pitch in one week!

We are now exactly one week from our opening game of the season.  In Demorest, Georgia next week, we (Adrian College) will play against Blackburn College on Sunday, Christopher Newport University on Monday, and Piedmont College on Tuesday.  Two of those teams are ranked in the DIII pre-season polls, so we have an opportunity to test ourselves right away.

As has been the case for a few decades for me, this is an exciting time of the year.  We have had the unusual  situation of being able to have several practices outside in February this year, so the anticipation of being able to compete against other teams in warmer weather is exciting.  In addition to our first games approaching, our good friends Luke Harrigan and Xander Younce at Alderson-Broadus College in West Virginia have played games for two weekends now and we have cheered them on from Adrian as they earned their first victory yesterday.  Next weekend they will host Hillsdale College and my son Eric Theisen and of course for me that will be a win-win situation.  I try to give each of them scouting reports on the other......right Luke????

This week in our final preparations we will continue to have our pitchers throw live to our hitters in the batting cages.  Some of the pitchers will have their mound days adjusted according to the projected pitching schedule during our first week of games, which includes seven straight days of varsity games in Georgia and Florida and an additional five days of junior varsity games.  Some of the pitchers will throw up to 90 pitches in their sessions this week, others will throw 60-80, and a few may throw multiple times this week at 20-30 pitches per session.  They know that what I am hoping for is that they will all be as close to 100% when we step on the field next weekend.

During this last week of preparation I also try to pull back the reigns a bit on their conditioning, although we still have to maintain our strength and endurance, and hopefully the pitchers will continue to get their own work done in the weight room outside of practice time.

This is also a week to remind them of some of our team pitching goals and how we can achieve those goals during each game, inning, and at-bat.  The goals are meant to help us focus on what is important for pitching success and for giving the team the best chance possible to win each game, one at a time.

A big part of achieving these goals has to do with the mental approach as individuals and as a team.  We can't underestimate the importance of confidence, body language, positive self-talk, visualizing success, and selflessness when it comes to being team players.  Trusting ourselves and our teammates and believing in each other is perhaps the most important function of winning teams, so this week there will be many reminders of the mental aspects of team play as well as being physically competent and ready to play next weekend.

Good luck to Luke, Xander, and Eric as friends battle from opposite dugouts next weekend!!!

Live pitching and living in college

We are now almost two weeks into our pre-season practices and just over two weeks from opening our season in Georgia.  I have to admit that I am pretty excited about the depth and talent that we have on our pitching staff again this year.  Even though we lost our two senior aces from a year ago, it seems like we have more depth than ever and we're going to need it to achieve our team goals.  One thing that is so true in college sports is that every team has seniors who graduate, move on, and need to be replaced.  As much as I love the guys we had last year and in so many previous years, it is important in every season to focus on the players we have now rather than the ones whose positions we are trying to fill.

In saying that, something that can be easy to forget when we get out on the field for practices and games is that the game we play is only a part of the lives of our players.  Sure, for most of them it is a big part of their lives, but as college students they often find themselves in stressful situations academically,  financially, with roommates and significant others, and with their family members.  They may have loved ones with illnesses or other hardships, sometimes have to deal with family deaths or tragedies, and of course they are still expected not only to come to practice with a focus on improving and being team players, but they re also trying to progress toward their educational goals/degrees and maintain high standards of conduct.

For many years I have tied to make the point that since our student-athletes love the sports they play, they can use their practices and games as a time to be free from the stresses of the rest of their lives.  They can spend a couple hours each day working toward team goals without worrying about the other things that may keep them pre-occupied or up at night.

As coaches, we hope that our athletes are able to use their sporting activities as a type of temporary escape from other potentially stressful situations.  At the same time, we often don't even know what those circumstances are for many of our athletes.  Additionally, we hope that the way they choose to spend their free time doesn't increase the stress in their lives, but instead that their chosen activities help to free them from an unnecessary burdens they think they must carry.

We never know for sure the burdens that may interfere with our players, or even with other people we spend time with at work and home.  All we can do is try to care and in our own ways try to show that we care.

Tomorrow we will have eight pitchers throwing 60 pitches apiece to live hitters in the batting cages.  I know they will all do pretty well, and that some of them may have some anxiety about doing it or the first time this winter.  It's just possible that any nervousness they have tomorrow will seem like nothing compared to some of the other things they deal with in their daily lives.  All I hope for is that they have fun, improve, and understand that their teammates have their backs!

"It's Time"

Tomorrow is the first day of practice for the 2012 College Baseball Season!  This is always one of the best days out of all 365 days on the calendar.  Everybody that begins a season has high hopes of team and individual success, but where there is team success, there is a tremendous amount of individual success.

Success in college athletics comes in many different ways.  In addition to the challenges of winning games and championships, relationships that develop among team members are nothing short of spectacular!  That happens as a result of team members respecting each other, caring about each other, and putting the team ahead of themselves.

When each team member can take an unselfish attitude into each day's practice and each game, and tries to be the greatest teammate he can possibly be, a team has a much better chance of achieving goals and enjoying every step in the season's journey.  Most of us coaches have certain words and phrases or ideas that we talk to our teams about regularly.  One thing I like to remind our pitchers every season is to try to give everything of themselves, and expect nothing in return. Daily attitudes similar to this among a group can lead to exciting experiences.

I can't wait to get out there for tomorrow's first practice.  As my friend, Coach Tim  Bauer would say, "It's time!!"