The Day After

A college baseball season, unless your team plays in the National Championship game, just ends.  You don't expect it to end because you anticipate winning every time the team steps on the field.  You expect to win and advance, but when that doesn't happen and you are a day away from a chance at advancing to the World Series, all of a sudden the season is over.  You shower and get on the bus, and when you get home and wake up the next day, there is nothing you have planned, because the plan was to win and play again another day.

So the next day becomes a day to reflect on the season.  What do I need to do better?  How can I do that better?  How can we do a better job at getting leadoff batters out? Can we get more double play balls early in the count? What do we do to attack the running game better?  How do we avoid giving up 0-2 hits next season?  What sort of drills or mental training can help us to take care of damage control more effectively?  Can we do a better job of mentoring our upperclassmen so they can be better leaders for the young guys?  Did we do enough over the years to help the graduating seniors be prepared for their next roles?  Did we prepare the younger players to expect to play for a National Title next year?

How do I improve at communicating to all the players, not just the ones who give me genuine feedback, but also to the players who are more challenging to communicate with?  How can I help them all to improve each day, and to be aware of their strengths and weaknesses?  How can we get each guy to give 100%, 100% of the time?  How can we do a better job of coaching in practice so that the guys are so prepared for and need very little guidance in pressure game situations?

We accomplished a lot again this year at Adrian College, and all of our players are to be congratulated!  Our seniors won championships in each of their four years and the program has won five consecutive league championships, including the first two conference tournament championships in league history.  The team has advanced to NCAA Regional competition in eight out of the last nine years, including one trip to the World Series.

When you experience success, you want more.  It is important though, to appreciate and enjoy success, analyze what you are doing right, and improve some things that need to be improved.  We all know that each player can improve himself through off season strength and conditioning, and they can make improvements in the mental and emotional aspects of being athletes on their own during the summer, on their own during the fall and winter, and with teammates throughout the year.  Coaches are no different.  We need to get better at many things as well.  Learning the game, understanding the players, knowing the opponents, setting our egos aside, continually trying to become more selfless, etc.

When we all do what we can do to improve, the team and the entire program also gets better.

I want to congratulate the graduating seniors for their enormous successes, and thank them for their selflessness, and encourage the returning guys to check that mirror daily and take this another couple steps in 2014.  I am forever grateful to be able to have so many outstanding young men who share their success and passion with me.

Peak in May

The post-season is here.  This is what we have practiced for and visualized since we exited the Regional Tournament last year.  During my years as a head coach, I had a sign in my office that said, "Peak in May," and that is an important thing to try to do when a team has the privilege of playing in the post-season.

During winter practices (and several times in the spring) I repeat to the pitchers each year that we have to go from point A to point B, and during the steady uphill climb to point B there will be some peaks and valleys.  This is a year that as an entire team we have gradually improved from the first week of March until now.  Our offense, defense, and pitching have all gotten better throughout the season, as has our awareness of game moments.

Our last couple of weeks were very good, and though we are the number two seed entering the MIAA Tournament, in tying with Hope College for the conference championship we have now won five consecutive MIAA regular season championships.  That is an accomplishment that none of us take for granted.  Now, it is a privilege to again compete for the MIAA Tournament Championship and the honor of advancing to another NCAA DIII Regional Tournament.

In order to achieve our next goal, we have to do several things.  As a pitching staff, I'll repeat what our pitchers hear several times each week.  We have to throw first pitch strikes, get leadoff batters out, close out innings, manage damage control effectively, attack the running game, and give our team a chance to win.  There is no reason not to believe that one of our pitchers will be on the hill getting the last out of the tournament on Friday!! If we can imagine it, it can happen.

Of course, there is more to winning the next championship besides the goals of our pitching staff.  We know that our hitters are going to get more at bats in these nine inning games against quality teams than they did in the seven inning games during our conference season.  We also know that our hitters are going to enter each game with the confidence of champions, because that is what they are.

In winning any kind of championship in the post-season, the athletes must believe in themselves and believe in each other.  In addition, it is important for each individual player to check his thoughts, to make sure that any thoughts this week about themselves on the field, their teammates on the field, and the performance of the team are positive thoughts.  Practicing positive thinking and positive body language are crucial, especially when the potential for intense game situations in the post-season can possibly bring a little more stress to each pitch and each inning.

Ultimately, our players know that they have been there before, whether it was this season, in previous seasons, or in their visualization, and they have executed successfully and come out as champions when they have kept each other united.

I have already been picturing the field in Holland, Michigan, the green grass, and the confident demeanor of our players as they focus, execute, and compete for 250 or so pitches each game.  When we visualize success in crucial situations, it is easy to execute it again on the field.  I love seeing our guys walking like champions!