I began working as a college baseball coach in the summer of 1987, 24 years ago. At that time, at the age of 28, I certainly didn't know what I didn't know. I still don't know what I don't know. That is a quote that my good friend Mark Merriman once told me, and I have repeated it hundreds of times since then.
One thing I have learned in the sport of baseball is the importance of pitching. In particular, each game is in one way or another determined by the two guys who oppose each other on the mound at the beginning of the game. Another thing I learned is that the results of a pitcher on any certain day are unpredictable, and I believe it is the most unpredictable thing in the sport of baseball. We can look at Major League Baseball games to figure that out. Hall of Fame bound pitchers sometimes get rocked and pulled from a game in the early innings. Occasionally an unknown guy will throw a no hitter or flirt with a perfect game and never come close to doing so again.
Our Adrian College team has started the MIAA season by winning seven of our first eight league games. We have to be careful not to feel too high about it, and by the same token we have to be cautious about having any negative thoughts about our only loss so far.
We had won our first six league games and had our #1 and #2 pitchers going in the next doubleheader against Trine University last Saturday at Trine's field. For good reason, we felt pretty confident about our chances of sweeping that doubleheader, leaving the field with an 8-0 conference record and with Coach Craig Rainey's 400th and 401st career victories.
Our two pitchers, Ryan Domschot and Dave Parytyka, were coming back on only three day's rest, perhaps for the only time this season. They both felt pretty good and had worked exceptionally hard during those three days to assure that they would be as close to 100% as possible. But again, as unpredictable as pitching is, we discovered that there are no guarantees.
Dommer gave up a single to the first batter in inning #1, then after a couple fluky kind of plays they had scored a run. The next couple innings some similar things happened and soon we were down 7-4, but still in the game. Craig Steadman, who has been tremendous out of the bullpen all season, came in and was also the victim of some unfortunate things and we ended up behind by eight runs.
The freaky types of things that happened were things like wind blown pop flys dropping in, ground balls and bunts that we didn't get outs on, and umpire's questionable calls that ultimately ended up in two of our coaches getting thrown out of the game.
One good result of that game was that I saw our pitchers return to the dugout and become the models of leadership for their teammates, not sulking but rather being supportive of their teammates for the rest of the day. That is important for any athlete in any sport!
We ended up winning game two even though we gave up runs in similar style as game one, in addition to allowing the first home run hit against us since opening day in February. We also hit our first three home runs of the season and got back to our winning ways.
The last two days we have played three jv games, with some pretty good pitching being displayed in those. We threw seven shutout innings out of nine on Monday, and then yesterday we had guys go deep into games and pitch effectively throughout. This is an indication that our entire pitching staff continues to make progress, and the younger position players are learning how to compete and win close games. Those are invaluable experiences for any athlete.
Although I was not expected to be in uniform for our jv games, I have donned the uniform (sometimes with the wrong team pants) because I enjoy the opportunity to be there during competition, to communicate with the pitchers and position players and help them to make strides of progress every day. But don't get me wrong, I can't admit that I am just there for them; I'm there because I love being in the dugout, competing with the players. They give back to me more than what I give them, for sure!!
Our goal was to win every league game, one at a time. It is a lofty goal, but goals are meant to be challenging. We have now lost one of eight, which is pretty darn good. Now our goal is to win the next game, and then the one after that, etc. If we continue to get better and climb out of the temporary valleys that come in the form of losses, we will again represent the MIAA in the Regionals and put ourselves in a position to get back to the DIII College Baseball World Series.
Showing posts with label DIII College World Series. Show all posts
Showing posts with label DIII College World Series. Show all posts
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Saturday, February 12, 2011
Ingredients for a successful team
As a coach, when I anticipate the beginning of another successful season, it is important that I understand why we have had success and why this season will be another great season. There are so many ingredients involved in creating success, and there may not be one thing that clearly is more influential than anything else.
I am now in my seventh season as the pitching coach at Adrian College. We have been fortunate to have competed in the NCAA DIII Regionals in five of the last six years. How does that happen?
Perhaps the most important ingredient in having successful athletic teams is the talent level of the players. Athletes have God-given abilities and they have specific sport skills that they have developed and continue to develop as long as they are playing competitive sports. In addition to the talents of the athletes, it is important that they practice and play games with the attitude that the team comes before any individual. Therefore, the thoughts and attitudes of the players have a tremendous effect on the team's ability to compete for championships.
Obviously, we have had the luxury of having players with ability, skill, and unselfish attitudes on our teams in the last six years. Those attributes can always improve, though. We have not yet won the national championship, though in 2008 we were in the DIII World Series and finished in the final four. We can't win a national championship unless we win the Regional title first and advance to the national tournament, so obviously we can get better.
As for natural athletic ability and specific sport skill, coaches who recruit the best athletes become 'better coaches' simply due to having good athletes on their teams. I can't take any credit for any of the recruiting that has taken place for the Adrian College team. The coaches who are on campus all day every day are the ones who have done a great job with recruiting. A good coach can coach any kind of athlete....those with great skills and those with poor skills. But coaches have a much better chance to coach competitive teams when the athletes have great ability and skill.
The attitudes of the players are influenced in no small way by the way the upperclassmen interact with the younger guys. Upperclassmen have learned their practice habits and attitudes from the teammates who came before them. In most cases, they buy into the philosophies that their teammates have handed down and they buy into much of the guidance of the coaches as well. Every interaction between teammates and between coaches and players has some semblance of teaching, learning, and mentoring. Thus, in theory, every interaction can have a positive effect on the team.
The importance of having unselfish players cannot be overstated. That unselfishness is just one of the ingredients of the overall attitude that helps teams become championship teams. We have already talked about the recruiting aspect, and one thing that can be challenging for the coaches is knowing for sure if the athletes he is recruiting will have great attitudes. Sometimes a coach can clearly see the positive attributes of an athlete, but sometimes the athlete seems a whole lot different when they arrive on campus and the recruiting process is over. In saying that, a kid with an undesirable attitude can develop a more desirable one, but it takes positive influences from teammates, coaches and perhaps others to help develop that great attitude.
There are so many other things that I have not even touched on that contribute to team success. We can discuss those things at a later time. For now, I wanted to acknowledge the fact that the presence of positive leaders, who are often the upperclassmen, is crucial when teams are hoping to win, improve, and maintain success. The former Adrian Bulldog players have led the way for the current and players. Their contagious, positive approach to the game has left a mark and enabled the program, and the current players to expect success and set goals of winning league, regional and national championships.
The talent is there. The positive attitude is present. The expectations are now always high. As with any team in any sport, good coaching can enhance a team's ability to achieve lofty goals, and inadequate coaching can hold a team back. As a coach, I can only hope that I and my colleagues can contribute to the success of our players and understand that our previous players have built a great foundation for the guys we currently have the privilege to coach!!
I am now in my seventh season as the pitching coach at Adrian College. We have been fortunate to have competed in the NCAA DIII Regionals in five of the last six years. How does that happen?
Perhaps the most important ingredient in having successful athletic teams is the talent level of the players. Athletes have God-given abilities and they have specific sport skills that they have developed and continue to develop as long as they are playing competitive sports. In addition to the talents of the athletes, it is important that they practice and play games with the attitude that the team comes before any individual. Therefore, the thoughts and attitudes of the players have a tremendous effect on the team's ability to compete for championships.
Obviously, we have had the luxury of having players with ability, skill, and unselfish attitudes on our teams in the last six years. Those attributes can always improve, though. We have not yet won the national championship, though in 2008 we were in the DIII World Series and finished in the final four. We can't win a national championship unless we win the Regional title first and advance to the national tournament, so obviously we can get better.
As for natural athletic ability and specific sport skill, coaches who recruit the best athletes become 'better coaches' simply due to having good athletes on their teams. I can't take any credit for any of the recruiting that has taken place for the Adrian College team. The coaches who are on campus all day every day are the ones who have done a great job with recruiting. A good coach can coach any kind of athlete....those with great skills and those with poor skills. But coaches have a much better chance to coach competitive teams when the athletes have great ability and skill.
The attitudes of the players are influenced in no small way by the way the upperclassmen interact with the younger guys. Upperclassmen have learned their practice habits and attitudes from the teammates who came before them. In most cases, they buy into the philosophies that their teammates have handed down and they buy into much of the guidance of the coaches as well. Every interaction between teammates and between coaches and players has some semblance of teaching, learning, and mentoring. Thus, in theory, every interaction can have a positive effect on the team.
The importance of having unselfish players cannot be overstated. That unselfishness is just one of the ingredients of the overall attitude that helps teams become championship teams. We have already talked about the recruiting aspect, and one thing that can be challenging for the coaches is knowing for sure if the athletes he is recruiting will have great attitudes. Sometimes a coach can clearly see the positive attributes of an athlete, but sometimes the athlete seems a whole lot different when they arrive on campus and the recruiting process is over. In saying that, a kid with an undesirable attitude can develop a more desirable one, but it takes positive influences from teammates, coaches and perhaps others to help develop that great attitude.
There are so many other things that I have not even touched on that contribute to team success. We can discuss those things at a later time. For now, I wanted to acknowledge the fact that the presence of positive leaders, who are often the upperclassmen, is crucial when teams are hoping to win, improve, and maintain success. The former Adrian Bulldog players have led the way for the current and players. Their contagious, positive approach to the game has left a mark and enabled the program, and the current players to expect success and set goals of winning league, regional and national championships.
The talent is there. The positive attitude is present. The expectations are now always high. As with any team in any sport, good coaching can enhance a team's ability to achieve lofty goals, and inadequate coaching can hold a team back. As a coach, I can only hope that I and my colleagues can contribute to the success of our players and understand that our previous players have built a great foundation for the guys we currently have the privilege to coach!!
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Live pitching/hitting
We are in the middle of week two of the winter practice season, less than a month before we open up against Milsaps College at Piedmont College's field. Some of our opponents are opening up already this weekend.
I'm sure I have already written this, but I am really looking forward to getting this season started. Last year I missed our trip to the Regionals at Marietta because I spent a couple weeks in the hospital. I still feel some guilt over not being there, but I am definitely better off being healthy. I was losing strength during our season in 2010 and that is not so good. So there are times when I figure I owe my players and fellow coaches something due to last May's absence.
In saying that, we have now had eleven of our pitchers throwing live to hitters in the cages. Thursday and Friday the remaining twelve pitchers will have their first cage experiences of this pre-season. I have tried to take videos of our pitchers during their live outings this week. Although I am just using the video camera on my phone, which obviously is not the high quality of a more advanced digital camera, we are able to see the mechanics involved with the deliveries of our pitchers. I transfer the videos to my laptop, view them, and email each pitcher the copies of his videos.
I am certainly a few years late in using video for coaching and helping the pitchers see their deliveries for themselves, but I'm catching up with those young coaches now in that regard. It has only been two nights worth of videos, but it allows for another avenue of communication between the pitchers and myself, and communication is such an important part of being a coach.
Hopefully I'll get myself a new video camera before we begin our game schedule, so that we can record from the dugout or another appropriate spot and we can get and give more feedback to help us succeed and get back to the Mid-East Regional Tournament and the DIII College World Series. In the meantime, I feel good about what we are doing this week!!
What I have seen so far is that we are not yet in mid-season form, but that doesn't occur until mid-season anyway. The pitchers are all throwing 40 live pitches in this week's appearances. We haven't thrown any breaking balls to the hitters yet, but our changeups have actually been better than I anticipated and our fastballs are getting there. We have to be able to locate our fastballs if we are going to beat the good teams on our schedule.
Another positive that is taking place is that our pitchers all seem to be pretty healthy right now. There are a couple leg issues, back issues, and the occasional brief illness interrupting a few guys, but the arms seem to be healthy.......at least that's what the pitchers are telling me.
Tonight we get to practice at 6:30 instead of 10:30pm, due to the snow storm that closed schools and even Adrian College today. Finishing at 8:30pm rather than after midnight is much better for this old guy's sleep patterns!!
Gordie Theisen
http://gtathletic.com
I'm sure I have already written this, but I am really looking forward to getting this season started. Last year I missed our trip to the Regionals at Marietta because I spent a couple weeks in the hospital. I still feel some guilt over not being there, but I am definitely better off being healthy. I was losing strength during our season in 2010 and that is not so good. So there are times when I figure I owe my players and fellow coaches something due to last May's absence.
In saying that, we have now had eleven of our pitchers throwing live to hitters in the cages. Thursday and Friday the remaining twelve pitchers will have their first cage experiences of this pre-season. I have tried to take videos of our pitchers during their live outings this week. Although I am just using the video camera on my phone, which obviously is not the high quality of a more advanced digital camera, we are able to see the mechanics involved with the deliveries of our pitchers. I transfer the videos to my laptop, view them, and email each pitcher the copies of his videos.
I am certainly a few years late in using video for coaching and helping the pitchers see their deliveries for themselves, but I'm catching up with those young coaches now in that regard. It has only been two nights worth of videos, but it allows for another avenue of communication between the pitchers and myself, and communication is such an important part of being a coach.
Hopefully I'll get myself a new video camera before we begin our game schedule, so that we can record from the dugout or another appropriate spot and we can get and give more feedback to help us succeed and get back to the Mid-East Regional Tournament and the DIII College World Series. In the meantime, I feel good about what we are doing this week!!
What I have seen so far is that we are not yet in mid-season form, but that doesn't occur until mid-season anyway. The pitchers are all throwing 40 live pitches in this week's appearances. We haven't thrown any breaking balls to the hitters yet, but our changeups have actually been better than I anticipated and our fastballs are getting there. We have to be able to locate our fastballs if we are going to beat the good teams on our schedule.
Another positive that is taking place is that our pitchers all seem to be pretty healthy right now. There are a couple leg issues, back issues, and the occasional brief illness interrupting a few guys, but the arms seem to be healthy.......at least that's what the pitchers are telling me.
Tonight we get to practice at 6:30 instead of 10:30pm, due to the snow storm that closed schools and even Adrian College today. Finishing at 8:30pm rather than after midnight is much better for this old guy's sleep patterns!!
Gordie Theisen
http://gtathletic.com
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