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!!!

Does the season ever really end?

Our season has been done for two weeks now.  What is it that college baseball coaches do when their seasons end?  What I do now is different than when I was a full-time head coach, and it is different that what full-time assistant coaches do.

I teach in the public schools, so I am still working at getting through the school year.  Today we even had an injury at school.  One of our students lost a tooth when he was hit in the mouth by a swing.  I felt so bad for him, but he handled it like a trooper and was on the bus heading home fifteen minutes later.  I have seen similar types of injuries on the baseball field over the years, but I seem to expect to see blood on the field more than I would at school.

Anyway, the day after our season ended I went to Comerica Park to watch the Detroit Catholic League Championship games with Eric Theisen and Xander Younce.  They both have 'Recruiting Coordinator' listed as part of their jobs, so they were (apparently) working hard.  I was just along for the ride, but I always love those games.  I played at Tiger Stadium in the same games when I was in high school and coached there (and won) in 1987.

I have been to a few other local high school games in the last two weeks, sometimes after school and also on the weekends.  I don't really do any recruiting, but I have been able to see some kids I know play some games.  I have given lessons to some of the kids in the county, and some pitching staffs in the county, and I rarely have opportunities to see them play in games.

The full-time guys are going all over the place watching high school games.  For the most part, the 2011 recruiting classes are all wrapped up and the coaches are trying to tie up some loose ends and maybe find a player or two who have slipped through the cracks.  This is a great time to add to the list of 2012 high school seniors that college coaching staffs have already been working on.  State tournament games always tend to have some more excitement and intensity than some other games that are played during the high school season, so the idea of being able to see kids compete and observe how they respond to various situations can be beneficial in determining where a player may go on a coach's recruiting list.  Eric and Xander are in Columbus, Ohio today and tomorrow watching the Ohio State Tournament, and then they will be back here in Michigan watching District Tournaments on Saturday.

In the meantime, Luke Harrigan is finishing up his work at Adrian College and getting ready for his first head coaching venture at Westminster College in Missouri, where he will undoubtedly find success carve some history.

One thing I always enjoy while at high school games is the opportunity to trade idle chit chat with some of the locals, who are usually parents, grandparents, or friends of the players on the field.  These people always know more about most of the players on the field than I do, and of course they always have more at stake in how the game is being played than I do.  Just in the last week I have had the privilege of talking to school administrators, aunts and uncles, siblings, parents, step-parents, and friends of the players and the coaches.

The experience of having nice, relaxing conversations at baseball fields with other baseball people is one of the great joys of the spring and summer.  I have to make sure I get out and see some other local kids, and my nephews, play in the next few weeks.  I may not appear to be having as much fun as the kids on the field..............but I am!!!!

Northern baseball and professional/personal growth

After over a week of games in the warm south, the reality of college baseball up north can hit us and cause us to count our blessings.  How many college students get to take a trip south on their spring break, with all expenses paid by the college and the added bonus of playing a sport they love?

After five days back in Michigan though, we just don't know from day to day if we are going to be able to practice outside or be forced (due to weather/field conditions) to work on our game indoors again.

Fortunately, this week at Adrian College, with the benefit of having Pro Grass Field Turf on our field, we have been able to get outside every day.  The position players have gotten defensive work done out there and then gone inside for their hitting.  The pitchers have been able to do all of their work outside.  It has given us an opportunity to do some good throwing, including our normal daily drills, and have important long toss sessions and flat ground work.

We are hoping to play an intrasquad game today and then have JV doubleheaders the next three days (Saturday through Monday).  This will be a great opportunity to get all of our pitchers (except two) some live action so that they are staying (or getting) sharp as we head into next weekend's two game series against #1 ranked Heidelberg College.

I've got to admit that I have felt a bit out of balance this week, though in my mind there is no good reason for it.  Twice this week I fell asleep on the couch at about 8:30, which is very unusual for me.  Fortunately, having a normal week of school and practice helps to keep me busy and grounded as I try to return to a daily routine.  I suppose that 22 hour bus ride back from Florida gave me a little jet lag.

One of the other nice aspects of my week (besides school and baseball) is the fact that I got to spend some time with both of my kids.  Tess is here in town on her last college spring break, and Eric is in and out during his season at Hillsdale College.  Tess is on her way to Chicago with friends for the weekend and Eric is leaving this evening for a weekend of games against the University of Indianapolis.

Eric and I have been able to share game experiences with each other now that our seasons have begun, and even as an old guy it is great for me to share baseball information and knowledge with Eric and with my young colleagues Luke Harrigan and Xander Younce at Adrian.  I can learn a lot from these young, passionate coaches!  I hope I never stop learning about coaching this great game of baseball.

Just like in life, sometimes I think that if I knew back then (insert whatever year you want) what I know now, I would have been a better coach and mentor for many of my teams and players in the past.  But since we can't go back, all I can do is continue to try to improve every day!!