A website for baseball coaches, players and parents!

ATHLETE 1 PODCAST

ATHLETE 1 PODCAST

Baseball Coaches Unplugged is the go-to podcast for anyone serious about building better ballplayers and better programs. Hosted by Ken Carpenter — a high school coach with 27+ years of experience — this show delivers practical, repeatable baseball coaching methods, short-and-usable baseball tips, full practice plans, and proven approaches for building team culture at the youth, travel, and high school baseball levels.

Each episode breaks down real coaching choices: planning practices, developing pitchers and position players, in-game strategy, recruiting prep, mental performance, and leadership that wins in the regular season and postseason. Expect:

- Tactical drills and practice templates you can use Monday.

- Interviews with championship coaches and successful players.

- Culture and leadership playbooks to build accountable teams.

- Short episodes and longer deep-dive interviews — clear takeaways every time.

Follow Baseball Coaches Unplugged to get new episodes every week, read full show notes and transcripts at baseballcoachesunplugged.com, and help other coaches find the show by leaving a rating or review.

6 Reasons Why Troy Is In The College World Series
ATHLETE 1 PODCAST
6 Reasons Why Troy Is In The College World Series
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Recent Episodes

June 11, 2026

6 Reasons Why Troy Is In The College World Series

6 Reasons Why Troy Is In The College World Series

Send us Fan Mail College baseball used to give players time to grow up. That window is closing fast, and Troy University head baseball coach Skylar Meade doesn’t sugarcoat why. With transfer portal mobility, rising investment in facilities, and the pressure to win now, coaches have to make quicker decisions and players have to show they can thrive early, not just hang around and develop someday. We talk through the real recruiting priorities he’s using to build a high-level roster: the “outl...

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June 11, 2026

From The Brink Of Extinction To The CWS - WVU Baseball

From The Brink Of Extinction To The CWS - WVU Baseball

Send us Fan Mail A winning program can be built on talent, but it’s sustained by something harder to measure: trust, standards, and relationships that outlive the final box score. I’m joined by recently retired West Virginia University head baseball coach Randy Mazey and his wife Amanda for a candid, funny, and sometimes heavy conversation about what it really takes to build champions and keep your family steady while you do it. Randy breaks down how WVU baseball went from being on the...

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June 10, 2026

How 2026 National Champion Denison Builds A Dominant Pitching Staff

How 2026 National Champion Denison Builds A Dominant Pitching Staff

Send us Fan Mail Preseason rankings feel nice until you realize you start playing the games and now you have to earn everything again. Denison University associate head coach and pitching coach Ryne Romick joins us to explain how a championship-level program keeps its edge, rebuilds identity, and stays hungry while on their way to a national championship. We get specific on what actually plays for pitchers at the college level: why “strikes win” never stops being true, how fastball life...

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June 9, 2026

How The 2026 National Champion Was Built

How The 2026 National Champion Was Built

Send us Fan Mail Most teams chase talent. The teams that last build an environment that makes talent behave like a teammate. We sit down with Denison University head baseball coach Mike Deegan to talk about what actually drives winning in college baseball, especially at the Division III level where development, academics, and leadership all collide. We get specific about recruiting strategy: why measurable tools are only the starting point, how “fit” shows up in values and family alignment, ...

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June 3, 2026

How To Take Over A High School Baseball Program And Win Early

How To Take Over A High School Baseball Program And Win Early

Send us Fan Mail A head coaching interview can be won or lost before you ever shake a hand, and Granville Gehris proves why. We talk with the First Flight High School Head Baseball coach about how he earns trust quickly by showing a real plan: a portfolio slideshow with photos, a clear facility roadmap, and specific culture standards he can actually explain and execute. If you’re applying for a high school head coach job, this is a practical guide to separating yourself from a stack of resume...

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May 27, 2026

One Game to Survive: Coaching When the Season Is on the Line

One Game to Survive: Coaching When the Season Is on the Line

Send us Fan Mail One game can erase months of work, and that reality changes how coaches think. We’re joined by Chris Stewart, head baseball coach at Eastern High School in Ohio and host of the Coaching Life Podcast, just hours before his team plays for a district championship. With the single elimination state tournament underway, we talk about what actually holds up when every pitch feels like it weighs a ton: simple plans, calm decisions, and a team that stays itself under pressure. ...

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May 20, 2026

Baseball Development Is Broken—Here’s Why

Baseball Development Is Broken—Here’s Why

Send us Fan Mail If baseball has more technology than ever, why are so many players training harder and developing slower? I’m Coach Ken Carpenter, and I want to dig into a problem I keep hearing after more than 200 conversations with high school, college, and pro coaches: we’re starting to confuse what we can measure with what we truly understand. Exit velocity, launch angle, bat speed, pitch velocity, and spin rate are useful, but when they become the whole plan, young athletes end up chasi...

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May 13, 2026

The One Trait College Coaches Look For First In A Recruit

The One Trait College Coaches Look For First In A Recruit

Send us Fan Mail What do college coaches really look for when they walk up to a field and why do so many talented players are losing out on opportunities? We talk with Ray Birmingham, the winningest coach in University of New Mexico and WAC history and a longtime builder of winning programs, about the traits that separate good from great when the pressure rises and the season drags on. Ray breaks down how he builds culture with an entrepreneur mindset: doing more with less, earning buy in, a...

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April 29, 2026

What Every Baseball Coach Struggles With During the Season (How Coaches Fix It)

What Every Baseball Coach Struggles With During the Season (How Coaches Fix It)

Send us Fan Mail High school baseball seasons rarely fall apart because of talent. More often, it’s the challenges that show up during the season that quietly pull a team off track. So we asked four experienced coaches one question every coach eventually faces: What is the toughest in-season challenge, and what actually helps when it happens? Coach Jeff Boulware explains how off‑the‑field distractions—prom, school breaks, graduation events, and the chaos of spring—can slowly derail a team’s f...

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About the Host

Ken Carpenter Profile Photo
Ken Carpenter

Podcast Host

Originally from Bellaire, Ohio. 27 years of coaching high school baseball. Served 19 years as a head high school baseball (Buckeye Valley and Dublin Scioto - Ohio). Assistant Coach at Dublin Coffman and Dublin Jerome (OH)
Overall record 314-159.

Football Coach at Dublin Coffman and Buckeye Valley (Ohio) - 6 years
Sports Official - Baseball/Football/Basketball

Past President of Ohio High School Baseball Coaches Association
Served on the Ohio High School Baseball Coaches Association Board

U.S. Army Paratrooper

Graduated from The Ohio State University

Reviews

Great Podcast hosted by a Great Coach!

"Great episode every week"

Buckeyebymarriage | May 27, 2021

AMAZING PODCAST!!

"Ken does awesome work marked by such intentionality. Keep up the great work!"

Alina | Nov. 23, 2022

Buckeye Way - Bob Todd Interview

"Refreshing reminiscing with Coach Todd about his time as OSU Baseball coach and his philosophies as a coach and parent. Good work Ken."

Jim Dougherty | April 26, 2023

Great Listen

"Athlete1 Podcast offers insightful and inspiring interviews with top athletes, giving listeners an inside look at their journeys and challenges. Great listen for sport enthusiasts!"

Alex | July 24, 2024

Great content for high school baseball coaches and players

"If you are a high school coach or player, do yourself a favor and give Ken's podcast a listen. Ken does a tremendous job in engaging his guests, resulting in a dialog that is not only entertaining, …"

Max Newill | Sept. 12, 2024