3 Leadership Lessons That Ignited A State Championship

The player is loading ...

Send us a text Championship teams aren't born—they're built through transformative moments. When Olentangy High School was run-ruled by their rivals midway through the 2025 season, head coach Ryan Lucas watched something remarkable happen. His players, on their own accord, gathered in the locker room for an honest conversation about identity and commitment. That player-led meeting sparked a stunning turnaround—16 wins in their next 17 games culminating in an Ohio Division I State Championship...

Send us a text

Championship teams aren't born—they're built through transformative moments. When Olentangy High School was run-ruled by their rivals midway through the 2025 season, head coach Ryan Lucas watched something remarkable happen. His players, on their own accord, gathered in the locker room for an honest conversation about identity and commitment. That player-led meeting sparked a stunning turnaround—16 wins in their next 17 games culminating in an Ohio Division I State Championship.

What separates merely talented teams from champions? Lucas reveals it's the unsexy fundamentals most programs overlook. While teams obsess over hitting, Olentangy dedicated precious practice time to base running and mastering catching and throwing. The results spoke volumes: they committed just one error through the entire tournament while scoring 34 runs and allowing only 5. Beyond strategic decisions, Lucas shares his evolution from a hard-nosed authoritarian to a relationship-focused leader who recognizes each player's unique personality. "I don't think the kids have changed," he reflects, "society has changed, and you can't be stubborn."

The championship journey contains powerful lessons for coaches at any level. Lucas details his practical approach to the unavoidable challenge of playing time conversations, the specific drills that built their balanced attack, and the emotional Father's Day moment when he embraced his 12-year-old son after the final out. Whether you're building a high school program or coaching at any level, this masterclass in culture-building demonstrates how adversity, properly channeled, becomes the foundation for ultimate success. The blueprint for champions isn't just found in talent—it's discovered in how a team responds when everything isn't going their way.

Support the show

Follow: Twitter | Instagram @Athlete1Podcast
Website - https://www.athlete1.net
Sponsor: The Netting Professionals
https://www.nettingpros.com

Chapters

00:00 - State Championship Journey

10:45 - Building Team Connection

21:31 - Coaching Evolution and Player Relationships

25:15 - Practice Structure During Season

29:37 - Managing Playing Time Conversations

34:13 - Base Running: The Overlooked Skill

43:09 - Building Championship Culture

48:15 - Double Bases Rule Change

51:30 - Maintaining Success After Championship

54:30 - Coaching Memories and Mentorship

Transcript

WEBVTT

00:00:02.845 --> 00:00:07.413
What does it take to turn a good high school baseball team into a state champion?

00:00:07.413 --> 00:00:18.192
Today, I'm joined by Ryan Lucas, head coach at Olentangy High School in Ohio, fresh off of a state championship run that didn't just rely on talent.

00:00:18.192 --> 00:00:22.190
It was built on culture, belief and total team buy-in.

00:00:22.190 --> 00:00:32.633
Coach Lucas shares how he turned a group of teenagers into a connected, committed and championship caliber team, and the moments behind the scenes that made the difference.

00:00:32.633 --> 00:00:40.604
In this episode, you'll learn three things the culture building strategies that turned Olentangy from contenders into champions.

00:00:40.604 --> 00:00:45.454
How to get your players to believe in something bigger than themselves and each other.

00:00:45.454 --> 00:00:54.021
And what coach Lucas changed about his relationship style that transformed how his team responded in the biggest moments.

00:00:54.021 --> 00:01:01.362
If you're a coach looking to build a program and win when it matters most, this one is a masterclass.

00:01:01.362 --> 00:01:05.653
Brian Lucas next on Baseball Coaches Unplugged.

00:01:07.661 --> 00:01:12.352
Welcome to Baseball Coaches Unplugged with Coach Ken Carpenter, presented by AthleteOne.

00:01:12.352 --> 00:01:26.570
Baseball Coaches Unplugged is a podcast for baseball coaches With 27 years of high school baseball coaching under his belt, here to bring you the inside scoop on all things baseball, from game-winning strategies and pitching secrets to hitting drills and defensive drills.

00:01:26.570 --> 00:01:27.745
We're covering it all.

00:01:27.745 --> 00:01:36.248
Whether you're a high school coach, college coach or just a baseball enthusiast, we'll dive into the tactics and techniques that make the difference on and off the field.

00:01:36.248 --> 00:01:38.706
Discover how to build a winning mentality.

00:01:38.706 --> 00:01:49.649
Inspire your players and get them truly bought into your game philosophy Plus, get the latest insights on recruiting, coaching, leadership and crafting a team culture that champions productivity and success.

00:01:49.649 --> 00:01:54.328
Join Coach every week as he breaks down the game and shares incredible behind-the-scenes stories.

00:01:54.328 --> 00:02:00.030
Your competitive edge starts here, so check out the show weekly and hear from the best coaches in the game.

00:02:00.030 --> 00:02:01.947
On Baseball Coaches Unplugged.

00:02:04.820 --> 00:02:11.609
Baseball Coaches Unplugged is proud to be partnered with the netting professionals, improving programs one facility at a time.

00:02:11.609 --> 00:02:18.568
The netting professionals specialize in design, fabrication and installation of custom netting for baseball and softball.

00:02:18.568 --> 00:02:25.449
This includes backstops, batting cages, bp turtles screens, ball carts and more rack stops, batting cages, bp turtles screens, ball carts and more.

00:02:25.449 --> 00:02:34.582
They also design and install digital graphic wall padding, windscreen, turf, turf protector, dugout benches and cubbies.

00:02:34.582 --> 00:02:39.752
The Netty Pros also work with football, soccer, lacrosse, golf courses and now pickleball.

00:02:39.752 --> 00:02:46.667
Contact them today at 844-620-2707.

00:02:46.667 --> 00:02:48.205
That's 844-620-2707.

00:02:48.205 --> 00:02:53.252
Or visit them online at wwwnettingproscom.

00:02:53.252 --> 00:03:00.433
Check out Netting Pros on X, instagram, facebook and LinkedIn for all their latest products and projects.

00:03:01.439 --> 00:03:03.265
Hello and welcome to Baseball Coaches Unplugged.

00:03:03.265 --> 00:03:04.790
I'm your host, coach Ken Carpenter.

00:03:04.790 --> 00:03:09.471
Hey, don't forget to hit that subscribe button and tell a friend about the show.

00:03:09.471 --> 00:03:16.681
Check us out every Wednesday, where we sit down with some of the best baseball coaches from across the nation.

00:03:16.681 --> 00:03:26.795
And now to my sit down with Ohio Big School State Champion, baseballball Coach Olin Tangy's Ryan Lucas.

00:03:26.795 --> 00:03:29.403
It's 2025.

00:03:29.403 --> 00:03:34.234
Ohio Big School State Champion, ryan Lucas.

00:03:34.234 --> 00:03:36.480
Head coach at Olin Tangy High School Coach.

00:03:36.480 --> 00:03:39.306
Thanks for taking the time to be on Baseball Coaches Unplugged.

00:03:40.288 --> 00:03:40.770
Absolutely.

00:03:40.770 --> 00:03:41.411
Thanks, ken.

00:03:41.411 --> 00:03:43.604
I appreciate it, looking forward to it.

00:03:43.604 --> 00:03:48.826
I've always wanted to be on your podcast, so I know we've talked over the years about doing it, so now we finally did it.

00:03:49.348 --> 00:03:51.091
Yes, we finally got a chance to pull it off.

00:03:51.091 --> 00:03:52.552
That's what's great about summertime.

00:03:53.373 --> 00:03:53.633
Yeah.

00:04:06.180 --> 00:04:09.986
Well, you know I got to start off with the big moment when the fire was made and you're state champ, what was the first thing that kind of goes through your mind?

00:04:09.986 --> 00:04:11.830
Uh, well, there's a range of emotions.

00:04:11.830 --> 00:04:26.382
Um, you know, it happens so fast, coach, that you know when you go through it, it's, it happens, and again, it's so fast that all you want to do is just celebrate with, with, with, with your guys and with your, with your players.

00:04:26.382 --> 00:04:27.906
Uh, we were fortunate.

00:04:27.906 --> 00:04:34.170
You know, the the dugouts down in Akron sunken down, um, so I've always wanted to jump in the dog pile.

00:04:34.170 --> 00:04:38.545
I always thought that's what I would do, uh, but I couldn't make it out there.

00:04:38.545 --> 00:04:41.088
Our whole staff it was really a special moment.

00:04:41.088 --> 00:04:49.151
Our whole staff was together in the dugout and we're celebrating, and obviously the kids are on the field and they got a big dog pile going on.

00:04:49.151 --> 00:05:09.307
But what was really cool was I'm trying to get out to the field and I get to the bottom of the steps and I look up and my son, who's 12, was standing at the top of the steps and he has his arms out and he was like Dad, we did it and it was, I mean, it was Father's Day.

00:05:09.307 --> 00:05:12.108
So that was really cool moment for us.

00:05:12.108 --> 00:05:23.812
So at that moment I'm just hugging him and crying because I'm with him and getting to experience that, which was interesting because my son's team he plays on 12 U6.

00:05:24.420 --> 00:05:25.966
They were in Canton that weekend.

00:05:25.966 --> 00:05:34.461
So how are they in the same area that summer at the same time as we're playing in the state championship?

00:05:34.461 --> 00:05:39.146
And you know how we do it as coaches you schedule a year in advance and I'm looking at the state.

00:05:39.146 --> 00:05:41.781
I always look at the state tournament and I'm always mapping stuff out.

00:05:41.781 --> 00:05:51.571
I'm always doing that stuff for the previous year and and I just happened to look at my son's schedule a year in advance and I'm like, ooh, they're in Canton during that weekend and I just said to myself how cool would that be.

00:05:51.571 --> 00:05:57.353
And then you move on, um, but it happened and, uh, you know it was really neat.

00:05:57.353 --> 00:05:57.899
They got they.

00:05:57.899 --> 00:05:59.742
They actually won their tournament.

00:05:59.742 --> 00:06:02.887
It was a huge tournament for them and they won the Canton tournament.

00:06:02.887 --> 00:06:06.892
So they had a huge trophy and the whole team was in the stands and they had the trophy with them.

00:06:06.892 --> 00:06:17.024
So, um, but to, to have my son at the top of the steps and be able to you know, just us embrace, um, on father's day went into state championship was really cool.

00:06:17.625 --> 00:06:21.262
Um, and then you know, to answer your question, you don't really.

00:06:21.262 --> 00:06:26.274
You don't really start thinking about it until everybody's done celebrating.

00:06:26.274 --> 00:06:34.975
And then you're on the field and you're sitting there and you're on the line and they're calling out the state runner up and they're announcing everybody and our guys go through it.

00:06:34.975 --> 00:06:42.434
But you look up and you look in the stands and you're overwhelmed because there's a million people there and you're like, wow, we really just did this.

00:06:42.434 --> 00:06:48.932
But then you start thinking as you reflect, you start thinking about the people that make it happen.

00:06:48.932 --> 00:06:51.569
You know the players, all the coaches we've had in our program.

00:06:51.569 --> 00:06:52.886
So that's going through my mind.

00:06:53.939 --> 00:07:01.045
One of the things that I was most proud of during that whole state tournament run was how connected our entire program was.

00:07:01.045 --> 00:07:01.826
It was amazing.

00:07:01.826 --> 00:07:09.733
I've never experienced that in my 13 years here was how connected everybody was in terms of the players doing what they had to do.

00:07:09.733 --> 00:07:14.757
All the assistant coaches, who my staff was elite during this whole tournament run.

00:07:14.757 --> 00:07:31.221
They dug into the stats and into the game plans and spray charts and making sure that our kids had all the information they needed to have to be successful and I it allowed me, as a head coach to deal with.

00:07:31.221 --> 00:07:44.050
You know, when you go to the state tournament, it's a certain, it's a different set of responsibilities in terms of now you got media, you got people calling you, channel 10 came out and did a big story on us, on coach Riley.

00:07:44.050 --> 00:07:45.154
That passed away Our coach previous, which I know.

00:07:45.154 --> 00:07:50.432
You know Jeff Riley, um, from way back, um, so like you have to handle all that stuff as the head coach.

00:07:50.473 --> 00:07:59.651
But then also you're practicing and you're trying to get your guys to continue to get better and making sure they're not rusty, cause at the state tournament when you win the region, you get a week off.

00:07:59.651 --> 00:08:00.923
Well, I think we had eight days off.

00:08:00.923 --> 00:08:12.009
So, and most of the teams everybody and people don't realize that, but most of the teams are, you know everyone's done and you're trying to find a game.

00:08:12.009 --> 00:08:14.199
Maybe if you have one in your back pocket from a rain out earlier in the year, well, we didn't have that.

00:08:14.199 --> 00:08:15.684
You know we have turf and we have.

00:08:15.684 --> 00:08:16.745
We played all our games.

00:08:16.745 --> 00:08:19.132
Well, now it's become okay.

00:08:19.132 --> 00:08:20.862
We got to practice, we got to manage all that stuff.

00:08:20.901 --> 00:08:27.911
So during that whole stretch, like our boosters, everybody was just hey, coach, what do you need?

00:08:27.911 --> 00:08:28.992
What do you?

00:08:28.992 --> 00:08:30.394
How can we help you with this?

00:08:30.394 --> 00:08:30.896
How do you need?

00:08:30.896 --> 00:08:37.764
You know, whatever it may be, our athletic director, our administration, just everybody was connected.

00:08:37.764 --> 00:08:40.952
Every I didn't have to deal with one issue and everything was seamless.

00:08:40.952 --> 00:08:47.754
And, uh, like coach, coach Tracy, um, his son, who's the manager of the Clippers, his son's on our team.

00:08:47.754 --> 00:08:52.451
Well, he reached out and was like, hey, if you guys want to practice at Huntington field, we're out of town.

00:08:52.451 --> 00:08:55.649
You guys can practice at Huntington field before you go to Akron.

00:08:55.649 --> 00:09:03.793
Well, that's a great opportunity for our guys Number one to be just have that experience of going to Huntington park and practice on Huntington park.

00:09:03.793 --> 00:09:08.586
But it's very similar to what Akron Rubberneck Stadium looks like.

00:09:08.586 --> 00:09:14.086
So we had that opportunity to go do that and practice there before we left to go to Canton.

00:09:14.606 --> 00:09:17.712
And it was just, everything was taken care of.

00:09:17.712 --> 00:09:26.193
The communication was elite Getting on a charter bus, our parents had Chipotle and had boxes and everybody name on it.

00:09:26.193 --> 00:09:34.207
Like everybody had the right order, like there was no issues with, like somebody got the wrong order or didn't get the correct food or didn't get which.

00:09:34.207 --> 00:09:35.551
In life that's what happens.

00:09:35.551 --> 00:09:48.491
And I was just like I'm standing there on the field when we want it and I just was kind of soaking it all in and I'm looking out there and I'm like just thinking about all the people that it goes into doing something like this.

00:09:48.491 --> 00:09:52.543
But I was just so proud being the head coach and the leader of the program.

00:09:52.543 --> 00:10:17.192
How connected just from a coach's staff, players, boosters, other parents, just everybody was involved and it just made the experience just something that everyone's going to remember for the rest of their life and, um, it was just special, it was really special yes, well, that was a great run by you guys and you know, you know I think about that when you you get to the end.

00:10:18.433 --> 00:10:30.965
You know the whole season prepares you for that, in the league alone that you're in, not including your non-conference, that prepares you for that, that state tournament run.

00:10:30.965 --> 00:10:46.384
Now I got to ask is there a specific game, practice or team meeting that you know may have become a turning point for your group, something that kind of shifted your momentum and said, man, we're, we're, we really got a good thing going?

00:10:48.571 --> 00:10:51.326
Yeah, I mean, first of all, we got really good players.

00:10:51.326 --> 00:10:52.530
So that helps.

00:10:52.530 --> 00:10:55.609
But every year is a journey.

00:10:55.609 --> 00:10:58.710
Every year has different challenges, different obstacles.

00:10:58.710 --> 00:11:04.655
As you get older as a coach and get more experience, you get better at handling those situations.

00:11:04.655 --> 00:11:06.000
So this year was you get better at handling those situations.

00:11:06.659 --> 00:11:10.370
So this year was, you know, we started off we had great off season.

00:11:10.370 --> 00:11:14.926
You know, the last two years we've been under 500, but that was more.

00:11:14.926 --> 00:11:17.650
We always, you know, we had good players.

00:11:17.650 --> 00:11:19.355
I love our guys, I love all our alumni.

00:11:19.355 --> 00:11:28.373
We just weren't good enough in certain areas and we went younger, knowing that we had an opportunity to do something, maybe special this year.

00:11:28.373 --> 00:11:31.309
So we went younger and we challenged ourselves the last couple of years.

00:11:31.440 --> 00:11:32.907
But we had a really good off season.

00:11:32.907 --> 00:11:36.307
We always take an annual spring trips.

00:11:36.307 --> 00:11:46.268
We went to Myrtle beach and we we ended up playing Anthony Wayne the first day there to division two state champion and we ended up beating them 6-1.

00:11:46.268 --> 00:11:53.663
So out of the gate it was a great challenge for us to see who we are and kind of the team we're going to have in Merle Beach.

00:11:53.663 --> 00:11:57.638
And then we played Licking Valley down there in a scrimmage.

00:11:57.638 --> 00:11:59.682
They're the Division III state champion.

00:11:59.682 --> 00:12:18.929
So we got tested early and and then, like you said, you know, our league is so good, um, you know, top to bottom it's really really good and um, so we went through there and I, we were eight and six and I actually wrote this down in case you, in case you asked me, april 28th.

00:12:18.929 --> 00:12:28.640
So April 28th we're, we're, uh yeah, so we're around eight and six and we're playing Olin TNG Berlin, who we're around eight and six, and we're playing Olentangy Berlin, who's wearing the state final four.

00:12:28.682 --> 00:12:31.388
Last year Mike does a great job with his program.

00:12:31.388 --> 00:12:32.951
They have really good players.

00:12:32.951 --> 00:12:35.985
We have a tremendous amount of respect for them.

00:12:35.985 --> 00:12:50.466
So we go to their place and it's a league game and we're up one nothing in the fourth inning and they go in the bottom of the fourth and they put 10 up on us and they put 10 up on us and they put 10 up on us and they end up run rolling us 11-1.

00:12:50.466 --> 00:12:54.193
And we had some stuff and it was just baseball.

00:12:54.193 --> 00:12:56.384
I mean, first of all, elliot was pitching.

00:12:56.384 --> 00:12:58.268
He's an elite level pitcher.

00:13:00.111 --> 00:13:12.173
We didn't do some things that we normally do and it was the first time that I felt like our team didn't handle adversity and didn't go through that stretch of that portion of that game very well.

00:13:12.173 --> 00:13:16.711
Well, we didn't overreact as coaches.

00:13:16.711 --> 00:13:18.201
We took the.

00:13:18.201 --> 00:13:25.946
Sometimes when all of a sudden it's 10-1 or whatever you're like, let's just get run-rooted, get out of here so we can get back to our place and kind of regroup.

00:13:25.946 --> 00:13:27.288
That's where we were.

00:13:27.288 --> 00:13:36.092
We had some stuff go on that game that we have competitive players and we have competitive coaches, so some stuff.

00:13:36.092 --> 00:13:43.424
I'm not going to speak out of house, but some stuff happened, some things were said and those things.

00:13:43.465 --> 00:13:49.346
So when you go play in an old and tangy school, you don't have to have a bus, so the kids drive to the game.

00:13:49.346 --> 00:13:53.831
Well, after the game, usually typically the kids just go home.

00:13:53.831 --> 00:13:56.945
We don't go back to the away game, we go home.

00:13:56.945 --> 00:13:58.159
We don't need to go back to the school.

00:13:58.159 --> 00:14:01.309
Well, we just got beat 11-1.

00:14:01.309 --> 00:14:02.940
And I remember walking out of there.

00:14:02.940 --> 00:14:07.764
I'm like this could go good or bad, it can go left or right.

00:14:07.764 --> 00:14:15.184
We're eight and six, we have a talented team, but let's see kind of who we are While we go back to the locker room.

00:14:15.184 --> 00:14:17.412
Everybody's there, all the players are there.

00:14:17.639 --> 00:14:19.187
So everybody went back to the locker room.

00:14:19.187 --> 00:14:20.566
I didn't have to say anything to them.

00:14:20.566 --> 00:14:33.812
They went back to the locker room and we were probably in there for about an hour or two collectively as a group talking about, and we didn't overreact and yell and scream and do any of that stuff.

00:14:33.812 --> 00:14:38.067
We just sat down and said, hey, who do we want to be, like, how do we want to play the game?

00:14:38.067 --> 00:14:53.350
And kind of reflected back on maybe some of the goals that we talked about at the beginning of the year, like, hey, we're halfway through the stretch here and we still got a lot of baseball left to play and all our stuff's still out in front of us and we haven't lost it.

00:14:53.350 --> 00:14:59.825
Yeah, we got beat, we got run ruled, we got embarrassed because it's a league game but it's also a rival, so it humbles you a little bit.

00:14:59.825 --> 00:15:03.253
And it became like, all right, who do we want to be?

00:15:03.253 --> 00:15:18.822
And it became like all right, who do we want to be?

00:15:18.822 --> 00:15:21.166
And our kids in the locker room started talking.

00:15:21.166 --> 00:15:26.812
And that's when I was like, okay, we got a chance, need to do this better, I need you to do this better, whatever it may be.

00:15:26.812 --> 00:15:32.710
But it was all player led stuff and I remember walking out of there, we said everything we wanted to say.

00:15:34.120 --> 00:15:44.708
And the good thing about baseball is especially that time of year is, with rain, outs and everything, you can play the next day and you can play the day after that and you can play the day after that and you can.

00:15:44.708 --> 00:15:47.173
So if you get beat, you could still have a great week.

00:15:47.173 --> 00:15:50.366
And, um, it was a Monday.

00:15:50.366 --> 00:15:51.471
Well, we had a game.

00:15:51.471 --> 00:15:58.048
We had to go to Jerome the next day, and that was a Tuesday, and we played Tuesday, wednesday, thursday, friday.

00:15:58.048 --> 00:16:00.307
I mean, you know how it is as a baseball coach, that's what it was.

00:16:05.340 --> 00:16:13.903
And all of a sudden, I remember we went to Jerome that Tuesday and I got off the bus and I'm like, okay, it's either going to go this way or it's going to go bad, and we're going to figure out who we are.

00:16:13.903 --> 00:16:23.687
And we came out and we started swinging it and, just from a team atmosphere, we were more connected and I think of the word trust.

00:16:23.687 --> 00:16:33.452
I think we got trust out of that whole experience and we kind of reflected back and said, okay, we didn't handle that game at Berlin the right way.

00:16:33.452 --> 00:16:37.750
This is what we need to do if that ever happens again.

00:16:37.750 --> 00:16:41.005
But we're a good team, let's start trusting one another.

00:16:41.005 --> 00:16:47.024
And if we can start trusting one another, then we can start doing some things, because we're talented enough to do it.

00:16:47.304 --> 00:17:07.535
And that was the turning point and we were eight and six at that moment we won 16 out of our next 17 games to finish the year and the only game we lost was we had to play Berlin again and that game was tied 0-0 in the fourth and it got suspended.

00:17:07.535 --> 00:17:16.488
Well, we didn't play the game until like the last, like we finished it up, the last game before tournament play, and it was 0-0 in the fourth.

00:17:16.488 --> 00:17:21.369
From a mindset of me, you're only playing a couple innings.

00:17:21.369 --> 00:17:24.269
We had, like, whoever scores two runs is probably going to win the game.

00:17:24.269 --> 00:17:32.703
So we came out and we sw swung it and we scored a run and then I got our shortstop, carter Hyer, thrown out of the plate.

00:17:32.703 --> 00:17:38.027
I should have sent him, and I sent him because I was thinking all right, if we can get two runs, we're going to win the game.

00:17:38.027 --> 00:17:39.471
Well, he gets thrown out.

00:17:39.471 --> 00:17:40.340
Changed the momentum.

00:17:40.340 --> 00:17:42.163
Berlin came out, did a great job.

00:17:42.163 --> 00:17:42.885
They started hitting the ball.

00:17:42.885 --> 00:17:46.792
They beat us two to one, but that was the only game that we lost.

00:17:47.713 --> 00:17:52.906
After that April 28th game, during that whole stretch going all the way to the state championship game.

00:17:52.906 --> 00:18:17.933
So, without a doubt, that moment at Berlin when we got run ruled and just the way our kids handled that whole situation because I've had teams in the past that don't handle failure that well, it's high school athletics that's a hard thing to do and that was the special thing about this group is they were player led, they were tough, they held each other accountable and it was just.

00:18:17.933 --> 00:18:24.882
That was a fun experience for me personally as a coach that you see kids do that, because that's what we're always talking about.

00:18:24.882 --> 00:18:36.232
That's a thing like how can you handle adversity, how can you do this and uh, and they did that and we kind of just took off and we didn't look back and it was fun well, you know it's.

00:18:36.534 --> 00:18:55.529
it sounds like you know you were probably better off to lose that game than you were, if you were to want it, because it made your team really come together and, like you said, they were all back at the locker room and probably outside of winning the state championship.

00:18:55.529 --> 00:19:03.509
That'll probably be one of the things that, 10 years from now that's probably what they're going to remember is how they get together.

00:19:06.074 --> 00:19:06.674
Yeah, there's no doubt.

00:19:06.674 --> 00:19:13.605
And after that game, when we went to Jerome the next day, you know as coaches you're like, okay, do you need to change some things?

00:19:13.605 --> 00:19:20.328
So you know, and there was a kid who's a sophomore in our program, who was a varsity guy, ty Wahlberg.

00:19:20.328 --> 00:19:27.064
He wasn't playing that much and our goal even at the beginning of the season was to try to get him as much playing time as we could.

00:19:27.064 --> 00:19:28.424
He's a really good player.

00:19:28.424 --> 00:19:32.909
He's young Now it's a veteran team, so how can we try to figure out how to get him time?

00:19:33.509 --> 00:19:38.313
So after that game that we lost, it was a good opportunity for us as coaches.

00:19:38.313 --> 00:19:40.394
We kind of tinkered with some things.

00:19:40.394 --> 00:19:43.778
We put him at third and moved Cooper Tracy to.

00:19:43.778 --> 00:19:45.859
Cooper was at third and we moved him to second.

00:19:45.859 --> 00:19:49.991
And Dominic Peroni, who was another senior, we moved him from second base to right field.

00:19:49.991 --> 00:19:52.525
And literally it was amazing.

00:19:53.026 --> 00:20:14.728
Not only did our kids handle like that situation at Berlin the right way, but just it's amazing that the little change that you can make in a lineup or defensively, what it does for the confidence of your team, all of a sudden Ty goes in at third and made a couple of plays and all the kids now are like, okay, he's really good over there, we trust him.

00:20:14.728 --> 00:20:20.829
And then Cooper can play anywhere, he's that good, he's at second and he's playing well.

00:20:20.829 --> 00:20:35.269
And then Perrone's saying dang, he's really good and he went to right field, he starts making some dive catches and then it becomes okay, well, now I feel like our defense is set you know what I mean Right where we want it, and then all of a sudden we start hitting it, we start pitching it.

00:20:35.269 --> 00:20:39.103
We became very balanced as a team and as a coach.

00:20:39.103 --> 00:20:40.888
That's every single team you coach.

00:20:46.299 --> 00:20:47.644
That's what you're striving for is how can you get a balanced team?

00:20:47.644 --> 00:20:48.266
Can you pitch it really well?

00:20:48.266 --> 00:20:54.807
Can you play great team defense and make all the plays and maybe some exceptional plays in there Offensively?

00:20:54.807 --> 00:20:55.689
Can you swing it?

00:20:55.689 --> 00:20:57.212
Can you have great quality at bats?

00:20:57.212 --> 00:20:58.563
Can you move runners?

00:20:58.563 --> 00:20:59.525
Can you get in scoring position?

00:20:59.525 --> 00:21:02.582
You do all those types of things and then on the base, pass.

00:21:02.582 --> 00:21:04.768
Can you be disruptive?

00:21:04.768 --> 00:21:05.710
Can you be aggressive?

00:21:05.710 --> 00:21:09.928
Can you do those things to help yourself win games?

00:21:09.928 --> 00:21:21.166
And I felt like when we made those changes and our kids bought in and as player led, I felt like once we hit that stride, we just didn't look back and it was like I said earlier it was a lot of fun.

00:21:21.166 --> 00:21:23.840
Well, looking back over the course of your career?

00:21:24.782 --> 00:21:30.294
what's the biggest change that you've made in how you approach your job as a baseball coach today?

00:21:32.119 --> 00:21:34.567
Well, I think that's a good question.

00:21:34.567 --> 00:21:41.612
I think and it's part of growth, it's part of life and just growing up, I think.

00:21:41.612 --> 00:21:46.109
You know people always say the kids have changed so much.

00:21:46.109 --> 00:21:48.281
This you know in 2025.

00:21:48.281 --> 00:22:00.951
I don't think, necessarily, the kids have changed, society has changed and I think you got to be able to adapt with the times and you can't be stubborn.

00:22:00.951 --> 00:22:09.352
So I remember when I first got here in 2013 and you know we went through the stretch 2013 to like 18.

00:22:10.394 --> 00:22:19.847
It's always funny those alums come back and they're like coach, you're so soft and you're not tough on these guys anymore and we're still tough.

00:22:19.847 --> 00:22:30.646
I think hard is good, like the hard thing and the right thing are usually the same thing.

00:22:30.646 --> 00:22:36.571
We want hard, we embrace hard, we want to try to challenge our guys and do different things like that.

00:22:36.571 --> 00:22:42.997
But I think nowadays you don't need to be screaming and yelling and doing all those types of things.

00:22:42.997 --> 00:22:52.624
You've got to adapt and it becomes more of Can you have great relationship with your guys and can you connect with them and know everybody's personality.

00:22:52.624 --> 00:22:55.445
I think I think me as an educator.

00:22:55.445 --> 00:23:04.432
Um, I'm an intervention specialist, so, as I've grown in my job and I and I'm in meetings about mental health and suicide and things like that.

00:23:04.432 --> 00:23:19.241
I'm in so many of those meetings that it's changed my perspective on how I treat people and how I handle people and for our players, I just want to connect with them and kind of feel everybody has a different personality.

00:23:19.241 --> 00:23:20.425
Some guys like to be challenged.

00:23:20.425 --> 00:23:21.630
You can be harder on some guys.

00:23:21.630 --> 00:23:28.722
Some guys you got to put your arm around them and just say, hey, you're good, and just get them to be confident and then just teach them along the way.

00:23:28.722 --> 00:23:32.648
So I think I've changed in that regard is I don't treat everybody the same.

00:23:32.648 --> 00:23:35.973
I just it's more individualized based.

00:23:35.973 --> 00:23:38.561
But again, we still have standards.

00:23:38.561 --> 00:23:41.970
We still expect the same thing in our program.

00:23:41.970 --> 00:23:47.411
I think it's a balancing act of you know, can you, can you relate to the players?

00:23:47.411 --> 00:23:52.547
Can you, can you make sure not only you trust them, but can they trust you?

00:23:52.547 --> 00:23:59.742
I think that's a huge thing because that's when development starts and their confidence growth is when you start doing that type of thing.

00:23:59.742 --> 00:24:02.332
So I think that's more than anything.

00:24:02.372 --> 00:24:11.374
How I've changed is my ability to kind of just connect more with our guys individually and see what kind of motivates them.

00:24:11.374 --> 00:24:15.355
So just connect more with our guys individually and see what kind of motivates them, and also our coaching staff, like being able to manage.

00:24:15.355 --> 00:24:17.494
You're the head guy, you're the CEO of the program.

00:24:17.494 --> 00:24:20.516
How do you manage your coaching staff?

00:24:20.516 --> 00:24:23.916
Again, everybody has different personalities, everybody has different strengths.

00:24:23.916 --> 00:24:25.257
How can you get the?

00:24:25.336 --> 00:24:42.969
I just wrote down on a piece of paper the other day when I was thinking about future stuff and I was thinking about my job, and the first thing I wrote down was my job is to make sure I get the right people on the bus.

00:24:42.969 --> 00:24:44.881
Well, that's my job.

00:24:44.881 --> 00:24:46.825
To make sure I get the right people on the bus.

00:24:46.825 --> 00:24:50.512
That goes from boosters to families to players.

00:24:50.512 --> 00:24:51.980
Making sure we have the right coaches on players.

00:24:51.980 --> 00:24:53.102
Making sure we have the right coaches on staff.

00:24:53.102 --> 00:25:01.950
Making sure we have the right players, guys that are high quality guys, high character guys that believe in the same things we believe in and that are talented.

00:25:01.950 --> 00:25:07.652
So that's where I've changed probably the most is just my ability to do those types of things with the kids.

00:25:09.460 --> 00:25:11.444
To help a coach out there who might be listening.

00:25:11.444 --> 00:25:15.311
What do your practices look like during the grind of the season?

00:25:15.311 --> 00:25:20.402
How do you balance that teaching competing?

00:25:20.402 --> 00:25:33.355
And I believe I had the WAPA Kinetic coach on a couple episodes back and he has a theory that at the end of the season they don't practice that much.

00:25:33.355 --> 00:25:34.098
He wants them fresh.

00:25:34.098 --> 00:25:35.623
So how do you deal with?

00:25:35.663 --> 00:25:36.425
that.

00:25:36.425 --> 00:25:37.489
I think it's a balancing act.

00:25:37.489 --> 00:25:44.420
I think it goes back to you got to know your team.

00:25:44.420 --> 00:25:48.784
Nowadays, I feel like everything's.

00:25:48.784 --> 00:25:51.138
Obviously you get a month in August where it's a dead period, but it's 11 months out of the year.

00:25:51.138 --> 00:26:07.849
It's fall workouts and development, it's winter practices, it's or not practices, but six man stuff, um, and then you go into your season and you have team practices, obviously, um, but you just got to manage like.

00:26:07.849 --> 00:26:14.874
You just got to have a good feel of your team and and where they're at in the season, um, are they young?

00:26:14.874 --> 00:26:18.868
Well, you can do a little bit more competitive things.

00:26:18.868 --> 00:26:21.545
Are they older and more veteran?

00:26:21.545 --> 00:26:24.150
Where they don't necessarily need that stuff.

00:26:24.150 --> 00:26:25.071
They need more rest.

00:26:25.613 --> 00:26:33.494
Um, that's the feel that you have as you go through the season, um, and in baseball, like I said, you play every single day.

00:26:33.494 --> 00:26:36.709
Sometimes you know you can go through two week stretches where you play every single day.

00:26:36.709 --> 00:26:49.705
Well, a day off is is a good thing, and I actually I've been fortunate because while they extended the season, that allows us, you know, another week or whatever to do stuff.

00:26:49.705 --> 00:27:01.232
So, instead of having we don't do a lot of double headers on Saturdays anymore, like we did back in the day, um, and it's allowed me personally, my son's 12, he has all his summer tournaments in April and May.

00:27:01.232 --> 00:27:07.788
So we give our guys the weekend off, or if the in most of our guys, they come up and they hit on their own and they do things like that.

00:27:07.788 --> 00:27:09.769
But that's their time to, kind of it's.

00:27:09.769 --> 00:27:13.994
It's a great time for them to kind of individually work on whatever they got to work on and you get some rest.

00:27:13.994 --> 00:27:16.348
It's a great time for us to kind of get away from each other.

00:27:16.348 --> 00:27:22.204
You know, as a player and coach, just, we don't have to talk all the time, um, but then it allows me to go and watch my kid.

00:27:22.204 --> 00:27:27.230
So, um, we've tried to balance, like all those types of things.

00:27:27.851 --> 00:27:30.615
We have a committee, we have a, you know, captain committee.

00:27:30.615 --> 00:27:35.066
So I, I lean on those guys heavily like hey guys, where are we at?

00:27:35.066 --> 00:27:36.028
Do we need a day?

00:27:36.028 --> 00:27:37.191
Do we need to do?

00:27:37.191 --> 00:27:38.241
We need to practice this more?

00:27:38.241 --> 00:27:39.265
Do we need to do that more?

00:27:39.265 --> 00:27:46.826
You know, whatever it may be, and and and it goes back to relationships and trust Can those guys, can they not be, yes, guys?

00:27:46.826 --> 00:27:52.295
Can they actually come and talk to you and tell you things that you need to hear as a coach.

00:27:52.619 --> 00:27:58.903
I think that's very important and in our program that's what we strive to do is to make sure that we don't have just a bunch of yes guys.

00:27:58.903 --> 00:28:07.404
We have a bunch of captains that come in there and they say, coach, this is what we got to do and it's player led and those guys listen to each other and they trust me and I trust them.

00:28:07.404 --> 00:28:13.761
And sometimes it's hard because you're like do I want to have a weekend off?

00:28:13.761 --> 00:28:16.708
And then you got a league game on Monday.

00:28:16.708 --> 00:28:22.086
It becomes hard, but you got to just trust them and again they're all hitting on their own and doing what they need to do.

00:28:22.086 --> 00:28:25.743
Now we had a veteran group, so you can do things like that.

00:28:25.743 --> 00:28:29.942
If it's a younger team, like we've done in the past, we may be practicing a little bit more.

00:28:29.942 --> 00:28:43.753
And then I think the other thing is we continue to lift during the season, so that allows us to stay physically and mentally where we need to be throughout the year, which has helped us.

00:28:44.819 --> 00:28:49.968
One of the hardest parts of being a coach is poking that starting lineup.

00:28:49.968 --> 00:28:57.269
And you know it's varsity baseball and not everybody gets to play.

00:28:57.269 --> 00:29:06.623
What is your approach to handling those tough conversations when it comes to players and even parents, and especially?

00:29:06.623 --> 00:29:27.606
You know, I spoke to a coach last year and they made it to the state championship and he talked about a parent just rippening after they lost the state championship and it was a player who played in the game who started.

00:29:27.606 --> 00:29:28.449
You know.

00:29:28.449 --> 00:29:37.210
So it it's never easy, but posting that lineup is a challenge because I always, deep inside, would be like man.

00:29:37.210 --> 00:29:43.407
I'd love to get every guy in the game, but that doesn't happen yeah it, you know it.

00:29:43.509 --> 00:29:47.461
First of all, I love all my guys, just like all the coaches, and run their program.

00:29:47.461 --> 00:29:49.883
You love all your guys and you want all your guys to play.

00:29:49.883 --> 00:29:58.392
I think what we try to do and it's not an exact science, we don't do it right all the time.

00:29:58.392 --> 00:30:01.976
I think what we try to do is be as proactive as we can possibly be.

00:30:01.976 --> 00:30:18.967
We have meetings throughout the fall and winter and spring and I meet personally, individually with every kid in our program and we talk about like, okay, what are your goals, what's your developmental plans, what you know, all these things, what team do you want to be on, and those things.

00:30:18.967 --> 00:30:33.747
So we do that in the fall and winter and then, as you get closer to the spring, we start looking hard at okay, you're going to be on this team, but I don't necessarily know how much you're going to play, can necessarily know how much you're going to play, can you handle that?

00:30:33.747 --> 00:30:35.976
So we're proactive and have meetings ahead of time and say, hey, this is what your role could be.

00:30:35.976 --> 00:30:42.071
And we always tell the kids you can accept it on one level, like on game day you see the lineup and you're not in it.

00:30:42.071 --> 00:30:46.815
You have to accept it on one level in terms of I'm a great teammate.

00:30:46.815 --> 00:30:50.704
I'm going to do everything I can today to be a great teammate and help our team win.

00:30:50.704 --> 00:31:01.192
Whether it's go shag balls, whether it's go warm up the right fielder, go get foul balls, do the stats, do charts, do whatever you got to do, I got to be a great teammate.

00:31:01.192 --> 00:31:08.280
But then you don't accept it on the other level that we got practice tomorrow and you're trying to beat the guy that's playing in front of you out.

00:31:08.280 --> 00:31:14.446
So you got to accept it on one level, on game day, but then you can't accept it on the next day when it's practice time.

00:31:14.446 --> 00:31:24.275
So we try to do that and I just think authentic communication and being you know, continue to talk to them and say, hey, this is where we're at, this is what we're thinking about.

00:31:24.275 --> 00:31:35.349
You know, with this team this year, as soon as we started going through that stretch of playing and winning, I mean the lineup was the same lineup every single game.

00:31:35.349 --> 00:31:39.449
And as a coach, you look down there and you're like, okay, who's going to pout, who's going to have bad attitudes?

00:31:39.449 --> 00:31:43.604
And, to our guys' credit, everybody in the dugout was positive.

00:31:43.604 --> 00:31:46.289
They were all about the team and that's all.

00:31:46.289 --> 00:31:47.380
We talk about it all the time.

00:31:47.380 --> 00:32:00.354
Coach Trestle has the podcast all about the Team and we stole that from him because we had meetings I can't tell you how many meetings we had as a group that it would be titled All About the Team and that's what you got to think about.

00:32:00.736 --> 00:32:15.275
Now our parents know that I don't talk to them about playing time or talk to them about other kids, so there's not a whole lot of other conversations that's going to happen between me and a parent, because that's all they usually want to talk about is playing time and somebody else's kid.

00:32:15.275 --> 00:32:18.890
So our parents already know that I don't talk to them about it.

00:32:18.890 --> 00:32:22.250
So I don't get approached with that stuff too often.

00:32:22.250 --> 00:32:33.983
And then if I do get approached with it on that stuff, then I will politely say hey, we don't talk about that, will politely say hey, we don't talk about that.

00:32:33.983 --> 00:32:43.281
But we try to handle it that way and try to handle in-house with our kids and making sure they know exactly where they always stand, which I think is important, because if I was playing, I would want to know exactly where I stood in the coach's eye all the time.

00:32:43.281 --> 00:32:48.673
Okay, am I a starter If I'm a starter, what does he want from me as a starter?

00:32:51.819 --> 00:32:52.090
Do I bought it really well, whatever it may be?

00:32:52.090 --> 00:32:53.371
If I'm non-starter, what does he want from me as a starter?

00:32:53.371 --> 00:32:53.089
Do I bought it really well, whatever it may be?

00:32:53.089 --> 00:33:03.434
If I'm non-starter, what does he want in terms of how I can develop, in terms of getting more playing time, or how can I be the best teammate I can possibly be?

00:33:03.434 --> 00:33:07.548
So we try to do our best to be as proactive as we can possibly be.

00:33:08.290 --> 00:33:13.642
It happens so fast could possibly be.

00:33:13.642 --> 00:33:14.222
It happens so fast.

00:33:14.222 --> 00:33:15.065
The season, especially in the spring.

00:33:15.065 --> 00:33:21.806
It goes by so fast that I think that's something that's always a goal of mine every single year when I reflect on how do I handle anything better.

00:33:21.806 --> 00:33:29.710
It's always that I needed to communicate better with guys that don't play as much and make sure they're on the same page as us.

00:33:29.710 --> 00:33:31.934
That way there's no issues.

00:33:31.934 --> 00:33:39.131
And again, we had a veteran group so and we had, you know, 12 guys that had just graduated.

00:33:39.131 --> 00:33:44.730
So guys know, okay, now it's next man up and I get opportunities and we can kind of go from there.

00:33:44.730 --> 00:33:47.262
But that's typically how we do it in our program.

00:33:47.262 --> 00:33:48.184
Well, you know you were a.

00:33:48.625 --> 00:33:53.233
You were a great player and you've been coaching for quite a while now.

00:34:11.710 --> 00:34:17.134
What is something that high school coaches don't spend enough time working on?

00:34:17.134 --> 00:34:22.938
And you look, and our time here is my 13th year, or I just finished my 13th year here at Olentangy.

00:34:22.938 --> 00:34:38.273
I don't think, team like coach other teams, and especially us back in the day, I don't think we spend enough time on base running and I think everybody hits all the time.

00:34:38.273 --> 00:34:46.134
I think you hit ground balls, you hit fly balls, you do drills that you see at clinics, you do all those types of things right.

00:34:46.134 --> 00:35:06.126
Well, I found that, especially, we got turf and it's a huge advantage the teams that have turf, especially in the spring is that you can practice base running all the time and we got better at it just because we practiced it and you are what you practice.

00:35:06.126 --> 00:35:07.311
You know what I mean.

00:35:07.311 --> 00:35:13.148
Your team's going to be like we're going to be good at the things that we really focus on.

00:35:13.148 --> 00:35:28.443
Well, we try to be as balanced as we can possibly be, but base running something that, as a staff, we talked about when we were getting turf we were like we got to get better at base running because even when it rains, you can still get on there and do some stuff and um.

00:35:28.443 --> 00:35:46.407
So I think our kids developed really good base running fundamentals and we do different things, like in drills, where we still have base runners, where they can get, because I feel like a lot of kids don't have feel anymore and instinct with base running, especially when the ball's hitting the outfield is where's the ball?

00:35:46.407 --> 00:35:46.829
Like.

00:35:46.829 --> 00:35:49.224
Everyone has their head down, everyone's listening to the coach.

00:35:49.224 --> 00:35:53.242
You know, whatever Our big thing is, get your head up and see the ball, and we don't.

00:35:53.242 --> 00:35:56.110
I don't want to be constantly doing this or put my hands up.

00:35:56.110 --> 00:36:00.791
I want you to have an instinct and get a feel for the game and get that extra bag.

00:36:00.791 --> 00:36:13.983
And if you can get that extra bag, so I think we've developed big time in that area and that's something that when I was younger, we didn't do enough of and that when I was younger, we didn't do enough of.

00:36:14.083 --> 00:36:23.509
And when we play against teams, I noticed that they don't base run it like we base run it or like some other teams that are elite in our area base run and those teams are easy to play against because they're one-handed.

00:36:23.509 --> 00:36:30.375
If you're a basketball player and you're sitting here saying, okay, he's a right-handed guy, we got to force him left, we're going to.

00:36:30.375 --> 00:36:31.197
He's a right-handed guy.

00:36:31.197 --> 00:36:32.963
We got to force him left.

00:36:32.963 --> 00:36:34.807
We're going to make him a one-handed player.

00:36:34.807 --> 00:36:36.431
It's the same thing in baseball.

00:36:36.431 --> 00:36:49.588
If they get on base and they stand at first base and they don't do anything they don't steal, they don't hit and run, they don't bunt, they don't do whatever to get their guys in motion it becomes easy to coach against those guys Because now all you got to do is just pitch.

00:36:49.909 --> 00:36:54.420
You know, let's pitch a couple ground balls, do whatever we got to do, let's get that guy out, let's hit it and score a couple runs.

00:36:54.420 --> 00:36:54.902
We're gonna win.

00:36:54.902 --> 00:37:00.123
So it's not rocket science, but I just feel like there's not enough really good base running teams.

00:37:00.123 --> 00:37:02.148
Um, that I always that.

00:37:02.148 --> 00:37:07.889
I feel you know what I mean and that's something that we try to get really good at is our base running, um.

00:37:08.010 --> 00:37:10.356
And then the other part is master catching and throwing.

00:37:10.356 --> 00:37:16.990
I mean, from day one, that's all our kids hear from me is master catching and throwing.

00:37:16.990 --> 00:37:20.385
If we got a chance at all to be any good, we got to be able to catch it.

00:37:20.385 --> 00:37:21.248
We got to be able to throw it.

00:37:21.248 --> 00:37:24.425
The teams that can't catch it and throw it, you're going to beat them.

00:37:24.425 --> 00:37:31.362
You're going to absolutely beat them and especially when you got a team that can put the ball in play or whatever they throw the ball around, there's a run.

00:37:31.362 --> 00:37:38.389
So I just think for us it's been very like we've tried to develop can you master catch and throw?

00:37:38.389 --> 00:37:40.572
Can you be really good at master catch and throw?

00:37:40.851 --> 00:37:45.675
The team that we had this year, our fielding percentage was like 0.988 in that tournament.

00:37:45.675 --> 00:37:47.097
I think we had one error.

00:37:47.097 --> 00:37:57.541
We had one error and like we made all the plays and then we also made a couple exceptional plays, and that's what we always talk about and then we base run it really well and that's something we've really developed that.

00:37:57.541 --> 00:38:03.521
So, and going back to the state tournament, here's a stat for you that I wanted to throw it out.

00:38:03.521 --> 00:38:19.992
We scored 34 runs in the tournament and only gave up five runs tournament and only gave up five runs the entire tournament and we had a 0.5 to our 0.5 or 0.25 era from district semi to state championship.

00:38:19.992 --> 00:38:22.539
It was unreal, unreal performance by our kids.

00:38:23.061 --> 00:38:32.755