How To Build A State Champion Without Flamethrowing Pitchers

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Send us a text What does it take to build a championship high school baseball program without flame-throwing pitchers or Division I talent? Wisconsin Hall of Fame coach Jeff Ryan pulls back the curtain on his old-school approach that's produced 438 wins and a state championship at small-school Prescott High. Ryan's journey from milking cows on a hobby farm to becoming one of Wisconsin's most respected baseball minds reveals how traditional values translate to modern success. "Consistency, fa...

Send us a text

What does it take to build a championship high school baseball program without flame-throwing pitchers or Division I talent? Wisconsin Hall of Fame coach Jeff Ryan pulls back the curtain on his old-school approach that's produced 438 wins and a state championship at small-school Prescott High.

Ryan's journey from milking cows on a hobby farm to becoming one of Wisconsin's most respected baseball minds reveals how traditional values translate to modern success. "Consistency, fairness, discipline, and professionalism," he shares, form the bedrock of his coaching philosophy. His 2012 state championship team epitomized these principles, displaying what he calls "quiet intensity"—a focused, unflappable demeanor that carried them to a 26-2 record despite not having a single pitcher who threw harder than 78 mph.

What truly sets Ryan's program apart is his meticulous attention to fundamentals. His teams spend 30 minutes every practice on scripted situations, mastering pickoff plays, controlling the running game, and executing defensive fundamentals that "steal outs" in crucial moments. Ryan's approach to middle infield defense—eschewing the common "alligator funnel" technique for a more precise method—exemplifies his willingness to embrace proven techniques over trendy methods.

Perhaps most remarkable is Ryan's candor about coaching's challenges. He considers making out the lineup card his most difficult task, understanding that his decisions affect not just players but entire families. His solution for surviving 27 years as a head coach? Setting clear boundaries with parents while maintaining unwavering consistency in how he treats every player, from stars to bench players.

Ready to transform your coaching approach? Discover why Jeff Ryan believes "baseball doesn't teach us how to win; it teaches us how to lose," and how this philosophy creates not just better players, but better people. Subscribe now to gain insights from one of high school baseball's most thoughtful practitioners.

Emphasizes four pillars of success: consistency, fairness, discipline, and professionalism
• Believes making out the lineup card is the most challenging aspect of coaching
• Credits his 2012 championship team's "quiet intensity" as key to their success
• Explains how small-school programs can compete through fundamentals rather than pure talent
• Advocates for 30 minutes of situational practice during each session
• Shares techniques for controlling the running game and "stealing outs" through pickoff plays
• Discusses the challenges of coaching longevity and managing parent relationships
• Focuses on infield defense, particularly middle infield play and bunting fundamentals
• Views baseball as teaching players how to lose with dignity more than how to win
• Maintains clear boundaries with parents to survive 27 years as head coach

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Chapters

00:00 - Introduction to Coach Jeff Ryan

03:07 - Farm Life to Baseball: Building Work Ethic

06:30 - Keys to Building a Sustainable Program

10:29 - The 2012 State Championship Team

19:42 - Coaching Philosophy and Player Communication

27:18 - Defensive Philosophy and Game Control

33:58 - Controlling the Running Game

42:39 - Coach Longevity and Parent Relationships

48:53 - Player Impact and Baseball Emotions

52:01 - Final Stories and Umpire Encounters

Transcript

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and I've had that.

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I had a grandmother come into my house on a Saturday morning, literally Didn't even knock on the door.

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She came into my house and confronted me while I'm sitting at this table where I am right now.

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The door is right there.

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Knocked on the door, there she was, came in and wanted to know why her grandson wasn't playing.

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I hope you have the popcorn ready Today.

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On Baseball Coaches Unplugged, we go to the great state of Wisconsin and hear from an old school baseball coach.

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He reveals how they shut down the running game, why you should spend 30 minutes every practice working on situations and why the hardest job for him is to make out the starting lineup each game.

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Wisconsin Hall of Fame head coach and state champion at Prescott High School, jeff Ryan.

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next, on Baseball Coaches Unplugged Welcome to Baseball Coaches Unplugged with Coach Ken Carpenter, presented by Athlete One.

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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.

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We're covering it all.

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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.

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Discover how to build a winning mentality.

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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.

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Join Coach every week as he breaks down the game and shares incredible behind-the-scenes stories.

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Your competitive edge starts here, so check out the show weekly and hear from the best coaches in the game.

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On Baseball Coaches Unplugged.

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Hello and welcome to Baseball Coaches Unplugged.

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I'm your host, coach Ken Carpenter, and don't forget to hit the subscribe button and leave us a review if you have the opportunity.

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It helps us to grow the show.

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Remember to look for a new episode every Wednesday at 5 am Eastern Standard Time.

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Now let's get to the guest out of Wisconsin Head Coach Jeff Ryan.

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This guy is the reason why I got into podcasting.

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He is so good at what he does and he makes my job easy as the host today at what he does and he makes my job easy as the host today.

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Please enjoy what Jeff Ryan has to talk about because he's an old-school coach and he has great stories and there's a reason why he's a Hall of Famer and a state champion baseball coach.

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Thanks for taking time to be on Baseball Coaches Unplugged.

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I appreciate the invitation and I'm humbled by having the opportunity to share a few things.

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So thank you very, very much.

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Appreciate it.

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When you grew up on a hobby farm milking cows, dealing with pigs and chickens chores morning and night.

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What did that teach you about work ethic and how do you get your players to understand the importance of hard work?

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Yeah, that's a great question.

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I think one of the things that I've always said anecdotally to my coaches you know, prescott, is we're about a half an hour from Minneapolis and St Paul.

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We're as far west as you can be in Wisconsin and still be in Wisconsin.

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So we're not too far from, of course, a major metropolitan area and we're basically a bedroom community of St Paul, minnesota.

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And the reason I bring that up is I always say that you know there aren't enough kids that I don't think have thrown hay bales around.

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I've always said that would be kind of a hilarious drill to have the kids come to practice and have a bunch of hay bales set up in the outfield and say we're going to throw hay bales as our condition.

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I've never done that.

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I thought maybe I should do that one of these times.

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But you know, I think, growing up on a hobby farm with great parents, real humble parents and five brothers, you know real humble parents and five brothers.

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You milk cows, you clean the barn with a wheelbarrow, you cut wood, you butcher chickens, I mean you bale hay, you do all that stuff.

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That's important.

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And again, having older brothers too meant in the summer, after you got the lawn mowed and after you got all the chores done on Saturday, you know it's light till nine o'clock, so it's time to play baseball time to play baseball in the backyard, and a ball off the barn was a home run.

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A ball that hit the stump was a double.

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We all had like you did, probably too your quirky ground.

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You know I really cherish those moments growing up and a lot of the things that you know.

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I would stop by my parents.

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You know the values and you know work hard, be respectful.

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I think that's something that I learned growing up.

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So you try to instill those same type of values as a coach, because we know that coaching baseball is not just about coaching baseball, it's about coaching life skills.

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And once those kids, you know, graduate, you want them to remember those things too.

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Um, so that's, that's really really important.

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so, yeah, how I grew up is really really important well, 438 wins in a state title Later, what's your biggest key to building a sustainable winning program?

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Well, first of all, I think, four things Consistency, fairness, discipline and professionalism.

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You know, as a teacher and as a coach, I firmly believe that players and students, they like rules.

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They like rules, they want what the parameters are, but they want those rules to be applied fairly and consistently.

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And that's one of the things I think we've we've done.

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When I say we me and my two assistant coaches, who have both been with me for over two decades I think we've done a really really good job of doing that.

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Um, it doesn't matter if you're the number three hitter or the number one pitcher.

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Uh, you know that 18th player, that guy on the bench, uh, you have to let them know that they are important and that's really challenging, that's really really difficult and it's got to be done in a way that's genuine.

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So for me I'm kind of maybe getting off topic here a little bit I've always said that in my 27 years of coaching, being a head coach, the most difficult job I have is to fill out the lineup card.

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That's not an easy thing and I'm very thankful that I view that as being a difficult job because you know you've got 15 to 18 kids in the dugout.

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It changes, you know, from game to game, you could put nine guys on the field, nine kids on the field, and there's five or six kids in the dugout who aren't playing and they want to play.

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You know you want to play, everybody wants to play and I get that.

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And of course they're going to be disappointed.

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But it's not just the kid Mom and dad are disappointed, grandma and grandpa are disappointed, aunt and uncle are disappointed, brothers, aunt and uncle are disappointed, brothers and sisters are disappointed, girlfriends are disappointed, friends are disappointed, and you know that.

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Again, it's one of the things that I'm thankful that that really bothers me and I think the players know that too.

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And of course, those decisions that you have to make as a head coach have to be made with purpose and you've got to be honest with players.

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I think you really really have to be honest with purpose and you got to be honest with players.

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I think you really really have to be honest with players and sometimes coaches get themselves in trouble, especially young coaches, I think they make promises to players that aren't playing and then you know you break those promises.

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But I think it's about keeping your promises, being honest with players and, again, I'm all about professionalism, professionalism, consistency, and I like to think that the teams I've coached over the years kind of act a particular way that I think the community should be proud of.

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Well, you know you mentioned your two assistants being with you all this time that you've been there.

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I would imagine you guys probably can know what the other guy's thinking.

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Yes, no question, we have real, real good conversations when the three of us get together about game strategy, practice planning.

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It's really, really important to have that kind of a relationship because in this day and age I don't know what it's like in Ohio the coaching profession has really become kind of a revolving door, a turnstile, so to speak, and when I tell people that I've not only been coaching for 27, 36 total, but to have two assistants that have been with me for two decades, they kind of give a double take and they say to me I hope you understand how fortunate you are.

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Believe me, I know how fortunate I am to have two coaches that have been so loyal and that share the same philosophy, the same approach to coaching the game.

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Take me back to 2012, that state championship run.

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What set that team apart and what did you learn as a coach during that ride?

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Well, that 2012 team was just was a dream team.

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Now I say a dream team.

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They did experience some nightmares when they were sophomores.

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You know, I we didn't have a lot of really talented underclassmen, so we had seven sophomores that started that year and finished the season actually 12 and 12 finished 500 and.

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But there were some bumpy parts of the season, as you know, you're going to have when you have, you know, 10th graders, when you have underclassmen.

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But as they became juniors, they had a very, very good year as juniors and then when they became seniors, of course they were about as dominant a team that I've ever had the opportunity to coach.

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Now, when I say dominant, the word dominant today is different than it was back in 2012.

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You know, for whatever reason, it must be our coaching, but in 2012, we had five pitchers that we threw and not one threw over 78 miles per hour, not one.

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We just we threw strikes and we caught the ball ball and we played great defense.

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That's one of the hallmarks of the 2012 team great defense.

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You know, we 26 and 2 that year for a high school team.

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Uh, the team turned 26 double plays, which is pretty good for a small school.

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Um, so our, our defense, uh, was just fantastic and our approach, our, our, our, our defense, uh, was just fantastic and our approach, our, our, our approach, our quiet intensity.

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It was just the dugout.

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You would have thought maybe, um, the way the kids acted, I mean of course they reacted to great plays, but between pitches and the dugout you would think, man, that he's kids in church.

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I mean just quiet and so focused.

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But again, that's the type of player that I love coaching.

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You know, you don't have to be a fist-pounding, rah-rah, drum-playing, fence-slapping type of player in the dugout.

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You can just tell.

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I mean some players just in the zone and that team, which was, you know, a veteran team by the time they were seniors, just all of them have had that intense, quiet, intensity that just made them unflappable and they were just a fantastic, fantastic, fantastic team, but a lot of great players.

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Been lucky enough to coach a lot of great players, um, been lucky enough to coach a lot of great players, but I would say, collectively, there's never been a team that I've had players that have had that same look, but not a team that had that quiet, intense look, which was just a joy, a joy to watch and a joy to coach.

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Well, how have you adapted throughout the years when it comes to your coaching style, because I think you know, the kids may have been a little bit different, you know, as, like you said, 2012 or even before that compared to now.

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Say that again.

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How has your ask the first part again?

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How have you adapted throughout the years your coaching style?

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Oh, okay, that's, that's a good question, and, boy, you adapted throughout the years, you're coaching now?

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Oh, okay, that's a good question.

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And, boy, you know, baseball has its evolution too.

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I mean, you have to adapt, and if you don't adapt, that can lead to problems.

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You know there have been changes in the game that I have not been particularly fond of.

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One of the things that you have to adjust to is just how hands-on parents are.

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I mean really hands-on.

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And you know, one of the things that I do as a coach at the beginning of the year, like all coaches, do you go through the rules.

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Now, if you've got a question, if you've got a problem, there is a hierarchy, there is a way to do this, there's different steps, and I insist on those steps being followed.

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You know you have to have things like.

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You know, the first thing, the kid has to come up to me and has to talk to the coaches.

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Now, I will never, in this day and age, I will never have a conversation with a player one-on-one, I just will not.

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I will never have a conversation about playing time one-on-one.

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You know, maybe 20 years ago, but now there's no way I would do that, and I always have an assistant coach with me all the time listening.

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So I have a witness, so to speak.

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But one of the things that I'll say at our meeting is that you know, step one isn't a phone call from home, it's the student or the player has to come up and talk to me and then I'm sure that might be a parent that might say well, that might be difficult for the kid.

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I said well, you know what?

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That's part of growing up.

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That's one of those skills.

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I think that is important for that young kid to, if not, approach me, approach an assistant coach.

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But I am going to be involved in that discussion and that's usually where it stops.

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I did have this is a few years back a little story where a parent called me up and we're having a conversation and then the parent said I have a question about you know, my son's playing time.

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I said stop, stop for a second.

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I said have you had this discussion with your son, or I haven't heard from your son.

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No, I'm just inquiring.

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I said, well, this conversation is over with him and I ended the conversation.

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I mean, I'm not the only coach who does that, but again, you have to be honest with parents.

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You can say something forcefully without having a confrontational tone in your voice, but again it goes back to being consistent.

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These are the rules and these are the rules that you have to have.

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I think I had this Coach.

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I had this one moment Actually, it was in 2010 when we had all the sophomores that were playing.

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A student was a player who was a senior, had asked me if he could come and talk to me because he wasn't playing enough and, of course, I was the reason why he wasn't playing and he wasn't that good of a player and I tried to find a way to get his uniform dirty, which you can do in football.

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It's a lot easier to get a kid in a football game get his uniform dirty than baseball and the kid came into my classroom and said Coach, I just want to tell you that I'm going to quit.

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And I said okay, and I asked the kid why.

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He says well, I just want to tell you I'm a senior this year and it's nothing that you've done, it's nothing that you've said, it's got nothing to do with your coaching, but I'm not the baseball player that I want to be, that I wish I was, and I am going to respectfully quit.

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And he says I know I'm disappointing you and I'm disappointing you and saying this, I says well, you are disappointing me.

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He says, but I'm just, I need to do this.

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And I told him.

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I says you know what?

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That's one of the most mature things that any student, any athlete, has ever said to me and one of the things I am doing.

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I'm very proud of this.

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I'm writing a book and that's one of the stories I'm talking about.

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I have a top ten moments in coaching and, in a weird way, that moment that young man that's one of the greatest moments I've ever had as a coach.

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It was just so unbelievably impressive what that young man did.

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You know I know the family very well and when you live in a small town, everybody knows everybody.

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And you know I know the family very well, and when you live in a small town, everybody knows everybody.

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That young man teaches at a nearby school, is a social studies teacher, like I am.

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I see him quite often and I have so much respect for him, so much respect for him, and you know those moments are really, really important.

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It's not just winning that state championship or winning those conference championships, but those moments like that that you really see kids really do some things that are impressive.

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So yeah again, honest conversations.

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The 2012 team was a real easy team to coach.

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Real easy team to coach, real easy team to coach.

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You just fill out the lineup card and you let them play Hustle on the field, hustle off the field, just very respectful, very professional, just class A individuals, every one of them.

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They were an unbelievable club.

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When it comes to your offensive philosophy, do you build around your athletes each year or do you stick to a system that works regardless of the personnel.

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That's a great question and I think you know, for a small school like us, it goes back to consistency.

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I think there's a foundation.

00:19:50.119 --> 00:20:21.904
We have a reputation in Prescott as teams that pitch well, play great defense, execute the short game, execute the short game and we just utmost respect for opponents, umpires, when we address umpires, I think this is kind of a funny thing.

00:20:21.904 --> 00:20:23.210
I heard somebody say this at a clinic.

00:20:23.210 --> 00:20:26.185
A lot of the stuff of course we do is stolen.

00:20:26.185 --> 00:20:28.480
You were talking about that at the beginning of the show how we steal everything.

00:20:28.480 --> 00:20:32.371
Coaches that are willing to share and we can steal, we don't get arrested for it.

00:20:32.371 --> 00:20:32.820
So that's.

00:20:32.820 --> 00:20:33.684
You know.

00:20:33.684 --> 00:20:40.749
That's good to do that, but I forgot my train of thought now what I was saying.

00:20:40.749 --> 00:20:42.854
Dog got it.

00:20:42.854 --> 00:21:05.685
That happens to me sometimes Talking about philosophy, oh, when it comes to defense, I know this is controversial, I know it is, and I was lucky enough.

00:21:06.288 --> 00:21:14.567
A few years ago I got invited to speak at the National Clinic in Oklahoma City and my topic was an infield play, middle infield.

00:21:14.567 --> 00:21:21.048
I was a middle infielder in college and that's kind of my thing and we work really, really hard.

00:21:21.048 --> 00:21:24.103
A middle infield, really, I mean all infield, but middle infield.

00:21:24.103 --> 00:21:27.720
If I could choose one thing to coach, it would be middle infield and catching.

00:21:27.720 --> 00:21:35.634
But middle infield is kind of my thing and, uh, you know I'm all about separation, separation and this is a controversial thing.

00:21:35.634 --> 00:21:44.001
Um, we don't, we don't funnel, we're not, we don't funnel, we're not alligator funnelers, we don't, we're a.

00:21:44.001 --> 00:21:47.645
We're a pancake, pinky pinky ball out of glove I.

00:21:47.645 --> 00:22:02.874
I mean, we really, really focus on that because, again, at a school our size, you know, the athleticism is there but it's not like it is at a Division I school.

00:22:02.874 --> 00:22:04.606
We're a small Division II school.

00:22:04.606 --> 00:22:09.680
We've got about 400 kids and you've got schools near us that are 1,900, 2,000.

00:22:09.680 --> 00:22:14.465
We've got about 400 kids and you've got schools near us that are 1,900, 2,000.

00:22:14.465 --> 00:22:17.589
But every year we're not going to have the great athletes.

00:22:17.589 --> 00:22:19.011
We'll have some good athletes.

00:22:19.011 --> 00:22:21.335
From time to time We'll have some really, really good ones.

00:22:27.240 --> 00:22:37.393
But those defensive philosophies that we've taught over the years have really, really served us well and that is our infield play, our glove work, our pitchers.

00:22:37.393 --> 00:22:39.788
Again, I told you we don't have any real, never.

00:22:39.788 --> 00:22:41.086
It's just really strange.

00:22:41.086 --> 00:22:43.106
We've never had a real fireballer.

00:22:43.106 --> 00:23:08.622
We've had very good pitchers and our pitching coach, brad Matzik, who was actually a teammate of Jared Washburn I don't know if you remember him pitched for the Angels and Jared played at UW Oshkosh and that's where my assistant coach went to school and he was on the 1994 National Championship team with Jared.

00:23:08.622 --> 00:23:14.146
We haven't had a pitcher like Jared come through our program, but one of the things we do.

00:23:14.607 --> 00:23:18.250
You know we really really work hard at controlling the running game.

00:23:18.250 --> 00:23:20.173
We really work hard at that.

00:23:20.173 --> 00:23:27.326
So I can never coach the major league level because of course you can only pick twice and that's it.

00:23:27.326 --> 00:23:35.472
But we really work hard at that and teams, when they play us, I would say, have a tendency to be quite timid.

00:23:35.472 --> 00:23:43.444
They come into the game having a reputation for being very aggressive but when they play us they know that.

00:23:43.905 --> 00:24:05.489
You know we are going to control the running game and we've had good catchers not great catchers, but in high school baseball you can have a great catcher but of course if you don't do a very good job of you know changing your looks and working on your, you know everybody throws to the plate, count one or count four, you know you got to go on two, go on three.

00:24:05.489 --> 00:24:12.844
We really work hard at that and I think that's also one of the things that we've done consistently that has enabled us to be successful.

00:24:12.844 --> 00:24:18.775
And we bunt, we bunt and we're good at that.

00:24:18.775 --> 00:24:19.922
We're good at that.

00:24:19.922 --> 00:24:28.481
We also our pickoff plays, our first and third plays, our sneak behind play from first base.

00:24:28.481 --> 00:24:31.951
I mean we practice that, practice it, practice it.

00:24:31.951 --> 00:24:33.226
But you have to be committed to it.

00:24:34.220 --> 00:24:47.034
And you know, I think I treat well, I'm really rambling here I treat baseball practice like doing a lesson plan for teaching.

00:24:47.034 --> 00:24:49.970
I mean it's like all coaches, very, very specific.

00:24:49.970 --> 00:25:00.809
You know, from this time to this time you work on this drill picks to first base and then you work on, you know, your V-tag at third and work on just really, really specific stuff.

00:25:00.809 --> 00:25:03.878
And we don't practice for longer than two hours.

00:25:03.878 --> 00:25:07.851
I mean anything over two hours is a typical game.

00:25:07.851 --> 00:25:09.527
A long high school game is two hours.

00:25:09.527 --> 00:25:13.109
So I've never really understood my personal philosophy.

00:25:13.109 --> 00:25:15.749
I never understood those long practices.

00:25:15.749 --> 00:25:16.984
But we get after it.

00:25:16.984 --> 00:25:24.392
In practice Kids have 11 seconds to get into the dugout after the third out.

00:25:24.392 --> 00:25:28.284
So we practice that and I'll have the stopwatch.

00:25:28.284 --> 00:25:35.259
I'm sure a lot of coaches do this and there might be a little bit of silent griping.

00:25:35.259 --> 00:25:41.829
The left fielder says I got the longest run to make and the first baseman only has 20 steps.

00:25:41.829 --> 00:25:46.751
But we watch them all and we want to get in and hit.

00:25:46.751 --> 00:25:51.505
We're ready to hit, so get in there quickly.

00:25:51.565 --> 00:25:54.948
Everything that we do in a game, you got to practice it, you know.

00:25:54.948 --> 00:25:57.611
People say that you know, bunting is easy.

00:25:57.611 --> 00:25:59.413
No, bunting is not easy.

00:25:59.413 --> 00:26:02.056
And people say, well, we don't bump because it's easy to do.

00:26:02.056 --> 00:26:05.082
No, you're wrong, bunting is not easy.

00:26:05.082 --> 00:26:09.891
And if you bunt, well, in practice you're going to get more cuts before they swing.

00:26:09.891 --> 00:26:16.008
Everybody, of course, wants a hit in the cage, they want to hit in the field with the shell, they want to show off, and so on and so forth.

00:26:16.008 --> 00:26:17.311
But you know what?

00:26:17.311 --> 00:26:20.871
You're not going to get nine cuts unless you get six out of six bunts down.

00:26:20.871 --> 00:26:32.453
You have to provide some incentive, you have to show that it's important and then in the second season playoffs or then when it pays off, then, and then in the second season playoffs or then when it pays off, when the kids start saying, well, yeah, we understand why we're working on this.

00:26:38.680 --> 00:26:40.763
So you know, I think there are some things that we do yearly.

00:26:40.763 --> 00:26:49.595
Sometimes you can't be as aggressive on the bases if you don't have good team speed, but you don't have to be fast to be a good base runner, to be aggressive.

00:26:49.595 --> 00:26:56.637
But no, I think there's things we try to do consistently and have done consistently that have enabled us to be successful.

00:26:56.637 --> 00:27:27.288
And this is another thing that I really really like is when kids will watch the other team warm up and they'll see how they throw, they'll see how they field and they're like shaking their heads, so they see those fundamental things that we drill, drill, drill so hard, not manifesting themselves in their opponents in the pregame, and I think that gives us a little bit of an edge.

00:27:27.288 --> 00:27:36.651
Our pregame is pretty good and the players get after it and again, we do so without screaming and yelling and hollering.

00:27:36.651 --> 00:27:45.190
It's just I'm going to be focused and I'm going to throw a dart over first base and, yeah, it's a joy to watch.

00:27:46.141 --> 00:27:50.204
Well, you know you mentioned a couple things there that you know the 11 seconds.

00:27:50.204 --> 00:27:59.401
That is the one thing that stands out to me is, when you do that, umpires are going to be happy with you, you know.

00:27:59.401 --> 00:28:05.253
And then I as a coach, you know 27 years I never had a guy hit 90.

00:28:05.253 --> 00:28:09.344
I was like I don't know how every kid in the world is throwing 90 now.

00:28:09.384 --> 00:28:09.664
Yes, that.

00:28:09.724 --> 00:28:14.431
Yes, that's right, but yeah, there's a lot of things there.

00:28:14.451 --> 00:28:18.174
Now you mentioned the pickoff in controlling the running game.

00:28:18.174 --> 00:28:37.940
Can you give me an example of something you guys might do that really helps coaches, helps you guys as a team prevent teams from running on you Sure, I don't know if you know of I'm guessing you have and it's probably different terminology aggressive teams.

00:28:38.059 --> 00:28:58.234
We played some aggressive teams this year that did, on their leads from first or leads from second, they do that vault step or almost that running start and if you, I mean you can steal bases at will against teams that don't practice trying to control that.

00:28:58.234 --> 00:28:59.682
And we've played.

00:28:59.682 --> 00:29:06.694
We had a big tournament game last week that we lost in the bottom of the seventh.

00:29:06.694 --> 00:29:48.586
That's a whole other story, but anyway, a real aggressive base running team that we knew that they had done this vault step because we had scouted them, we had sent a couple coaches to watch and we really, really worked on, of course, changing our timing but also picking at one, picking at two, picking at three, picking at four, and not just picking, you know, or just stepping back and what we did and we have to again, we're a little school, you know, we're a small school and you have to really practice this and we had some kids serve as stand-ins Boy, I'm giving away a big secret and we had our catcher.

00:29:48.586 --> 00:29:56.828
We had our catcher give a signal to the pitcher when the kid was in the middle of his vault.

00:29:56.828 --> 00:30:07.814
And we picked three guys off, two off a second and one off, or two off a first and one off the second base and the base runners.

00:30:07.814 --> 00:30:12.491
Well, you know, if you're in the air, it's over, it's over.

00:30:12.491 --> 00:30:16.221
And and what did that do to that team's running game?

00:30:16.221 --> 00:30:17.499
Basically eliminated it.

00:30:17.499 --> 00:30:22.921
That was in the first three innings, so they didn't try anything after that and it just.

00:30:24.151 --> 00:30:30.982
I was just really really and it was so exciting to see the kids get so excited after working so hard on this.

00:30:30.982 --> 00:30:35.201
The pitcher and the catcher and the team was just really really fired up.

00:30:35.201 --> 00:30:38.337
So that was a big thing.

00:30:38.337 --> 00:30:39.993
And you know we have all these different.

00:30:39.993 --> 00:30:44.462
We love throwing from behind with bases loaded.

00:30:44.462 --> 00:30:53.459
We'll throw from behind to first base, you know, but you got to practice that and we're not afraid the kids, we got to drill into those kids.

00:30:53.459 --> 00:30:55.678
You can't be afraid to try to make that play.

00:30:55.678 --> 00:31:15.800
You know you got a number three hitter up with the bases loaded and you got that guy who's kind of a sleeping and that first base coach isn't doing a very good job of paying attention and, holy cow, that can just and we've done that quite a few times and it is just deflating for the other team.

00:31:15.800 --> 00:31:27.421
You know it happened last year, I think a tournament game where that happened had number three hitter up and we had a left-handed pitcher, so a little bit easier to do with a righty, but the righty is a great play.

00:31:27.421 --> 00:31:37.201
I love that one more than anything because that's even more dangerous, and so we picked the guy off first and then we walked the number three hitter to face the number four hitter who was left-handed.

00:31:37.201 --> 00:31:38.291
We got over the ending.

00:31:38.291 --> 00:31:43.932
It was just perfect, just absolutely perfect, so you can steal outs like that man.

00:31:43.951 --> 00:31:44.733
We worked hard on that.

00:31:44.733 --> 00:31:50.577
We worked hard on stealing outs, picks first and thirds, all the different plays that all coaches do.

00:31:50.577 --> 00:31:53.699
We just really, really drilled that.

00:31:53.699 --> 00:31:55.472
This is another thing.

00:31:55.472 --> 00:32:17.419
I think that is really really helpful for us and I'm assuming you've heard of Bill Walsh, the 49ers coach, if you remember how he, when he was coaching and there's still coaches today who do this he has scripted plays, plays that he has identified, that we're going to run, I don't know 10 plays or 12 plays or 15 plays.

00:32:17.419 --> 00:32:30.637
We have scripted situational section of practice where we'll have 20 plays, situational plays, runners in first and second, runners in first and third, one out, two outs.

00:32:31.220 --> 00:32:32.102
Have two coaches.

00:32:32.102 --> 00:32:48.744
You have the base runners, who are told what to do, what to happen, what happens, and it's just been a really, really good way for us to cover basically any situation in those scripted situations.

00:32:48.744 --> 00:32:50.150
So you have the varsity.

00:32:50.150 --> 00:32:58.334
Players will be on defense, then they'll flip-flop, then the JV will be on defense and it probably takes about 30 minutes.

00:32:58.334 --> 00:33:08.104
But, boy, you get a lot of reps and you're working on base running, you're working on defense, you have pitcher throws a pitch and the coaches hit fungos.

00:33:08.104 --> 00:33:09.756
But it's just great.

00:33:09.756 --> 00:33:11.376
It's really, really been a good thing.

00:33:11.376 --> 00:33:15.382
And again, it forces kids to think on their feet and communicate.

00:33:15.382 --> 00:33:24.683
So that was something I got that from a coach in Oklahoma City just gave a couple examples.

00:33:24.683 --> 00:33:33.478
I thought, man, that's a cool thing to do, that's a good way to do it, instead of just saying, okay, we're going to work on first and thirds, now we're going to work on bunt coverages, do it all at once.

00:33:33.478 --> 00:33:37.076
It just is great and the kids like that too and they make it competitive.

00:33:37.490 --> 00:33:57.253
Try to find a way to make it competitive JV varsity and they have a good time something that's, uh, you know it seems to be increasing, you know, and there's more and more of it happening is the number of good coaches that are are leaving high school baseball, and you know some.

00:33:57.253 --> 00:34:12.621
You know some are leaving for you know very good reasons, you know they want to spend more time with their family, uh, but but others just being pushed out, whether it's the parents, the athletic director, the school superintendent, whatever it may be.

00:34:12.621 --> 00:34:19.023
What is your take on it and what's the secret to your longevity?

00:34:19.931 --> 00:34:33.159
Well, first of all, of course you know everybody says the easiest coaching job to have is to be a varsity assistant, because of course you don't have any decisions to make.

00:34:33.159 --> 00:34:37.581
You make all the recommendations in the world, but of course you know your name's not on it, so to speak.

00:34:37.581 --> 00:34:49.163
You know, I think in this day and age, because of going back to what I talked about, the starting lineup you have to recognize that you are going to disappoint people.

00:34:49.163 --> 00:34:52.092
You are going to disappoint people, and a lot of people.

00:34:52.092 --> 00:35:01.257
I would say more so today or get tired of the.

00:35:01.257 --> 00:35:05.610
Some coaches today would say I'm just not going to do this.

00:35:05.610 --> 00:35:14.280
Some coaches today would say I'm just I'm not going to do this, I'm not willing to go through that type of, I'm not going to allow people to treat me that way.

00:35:14.280 --> 00:35:17.364
And I get that.

00:35:17.364 --> 00:35:19.025
You know and I've.

00:35:19.025 --> 00:35:21.271
You've probably had that and I've had that.

00:35:21.291 --> 00:35:26.557
I had a grandmother come into my house on a Saturday morning, literally didn't even knock on the door.

00:35:26.557 --> 00:35:32.021
She came into my house and confronted me while I'm sitting at this table where I am right now.

00:35:32.021 --> 00:35:32.871
The door is right there.

00:35:32.871 --> 00:35:38.831
Knocked on the door, there she was, Came in and wanted to know why her grandson wasn't playing.

00:35:38.831 --> 00:35:43.759
I mean, you know, we've all had moments like that.

00:35:43.759 --> 00:35:50.336
I don't know if you've had a grandmother and curlers come into your house and I think for a lot of people that's tough.

00:35:50.336 --> 00:35:59.762
Now I've got a phenomenal wife, phenomenal and she loves baseball too, so that helps.

00:36:02.070 --> 00:36:10.536
But being a coach in a small town, there's not a lot of places to escape to, there's really no escape.

00:36:10.536 --> 00:36:22.422
And one of the things I've chose and I'm not complaining, I'm not complaining about this One of the things that I've chosen as a head coach is to kind of isolate myself.

00:36:22.422 --> 00:36:27.327
You know, I'll go to area restaurants, you know, and I'll.

00:36:27.327 --> 00:36:30.396
You know, of course you got to go shopping, go to gas stations, see people.

00:36:30.396 --> 00:36:48.085
But what I do not do is I don't put myself in social situations that could end up in a parent with some liquid courage coming over and offering me advice.

00:36:48.085 --> 00:36:58.119
So I just avoid those situations and I think sometimes again, in small towns, that some coaches can get themselves in trouble in those situations.

00:37:00.050 --> 00:37:04.740
You know, I think you have to keep parents at an arm's length.

00:37:04.740 --> 00:37:05.342
You have to.

00:37:05.342 --> 00:37:08.237
Again, that's my philosophy.

00:37:08.237 --> 00:37:18.458
Some people don't I mean some coaches are very, very close with parents and I say, well, how do you define close?

00:37:18.458 --> 00:37:41.525
I've had some situations where I've lost friendships because of coaching decisions and I've had parents who have done things for me without being asked.

00:37:49.612 --> 00:37:59.797
Then, two years later, of course, when things don't turn out for their son, then they won't have anything to do with me or we'll say negative things about me or the program, and again, that's, that's part of coaching, that's we we get.

00:37:59.797 --> 00:38:11.782
So I mean I'm a parent, I have three kids, all graduated, but I mean we want the best for our kids and sometimes, you know, wanting the best turns into behaviors.

00:38:11.782 --> 00:38:15.951
That clouds people's judgment and I understand that.

00:38:15.951 --> 00:38:35.559
But I think it's been best for me to kind of remove myself or not put myself in those situations and I think sometimes people then view me being like that is that I'm kind of aloof, that I'm unapproachable, which I think is far from the truth.

00:38:35.559 --> 00:38:41.932
But so there is a price to pay.

00:38:42.653 --> 00:38:48.443
I've paid a price for that, but I think for me it's been one that has served me well.

00:38:48.443 --> 00:39:07.063
I think it has, and again it's, you know, I've had to sacrifice some things and thank God like thank goodness I have I had three great kids who understood that baseball was important and I have a wife who's just A1, just an A1 wife very, very supportive.

00:39:07.063 --> 00:39:26.920
So you know, I think a lot of coaches and this is going to sound negative just don't have the spine to put up with some of the nastiness that's out there, because there's some nasty stuff, real nasty stuff.

00:39:28.610 --> 00:39:32.561
Yes, and I, I, you know I agree with a lot of things you're saying there.

00:39:32.730 --> 00:40:00.701
You know the the the one thing that I, really, looking back on it now, when I was at Buckeye Valley, I, my athletic director, had my back and you know she would, you know, know she was also the softball coach, so she understood and, uh, you know they, if you've got an administration that really backs you and is willing to stand up for you as a coach, that that is helpful.

00:40:00.701 --> 00:40:38.896
Because you know, like I put out something on x the other day where you know somebody was talking about a coach and I said that I had an administrator friend of mine who he used to be a athletic director, and you know he said that he's heard that if the athletic director has got to decide between your one year stipend, you know, contract that you have, and them having to deal with parents all the time, they're going to just move on from the coach because one it's a spring sport, non-revenue sport, and why?

00:40:38.896 --> 00:40:45.978
Why spend the time you know fighting for you when they can just go get another coach and maybe make that?

00:40:45.998 --> 00:40:47.592
parent group happy After my life.

00:40:47.592 --> 00:40:59.961
I wonder you know, when I walk away, when I decide that I'm done will that be the same for the coach that replaces me?

00:41:02.610 --> 00:41:10.965
Well, looking back on your career, what do you hope that players remember most about playing for Coach Jeff Ryan?

00:41:14.291 --> 00:41:21.164
You know, I think you know respect, professionalism and, again, being fair.

00:41:21.164 --> 00:41:32.856
You know, one of the greatest you know and this is nothing revolutionary, you know this Baseball doesn't teach us how to win, baseball teaches us how to lose.

00:41:32.856 --> 00:41:45.900
I mean, that's the most important thing and I think one of the greatest moments coaching is when a player plays his last game and you know to see how they react and you know to see how they react.

00:41:45.900 --> 00:41:53.987
You know, and usually of course you have these kids, these macho 16, 17, 18-year-old kids, of course, where the last thing they're going to do is show any emotion.

00:41:53.987 --> 00:42:10.500
But of course, when they realize, especially in baseball, that the career is over with and if it ends in a disappointing manner, to see the tears well up in their eyes, I think that is a beautiful moment.

00:42:10.500 --> 00:42:13.764
That is a beautiful moment, the emotion of empathy.

00:42:19.269 --> 00:42:24.251
And one of the reasons why that is important to me is my oldest brother had Down syndrome and he passed away at the age of 44.

00:42:24.251 --> 00:42:30.219
And I've always told people I mean he was the first home run hitter I ever knew, he was the first one.

00:42:30.219 --> 00:42:40.414
I mean he was Babe Ruth, I mean when we were, you know, third grade, fourth grade, fifth grade him, the world would be a better place.

00:42:40.414 --> 00:42:44.963
So he is having that relationship with him and him being a.

00:42:44.963 --> 00:43:14.257
He loved baseball, was good at it, had a heart condition, of course, as many people with Down syndrome have, but he had a great life and you know, having parents, humble parents, who did what a lot of parents didn't do then when he was born in 1950, a lot of parents you probably know this that a lot of parents who had Down syndrome children were told again, the emotions of the game are just, they're beautiful, they're beautiful moments, beautiful moments.

00:43:14.309 --> 00:43:16.458
And I, you know I cherish those hugs.

00:43:16.458 --> 00:43:34.402
And when the, you know when a 17-year-old kid cries, like you know, like the, like the four-year-old you know who had a sucker taken away from him, and he balls like crazy and then, after he's done crying about two minutes later, there's one more.

00:43:34.402 --> 00:43:38.597
You know when a player does that.

00:43:38.597 --> 00:43:41.222
That's priceless.

00:43:41.309 --> 00:43:43.878
And when they're the ones who initiate the hug too.

00:43:43.878 --> 00:43:46.456
You know that's beautiful.

00:43:46.958 --> 00:43:47.358
It's beautiful.

00:43:47.358 --> 00:43:52.597
I'm really interested in what your response is to this one Hate losing or love winning.

00:43:55.532 --> 00:44:02.775
At the end of every game we talk with the players, but we do it a little bit differently.

00:44:02.775 --> 00:44:21.342
Okay, we go by the dugout to the right of the dugout or, if we're on the road near the dugout, right near the fence, and that's where we have our conversation, and we'll have parents and other people will come over and they'll be able to hear everything that is said.

00:44:21.342 --> 00:44:29.670
So we do it in front of everybody, and for two reasons First, first of all, I have no secrets.

00:44:29.670 --> 00:44:35.119
And also, um, you know, we, we got to be careful what we say and how we say it.

00:44:35.119 --> 00:44:39.572
Um, it doesn't mean you don't say what you want to say.

00:44:39.572 --> 00:44:51.045
Um, but in that moment, one of the things we do when we win, I give game balls like everybody else does.

00:44:51.045 --> 00:44:55.000
So, two game balls or three game balls.

00:44:55.000 --> 00:45:04.699
Now, going to graduation parties there's been a few of them, I've gone to a few players it is just so tremendous to see those game balls on little pedestals.

00:45:04.699 --> 00:45:08.476
You know what they did, you know who was it against and everything like that.

00:45:10.951 --> 00:45:16.958
And some people say, oh well, when you talk to the kids, then you go back to the school, then you talk to them again.

00:45:16.958 --> 00:45:20.581
No, uh-uh, no, no, no, no, no, that's it.

00:45:20.581 --> 00:45:29.043
That's where we talk, and there's a lot of coaches who say, well, I'm not going to do that because that's a moment for us.

00:45:29.043 --> 00:45:36.335
That's why we go out to left field, that's why we're for what's to come, because there are going to be disappointing things that happen in your life and athletics teaches that.

00:45:36.335 --> 00:45:49.536
And that's what bothers me, that some people don't understand the importance of competitive athletics, because it teaches you to deal with difficult times that we all face in our lives.

00:45:49.536 --> 00:45:51.737
It gives you kind of a taste of it.

00:45:51.737 --> 00:45:57.961
So you know again, I've been teaching for 36 years and I love teaching.

00:45:57.961 --> 00:45:58.563
I just love it.

00:45:58.563 --> 00:46:01.652
But I love coaching too.

00:46:04.998 --> 00:46:07.443
Well, I don't know.

00:46:13.659 --> 00:46:14.844
Did you get a chance to see the College?

00:46:14.864 --> 00:46:16.007
World Series game yesterday.

00:46:16.027 --> 00:46:18.791
All right, I wanted to get your thoughts on the ejection of the Coastal Carolina.

00:46:18.791 --> 00:46:19.472
I don't get it.

00:46:19.472 --> 00:46:23.393
I mean, I don't know if the umpiring is very good in Ohio.

00:46:23.393 --> 00:46:24.614
Our umpiring is very good in Ohio.

00:46:24.614 --> 00:46:26.536
Our umpiring is adequate.

00:46:26.536 --> 00:46:27.137
We had a.

00:46:28.297 --> 00:46:32.719
Our season ended on a very suspect call.

00:46:32.719 --> 00:46:35.282
Really, really bad.

00:46:35.282 --> 00:46:52.639
It's terrible when the umpire or referee determines the outcome of a game and that's what happened to us and I know it kind of sounds like sour grapes but I still taste those sour grapes in my mouth and it's been two weeks since our season ended.

00:46:52.639 --> 00:46:56.112
But no, I I mean, come on, he's got to understand.

00:46:56.112 --> 00:46:58.081
This is a national championship game.

00:46:58.081 --> 00:47:02.255
I'm not talking about the coach and talk about the umpire and all the.

00:47:02.396 --> 00:47:05.952
All the coach said and I saw the press conference too is that you missed three already.

00:47:05.952 --> 00:47:12.503
He didn't say you're blank and blank and you're terrible, you suck, just said you've missed three already.

00:47:12.503 --> 00:47:18.407
All you need to do is put the stop, sign up and just move on or come over and say okay, that's enough.

00:47:18.407 --> 00:47:20.336
Yeah, I didn't understand that.

00:47:20.336 --> 00:47:21.815
I mean, you've got to be kidding me.

00:47:21.815 --> 00:47:29.418
And again, sometimes I look at some of the behaviors that I've seen in the College World Series and the Super Regionals like and that guy doesn't get ejected.

00:47:29.418 --> 00:47:43.893
It's like my God, that's a guy who should be tossed, not the coach of Coastal Carolina doing something as you know One pitcher and one hitter in a Game 7 of the World Series.

00:47:45.347 --> 00:47:51.139
Group A you got Pedro Martinez as your pitcher and Willie Mays as your hitter.

00:47:51.139 --> 00:47:59.239