This week on the ABCA Podcast, we’re joined by Dr. Luke Wilkins, a lecturer at La Trobe University and former sport scientist and lead skill acquisition specialist with the New York Yankees. Wilkins brings a unique perspective to player development, blending cutting-edge academic research with experience in professional baseball.

In this episode, we take a deep dive into his recent research paper, “A Framework for Using Virtual Reality to Enhance Psychological Performance in Baseball,” and explore how perceptual-cognitive training, gaze behavior, and VR tech can be used to elevate on-field performance.

Originally from the UK, Wilkins holds a PhD from The University of Birmingham and currently teaches in the Sport and Exercise Science department at La Trobe, focusing on motor behavior and talent development. He’s also involved in international research collaborations across baseball and cricket.

Want even more from Dr. Wilkins? Check out Episode 280 of the ABCA Podcast from January 17, 2022, where he breaks down the principles of skill acquisition in baseball.

Get the pro treatment and design your very own custom Rawlings glove just like your favorite big-league stars! Choose from countless patterns, web types, lace colors, and more to showcase your unique, personal style. Start with a pro design and change it up with your team colors or build yours completely from scratch with your name, number, and state flag! Visit Rawlings.com to design your custom glove today!

The ABCA Podcast is presented by Netting Pros. Netting Professionals are improving programs one facility at a time, specializing in the design, fabrication and installation of custom netting for backstops, batting cages, dugouts, bp screens and ball carts. They also design and install digital graphic wall padding windscreen, turf, turf protectors, dugout benches, dugout cubbies and more.

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This week on the ABCA Podcast, we’re joined by former MLB All-Star, longtime broadcaster, and pitchLogic CBO, Lary Sorensen. A veteran of 11 big-league seasons, Sorensen won 93 games and was selected to the 1978 American League All-Star team as a member of the Milwaukee Brewers.

After his final MLB appearance in 1988, Sorensen transitioned into the broadcast booth, calling games for ESPN, the Detroit Tigers, and most recently, Wake Forest University baseball and football. But behind the scenes, Sorensen battled substance abuse—a struggle that nearly cost him everything. In 2014, he turned his life around and has been thriving ever since, using his platform to support others and continue growing the game through pitchLogic’s cutting-edge technology.

In this powerful episode, Sorensen reflects on the highs and lows of his career, his passion for the game, and the importance of second chances.

Get the pro treatment and design your very own custom Rawlings glove just like your favorite big-league stars! Choose from countless patterns, web types, lace colors, and more to showcase your unique, personal style. Start with a pro design and change it up with your team colors or build yours completely from scratch with your name, number, and state flag! Visit Rawlings.com to design your custom glove today!

The ABCA Podcast is presented by Netting Pros. Netting Professionals are improving programs one facility at a time, specializing in the design, fabrication and installation of custom netting for backstops, batting cages, dugouts, bp screens and ball carts. They also design and install digital graphic wall padding windscreen, turf, turf protectors, dugout benches, dugout cubbies and more.

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This is our final installment of on location interviews from Cary, NC and USA Baseball’s NHSI Tournament coaches. Today we are joined by Venice’s Craig Faulkner, Corona Del Sol’s David Webb, Collierville’s Jeff Munier, Wesleyan Christian’s Mo Blakeney and Stony Brook’s Jon Brewer. Congrats to Coach Faulkner and Venice High School on bringing home this year’s championship.

Get the pro treatment and design your very own custom Rawlings glove just like your favorite big-league stars! Choose from countless patterns, web types, lace colors, and more to showcase your unique, personal style. Start with a pro design and change it up with your team colors or build yours completely from scratch with your name, number, and state flag! Visit Rawlings.com to design your custom glove today!

The ABCA Podcast is presented by Netting Pros. Netting Professionals are improving programs one facility at a time, specializing in the design, fabrication and installation of custom netting for backstops, batting cages, dugouts, bp screens and ball carts. They also design and install digital graphic wall padding windscreen, turf, turf protectors, dugout benches, dugout cubbies and more.

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The second part of our special National High School Invitational series brings you more on-the-ground conversations recorded in Cary, North Carolina. This premier event once again showcased elite talent and exceptional coaching from across the country.

This week, we continue our series with five more outstanding high school coaches who led their teams at NHSI 2025:

These coaches reflect on the NHSI experience, discuss program-building strategies, and talk about preparing their players for top-level competition while representing their school and community on the national stage.

Get the pro treatment and design your very own custom Rawlings glove just like your favorite big-league stars! Choose from countless patterns, web types, lace colors, and more to showcase your unique, personal style. Start with a pro design and change it up with your team colors or build yours completely from scratch with your name, number, and state flag! Visit Rawlings.com to design your custom glove today!

The ABCA Podcast is presented by Netting Pros. Netting Professionals are improving programs one facility at a time, specializing in the design, fabrication and installation of custom netting for backstops, batting cages, dugouts, bp screens and ball carts. They also design and install digital graphic wall padding windscreen, turf, turf protectors, dugout benches, dugout cubbies and more.

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For the next three weeks, we’re bringing you a special series of interviews recorded on location in Cary, North Carolina, during USA Baseball’s National High School Invitational (NHSI). It was another phenomenal event filled with top-tier talent and outstanding coaching.

This week, we kick things off with a round of conversations featuring coaches from five standout programs that competed at NHSI:

These coaches share insights on building successful programs, preparing for high-level competition, and what it means to represent their school and community on a national stage.

Get the pro treatment and design your very own custom Rawlings glove just like your favorite big-league stars! Choose from countless patterns, web types, lace colors, and more to showcase your unique, personal style. Start with a pro design and change it up with your team colors or build yours completely from scratch with your name, number, and state flag! Visit Rawlings.com to design your custom glove today!

The ABCA Podcast is presented by Netting Pros. Netting Professionals are improving programs one facility at a time, specializing in the design, fabrication and installation of custom netting for backstops, batting cages, dugouts, bp screens and ball carts. They also design and install digital graphic wall padding windscreen, turf, turf protectors, dugout benches, dugout cubbies and more.

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This week on the ABCA Podcast we’re joined by Kayla Baptista of the Pittsburgh Pirates. Baptista has quickly built a remarkable résumé in the game, becoming the first female on-field coaching intern in Cape Cod League history in 2021 with the Wareham Gatemen, and later breaking new ground again as the first female hired for a coaching role by the Texas Rangers in January 2022.

A former University of North Carolina softball standout, Baptista’s baseball journey has taken her from the Cape Cod League to the Texas Rangers’ player development system, and now to her current role as a pro scout with the Pirates.

In this episode, Baptista shares the experiences and lessons that have shaped her rise through the baseball ranks—from working with legendary ABCA Hall of Famers Ron Polk, Jerry Weinstein, and Don Sneddon, to her time at Cressey Sports Performance and in the Rangers’ spring training complex.

Get the pro treatment and design your very own custom Rawlings glove just like your favorite big-league stars! Choose from countless patterns, web types, lace colors, and more to showcase your unique, personal style. Start with a pro design and change it up with your team colors or build yours completely from scratch with your name, number, and state flag! Visit Rawlings.com to design your custom glove today!

The ABCA Podcast is presented by Netting Pros. Netting Professionals are improving programs one facility at a time, specializing in the design, fabrication and installation of custom netting for backstops, batting cages, dugouts, bp screens and ball carts. They also design and install digital graphic wall padding windscreen, turf, turf protectors, dugout benches, dugout cubbies and more.

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We’re staying on the professional side this week with Los Angeles Angels' catching and pitching coach Sal Fasano. A 13-year MLB veteran who played for 10 different organizations, Fasano brings a deep well of experience to this episode—from his time behind the plate to his work in the dugout and front office.

Fasano spent the last eight seasons on the Atlanta Braves’ Major League staff, where he played a key role in player communication and development, particularly in bridging on-field performance with advanced analytics. Now with the Angels, he’s helping guide their pitching and catching staff through a modern, data-driven lens.

In this episode, Fasano shares how to communicate complex data effectively, the evolution of the catching position, and what it’s really like working day-to-day at the MLB level.

Get the pro treatment and design your very own custom Rawlings glove just like your favorite big-league stars! Choose from countless patterns, web types, lace colors, and more to showcase your unique, personal style. Start with a pro design and change it up with your team colors or build yours completely from scratch with your name, number, and state flag! Visit Rawlings.com to design your custom glove today!

The ABCA Podcast is presented by Netting Pros. Netting Professionals are improving programs one facility at a time, specializing in the design, fabrication and installation of custom netting for backstops, batting cages, dugouts, bp screens and ball carts. They also design and install digital graphic wall padding windscreen, turf, turf protectors, dugout benches, dugout cubbies and more.

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Next up on the ABCA Podcast is Kansas City Royals Executive Vice President & General Manager J.J. Picollo, who just wrapped up one of the most remarkable turnarounds in Major League Baseball history. Under his leadership, the Royals posted an 86-76 record in 2024—30 wins better than the previous season—earning a postseason berth and making Picollo the runner-up for MLB Executive of the Year.

In this episode, Picollo dives into the Royals’ recent success, including the offseason investments that helped spark the turnaround, such as the franchise-record extension for Bobby Witt Jr. and a league-leading $110M spent on free agents. We also discuss his 19-year journey with the Royals, his emphasis on player development, and how his early coaching days at George Mason and George Washington shaped his leadership style. Picollo offers a unique look into managing a staff, creating organizational alignment, and building a sustainable, winning culture from the ground up.

A “unicorn” in every sense of the word, Rawlings’ new limited-edition Icon Electric Unicorn BBCOR bat’s performance is fully charged and will leave the competition mystified! Its seamless, two-piece carbon construction maximizes barrel size while maintaining optimal stiffness and increased trampoline. With a balanced swing weight and slight end load, the Unicorn is best for athletes seeking speed thru the zone. Electrify your swing with the all-new Rawlings Icon Electric Unicorn bat!

The ABCA Podcast is presented by Netting Pros. Netting Professionals are improving programs one facility at a time, specializing in the design, fabrication and installation of custom netting for backstops, batting cages, dugouts, bp screens and ball carts. They also design and install digital graphic wall padding windscreen, turf, turf protectors, dugout benches, dugout cubbies and more.

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This week on the ABCA Podcast, we’re joined by Rob Ducey, a 13-year MLB veteran and 2013 inductee into the Canadian Baseball Hall of Fame. Ducey broke into the big leagues in 1987 with the Toronto Blue Jays and wrapped up his playing career with the Montreal Expos in 2001. In 2004, he made history as the first Canadian to play for Team Canada, the Blue Jays, and the Expos.

In this episode, Ducey shares what it takes to hit at the Major League level, lessons from his playing days, and how he’s using those experiences to develop high school players in Florida today. We also touch on his work as a scout and his role with Core Energy Belt.

A “unicorn” in every sense of the word, Rawlings’ new limited-edition Icon Electric Unicorn BBCOR bat’s performance is fully charged and will leave the competition mystified! Its seamless, two-piece carbon construction maximizes barrel size while maintaining optimal stiffness and increased trampoline. With a balanced swing weight and slight end load, the Unicorn is best for athletes seeking speed thru the zone. Electrify your swing with the all-new Rawlings Icon Electric Unicorn bat!

The ABCA Podcast is presented by Netting Pros. Netting Professionals are improving programs one facility at a time, specializing in the design, fabrication and installation of custom netting for backstops, batting cages, dugouts, bp screens and ball carts. They also design and install digital graphic wall padding windscreen, turf, turf protectors, dugout benches, dugout cubbies and more.

Download & Subscribe to the Podcast: https://www.abca.org/podcast

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Few coaches in college baseball have had the kind of long-term impact Mike Birkbeck has made at Kent State. Since becoming Associate Head Coach in 2004, Birkbeck has helped guide the Golden Flashes to 10 MAC regular season titles, 10 MAC Tournament championships, and 10 NCAA Regional appearances. Widely respected as one of the top pitching minds in NCAA Division I baseball, Birkbeck brings decades of playing and coaching experience to the mound.

In this episode, Birkbeck shares his philosophy on pitching development, program-building, and preparing players for the next level. With 53 former players going on to sign professional contracts—including big leaguers Andrew Chafin and Eric Lauer—his track record speaks for itself. Whether you’re a coach or a pitcher, this is a masterclass in long-term development and consistency.

A “unicorn” in every sense of the word, Rawlings’ new limited-edition Icon Electric Unicorn BBCOR bat’s performance is fully charged and will leave the competition mystified! Its seamless, two-piece carbon construction maximizes barrel size while maintaining optimal stiffness and increased trampoline. With a balanced swing weight and slight end load, the Unicorn is best for athletes seeking speed thru the zone. Electrify your swing with the all-new Rawlings Icon Electric Unicorn bat!

The ABCA Podcast is presented by Netting Pros. Netting Professionals are improving programs one facility at a time, specializing in the design, fabrication and installation of custom netting for backstops, batting cages, dugouts, bp screens and ball carts. They also design and install digital graphic wall padding windscreen, turf, turf protectors, dugout benches, dugout cubbies and more.

Download & Subscribe to the Podcast: https://www.abca.org/podcast

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