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When Gary Gilmore arrived at Coastal Carolina, they had won just 17 games the previous season. Nobody—except perhaps Gilmore himself—believed this program could ever reach college baseball's pinnacle. Yet through a remarkable development-focused philosophy, unwavering faith, and a culture built on love, Gilmore guided the Chanticleers to one of the greatest underdog stories in sports history.

The 2016 College World Series champions weren't built on blue-chip recruits or lavish facilities. Coastal thrived by taking overlooked athletes, redshirting them to build their skills, and molding them into complete baseball players. "We had to take guys that simply nobody ever heard of," Gilmore reveals, explaining how he prioritized athleticism over polish in recruiting. This development approach, coupled with the program's "selfless and relentless" mantra, created a team greater than the sum of its parts.

What makes this championship story even more extraordinary are the specific predictions Gilmore shared with his team before the final series. In an emotional team meeting, he outlined exactly how they would win—which pitchers would throw how many innings and the precise situations they would face. His players watched in amazement as these predictions unfolded exactly as described. "Coach, you told us what was going to happen before it happened. How did you do that?" they would later ask him.

Behind this magical run was Gilmore's transformation as a leader. After nearly leaving coaching early in his career due to frustration, he discovered his true purpose through faith and relationships. "The most important thing God put me on this earth for was to develop relationships," he shares. This revelation led him to create a culture where love became the team's greatest strength—where players constantly picked each other up after failures and supported one another unconditionally.

Whether you're a coach seeking to build a championship program or simply love underdog stories, Gilmore's journey offers powerful lessons about development, culture, and the extraordinary things that happen when a team truly believes.

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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.

Join the Baseball Coaches Unplugged podcast where an experienced baseball coach delves into the world of high school and travel baseball, offering insights on high school baseball coaching, leadership skills, hitting skills, pitching strategy, defensive skills, and overall baseball strategy, while also covering high school and college baseball, recruiting tips, youth and travel baseball, and fostering a winning mentality and attitude in baseball players through strong baseball leadership and mentality.

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Ever wonder what happens when a Major League manager storms the field to argue a call? For Clint Hurdle, former Pittsburgh Pirates and Colorado Rockies manager, one such confrontation led to an unexpected humbling when an umpire refused to eject him, saying "I've had to watch this horrible baseball for four days. You're going to have to watch it too." It's just one of many candid insights Hurdle shares in this revealing conversation.

After spending decades in professional baseball, Hurdle now serves as special assistant to the Rockies' general manager, working with minor league affiliates and developing young talent. He calls it "probably one of the best jobs I've ever had—it just took me 45 years to get it." This role allows him to maintain family balance while sharing his baseball wisdom with the next generation.

Hurdle's coaching philosophy centers on making practice more challenging than games. Drawing from NBA coach Steve Kerr's experience guarding Michael Jordan in practice, Hurdle advises players to "trust the reps, work as hard as you can in practice so you can actually play in the game." He emphasizes connecting with players by finding common interests outside baseball—what he calls "coins"—creating relationships that transcend the sport.

On baseball's analytical evolution, Hurdle positions himself between traditions and innovations: "It's not old school versus new school, let's all be in school." This hybrid approach helped him navigate Pittsburgh's analytics-driven front office while maintaining his baseball instincts. He appreciates data's objectivity while acknowledging human development requires emotional intelligence.

Whether discussing coachability, parent relationships in high school sports, or small-market team challenges, Hurdle brings perspective shaped by almost five decades in baseball. His insights extend beyond strategy to the human elements that make baseball special. For coaches at any level looking to improve their approach, connect with players, or navigate baseball's changing landscape, Hurdle's wisdom is invaluable.

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What's destroying young pitchers' arms across America? The answer might be right there on the radar gun. 

In this eye-opening episode, Coach Ken Carpenter tackles the alarming rise in serious arm injuries among youth and high school pitchers. Drawing from conversations with experts like Dr. Tom House and his own 27 years of coaching experience, Ken explores how the relentless pursuit of velocity—"chasing 90"—combined with year-round pitching schedules and early sport specialization is creating an epidemic of torn UCLs and Tommy John surgeries in teenagers.

Remember when kids threw footballs, rocks, and wiffle balls in the backyard? When baseball ended in summer, making way for football and basketball seasons? That natural athletic versatility created what Dr. House calls "neuroplasticity"—more neural pathways between brain and muscles that developed more complete, durable athletes. Today's young pitchers are missing that foundation, instead throwing max effort at showcases year-round without adequate rest or varied movement patterns.

The statistics are sobering: over 50% of Tommy John surgeries now happen to teenagers. As Coach Carpenter's pitching coach once said, "there's only so many bullets available to a pitcher," and today's young athletes are using them up before college. This episode challenges coaches, parents and players to reconsider their priorities: developing pitchers who can locate, change speeds, and maintain durability rather than just lighting up radar guns. After all, what good is throwing 90 mph in high school if your arm breaks down at 19?

Want to share your coaching perspective or story? Visit athlete1.net to request to be a guest on Baseball Coaches Unplugged and join the conversation about protecting young arms and the future of baseball.

Join the Baseball Coaches Unplugged podcast where an experienced baseball coach delves into the world of high school and travel baseball, offering insights on high school baseball coaching, leadership skills, hitting skills, pitching strategy, defensive skills, and overall baseball strategy, while also covering high school and college baseball, recruiting tips, youth and travel baseball, and fostering a winning mentality and attitude in baseball players through strong baseball leadership and mentality.

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Baseball's developmental landscape has undergone a massive shift in recent years. The glittering allure of travel baseball—with its showcases, fancy uniforms, and promises of exposure—has many believing it's the superior path to player development. But is it really?

Drawing from 27 years of high school coaching experience and 8 seasons in travel baseball, Coach Ken Carpenter delivers a thought-provoking analysis of what's truly best for young athletes. The fundamental difference? High school coaches develop student-athletes while travel programs often treat players as clients. This critical distinction changes everything about how players learn the game, handle adversity, and grow as individuals.

High school baseball offers something travel ball simply cannot: comprehensive development six days a week under coaches who see it all—the triumphs, failures, character under pressure, and classroom performance. These coaches teach players to compete rather than simply perform, to serve rather than expect privilege, and to represent something larger than themselves. Meanwhile, travel baseball's weekend tournament structure, often lacking accountability measures or developmental focus, frequently prioritizes exposure and winning over player growth.

College coaches still call high school coaches first when evaluating prospects—not for skills assessment, but to understand a player's character, work ethic, and response to adversity. As former MLB manager Joe Madden noted, today's system of over-specialization is burning kids out and filling their heads with false promises. The solution isn't eliminating travel baseball, but creating better collaboration between both worlds with proper oversight, certification requirements, and a shared commitment to what matters most: developing not just better baseball players, but better human beings.

Subscribe to Baseball Coaches Unplugged for weekly conversations with the game's best coaches who are preserving baseball's soul while navigating its changing landscape. Leave a review and share if you believe in putting player development before business.

Join the Baseball Coaches Unplugged podcast where an experienced baseball coach delves into the world of high school and travel baseball, offering insights on high school baseball coaching, leadership skills, hitting skills, pitching strategy, defensive skills, and overall baseball strategy, while also covering high school and college baseball, recruiting tips, youth and travel baseball, and fostering a winning mentality and attitude in baseball players through strong baseball leadership and mentality.

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When Coach Will Gorden stepped off the plane in China to lead a development program for Major League Baseball, he faced an immediate challenge: coaching 42 young baseball players who didn't speak English. This experience became the foundation for his transformative coaching journey that would span three countries and reshape his approach to leadership.

"More than anything, I learned a new way to communicate," Gorden explains on Baseball Coaches Unplugged. "After working with those kids who didn't speak the language, I can do anything with anybody in the United States." These international experiences—from witnessing the meticulous batting practice routines of Chinese Taipei's team to observing the profound reverence Japanese players showed toward the game—provided Gordon with a unique perspective few American coaches possess.

Now back at Rockhurst High School in Missouri after stints coaching in China, Taiwan, and India, Gorden has implemented a coaching philosophy built around what he calls "service-minded leadership." Rather than following the traditional model where freshmen handle equipment duties, Gorden places this responsibility on his seniors. "If you want to be seen as a leader, you're serving your teammates," he explains. This approach teaches players that leadership isn't about privilege—it's about service to others.

Gorden's candid reflections on his evolution as a coach reveal profound wisdom. Where he once believed "there weren't enough sprints that would cure everything," experience has taught him adaptability. "Kids change and I have to be willing to adapt to that mindset as well," he shares. This growth mindset extends to his approach with parents, where he welcomes hard conversations about playing time—a topic many coaches avoid.

Perhaps most refreshing is Gorden's perspective on youth baseball. When coaching his nine-year-old son's team, which didn't win a game all season, his measure of success was beautifully simple: "I asked them all individually...did you have fun? They said yeah. And do you want to play again? Yeah. Okay, that's it. Then we did our job." In today's hyper-competitive youth sports landscape, this commitment to joy and development over trophies offers a powerful reminder of what truly matters.

Ready to transform your coaching philosophy? Subscribe to Baseball Coaches Unplugged for more conversations with innovative coaches who are changing the game one player at a time.

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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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Nestled within the captivating world of collegiate baseball lies an extraordinary tale of transformation. Phil Schallenberger, head coach of Messiah University's baseball program, guides us through his team's remarkable journey from a disheartening 1-7 start to playing for the Division III College World Series championship.

The turning point came not through a strategic overhaul but a profound shift in perspective. After striking out 15 times against the #1 ranked team, Schallenberger embraced honest player feedback that would reshape their season: "Coach, it's not that you're communicating anything wrong—it's that it's being interpreted differently than intended." This vulnerability opened doors to authentic dialogue and a liberating team philosophy centered on purpose beyond outcomes.

Schallenberger reveals how creating a culture where conflict is valued rather than avoided became their secret weapon. "If there's no tension or friction, then you just have people saying yes because they think that's what they're supposed to do," he explains. This environment nurtured a team described by one veteran umpire as "the most unified and selfless team I've seen in 20+ years."

The conversation delves into practical strategies behind Messiah's explosive offense—stealing over 160 bases while breaking school home run records—and how removing fear fostered aggressive yet intelligent baseball. Drawing from his experience with the viral sensation Savannah Bananas, Schallenberger explains how incorporating fun and self-expression actually elevated their competitive edge.

Perhaps most compelling is Schallenberger's evolution from a coach who "hated losing more than loved winning" to one reporters called "the happiest coach I've ever seen lose a baseball game" after their championship defeat. His response? "Our identity truly isn't wrapped up in wins."

Whether you're a coach seeking to transform your program, a player looking to elevate your mental approach, or simply someone who appreciates stories of remarkable turnarounds, this conversation offers wisdom that transcends the diamond. Listen now to discover how surrendering outcomes might be your path to achieving what once seemed impossible.

Creating a culture where honest feedback and authentic communication thrive between coaches and players
• Embracing conflict as necessary for growth rather than something to be avoided
• Shifting from pressure-filled, outcome-focused baseball to playing with freedom and purpose
• Developing an aggressive base-running system that stole over 160 bases while maintaining an 80+% success rate
• Building a multi-dimensional offense that broke school home run records while remaining fundamentally sound
• Learning to surrender outcomes and find identity beyond baseball results
• Applying lessons from coaching with the Savannah Bananas to create an environment where players enjoy the game
• Encouraging players to embrace their personalities while maintaining competitive excellence

Join our podcast weekly for more insights from the best coaches in baseball as we break down the game and share incredible behind-the-scenes stories.

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The difference between consistently winning baseball programs and those that occasionally succeed isn't raw talent—it's the foundational elements Coach Ken Carpenter reveals in this powerful episode. Drawing from 27 years of coaching experience, Carpenter breaks down the eight critical characteristics that championship teams at every level share, from high school powerhouses to small programs that consistently punch above their weight.

At the heart of sustainable success is offensive production—specifically, scoring seven or more runs per game through quality at-bats throughout the lineup rather than relying on a couple of big hitters. Great teams combine this with defensive consistency, making routine plays look routine while building pitcher confidence. On the mound, strike-throwers who challenge hitters create the backbone of winning pitching staffs, while aggressive yet intelligent baserunning applies constant pressure that opponents eventually break under.

Carpenter details how exceptional catchers transform pitching staffs, why physical development creates hitters who can drive the ball with intent, and perhaps most critically, how championship culture and genuine belief in victory become self-fulfilling prophecies. "The best teams are brothers, not just teammates," Carpenter explains, "and that only happens when you invest in your culture every single day."

Whether you're coaching high school, travel ball, or college, this episode provides a clear roadmap to building a program that wins consistently rather than occasionally catching lightning in a bottle. Share this episode with another coach who's trying to build something special, and tune in every Wednesday for more insights that will elevate your coaching and your program.

Join the Baseball Coaches Unplugged podcast where an experienced baseball coach delves into the world of high school and travel baseball, offering insights on high school baseball coaching, leadership skills, hitting skills, pitching strategy, defensive skills, and overall baseball strategy, while also covering high school and college baseball, recruiting tips, youth and travel baseball, and fostering a winning mentality and attitude in baseball players through strong baseball leadership and mentality.

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Ever wonder how top high school baseball programs consistently develop winning cultures? Coach Blake Iles of Olathe East High School in Kansas pulls back the curtain on his coaching philosophy that's produced multiple 20+ win seasons and championships.

What makes Iles' approach unique is his genuine commitment to empowering those around him. His assistant coaches don't just stand around during games – they have "full control" over their areas of expertise. This delegation creates a coaching environment where everyone feels valued and players receive specialized instruction from coaches dedicated to their development. As Iles explains, dividing responsibilities allows him to focus on game management while ensuring players get the attention they deserve.

The conversation dives deep into player buy-in, with Iles sharing the remarkable story of transforming his second-best shortstop into a two-time All-State center fielder despite the player never having played outfield before. "That had nothing to do with me," Iles humbly reflects, "it had everything to do with him buying into saying, 'Hey, coach, you see this in me, I want to work hard at it.'" These moments of transformation happen when coaches communicate honestly and players embrace new challenges.

Transparency emerges as a cornerstone of Iles' coaching philosophy. Following advice from his mentor, he practices "brutal honesty" with players and parents alike. When dealing with playing time questions, he cuts through confusion with direct conversations about where players stand. While this approach might seem harsh initially, it creates clarity and trust. Players and parents might not always like what they hear, but they never have to wonder where they stand.

Perhaps most refreshing is Iles' emphasis on making baseball fun again. From blaring music during practices to giving players autonomy in game situations, he creates an environment where hard work and enjoyment coexist. "There's a reason baseball is called a game," he reminds us. "It's a game, it's meant to be fun."

Whether you're coaching high school baseball or leading a youth team, this episode offers practical wisdom for developing a program where players and coaches thrive. Subscribe now and learn how transparent communication, empowered assistants, and fun-focused practices might transform your coaching approach this season.

Join the Baseball Coaches Unplugged podcast where an experienced baseball coach delves into the world of high school and travel baseball, offering insights on high school baseball coaching, leadership skills, hitting skills, pitching strategy, defensive skills, and overall baseball strategy, while also covering high school and college baseball, recruiting tips, youth and travel baseball, and fostering a winning mentality and attitude in baseball players through strong baseball leadership and mentality.

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