Episode VII is LIVE FROM HOLLYWOOD w/ Los Angeles Dodgers Pitcher Cole Duensing! “You’re a big leaguer, until you prove you’re not” - Cole provides an in depth look into what makes the Dodgers such an outstanding team to work for every day at every level! Cole was a 6th Round Draft Pick by the LA Angles in 2016 out of Overland Park High School in Kansas. Hear him weigh in on being a top member of “The Greatest Kansas HS Class of All-Time”! Follow how we arrived at the decision to commit in our 4 day recruiting process to Kansas State over Wichita State (Hint: not the baseball)! Cole has a 1st hand perspective as a player who is very well educated from his own 8 year minor league journey on the erroneous differences between MLB & MiLB living conditions, pay scale, and other resources. Mr. Duensing talks about his development path from being a 17 year old kid fresh out of the draft all the way until he’s re-signed by the Dodgers at age 23. He is a Kansas City Chiefs fan and that’s all we’re gonna say about that! He gives us a low down about how he gets some of the best seats in the house for home games, and a local perspective on the best BBQ in KC!

We are fired the heck up to have my son Alexander Johnson of the Cincinatti Reds join us for episode VI! Even Alexander the Great was once Alexander the Potential: “Gator” is a Buffalo, NY native and WOW THE POTENTIAL! Al has been up to 99MPH previously accompanied by a 1%’er slider that helps hitters find their way back to the bench frequently. However, the last 9-10 months have been much different for Alex as he’s been recovering from arm surgery. He guides us through his recovery process & the hard work that goes into getting back to 100% and how to stay back. Al has childhood stories about how he accidentally started playing baseball, and some great advice for younger kids about how to challenge yourself to level up as a player! We cover the player development process and resources you need in order to take your career seriously. Gator may have one of the best draft day stories of all time, and if it wasn’t for our local newspaper he may never have even known himself! If you want to be on the show or have any questions please let us know at [email protected] or dm us on Instagram @holdingdownthefort_ ! Give us a follow on Tik Tok @holdingdownthefort. Stay tuned for more updates on the merchandise launch🔥

Episode V features one of the hardest working people in all of sports: Griffin Della Penna! A senior at Canisius College - Griff is THE FACE of the entire sports program, handling media relations for all 20 sports teams! He also wears many hats for Pegula Sports & Entertainment where he’s an announcer for The Buffalo Bills, Sabres, & Bandits; all while maintaining high academic honors in school. At the age of 19 this young man took sole responsibility for all broadcasting, announcing, and multi media for the Batavia Muckdogs in a transition year from Professional Baseball to a College Summer League. He single handedly brought the energy to the stadium and began packing the house thanks to his booming voice and love for the game! He recalls his 6 year old self watching SportsCenter & being hooked for life knowing: I want to talk about sports for a living!!! Griff has the desire and determination to do anything he wants in any sport and our game is fortunate to be his true passion.

Episode IV brings us to Buies Creek, North Carolina where we find Coach Jeff Calhoon & The Campbell University Camels! Jeff & The Camel Squad are off to a hot start in the 2023 season, and you’ll catch Coach Calhoon in the 1B coaches box all swagged out, helping the boys get around the bases! Jeff is not only one of the most phenomenal humans of all time, but he has a tremendous perspective when it comes to his path through this great game as a player & coach! We discuss life long relationships the game has built for us, how leading with gratitude will always help you fall forward, and some fun to be had along the way. Jeff offers a wide horizon when it comes to the college recruiting process, and he shares with us what he is looking for at the next level! If you want to be on the show or have any questions please let us know at [email protected] or dm us on Instagram @holdingdownthefort_ ! Go give us a follow on Tik Tok @holdingdownthefort. Stay tuned for more updates on the merchandise launch🔥

We are joined for Episode 3 by former big leaguer Bill Selby & his son Eli: Mr. Selby is a legend who hit a GRAND SLAM off Mariano Rivera when he played in Cleveland!! Hear stories about being in arguably one of the greatest MLB lineups of ALL TIME, forever Hall of Fame friends, and meeting some iconic musicians along the way!🤝

Bill and Eli are currently a dynamic player/coach duo at Northwestern Mississippi CC right now where they are off to a HOT start this season. We jump in to how the transfer portal has opened up all sorts of avenues for their team to be more competitive in one of the top JuCo leagues in the country; featuring bounce backs from Ole Miss, Mississippi State, Memphis, Alabama, Virginia and many more!

We weigh in on the new rule changes in the MLB and what we’re really trying to achieve vs. what kind of actions we are taking. Bill had 8 seasons in Dominican Winter League baseball where he saw the game from a whole new perspective!

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If you want to be on the show or have any questions please let us know at [email protected]

or dm us on Instagram @holdingdownthefort_ !

Give us a follow on Tik Tok @holdingdownthefort ! Stay tuned for more updates on the new merchandise launch🔥🔥🔥

Tyler an 8th round MLB draft pick, joins us to talk about his unicorn JR season in the history of Division I baseball! 5th pitch of the season: BOMB! Rest of the way 40IP, 0 runs, 11 saves, .100 BAA! Smitty’s second season in pro ball HE THREW 80% SLIDERS, and his feedback at the end of the year was “you throw too many fastballs”!! He provides a first hand perspective on what an outlier breaking ball can do for your ability to sustain a role in a MLB organization. Tyler helps us navigate the unknowns of the MLB draft process & has some serious life lessons on how to survive a 15 hour bus ride from Grand Junction, Colorado to Billings, Montana!

What would you do if Ken Griffey Jr. offered you $5,000 to cut your hair? Turn it down!?!?! Our dear friend Griffin Conine’s success in baseball speaks for itself! All American at Duke University, 2nd Round Draft Pick by The Toronto Blue Jays, home run leader as a rookie, the list goes on. Hear how he is heading into Spring Training 2023 feeling a whole NEW LEVEL of prepared! Griff talks about his development over this past offseason, and navigating his path through the recruiting process as a high school athlete. Plus we have some elite big league clubhouse stories from a unique perspective!