Jake Kistaitis is a strength and conditioning coach in the Oakland A's organization. Jake has been with the organization since 2022, where he has worked multiple levels from the DR up to AA. Prior to joining the A's, Jake spent time in 2020 with the Los Angeles Dodgers organization. Jake is a former college baseball player who grew up in the Omaha, Nebraska area. He was named the Texas League Strength Coach of the Year this season.

Topics covered in this episode:
-His professional baseball journey (including entering pro ball during the COVID chaos of 2020, time spent coaching in the DR, and working his way to AA)
-His best professional baseball story
-Being named the Texas League Strength and Conditioning Coach of the Year
-Advice for others and continuing education resources

Quotes:
-"Trying to pick up as much as I can. Kind of getting overwhelmed, because your first few weeks in pro ball, as you know, it's crazy" (2:49)
-"I would say building relationships is probably the most important because once you have that relationship built with a player, them buying into your program or buying in to you as a human is gonna allow that relationship to move onward and upward because they know that you're in it for them, not for yourself" (16:56)
-"I think every off-season you find something that you're interested in and then you just try and learn as much as you can and then figure out how to utilize that on the day-to-day" (21:35)

If you would like to learn more from Jake, you can follow him on social media:

Instagram:
@jake_kistaitis

And a special thank you to xcelerated recovery for sponsoring this episode! 

Grace is a Minor League Strength & Conditioning Coach with the Tampa Bay Rays, where she works to support athlete performance and development throughout the organization. Before joining the Rays, she served as an Assistant Strength & Conditioning Coach at Queens University, working with baseball, men’s and women’s soccer, and men’s tennis. Grace has also spent time in professional baseball with the St. Louis Cardinals as a Player Development Strength & Conditioning Coach and previously interned with the Cleveland Guardians. 

She holds a master’s degree in Applied Kinesiology and Physiology from the University of Florida, and a bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science with a minor in Sports Psychology from the University of Evansville.

Topics covered in this episode:
-Working in the college setting vs. professional baseball
-Advice for others and finding success
-Continuing education resources

Quotes:
-"I think this year has really solidified that I want to be in pro ball" (4:33)
-"I think you should definitely experience both of them. For me, I'm obviously really glad that I experienced and went and worked in the college setting. It makes me appreciate being where I'm at a lot more" (10:36)
-"Every day I try and just be really appreciative of the people I get to work with, the athletes I get to work with, and the experience I get to have because it's a really cool job that we have" (23:42)

If you would like to learn more from Grace, you can follow her on social media:

Instagram:
@coachgracecullen

Grace is a Minor League Strength & Conditioning Coach with the Tampa Bay Rays, where she works to support athlete performance and development throughout the organization. Before joining the Rays, she served as an Assistant Strength & Conditioning Coach at Queens University, working with baseball, men’s and women’s soccer, and men’s tennis. Grace has also spent time in professional baseball with the St. Louis Cardinals as a Player Development Strength & Conditioning Coach and previously interned with the Cleveland Guardians. 

She holds a master’s degree in Applied Kinesiology and Physiology from the University of Florida, and a bachelor’s degree in Exercise Science with a minor in Sports Psychology from the University of Evansville.

Topics covered in this episode:
-Her best professional baseball story
-Being a younger coach in the field
-Axial loading for baseball players
-Learning how to coach effectively without technology
-Working with unfamiliar sports and athletes

Quotes:
-"Their spine is so mobile and gets put in such crazy positions that I'm not really a huge fan of putting a bunch of weight on their back" (7:28)
-"I just think people need to hammer the basics when they're coming up and they're interning" (10:04)
-"I think whenever a coach writes a new program they probably modify it like five times" (19:39)

If you would like to learn more from Grace, you can follow her on social media:

Instagram:
@coachgracecullen

Joe Hudson is in his first year as a Strength & Conditioning Coach at the Major League level with the Boston Red Sox organization. He has previously spent multiple seasons at High-A, Double-A, and Triple-A within the organization and another 4 years managing private sector sports performance facilities in Massachusetts. He received his B.S. in Exercise Physiology from Plymouth State University (’12) and his M.S. in Exercise Science from Springfield College (’15). Joe and his wife Meghan currently live in Springfield, MA with their twin boys Callan & Griffin and their daughter Maeve.

Topics covered in this episode:
-Finding success at different levels
-Collaboration with staff and players
-Continuing education resources

Quotes:
-"You experience the soft skills and learning how to navigate people and stuff like that through experience and through continued exposure to doing it" (11:41)
-"The message for me is accept that there's always more to learn and that the experience is still valuable" (12:30)
-"The science side of our profession is booming at a rapid pace, but the art side is getting lost, or passed over, just because there is so much technology and there is so much in the analytical space of tying this thing to that thing" (17:23)

If you would like to learn more from Joe, you can follow him on social media:

Instagram:
@hudson_jr12

Twitter:
@Coach_JoeHudson

And a special thank you to Ecore Athletic for sponsoring this episode! 

"As the Official Flooring Partner of the Professional Baseball Strength & Conditioning Coaches Society (PBSCCS), Ecore Athletic is proud to support the training environments where elite athletes prepare to perform at their best. From Major League to Minor League Baseball, Ecore Athletic surfaces are trusted in weight rooms and training facilities across the country — designed to deliver unmatched durability, performance, and safety. All manufactured right here in the USA."

Joe Hudson is in his first year as a Strength & Conditioning Coach at the Major League level with the Boston Red Sox organization. He has previously spent multiple seasons at High-A, Double-A, and Triple-A within the organization and another 4 years managing private sector sports performance facilities in Massachusetts. He received his B.S. in Exercise Physiology from Plymouth State University (’12) and his M.S. in Exercise Science from Springfield College (’15). Joe and his wife Meghan currently live in Springfield, MA with their twin boys Callan & Griffin and their daughter Maeve.

Topics covered in this episode:
-Being in the Big Leagues vs. being in the Minor Leagues
-In-season programming adjustments
-Media pressure on players and staff

Quotes:
-"The biggest difference between the Big Leagues and the Minor Leagues is really in the travel schedule and the game schedule" (1:15)
-"If there's still performance and physical development gains on the table still, we want to chase those" (20:05)
-"Everything here is under a microscope, for sure" (24:41)

If you would like to learn more from Joe, you can follow him on social media:

Instagram:
@hudson_jr12

Twitter:
@Coach_JoeHudson

Joe Hudson is in his first year as a Strength & Conditioning Coach at the Major League level with the Boston Red Sox organization. He has previously spent multiple seasons at High-A, Double-A, and Triple-A within the organization and another 4 years managing private sector sports performance facilities in Massachusetts. He received his B.S. in Exercise Physiology from Plymouth State University (’12) and his M.S. in Exercise Science from Springfield College (’15). Joe and his wife Meghan currently live in Springfield, MA with their twin boys Callan & Griffin and their daughter Maeve.

Topics covered in this episode:
-His journey to the Big Leagues and Opening Day 2025
-Practicing gratitude and meditation
-Managing all the factors that go into being successful in the Big Leagues

Quotes:
-"What I started doing, which has been really helpful, is every couple Sundays when we were at home I'll get there early, I'll go up, walk up to The Monster and just sit on The Monster for like 10 minutes" (13:54)
-"We're lucky man. There are so many other (bad) jobs that we could be doing" (14:38)
-"The priority, first and foremost, is winning baseball games, right? And that requires a different type of consideration towards what you wanna do every day" (18:03)

If you would like to learn more from Joe, you can follow him on social media:

Instagram:
@hudson_jr12

Twitter:
@Coach_JoeHudson

This is a celebration of the 8-Year Anniversary for The PBSCCS Podcast. The episode is a "Year in Review" episode discussing all of the interviews over the past year:

-Max Miller - Working in the Arizona Complex League and how to maximize relationships
-Adam Decker - Working outside of baseball and physical literacy
-Joe Leo - The value of good internships and programming for in-season athletes
-Ryan Harrel - Microdosing a daily training regimen and his family ties in professional baseball
-Phil Wilson - His company (Relax Saunas) and the value of far infrared saunas
-Chris Frosch - Strength and skill development and working the Arizona Fall League
-Joe Scire - Helping elite athletes connect the dots and the role of the dietitian in professional baseball
-Kirby Retzer - The value of training with machines and life during and after professional baseball
-Spring Training Roundtable (Joe Leo and Logan Jones) - All things Spring Training
-Ben Loftis - Training youth athletes and owning and operating a training business
-Nate Kolb - Being a coordinator compared to being at an affiliate and a deep dive into force plates
-Goldy Simmons - Working in the NBA vs the MLB and training basketball players compared to training baseball players

Goldy Simmons is currently a Head Strength and Conditioning Coach in the NBA. Prior to joining the NBA, he worked his way through the ranks in professional baseball. He spent one year in the AZL with the Kansas City Royals organization before joining the Chicago White Sox organization. He worked multiple levels with the White Sox, including three years as the Director of Strength and Conditioning for the Major League club.

Topics covered in this episode:
-Training basketball players (areas of concern, management of programming, lines of communication)
-Advice for others and finding success as a strength and conditioning coach
-Continuing education resources

Quotes:
-"There's a lot of adjustments that are made on the fly for proper execution because these guys are working so long to execute something that would be considered predominantly simple" (7:01)
-"Define who they are as a human being first, and that'll ultimately help you drive the athlete that's inside of them" (17:32)
-"I feel like if I were to step back onto the diamond I'm gonna be so much better of a strength coach on so many different levels just because I understand a different sport" (21:31)

If you'd like to learn more from Goldy, you can find him on LinkedIn.

Goldy Simmons is currently a Head Strength and Conditioning Coach in the NBA. Prior to joining the NBA, he worked his way through the ranks in professional baseball. He spent one year in the AZL with the Kansas City Royals organization before joining the Chicago White Sox organization. He worked multiple levels with the White Sox, including three years as the Director of Strength and Conditioning for the Major League club.

Topics covered in this episode:
-Life in the NBA vs. life in the MLB

Quotes:
-"We set it up to where if we need to adapt we can adapt and get guys what they need on a nightly basis" (11:52)
-"The cultural norm, in basketball, is like 'what do I need for the game?'" (20:22)
-"Sticking to the basics will drive the objective outputs that we seek as performance coaches" (22:25)

If you'd like to learn more from Goldy, you can find him on LinkedIn.

Goldy Simmons is currently a Head Strength and Conditioning Coach in the NBA. Prior to joining the NBA, he worked his way through the ranks in professional baseball. He spent one year in the AZL with the Kansas City Royals organization before joining the Chicago White Sox organization. He worked multiple levels with the White Sox, including three years as the Director of Strength and Conditioning for the Major League club.

Topics covered in this episode:
-His journey to both the MLB and NBA
-Smashing ping pong tables
-Operating daily with elite level athletes

Quotes:
-"Be careful about breaking ping pong tables prior to the end of a game because you never know what's gonna happen" (8:37)
-"What I've learned over the last 10-12 years is that these guys are at this level for a reason, and they could probably do without a lot that we're putting on to them" (13:50)
-"But I do think that there's probably some places that, still, the waters are a little muddy and people are trying to take on maybe more than what their job description entails" (19:12)

If you'd like to learn more from Goldy, you can find him on LinkedIn.