What does real grit look like in youth baseball—and how do you actually develop it?

In this episode of Unleashing the Baseball Mindset, Dr. Kyle Stull and Coaches Dylan Gautreaux and Chris Pike sit down with elite youth baseball coach Scott Martin (Wildcatters Baseball, North Texas) for an unfiltered, deeply practical conversation on grit, culture, standards, and long-term athlete development.

Scott Martin has coached 120+ youth teams across baseball, football, and basketball, played college baseball, and brings a rare blend of high standards, intentional culture-building, and genuine care for athletes. This conversation goes far beyond drills and wins—it dives into how coaching youth baseball can (and should) prepare kids for failure, adversity, accountability, and life beyond sports.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• What grit really is (and what it is not), including insights from Angela Duckworth’s grit research
• How to build a culture of effort, accountability, and emotional control in young athletes
• Why clear standards matter more than motivation speeches
• How to coach kids to live in the “performance middle”—not too high, not too low
• The difference between developing gritty players vs. merely selecting them
• Why process-driven programs outperform ring-chasing teams long term
• How honesty, trust, and consistency create buy-in from both players and parents
• Why baseball is one of the best training grounds for real-life resilience
• How to challenge kids without becoming the coach who drives them away from the sport

This episode is especially valuable for:

• Youth baseball coaches (8U–14U and beyond)
• Parents navigating competitive youth sports
• Coaches interested in mental performance, grit, and long-term development
• Anyone who believes sports should build better humans, not just better athletes

Scott doesn’t shy away from calling youth sports culture out—whether it’s soft accountability or prioritizing short-term wins over long-term growth. His philosophy is clear: love kids deeply, coach them honestly, and prepare them for a world that won’t lower the bar.

If you care about grit, toughness, culture, and doing youth sports the right way, this is a must-watch conversation.