YBMcast

Dave Wiggins steps into the host chair for this episode of Baseball Talk and is joined by Kevin Moulder, Director of Scouting for Prep Baseball Missouri, along with Staley Head Coach Dionandre Josenberger.

The conversation begins with a look at the start of the high school season, including discussions about tryouts, early practices, and what coaches are looking for as teams begin preparing for the upcoming season. With players stepping onto the field for the first time this year, Dave, Kevin, and Coach Josenberger share their perspectives on what matters most during this early phase of the season and how players can set themselves apart.

After that, the group shifts their focus to the recent Prep Baseball Missouri Preseason All-State event, taking a look at some of the standout players from the event, beginning with the underclassmen, and discussing what these performances could mean as players continue their development heading into the season.

Events like the Preseason All-State provide opportunities for athletes to showcase their abilities and measure their progress, and the panel shares their thoughts on players who made strong impressions during the event.

If you're following Missouri high school baseball, this episode provides insight into both the early season process and some of the players who are beginning to make their mark.

🔒 Join the YBM Club Today

Become a Legacy Member and receive 50% off your first year while supporting independent Midwest baseball coverage.

Get exclusive player spotlights, rankings, interviews, and members-only content inside the YBM Club.

👉 https://www.youthbaseballmidwest.com/ybm-club

📣 Guest Socials

Dave Wiggins (HC Principia Christian / Recruits Baseball Director)
X: @CruitsCoachDW
Instagram: @coachdave1338

Kevin Moulder (Prep Baseball Missouri)
X: @PrepBaseballMO
Instagram: @prepbaseballmo

Dionandre Josenberger (Staley High School Head Coach)
X: @StaleyFalconBSB
IG: @staleybaseball_

⚾ Stay locked in with Youth Baseball Midwest—your hub for full-spectrum youth baseball insight in the Midwest. Subscribe and hit that dinger (🔔) to never miss a game-state insight.

🌐 More YBM:
Website: youthbaseballmidwest.com
YouTube: Youth Baseball MidwestInstagram: @youthbaseballmidwest
TikTok: @YouthBaseballMidwest
X: @YBM_cast
Facebook: Youth Baseball Midwest


Presented by our proud partners:
Game 7 Baseball: game7baseball.com
Prime Sports Midwest: primesportsmw.com


🎥 Production Partner:Red Earth Productions: redearthprod.com

On today’s episode of The Hitting Zone, Mitch Thomas is joined by Nick Schwieder, High School Showcase Director for Competitive Edge, for a conversation that looks at development from a different angle.
 
Before we talk about developing athletes, we have to talk about developing the adults who guide them.

Nick shares insight into what goes into building and sustaining a strong organization — from managing coaches and creating a unified philosophy to holding consistent standards across a program. 

They discuss: 
• What it takes to build a development-focused organization
• Managing and aligning coaches within a system
• Establishing expectations and accountability across staff
• Why culture and leadership matter in player development

Strong athletes rarely appear by accident. They are often the product of strong leadership, strong standards, and adults committed to developing the next generation. 
If organizations want better players, they must first invest in developing the people responsible for guiding them.

📲 Follow Nick Schwieder / Competitive Edge:
Competitive Edge Showcase
X (Twitter): @CEShowcase_

📲 Follow Mitch Thomas:
Instagram: @_mtsperformance
X (Twitter): @TheHittingZoneSTL
TikTok: @thehittingzonestl

⚾ Stay locked in with Youth Baseball Midwest—your hub for full-spectrum youth baseball insight in the Midwest. Subscribe and hit that dinger (🔔) to never miss a game-state insight.

🌐 More YBM:
Website: youthbaseballmidwest.com
YouTube: Youth Baseball MidwestInstagram: @youthbaseballmidwest
TikTok: @YouthBaseballMidwest
X: @YBM_cast
Facebook: Youth Baseball Midwest


Presented by our proud partners:
Game 7 Baseball: game7baseball.com
Prime Sports Midwest: primesportsmw.com


🎥 Production Partner:Red Earth Productions: redearthprod.com

As the season approaches, one of the biggest challenges athletes face is transitioning from offseason training into in-season performance. On this episode of Keep Klimbing, Brett Graves breaks down how pitchers and athletes can effectively bridge the gap between training and competition. The work done in the offseason — from workload management and strength development to pitch design and mental preparation — must now translate to game situations on the mound.

Brett discusses how athletes can adjust their routines, manage their workload, and maintain the gains made during the offseason while preparing for the demands of a competitive season.

This episode covers:
• Transitioning from development phases to competitive performance
• Managing workload as games begin to ramp up
• Maintaining strength and arm health during the season
• Applying offseason work to real game situations
• Mental preparation as competition begins

For pitchers preparing to take the mound this season, understanding how to bridge that gap between training and performance is critical to long-term success.

📲 Connect with Brett Graves

Instagram: @brettgraves5
X: @bgraves05

📲 Connect with Premier Pitching
Instagram: @premierpitching
X: @PremierPitching

⚾ Stay locked in with Youth Baseball Midwest—your hub for full-spectrum youth baseball insight in the Midwest. Subscribe and hit that dinger (🔔) to never miss a game-state insight.

🌐 More YBM:
Website: youthbaseballmidwest.com
YouTube: Youth Baseball MidwestInstagram: @youthbaseballmidwest
TikTok: @YouthBaseballMidwest
X: @YBM_cast
Facebook: Youth Baseball Midwest


Presented by our proud partners:
Game 7 Baseball: game7baseball.com
Prime Sports Midwest: primesportsmw.com


🎥 Production Partner:Red Earth Productions: redearthprod.com

This marks the third and final Youth Baseball Health Check of the season here on Youth Baseball Midwest. We visited Legacy Performance Academy to sit down with Josh Kranawetter, Youth Baseball Coordinator, and Mike Ott, Founder and Owner of Legacy Performance Academy, to continue our conversation about the overall health of youth baseball. We like to talk baseball, so we decided to do a health check on the state of youth baseball — focusing on the 7U to 14U age groups as we head into another spring and summer season. In this episode, we discuss what development and training truly mean for young players, how expectations should change across different age groups, and what proper development might look like for a 9U athlete just beginning their journey. We also dive into one of the most important — and sometimes difficult — topics in youth sports: the relationship between clubs and parents. These conversations can be challenging, but they are necessary if we want to continue creating healthy environments for young athletes to grow.
This episode closes out our Youth Baseball Health Check series, where we have traveled around the state speaking with organizations and baseball communities to discuss development, expectations, and the long-term health of the game.

🔒 Join the YBM Club Today
Become a Legacy Member and receive 50% off your first year while supporting independent Midwest baseball coverage.
Get exclusive player spotlights, rankings, interviews, and members-only content inside the YBM Club.
👉 https://www.youthbaseballmidwest.com/ybm-club

⚾ Legacy Performance Academy
Instagram: @stllpa
X: @stllpa
Website: www.stllpa.com

⚾ Stay locked in with Youth Baseball Midwest—your hub for full-spectrum youth baseball insight in the Midwest. Subscribe and hit that dinger (🔔) to never miss a game-state insight.

🌐 More YBM:
Website: youthbaseballmidwest.com
YouTube: Youth Baseball MidwestInstagram: @youthbaseballmidwest
TikTok: @YouthBaseballMidwest
X: @YBM_cast
Facebook: Youth Baseball Midwest


Presented by our proud partners:
Game 7 Baseball: game7baseball.com
Prime Sports Midwest: primesportsmw.com


🎥 Production Partner:Red Earth Productions: redearthprod.com

On this episode of Baseball 101, host Dave “Diamond Dave” Wiggins sits down with Andy Marks of Mach 1 Baseball to talk about pitching development at both the youth and high school levels.

From early fundamentals to advanced preparation, Andy shares insight into what proper pitching development should look like as athletes progress through the game. The conversation focuses on building a strong foundation, understanding how development evolves as players mature physically, and avoiding common mistakes when chasing velocity too early.

They discuss:

• Building a foundation at the youth level
• How pitching development changes in high school
• Balancing mechanics, strength, and workload
• Avoiding overuse and protecting arm health
• Creating a long-term development mindset for pitchers

Whether you're a coach, parent, or pitcher looking to better understand the development process, this episode provides practical insight into building healthier and more effective pitchers.

⚾ Baseball 101 — where experience meets education.

📲 Follow Dave Wiggins (Host)
X (Twitter): @CruitsCoachDW
Instagram: @coachdave1338

📲 Follow Andy Marks / Mach 1 Baseball
Andy Marks
X (Twitter): @AMarks27
Instagram: @andymooks

Mach 1 Baseball
X (Twitter): @mach1baseball
Instagram: @mach1baseball

⚾ Stay locked in with Youth Baseball Midwest—your hub for full-spectrum youth baseball insight in the Midwest. Subscribe and hit that dinger (🔔) to never miss a game-state insight.

🌐 More YBM:
Website: youthbaseballmidwest.com
YouTube: Youth Baseball MidwestInstagram: @youthbaseballmidwest
TikTok: @YouthBaseballMidwest
X: @YBM_cast
Facebook: Youth Baseball Midwest


Presented by our proud partners:
Game 7 Baseball: game7baseball.com
Prime Sports Midwest: primesportsmw.com


🎥 Production Partner:Red Earth Productions: redearthprod.com

Dave Wiggins is hosting this episode of Baseball Talk and is joined by Cody Massey, Head Coach at Maryville Christian School and founder of Buzzin' Baseball, along with Diego Solares of Scout Connect.

Together they break down high school teams to watch across Illinois for the upcoming season, taking a look at each classification from Class 1A through Class 4A.

Illinois baseball continues to produce outstanding programs across the state, and today we take a deeper look at some of the teams that could make serious noise this season. From smaller school contenders to the powerhouse programs at the top classifications, we break down which teams could be in position to make strong postseason runs.

If you're following Illinois baseball this season, this episode will give you a great early look at some of the teams and programs to keep your eye on.

🔒 Join the YBM Club Today

Become a Legacy Member and receive 50% off your first year while supporting independent Midwest baseball coverage.

Get exclusive player spotlights, rankings, interviews, and members-only content inside the YBM Club.

👉 https://www.youthbaseballmidwest.com/ybm-club

📣 Guest Socials

Dave Wiggins (HC Principia Christian / Recruits Baseball Director)
X: @CruitsCoachDW
Instagram: @coachdave1338

Cody Massey (Maryville Christian HC / Buzzin' Baseball)
X: @buzzinbaseball

Diego Solares (Scout Connect, Founder)
X: @DeegsBaseball

Scout Connect
X: @ScoutConnectBB
Instagram: @scoutconnectbb

⚾ Stay locked in with Youth Baseball Midwest—your hub for full-spectrum youth baseball insight in the Midwest. Subscribe and hit that dinger (🔔) to never miss a game-state insight.

🌐 More YBM:
Website: youthbaseballmidwest.com
YouTube: Youth Baseball MidwestInstagram: @youthbaseballmidwest
TikTok: @YouthBaseballMidwest
X: @YBM_cast
Facebook: Youth Baseball Midwest


Presented by our proud partners:
Game 7 Baseball: game7baseball.com
Prime Sports Midwest: primesportsmw.com


🎥 Production Partner:Red Earth Productions: redearthprod.com

We are going to have some fun today with Dave Wiggins Recruits Baseball Director and HC of Principia high school. Do you remember the best rivalries from high school? There is always that one team you remember that we all loved to beat, and they loved to beat you!

The St. Louis Post-Dispatch sports just published an article that looked at rivalries and what makes them special and memorable. We are going to break down some of the best baseball rivalries here today and we want you to join in and let us know your stories of the best baseball rivalries and your memories.

🔒 Join the YBM Club Today
Become a Legacy Member and receive 50% off your first year while supporting independent Missouri & Illinois baseball coverage.

Get exclusive player spotlights, rankings, interviews, and members-only content inside the YBM Club.

👉 https://www.youthbaseballmidwest.com/ybm-club

📣 Guest Socials
Dave Wiggins (HC Principia Christian / Recruits Baseball Director)
X: @CruitsCoachDW
Instagram: @coachdave1338


⚾ Stay locked in with Youth Baseball Midwest—your hub for full-spectrum youth baseball insight in the Midwest. Subscribe and hit that dinger (🔔) to never miss a game-state insight.

🌐 More YBM:
Website: youthbaseballmidwest.com
YouTube: Youth Baseball MidwestInstagram: @youthbaseballmidwest
TikTok: @YouthBaseballMidwest
X: @YBM_cast
Facebook: Youth Baseball Midwest


Presented by our proud partners:
Game 7 Baseball: game7baseball.com
Prime Sports Midwest: primesportsmw.com


🎥 Production Partner:Red Earth Productions: redearthprod.com

On today’s episode of The Hitting Zone, Mitch Thomas is joined by Hunter Hisky for a wide-ranging, honest conversation about the current state of youth baseball — and whether we are truly developing athletes.

Pulling perspective from the opposite end of the state, this episode moves through real questions facing families and programs today:

• Do team labels like AA, Major, and AAA really have value?
• Does level truly impact development?
• Are coaches focused on developing players — or collecting talent to win games?
• What questions should parents be asking when selecting a program?
• Do we have too many clubs?
• Why does recreational baseball feel like it’s disappearing?

The conversation isn’t scripted — it’s exploratory and honest. It challenges assumptions and digs into what development should actually look like.

At the center of it all is one question:

Are we really developing athletes?

📲 Follow Hunter Hisky:
X (Twitter): @hhisky
Instagram: @hhisky33

📲 Building Champions Baseball:
X (Twitter): @bcbaseballtoday
Instagram: @bcbaseballtoday


⚾ Stay locked in with Youth Baseball Midwest—your hub for full-spectrum youth baseball insight in the Midwest. Subscribe and hit that dinger (🔔) to never miss a game-state insight.

🌐 More YBM:
Website: youthbaseballmidwest.com
YouTube: Youth Baseball MidwestInstagram: @youthbaseballmidwest
TikTok: @YouthBaseballMidwest
X: @YBM_cast
Facebook: Youth Baseball Midwest


Presented by our proud partners:
Game 7 Baseball: game7baseball.com
Prime Sports Midwest: primesportsmw.com


🎥 Production Partner:Red Earth Productions: redearthprod.com

Today’s episode is Part 2 of the crossover conversation between The Hitting Zone and Baseball 101.

In this segment, Dave Wiggins has Michael Yeager, Assistant Coach & Recruiting Coordinator at Johnson County Community College, walk the audience through what the JUCO experience truly looks like from the inside.

From facilities and expectations to structure and strategy, Coach Yeager defines what development actually means at the junior college level.

They break down:

• What daily life looks like inside a JUCO program
• How facilities and structure impact growth
• What expectations are placed on players
• How development is individualized and tracked
• Why JUCO can be one of the most powerful pathways in baseball

If Part 1 challenged how we define development at the youth level, Part 2 shows what it looks like when development is done with intention.

This episode continues the conversation about building better athletes — not better optics.

📲 Follow Michael Yeager:
X (Twitter): @MYeags7

📲 Johnson County Community College Baseball:
X (Twitter): @JCCCBaseball
Instagram: @jcccbaseball

📲 Follow Mitch Thomas:
Instagram: @_mtsperformance
X (Twitter): @TheHittingZoneSTL
TikTok: @thehittingzonestl

📲 Follow Dave Wiggins:
X (Twitter): @CruitsCoachDW
Instagram: @coachdave1338

⚾ Stay locked in with Youth Baseball Midwest—your hub for full-spectrum youth baseball insight in the Midwest. Subscribe and hit that dinger (🔔) to never miss a game-state insight.

🌐 More YBM:
Website: youthbaseballmidwest.com
YouTube: Youth Baseball MidwestInstagram: @youthbaseballmidwest
TikTok: @YouthBaseballMidwest
X: @YBM_cast
Facebook: Youth Baseball Midwest


Presented by our proud partners:
Game 7 Baseball: game7baseball.com
Prime Sports Midwest: primesportsmw.com


🎥 Production Partner:Red Earth Productions: redearthprod.com

We are joined by Kevin Moulder, Scouting Director for Prep Baseball Missouri, and Dave Wiggins (Head Coach at Principia Christian & Recruits Baseball Director) as we discuss the upcoming YBM Game of the Week slate for the 2026 season.

As we march toward our YBM Season Opener, we take an early look at players and matchups from around the state and discuss some of the games we’ll be spotlighting throughout the season.

We’ll break down the teams we are keeping an eye on, players who could make an impact early, and how the Game of the Week schedule is shaping up across Missouri.

Opening Day is getting closer — and the Game of the Week is shaping up to be something special here on Youth Baseball Midwest.

🔒 Join the YBM Club Today

Become a Legacy Member and receive 50% off your first year while supporting independent Missouri & Illinois baseball coverage.

Get exclusive player spotlights, rankings, interviews, and members-only content inside the YBM Club.

👉 https://www.youthbaseballmidwest.com/ybm-club

📣 Guest Socials
Dave Wiggins (HC Principia Christian / Recruits Baseball Director)
X: @CruitsCoachDW
Instagram: @coachdave1338

Kevin Moulder (Prep Baseball Missouri)
X: @PrepBaseballMO
Instagram: @prepbaseballmo

⚾ Stay locked in with Youth Baseball Midwest—your hub for full-spectrum youth baseball insight in the Midwest. Subscribe and hit that dinger (🔔) to never miss a game-state insight.

🌐 More YBM:
Website: youthbaseballmidwest.com
YouTube: Youth Baseball MidwestInstagram: @youthbaseballmidwest
TikTok: @YouthBaseballMidwest
X: @YBM_cast
Facebook: Youth Baseball Midwest


Presented by our proud partners:
Game 7 Baseball: game7baseball.com
Prime Sports Midwest: primesportsmw.com


🎥 Production Partner:Red Earth Productions: redearthprod.com