BASEBALL COACHES UNPLUGGED
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BASEBALL COACHES UNPLUGGED
Fresh Perspective From Two Current College Baseball Players
Discover the secrets behind balancing passion and performance in collegiate baseball as we chat with Ohio Wesleyan University's outfielder Sammy Stoner and Otterbein University's pitcher Luke Walter. These former high school teammates share their compelling journey from the carefree days of youth baseball to the intensely competitive world of college athletics. Listen as Sammy and Luke reminisce about their high school escapades while offering keen insights into adapting to higher expectations without losing the love for the game.
Sammy and Luke also open up about the challenges and rewards of being college athletes, particularly in D3. Their stories highlight the intense work ethic required to excel, and the unique perspectives each brings: Sammy as a dual-sport athlete juxtaposing the physical demands of football with baseball, and Luke detailing the rigorous preparation and recovery routine of a pitcher. Emphasizing that passion for the sport can lead to opportunities at any level, they share valuable lessons in dedication and resilience.
Wrapping up, Sammy and Luke reflect on their summer league experiences, drawing parallels to the minor leagues and the camaraderie that grows from playing with teammates from diverse backgrounds. They express gratitude for the relationships built through baseball and the significant influence of their coaches and community. This heartfelt conversation offers a fresh perspective on the profound impact sports have on personal growth and professional life, leaving listeners inspired by the power of teamwork and the enduring bonds formed on the field.
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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Welcome to Baseball Coaches Unplugged with Coach Ken Carpenter, presented by Athlete One. Baseball Coaches Unplugged is a podcast for baseball coaches, with 27 years of high school baseball coaching under his belt, here to bring you the inside scoop on all things baseball, from game-winning strategies and pitching secrets to hitting drills and defensive drills. We're covering it all. Whether you're a high school coach, college coach or just a baseball enthusiast, we'll dive into the tactics and techniques that make the difference on and off the field. Discover how to build a winning mentality. Inspire your players and get them truly bought into your game philosophy Plus, get the latest insights on recruiting, coaching, leadership and crafting a team culture that champions productivity and success. Join Coach every week as he breaks down the game and shares incredible behind-the-scenes stories. Your competitive edge starts here, so check out the show weekly and hear from the best coaches in the game. On Baseball Coaches Unplugged.
Speaker 2:Hello and welcome to another edition of Baseball Coaches Unplugged. I'm your host, coach Ken Carpenter, and on today's show, a refreshing perspective from former high school teammates who compete against each other at Division III, ohio, wesleyan and Otterbein University. The outfielder is Ohio Wesleyan University's Sammy Stoner and the pitcher is Luke Walter at Otterbein University. They share what many players think about their high school playing days, to the challenges of not being the best players on their team, because every team at the college level is filled with the top players from their high school program. At the college level is filled with the top players from their high school program. They open up about the grind and why you have to be different to play and succeed in college sports. Oh, and did I mention one is also a starter on the football team? Before we hear from Luke and Sammy, let's talk about what it takes to have your facilities looking their best.
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Speaker 2:If you'd like to be a guest of Baseball Coaches Unplugged, go to our website, athlete1.net and fill out the guest registration form. If you enjoyed today's show, be sure to share it with a friend. And now to my interview with Ohio Wesleyan University, sammy Stoner and Otterbein University's Luke Walter. Hello and welcome to Baseball Coaches Unplugged. I'm your host, ken Carpenter, and joining me today is Sammy Stoner, outfielder and pitcher for Ohio Wesleyan University, and his high school teammate, luke Walter, who's a pitcher for Otterbein University. Guys, thanks for taking the time to be on Baseball Coaches Unplugged.
Speaker 3:Of course. Thanks for having us.
Speaker 4:Seriously thanks for having us.
Speaker 2:Well, guys, it's middle of January, central Ohio. I'm looking out right now and it's blanketed with snow and I would imagine you guys are probably pretty anxious. And when I talked to you just before starting here, luke, you're saying you're ready to go. Is that correct?
Speaker 3:I'm all, yeah, I'm ready to go, ready to get after it. What about you, sam?
Speaker 4:Yeah, I'm ready to. I'm ready to go outside again. I want to want to see a fly ball one more time.
Speaker 2:Well, looking. I want to start with. You know I met you guys when you were in high school. I had the opportunity to coach with Chris Huseman and Sam your dad was the pitching coach there and that's where I got a chance to meet you guys as players. And you know, I'm sure at some point throughout your career one of the coaches was saying you know, your four years in high school is going to fly by and you know, looking back on it, luke, what is it that you miss about those days?
Speaker 3:I think the freedom within the game really Once you kind of step outside, once you get to college. You come in as a freshman, you're not expecting much, but especially I think it was the same for me and Sam we both got some good playing time our freshman year in college and then ever since that starts, then you kind of set too many expectations on yourself, you kind of lose that loose feeling where you're just showing up to the field with the boys trying to get after it, just trying to have a good time, enjoy the game, and and you kind of get caught in a loop of I gotta do this, I gotta yeah, that's that's. I think that's what I miss the most about high school what about?
Speaker 4:you sam, yeah, I'd agree a lot more. I mean, I, I agree with everything that luke said, definitely just kind of it's a lot less, a lot more, just kind of go have fun, and that's kind of what I'm trying to get back to now. But also, um, one of the things that I was thinking about is that uh, oh well, I forgot what I was just thinking about actually. So maybe not, but, um, um, in high school, I mean, there's a lot, it's a lot more. Yeah, it really is just a lot more playing with your, playing for fun, I guess. Yeah.
Speaker 2:Yeah Well, most high high school players don't go on to play college baseball, and that's just the reality of it. And what was your biggest surprise for you, Sam, when you started competing at the division three level there at Ohio Wesleyan?
Speaker 4:um, one of the definite big things that changed for me right away was just like, kind of not being one of the best players on the team because, like in high school I mean junior year obviously got cut from COVID, but senior year, like, I was one of the one of the better guys in the team and I was just kind of I've always been just one of the like you know, I thought of myself as one of the best players.
Speaker 4:But then all of a sudden in college freshman year, um, I'm fighting for even especially cause I played football. I play football as well. So I didn't, I wasn't there in the fall. So then when it came to the springtime, I was fighting just to be able to make it like on our spring break trip and able to actually go. So that was kind of a big big culture shock for me, but it was. It was definitely good for me. I felt like having that really made me work all that much harder to get to that spot where I'm actually on the team and trying to be one of the best players.
Speaker 2:So what about you?
Speaker 3:Luke, I think one of the biggest realizations for me is there's dogs everywhere, like especially here at Otterbein, we kind of funnel. Like Grove City, I'd say, is our main, like that's where we're getting most of our guys from. But then you're getting into guys from like D3, d4, like smaller high school schools, like around Central and kind of just all throughout ohio and and those what sammy to harp on what sammy said like those guys were the guys at their school and even though it's d3, like they're not good, they're not, like they're not overwhelming with talent but the work ethic that comes with a guy that isn't naturally as talented like those guys. Those guys played most of the guys here, at least, were on varsity, sophomore, junior, senior year of high school and like they're not expecting anything different from them, like they're ready to play.
Speaker 2:Yeah, basically all these guys are the best, probably the best players on their high school team and it changes a little bit. And what would you tell a high school player right now who is good enough to play in college but has that uh, d1 or I'm not gonna play attitude luke?
Speaker 3:I think it. It comes down to the love of your game, like the love of the game for you, because there's a shelf life on this game. We're all granted with the ability to play this game for you. Because there's a shelf life on this game, we're all granted with the ability to play this game for as long as you're able to, and that's that's how I look at it. I want to play this game as long as possible because I love it. I'm rooted within it, like it's a part of my daily routine. And it just comes down to the fact, like, are you going to go to a big school and say you're going for academics and you're going to be sitting there? Man, I wish, I wish I could still play baseball. Like cause that once you pass that opportunity up, there's no really getting that back.
Speaker 2:Sam.
Speaker 4:Yeah, and I would say also, I agree with everything that Luke said. But also there's a it's still. It's still good baseball. It's not like like obviously you know D1, you're going to get the most looks, but there are guys from D3, d2, naia, guys from D3, d2, naia, juco every year who can easily transfer up to D1 or even get drafted out of wherever they're from. So there's definitely like, obviously, going D1 right away, that's the main goal as a high schooler. But I feel like I mean, you're going to find good baseball no matter where you go, and if you play well, then there's always a chance to move up to D1 or just get drafted out of there.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I totally agree with what you guys are saying. Now, sammy, you just mentioned it earlier, you're one of the rare college athletes that you see out there. You also play safety on the football team at Ohio Wesleyan, which is you know. You just don't see very many college athletes getting a chance to do that, and I got to ask you which is tougher to be more successful at baseball or football.
Speaker 4:I'm going to say, if I have to choose, I'm going to say football, because with baseball, I know, I know, I know hot take Because with football there's a lot more conditioning, got to be in shape, got to be at the top of your game for those 10 weeks, versus with baseball.
Speaker 4:I mean, you always have an off day with baseball, I guess, so you can kind of you have to. There's a lot more time to get back into it. I feel like that was one of the things that I didn't have a great as good of a senior year for football as I wanted to, and I feel like a big issue for that, big reason for that, was that I didn't, I didn't get back into shape as early as I should have. So I was still kind of fighting through it weeks one and two and then I had a pretty bad weeks one and two. So once I got through that I was a lot better. But with baseball I've just found that it's, I mean, other than my arms, because my arms have been hurting, but other than that, everything has been really easy to get back into and start swinging again, start throwing, start doing some bands, get myself going.
Speaker 2:So yeah, that makes sense. Well, luke, I wanted you to take us through how you prepare yourself between outings, because you know, when you're a pitcher, you're not like Sam, where you're getting to run out there every day and play and you've got to have that downtime where you're getting to run out there every day and play and you've got to have that downtime and take us through your routine from you know, you just pitched a game until the next time you start.
Speaker 3:Okay. So typically for us we play doubleheader on Saturday and then Sunday. I think within the first couple of days less is more. Like I'm a guy that I love like doing as much possible in each of my days to become better. But once you get into season, like your work is already kind of done. So you just kind of you got to take that downtime.
Speaker 3:So Sunday I'll go in, I'll hit some stretching, probably like 45 to an hour of just stretching, mainly working on my back and my hips, because that's that's kind of where I struggle as a player is I get, I get sore in those areas. And then Monday just a light throw, just we're playing some catch, we're we're not, we're not getting the ball down really on a line, we're just kind of feeling it, seeing how it's spinning out of our hand, making sure like there's no major issues with we're cutting the ball too much, it's got too much tail, just getting that foreseam right, just making sure because that's the table, that's all the other pitches are set off, how the foreseam is spinning. And then Tuesday, but for us at Otterbein, that's when we'll get back into practice for those weeks so we'll be doing some pickoff plays, some PFPs, some defense. And then I like to throw two light intent bullpens before I go out and start, besides just one heavy intent bullpen, because I feel like, as a pitcher, where do I play?
Speaker 3:I play on the mound. You need to be off the mound as much as possible. It's shown that on a flat ground there's more stress on your arm and when you're throwing off a slope it's around the same level of stress put on your arm if you're throwing off a mound consistently versus if you're just throwing a flat ground. So Tuesday for me that would be a light bullpen day, always keeping it light. I I always throw way too many pitches always. So I always gotta I always gotta say I'm gonna throw 15, I go throw 25, but then I think, okay, 25, that's fine. Take wednesday pretty light. No, no throwing, just stretching, a lot of stretching. I think that's where pitchers get into this loophole of they get caught up in the weight room trying to become as strong as possible when that only has a little bit to do with your ability to create velocity and throw the ball hard consistently.
Speaker 3:It's about being able to throw the ball hard, consistently and healthy. Can't do anything if you're not able to play. So Tuesday, thursday for me is my light and 10 bullpens, and then Friday, we're getting some good carbs in. Friday night, just relax and get into bed early. Yeah, that's my week.
Speaker 2:How hard are you throwing right now?
Speaker 3:We just we're starting practice next week. I threw lives on Thursday. I was 70, I mean not 70. I was 86 to 88 on, uh, our last live day.
Speaker 2:It's pretty good, and you're off. Speed is what what's that?
Speaker 3:so I'm throwing. I got a whole bunch. Right now we're really, we're really mastering the craft. I got a, I got a nice sinker going, a good change up, a gyro slider because I'm a pronator so it's hard for me to throw a pure slider and then I'm working on the sweeper right now. And then a good 12-6 curveball. The slider is about 77 to 78 right now, curveball below 70s and then changeup is high 70s as well.
Speaker 2:Okay, well, sam, you showed up in college, you pitched in high school and you were playing the outfield. If you go on the Ohio Wesleyan website, there's a picture you've thrown the ball to. Are you going to be pitching a little bit this year?
Speaker 4:then sure, um, probably not. I mean, the last time I threw for owu was freshman year, because I kind of came in and and that was like the spot either our outfit was full of older guys so they were playing there, and then we needed some pitching so I filled in there. But then since then I've really only played outfield, other than my the stint on the paints where I threw seven innings. So, but other than that, no, I'm full-time outfield for the most part, but if I can get my arm feeling good again we'll see if I can get some innings in, yeah there you go.
Speaker 3:I was Sammy's bullpen catcher right there. Yeah, For the paints.
Speaker 4:I was designated bullpen catcher for Sammy Stoner, the only guy I could have out there.
Speaker 2:There you go, but why do talented players in high school fail or struggle when they start playing the college game? Luke?
Speaker 3:I think it's a little bit with the people around them, especially as a coach, I don't think you should be telling a player what they're capable of, so you kind of set up their mental landscape in a different way when you're telling it could be variable goals. Say, you're a young guy, you're succeeding in high school, you're throwing hard, and then you get to college and these coaches are telling them what they want these players to be at. Like it kind of sets up this guy that's constantly pressing when he's already good enough to perform. And it's just also some of the guys that I noticed in high school that succeed are sometimes a little more physically developed, like at a younger age, so they're better than the competition. And as you get older and get into college, all those guys that were smaller than you they start to catch up and then you're kind of on an even playing field.
Speaker 2:Well, sam, what do you think about the talented players in high school? But they struggle when they show up there on campus. Why do you think that happens?
Speaker 4:Yeah, I definitely agree with Luke. I think a lot of it has to do with just the mental side of the game we talked about earlier, with kind of like not being the best anymore. You're going to have a lot more struggles when you're facing, uh like guys that so in high school I mean, there's a lot of pitchers that you know they're not going on to play anywhere at the next level, but then when you get to call it, these are the guys that went on to play at the next level. Everyone here is has the, has the want to be there, has a drive like is trying to get better all the time. And if you don't have that same or a similar drive, then you're not going to, you're not going to find as much success as you did in high school, where I mean, everyone's just getting, everyone's getting better. And if you're not getting better, than obviously you're going to find you're going to find a lot more struggles and success.
Speaker 2:So and on top of that you've got college coaches, and this is their job and they're. They're looking for somebody to replace you and you yeah, you gotta fight. Why I, I gotta ask you guys had the opportunity to play summer collegiate ball with the chilla coffee paints and you know what was that experience like. And how do you compare playing summer ball versus for your college team? And we'll start off with you, sam.
Speaker 4:I mean it really was a lot of fun. There was definitely some times where I was wondering why I was there, just because I mean you're playing 60 games in under 60 days, so there's a little bit. Or was it 50 games in 60 days? So you're, I mean you're there, it's, it's a full-time job, like you're there the whole time, whole summer, you're not doing anything else. And then, if you're, if you miss it, if, as as a fielder, there were a lot of games where I obviously didn't play in and that was you know. So it started to piss me off that I wasn't playing all the time. But I mean, at mean, at the end of the day, like it was a great experience. I'm so glad that both Luke and I did it, because it was a lot of fun hanging out with him the whole summer. So I really did enjoy it so much.
Speaker 4:And it was just compared to. I mean it was great to see, like you're seeing guys that are, you know you're seeing the D1 level guys. You're seeing NAI that are, you know you're seeing the D1 level guys, you're seeing NAI. You're seeing D2, d3, juco, everything. So you kind of it's kind of cool to see how you stack up against these other guys and when you find success against uh guy against you know schools like you're finding success against these other schools that you're competing against, basically like, oh wow, so I guess I am, I am, I am good, I am, uh, I'm good, I'm a good player, I can compete with these guys. So it was really fun at the end of the day, a lot of fun.
Speaker 2:Well, I know that they wouldn't ask you guys to play for them if you guys weren't doing the job in the spring. What was your experience? Like Luke?
Speaker 3:I played for the Paints my last summer too, my sophomore summer. I think it's just such a fun experience. You kind of it is a lot of games though, so you kind of get down there, you hit, you hit the middle, the middle months, like you're in the heart of the games and you're kind of like like I'm ready to go home. I'm ready to go home. Like it's a lot of baseball. My teammates, all from school, are sitting back at home relaxing, enjoying their summer, but as soon as that last out's recorded in the last game of the year for the paints especially, it's like what a hell of a summer, like that's just. I think it's. It's such again like harping on what I was talking about with the shelf life of the game, like so now I'm two years and I've played two full college seasons, but in reality I've really played four at this point. So I just just playing more baseball and I think it is.
Speaker 3:The schedule is a lot different compared to spring schedule, especially for d3 players, because I think it's pretty standard what we do and I think Sammy's kind of in the same boat.
Speaker 3:We play weekend double headers for our conference and then we play some weekday double headers for our conference and then, like throughout the year, you're playing weekends, in a wednesday normally, and just kind of like learning how, because that's it's like. It's like a simulated, like minors slash indie ball, like environment, like you're just, you're just grinding and I just personally, I love it and being able to be with sammy and other guys like you're on a team and I think, especially with guys at smaller schools. They like, when they get to a place like that, they're thinking about their label, they're thinking about that title behind their name, because it always says where you're from. And once you get, once you start playing, you get that that anxiety shaking off a little bit. Then Then you're like there is dogs everywhere. We played with a lot of guys. We played with some Juco NAIA guys and those are the guys that are playing professional right now, and there are some D1 guys that aren't doing that and it's just like it's different, it's a different landscape.
Speaker 2:Yeah, and the game can be very humbling and it doesn't matter what level you play at, that's for sure. And you know I got to ask when your careers come to an end and you know you guys are trying to get every last ounce of fun out of it, but it does come to an end for everybody how will you look back on your high school and college playing days and do you think? I'm a big believer in this it prepares you for the next stage of your life being a husband, you know, an employee, a father, things like that. And Sam, we'll go back to you.
Speaker 4:Yeah, I definitely think that. I mean there's so many lessons in the game of baseball. It's just like I mean even just like the basic you know, working hard will lead to success. I mean there's so many different things in baseball that will just help set you up for success as you go on in life. And I think that honestly, like playing baseball in college, it's even more of those lessons that we learned in high school, but even more so Now I'm free. I don't have my parents over my shoulder like I did in high school anymore, but now I still have to be able to go out and succeed so that when they do come and watch me, I'm not sitting on the bench or not striking out eight times in a game.
Speaker 2:Yeah, what about you, Luke?
Speaker 3:I think I agree with what Sammy's saying. I think the discipline is a huge factor into how you carry yourself for the rest of your life. And I also feel, like when you were talking about being a husband, like I think it helps within relationships because a lot of the times like you are just living your own life, like it's easy to individualize, but when you're on a team like sometimes you're not going to agree with things that coach is telling you or the other guys around you are telling you, but you got to realize it's bigger than yourself sometimes. So I think that's one of the most valuable lessons you kind of learn and it just kind of I think it shapes you into a better man.
Speaker 2:Well, I've said this before on podcasts my wife is a vice president of talent acquisition and when she has two candidates that are equal throughout the interview process and if she looks down and sees one is a college athlete, she typically goes with that person because she knows what it takes to be a college athlete. It takes more than just what the average college student goes through than just what the average college student goes through. But this is the part of the podcast where I like to have a little bit of fun. Okay, so you guys gave some great answers to some questions, but this is where I wanted you guys to kind of take us behind the scenes a little bit. I always start off with hate losing or love winning. Luke, you go first, hate losing.
Speaker 3:Why is that? It's just especially in baseball. It's your group of guys. You're going to school with these guys, because that's what it is when you come in, the fall like you're not playing yet, but you're getting close to these guys and it's your nine versus their nine. Just hate losing. I hate the taste of it. How about you, Sammy?
Speaker 4:Yeah, I definitely agree Hate losing, like obviously it's going to happen, but you got to. I mean, if you, if we talked about this a lot during the football season, we had a lot of guys that just loved winning and didn't hate losing, and that was why we struggled, because everyone was just trying to be as good, like be good enough, not be better. You got to be the best of the best. You can't just be good enough to win some games. You got to be the best of the best if you want to achieve your goals of winning a conference championship. So you have to hate losing if you want to succeed like that.
Speaker 2:Well, your best story from your high school playing days. You know I'll go with Sam, I'll let you lead off.
Speaker 4:Yeah, I got to think. You know that was years ago.
Speaker 2:All right. Well, luke, do you have one?
Speaker 3:I got one. It was my. This wouldn't say he wasn't on the team with me, but it was my senior year. We were second round of the playoffs. We were up in Mount Vernon and we went up there on a Wednesday. We had Krenzel on the bump and then started pouring on us and so we called it after the first inning. I think we were down a couple runs. We came up back the next day and we just fought Like it was. I think it was like 10-8, something final score, but I remember I got a clutch bunt down, beat it out to first and then I was lucky enough I played first the first five innings and then Huey trusted me enough to put me in there close the thing off. And that was that, because it was like it was a tight-knit community up there, so they had like 200, 300 people and they were all. They weren't nice fans Even though you were in high school they weren't nice, so being the villain for me was definitely.
Speaker 3:that was my favorite experience.
Speaker 2:Yes, definitely. The villain for me was definitely. That was my favorite experience. Yes, definitely, and I believe, uh, uh, we were the the lower seat on that. Oh yeah they were?
Speaker 3:they were like 10th, we were 30 something.
Speaker 2:That was huge upset yeah, all right, sam, your turn, you're on all right.
Speaker 4:well, uh, I think this would have been. This would have been my senior year. I remember we were playing Kauffman and I mean this is a pretty personal one, but I remember. So my best friend, hunter Hicks he went to Kauffman, played a little baseball at Dubuque, or no, sorry.
Speaker 4:I started that game pitching-wise. I started that game pitching-. I started that game pitching wise and I was kind of all over the place at first and I think Hunter ended up going over three on me with three like balls that got smoked right at someone. And then he came in, he came in to hit and he or he came in to pitch at the end of the and I got a hit off of him. So I remember being super excited about that. But also, just, we ended up beating them, I believe 2-0. And I was on base when Matt McClemmons hit a two-run shot to win us the game.
Speaker 4:Basically, and that kind of sticks out Beating the Crosstown rival will always just be one of the most fun things of my time. The other memory I have is when we beat them on JV, my sophomore year. We started off the game, I believe, down 8-0 in the first inning and then ended up winning something. We ended up run-ruling them, I'm pretty sure, beating them by like eight or nine runs. So that was a fun game. That was crazy, oh my, but it was a lot of fun still.
Speaker 2:Yeah Well, let me ask you this the transfer portal is the huge thing that you see with college football right now. As athletes, how do you guys feel about the transfer portal? And I'll start with you, Luke.
Speaker 3:For the most part. I think it's especially when you're looking at football, because that's kind of the it's getting highlighted on because all the NIL deals. I feel like that's a little different purpose than what it was intended for. But for a lot of the guys like that I know especially, we have a lot of. We had a lot of transfers coming this year from Otterbein like guys looking for new homes, and I think it's just. I think it's a great thing. I think guys are looking for the best spot to where they they can find a home, because sometimes you're really just you're really just picking a college like there's research you can put into it, but you don't know if you're going to fit in until you get there. A lot of the guys I see leaving is, after their freshman year, just looking for a new home, looking for a fresh start. I think it's a really good tool. It's a little misused sometimes but for the most part I feel like it's very useful.
Speaker 2:Your take Sam.
Speaker 4:Yeah, I definitely agree. I think that having the transfer portal is huge. Like Luke said, people just don't enjoy the sport with certain people, so finding a place where they enjoy the sport and can go on and succeed helps them a lot more. But I do want to say that I saw something about moving the transfer portal for football to only just a one week after bowl season and I think that was a great idea, because having the Marshall situation, where they weren't even able to play the bowl game is tough.
Speaker 4:So I think that they should try to find a way so that people don't have to go transfer before bowl games like that and kind of take out the integrity of the bowl games. But that's not really baseball.
Speaker 2:Yeah Well, I totally agree with you on that. And you know I was sitting here and I'm writing down questions and I'm thinking I got to try something different here. You guys face each other. Luke, you're on the hill, Sam, you're batting, you get three ABs. So that means Luke's been pitching well and he's into the seventh or so inning. Who wins that battle? And let's go with the hitter first, Sam.
Speaker 4:Well, the last time we faced each other was in Florida this past season, and I believe the third at-bat was the walk, right or was? It the strikeout. Okay, because I think it went hit strikeout walk. So the fourth at-bat. I think I have you got, I think I have you there, I think I'm locked in now ready to go. So I'm calling, I'm saying double off the wall wow, okay luke let's hear it.
Speaker 3:I think that was a fair battle. I wasn't. I wasn't pitching that well down there. I was still. I was still getting the season, I think. But I think if we run it back right now, I think I got 0 for 3 with three strikeouts.
Speaker 4:What pitch, are you?
Speaker 2:going to throw Sam that he's going to struggle with oh two-seam changeup combo.
Speaker 3:He's a great contact guy, but once you get that ball further from the eyes, that's where those whiffs start to come in. I threw plenty of sliders and curveballs on that inside part of the plate and I'm just looking at him smiling after it. I'm like how did you get your bat on that? How are you still alive? I threw I think I threw a curveball like off the plate in the dirt.
Speaker 4:Yeah, I'm pretty sure it's out of the box how is it off?
Speaker 3:and I'm just smiling. I'm like what, what am I supposed to do? That's where I wanted it.
Speaker 4:Yeah.
Speaker 3:But no, I think. I think. I think I'd win the matchup right now, but I'm not striking them out three times. This guy, if you look at his stats for the last, he's not. He's not a strikeout guy at all.
Speaker 2:That's great, that's the goal.
Speaker 2:Yeah, there you go. Well, I want to finish up with this right here. We had some characters on the Dublin Jerome High School baseball coaching set. Oh yeah, you know there was a part of me that felt like we had as much fun as you guys did, and you know that was one of the big things I've always enjoyed about coaching. And one of those coaches, like I said earlier in the podcast, was your dad, sam. What do you remember about the coaches? When you look back on it, you're like man, those guys are definitely enjoying themselves.
Speaker 4:Well, I mean, this is a culmination of things, but every time he always tries to come to like a, not come to a practice, but every once in a while he'll drop some story and I'll hear the story and then I'll be able to recite said story, because he says he has like five stories on rotation that I think I've heard about 50 or 60 times, so every time I'll I'll. I think I went to uh, it was funny too, actually. So he coached, so my dad coached Mott, um, in high school, my my uh college coach coach Mott and, um, I went and had like my first meeting with him and he and he goes. The first thing he says to me he says how's your family? Is your dad still telling that? Uh, that starfish story and that and it's the? I don't know, I feel like you might have heard that before, but I was like, yep, I, that's the, that's the one that I can recite from memory actually. So yeah, it was, oh, he, he loves, he loves his, uh, his, his jisms. So, yeah, what?
Speaker 2:about you.
Speaker 3:Luke he loves his J-isms. Yeah, what about you, luke? I think one time I showed up like I think I was one or two minutes late to practice and one day he said he's just go. He's just like go Go to the football stadium and I just start running and then I get back. The next group is about to go run too and he's like, no, you watch this one. And that made me. I was like well, that's the first time something like that had happened and I just I love that about Huey, after being his player, is dude just loved the game.
Speaker 3:And I think it's hard when you have high school guys, because you got some guys that really love it, but most of the guys showing up they're just kind of messing around and you just love the game more than us sometimes and I think that's where we got to. But I think my biggest moment were them having fun. I mean I love Coach C and Coach Seeley. They would just give me crap all the time Just about little things, just all the time, just things they probably shouldn't know as coaches. But I just loved it. I loved especially Coach C. I loved that dynamic.
Speaker 2:Yeah, definitely. Well, we had, we definitely enjoyed it and you know you kind of hit on something. Sometimes coaches get frustrated when they you know it feels like they want it more than some of the players do and you you kind of hit on that because there's always going to be guys on the team that are, you know they're they're high school guys. They they're not really going to go on like you guys did and it was a lot of fun. But, guys, I can't thank you enough because I know you're probably getting ready to go to practice here and you know it was fun getting a chance to be around you guys in high school and I love following you and watching the success you're having and wishing nothing but the best. And you know, thanks again for taking the time to be on Baseball Coaches Unplugged.
Speaker 3:Thank you for having us. This was a great experience.
Speaker 4:Seriously. Thank you so much, coach Karp. You'll always be my second favorite coach after Jay Stoner.
Speaker 2:Special thanks to Sammy Stoner at Ohio Wesleyan University and Luke Walter pitcher at Otterbein University. Today's episode of baseball coaches unplugged is powered by the netting professionals improving programs one facility at a time. Contact them today at 844-620-2707, or you can visit them online at wwwnettingproscom. I'm your host, Coach Ken Carpenter, and, as always, thanks for listening to Baseball Coaches Unplugged, Thank you.
