Can You Pitch in College Without Throwing 90? Here's How

The radar gun is loud, but it is not the whole story. I sit down with Crown College recruiting coordinator and pitching coach Ryan Vondracek, a former undersized high school lefty who barely touched 80 and still carved out a standout college pitching career. If you coach or play in a world obsessed with velocity, this conversation is a reset that brings the focus back to pitchability, conviction, and a plan you can actually execute on the mound.

We get practical on what helps “non-gas” pitchers succeed: building a repeatable routine, getting ahead in counts, throwing multiple pitches for strikes, and learning how to work off misses. Ryan also shares how nutrition, recovery, and training helped him add meaningful velo over time, plus why he hates the radar gun in many bullpen settings because it can create tension and wreck fluidity. Along the way we talk modern player development and recruiting, including what he looks for at Crown College and why mental toughness can be a better predictor than a single number.

Then the story goes deeper. Ryan opens up about early-life adversity, long years of therapy, and how faith, self-talk, and the people in your circle shape confidence under pressure. If you are a high school pitcher, a parent, or a baseball coach trying to guide players through the transfer portal era and the velocity race, you will leave with clear coaching cues and a bigger perspective on what “development” really means. Subscribe, share this with a coach who needs it, and leave a review so more players hear that there is more than one path to college baseball.

Transcript

Why Velo Rules Recruiting

SPEAKER_02 0:02

The name of the game to get recruited for college baseball as a pitcher is Velo. But what if you struggle to throw strikes and get batters out consistently? You better be ready to enter the transfer portal and hope another coach will take a chance on you. Today I sit down with a high school senior who is 5'6, weighing 140 pounds, and not touching 80 on the gun. When life is an uphill battle from the moment you're born to being a college pitcher and now a college coach. Ryan Vondrychek, next on Baseball Coaches Unplugged.

SPEAKER_01 0:39

This is the Ultimate High School Baseball Coaching Podcast. Baseball Coaches Unplugged, your go-to podcast for baseball coaching tips, drills, and player development strategies. From travel to high school and college. Unlock expert coaching advice grounded in real success stories, data-backed training methods, and mental performance tools to elevate your team. Tune in for bite-sized coaching wisdom, situational drills, team culture building, great stories and proven strategies that turn good players into great athletes. The only podcast that showcases the best coaches from across the country with your host, Coach Ken Carpenter.

Meeting Pitchers Where They Are

SPEAKER_02 1:19

Today's episode of Baseball Coaches Unplugged is powered by the Netting Professionals Improving Programs, one facility at a time. The Netting Pros specialize in the design, fabrication, and installation of custom netting for baseball and softball. This includes backstops, batting cages, BP turtles, screens, ball carts, and more. They also design and install digital graphic wall padding, windscreen, turf, turf protectors, dugout benches, and cubbies. The Netting Pros also work with football, soccer, lacrosse, golf courses, and even pickleball. Contact them today at 844-620-2707. That's 844-620-2707. You can also visit them online at www.nettingpros.com. Check out Netting Pros on X, Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn for all their latest products and projects. Hello and welcome again to Baseball Coaches Unplugged. I'm your host, Coach Ken Carpenter. If you get an opportunity and you like today's show, please be sure to share it with a friend or another coach. And don't forget to look for a new episode every Wednesday where I sit down with some of the best baseball coaches from across the country. Today's guest could be found on every high school roster in America. What makes him different is his approach to life and the game of baseball. He put together an incredible college pitching career and is the recruiting coordinator and pitching coach at Crown College in Minnesota. Ryan Vondrychek attitude is definitely everything. Thanks for taking time to join me on Baseball Coaches Unplugged.

SPEAKER_00 2:54

Absolutely, Ken. Thank you so much for having me.

SPEAKER_02 2:57

You're a player that made the transition from college baseball and now you're a college baseball coach. Speak about your high school experience and what do you tell these pitchers that they're not going to throw gas and they but they they want to be successful in high school.

SPEAKER_00 3:16

Yeah, I think I think the big thing is just you got to find a routine that works for them, right? Um everyone moves different, everyone has different ideas on how to go about um what they want to do on the mound. The problem is sometimes you get extremely bogged down in those types of ideas and you overthink, right? Um, so it's one of those things where come up with a very concise plan, and then from there you can kind of pick and choose what you want to add, or if it's like, hey, I heard this and I might think about this. Um the big thing that I see with a lot of arms that are not maybe in that high eights, um, that are successful is they throw everything with conviction. And I think the idea behind that is there's so many people now that just think throwing a baseball and putting it around the zone is gonna get out. If you do it correctly, you can, right? Um, but it's big on am I getting ahead and counts? Am I throwing something that looks like a strike and is it ending as a ball? Am I working off of my misses to be able to then be successful in those kind of later um opportunities? And when you don't overpower a guy, it's like if you're unfortunately, if you're not able to do that, you're not gonna have success. It's just it's uh the name of the game now. Um but I think the cool thing about that is is when you see a guy like that and he's able to compete in those type of situations by throwing everything with conviction and not having that overpowering stuff, it's like, okay, that's not a thrower, that's a pitcher. And I think now with the with kind of really pushing that idea of V low, VLO, VLO, it's like, hey, if I don't hit this number, I'm nothing. No, that's not true. It's like everyone has their approach to this game. Everyone's been taught different approaches from coaches. And I think that's the big thing about where we need to meet the athlete where they're at. When we meet them where they're at, it's like, okay, how do you feel about this plan? That here's a plan, go do it. Um, so a big thing that we do um kind of when we're recruiting at Crown um is the big thing for us is you need to have multiple pitches. We really don't care how firm it is. It's if you throw it with conviction, and can you throw it for strikes and can you throw it where if I throw a fastball off of this, can I throw it and tunnel something? Um, if I'm able to do that, you're someone that we want to go get. If you're a one-trick pony and you're heater middle, it's probably not gonna be uh kind of that um spot for you just because we don't want to put you in that type of situation where it's like, okay, you're setting yourself up for failure because you can't get anything else over. And and if you're if you rely only on the heater, when you do get touched, it's all between the ears. So so if you're not mentally tough enough for it, then that that's also gonna be a problem. So it's it's trying to simplify it where they're at. Um, but I think the big thing as well is um kind of talking with families and kind of seeing their upbringing and how they go about their business. If it's a hardworking family, you know that kid's gonna be hardworking. Um, but then again, there's really hardworking families that you can hop on the phone with and and you're like, okay, I really like this kid on a one-in-one call. Then he hops in with his family and he's a completely different person. You're like, we don't need that in the program. Um so it's one of those things too where it's like how important pitchability is now needs to be a priority. And if the velo is there early, awesome. The velo will come with how I go about my business, with how I prioritize things. How is my recovery? How is my nutrition? Um, and I think that's where you kind of see that success from those younger arms.

SPEAKER_02 7:16

Well, for you as a player coming out of high school, what what type of uh pitcher were you? Were you were you uh a high velo guy, or were you the guy that we just talked about?

SPEAKER_00 7:27

I was the definition of the guy that we just talked about. Um so I actually uh touched on it with with on Jimmy's podcast. So I was probably five, five, five, six as a senior, a buck thirty-five, a buck forty, maybe. So if we're talking projectability and you're a college uh institution, you're not like, yes, that's the guy we need. Um, so it was one of those things where I had to know how to pitch. I I had to go about my business in a certain way to even get that opportunity. But even when I didn't get those opportunities, I was stacking those days back to back, like, okay, I know my catch play is gonna be this, I know this is gonna be that. Um, if I get ahead and counts, I know I'm gonna have success. If I don't, oh, it's gonna be scary because if I had to throw that fastball and uh in the changeup ain't working that day, but it might not uh might not be good results. Um but I think the thing about that is you have to be able to dive into the what-ifs in kind of a practice setting. So then when it gets to game time, it's like, okay, like if something happens, I know how to handle this because I just made practice that much harder. Like there would be times where my dad would literally put a bucket on that white line on both sides, just say, if you hit the bucket, then we're going home. And he knew how much I enjoyed pitching, so I never wanted to hit the bucket. So there'd be times I'd absolutely yank it a foot to the to the to the left or or things like that, just because I didn't want to hit the bucket. And then he's like, You're overthinking things. Why are you overthinking things? So he said, just think about that as a tunnel. If I use that as a tunnel, then if I throw everything middle and let it work and let my arm work naturally, especially being left-handed, being blessed being left-handed, then I can do exactly what I need to off of those pitches. But if I get nervous on the mound and things like that, and I start to just kind of be really, really kind of like, oh, I have to put it right here. I'm gonna get touched because it's not gonna move how I want it to. So I think it's just it was trusting everything and kind of having that plan. Um, and even some guys uh kind of laugh at me now, um, because I pitch call exactly how I pitched. So, so some of our guys are even at the college are are like, you know, this just seems really, really complex. Um and uh we don't 100% understand what you kind of want in this situation. Um and so it's one of those things where it's like I understood it when I threw, but it's how am I gonna be able to communicate that? Um and having that fastball 73, 74 as a senior in high school and in a very, very competitive uh Iowa um conference, probably the probably the most competitive, if not the second most competitive. It's like if you're a middle, you're gonna get touched. Um so it was just trusting everything. Um, so I think that was kind of how I was able to figure out what I needed to do.

SPEAKER_02 10:39

So well, for the listener's sake here, you know, you said you're you know you're you're in that 73, 74 mile an hour range in high school as a senior. You don't have the projectability size that you want, but but you are left-handed. And how did you get that to work out to where you convinced a college coach that that I can I can do this at the college level?

SPEAKER_00 11:07

I truly think with every bone in my body, God gave me that opportunity. Um I think there was a lot of things that I was able to stack on top of each other where I showed that I could do that from a mental perspective. And I think once I showed it mentally I could do it, and that I was driven to figure out a way to do that at the college level, that's when that phone rang, and it was like I had one opportunity. I had Hib and Community College, which is an hour from the Canadian border up in Minnesota. Um, so it is a very, very small um institution. And without that opportunity, I don't know what would have happened. But kind of with how everything's been able to transpire now, like I know that was that was God's kind of path for me. Um but I just had to lean into it and give it absolutely everything I had. And then once that once that happened, and once I was able to kind of do that at the high school level, it was like, okay, like that guy might not be projectable, but that mentality we can get behind. Like the same thing now, like being a college recruiter, it's like, okay, maybe this guy doesn't 100% fit the boat as of now, but like through this conversation, I know he's gonna work incredibly hard. And and I know that at least one of the big things for us when we recruit, um, as a crown as a whole, they love the guy who's already had has his faith in order, everything like that, like absolutely locked in on that sense of things. Um, myself personally and our coaching staff, there's nothing more fulfilling than bringing a guy who doesn't understand kind of what Jesus sacrificed for us and be able to tell him those stories. Because if he's trying to understand something that is as intricate as the idea of um what Jesus did for us, then on the field it's gonna be simple because it's like there's so many things that aren't absolute in religion. Um, so if he's willing to kind of go those extra miles for that, it's like you know he's gonna do everything in his power to be the best version of himself. And that's what that culture needs. And once you make that culture kind of have that standard, then it's like, okay, when we keep bringing guys in like this, maybe the first two years, like maybe they're not gonna be the quote unquote guy. But as a junior, that guy's gonna be ready because of the guys that he had in front of him. Um, and and I think that same thing happened for me uh when I when I got to college, like I had I had some really, really good um individuals in front of me, maybe not always the most talented ball players, but like really, really intellectual um culture guys. Um, and then when I got to crown, like I was I was extremely blessed with kind of the guys that were around me there. Um so it was just learning how to um how do I fit into that system? How am I gonna get the best version of myself so the team can have that success? As a young guy, it was always I need to do this because this is what needs to happen. But the team strives when I did my best. And that was kind of how I needed to look at it. It wasn't when I did my best, this is how the results happened. It was I gave us that opportunity because they were behind me because of how I went about my business. And I think that's something that we're trying to stress at Crown and continue to work on. And I think we've done very, very well as in the past four years, um, making that conference championship the last four consecutive years, winning two of them um at in kind of an area that isn't a hundred percent uh like your regional team. Like, like you you hear Crown, you're like, I don't know where that's at, but but good for y'all. Um so it's one of those things where it's like um just trying to stack those days and and keep Jesus at the forefront. And I think every every opportunity I have, um, ups, downs. Um obviously last year wasn't wasn't the uh best mentally at times. So um how was I able to stay strong in my faith that way? And then how am I able to kind of lean into my guys and be able to share um those type of not only successes but struggles that I've had in my career as well.

Nutrition Training And Velo Jump

SPEAKER_02 15:23

So makes sense. Well, let me let me ask you this. I I try to put my my head into the uh potential listener out there, and your your story's fascinating because everybody talks about all you see on X and Instagram and TikTok and everything else that's out there is look at this guy, he's just blowing people away. But you know, you're you're 73, 74 out of high school. You go to JUCO route and then you you finish up at Crown College. What was your height and weight when you finish up at Crown College, and how hard were you throwing by the time you were all said and done?

SPEAKER_00 16:09

Um, so that's the that's there there's only another that I mean the the Lord has to be the answer for that one as well. Um, so they kind of got me on a uh nutrition plan when I got to Hibbei. Um after my freshman year, I was a buck 76. Um so I went from 74 to my senior year, I mean my uh sophomore year in JUCO. Um I was 79 to 81. Um, and that was the video that they posted for my recruiting. Three weeks later I went 83, 84, and end season I was 84, 85. So if I would have waited just that little bit, um we we always make a joke as a family, just kind of see what would have happened. But um, but I think the thing about that was like I believed in my stuff. Like I knew, hey, I know I'm not gonna overpower you with this, but there's outliers in everything. Like um my vertical attack angle was 21. Like that's that's a little bit over average. I spun it, no, I spun the fastball anywhere from 2460 to 2540. Like that's above average as well. So it's like, even though I didn't throw as hard as a lot of guys, like it perceived like it was a lot firmer. And when I threw that with conviction, it just looked that much harder. Um, and then I was just able to work everything off of that. So um, but all said and done, I had I had two summers in the Northwoods. Um and we were in Duluth and I hit 88-3 on the gun. So I always I always joke, and so does our coaching staff. So uh our head coach at Crown, uh Colt Sedbrooke is actually his old strength and conditioning coach when he was in the Cardinals organization, um, was uh Ryan Croton, who who's the um who is the uh founder of armcare.com and then RC13 as well. Um but as well as um Velo Belt, that the the uh the belt brand that kind of protects the pelvis in a certain way. And he goes, if you had that on, you would have hit 90, because it's like guaranteed two miles an hour. So it's a joke that we always have in the office, and it and it's pretty funny. Um, but it's like being able to reflect on that and being like, wow, you were here and like you did this. So it's now it's like you get I get a guy in house where it's like he's six, two, a buck ninety-five, two hundred pounds, and he's and he's like, Um, yeah, I don't I don't know how this pitching thing works. I goes, well, it's all between the ears, because if if I could do that at five, what five, eight and a half now, five, nine, my clo my uh my BIOS is five, ten and a half, and I will always say five ten and a half. Um, however, definitely on the mount, I was not five, ten and a half. Um, but it always looked like that because I have size 13 shoes. So, so yeah, I'm not I so it was always that was always a running joke, too. Is like, if you could grow into your feet, man, like that that would have been pretty cool. Um, but so it was things like that. So it's like being able to go through that journey myself and and being able to kind of have that approach on not only the game, but life in general, and then like being so like secure in what I believe and things like that. It's like if I was able to do that and be blessed at what I was given, like there should be no problem for you once you really dive into that. Like, you are gonna have that type of success. But do you believe it first? Like, I can believe anything. Our coaching staff can believe anything. Do you believe it in between the ears? If you don't believe it in between the ears, what am I doing? What are we doing? How are we gonna try to make you better if you don't believe it first? And I think that's something where it's like that's why everyone looks at the VLO. Like, personally, for pull pins, I hate the radar gun. Hate it, hate it. I hated it when it was behind me, I hated it when I saw it. Cause you tense up. Like, there's no fluidity. Like when you're at your best mentally, I tell our guys to throw it at 90%. And then that's when you don't tense up, that's when you throw everything with conviction. When you're like, hey, I need to get a little bit extra, that's when I get tight. That's when the elbow starts to feel a little bit more tension than it needs to. It's like, how am I gonna be able to be smooth like water, but at the same time be as fast as a tornado rotating in a phone booth?

SPEAKER_02 20:49

So there you go. Well, you know, but you know, the reason I asked that question was there are tons of pitchers across the country in high school that fall into the category that you were in, but you had the right mindset to take it and say, all right, this is what I got, and I'm gonna make it work. And you put you put the effort into it, the mindset into it. You you had a a dad who who helped you uh uh work at it as a as a young kid. And I think that that is something that uh every kid that you know I I I may not get a ton of high school baseball players that listen to the podcast, because maybe that's not the thing for high school kids, but but you're what you've done is is amazing just in the fact that you're you know where you started to where you finished up. And you know, you can't say enough good things about what you have done. I mean, that's that's incredible. And now you're coaching uh pitchers and the recruiting coordinator at Crown College there in Minnesota. And you know I I just gotta say that, you know, it's it's an incredible story. And going into it, into this podcast, I had, I didn't know that was your full story. And I I really this is the one of the reasons I'm into the pod doing this podcast is, you know, I've I find people and and that they they ask me like where did you get this guy? You know, where did you get that coach or that player or whatever it may be. And you know you can sit and listen to you know the the podcast where you get uh the Vanderbilt or the LSU or the Texas players and this and that. And yeah those those are great athletes and great stories but I think your story would resonate with the majority of high school baseball players and if there's a high school coach listening right now you know there what you've done is just incredible and and I you know I can't say enough good things about it. That's that's impressive. And there's a reason why I think the head coach at Crown you know wants you to be a part of his coaching staff and how has that been a change for you going from player to coach?

SPEAKER_00 23:23

So it's it's a lot more don't exactly know the word to use here. So I've been so if if you thought the baseball side of things was pretty cool um life in general was pretty sick. So actually when I was born I was born with a uh with a hole in my heart. Um and so so at the age of I believe it was six months I had a hole in my heart. So it was it has to take two options when you're in that six months um time zone you're too young to get operated on and that region. So it's either you die on the table or or it closes up miraculously um and within a couple days it just ended up closing up and so it's it's one of those things where it's like everything is is aligned. And things like that. And it's like the more I think about it is how everything has been able to sack up and things like that. So from a really really young age so as an infant you're supposed to crawl before you walk I didn't crawl and so my parents thought that was extremely cool. Unfortunately that's actually a very big problem because you don't learn your fine motor skills that way so I was in therapy for eight to ten years just trying to figure out how to work on like pressures. I would always break pencils things like that um things where I had to do um from a movement perspective from like an equilibrium perspective so like riding a bike extremely difficult um and things like that. And they said because of that like the things that I've endured like you wanted to be a college athlete like that's that's insane. Like why would you ever think that? And it was one of those things in the back of my mind like it all comes back down to mindset. Like do you believe in what you've done? Do you believe in how you go about your business? Are you gonna be able to get it done that way um so I actually started taekwondo at the age of four uh because I was a little bit under obviously I was undersized um and I actually um got bullied a lot because of it like even at a really really young age um so if something did occur like I would want to be able to defend myself just because just to have that um by the age of 10 I became I got my first degree black belt. So um at 13 I got my second degree and at um 16 I got my third degree. So from the age of nine to twenty three I've been teaching or doing something in that kind of space in some way shape or form. So I would I would teach the the kind of white belts through through red belts and things like that. And then the day I turned 13 I actually became a counselor at the boys and girls club um I did that I did that for nine years um in Cedar Rapids. And that was one of those things too where it's like yeah I have a really cool story. Like it's it's sometimes really hard to reflect on um but it's like when I'm able to share that side of things and and kind of be able to relate with those kids who I know are not going through maybe the most impactful relationships in their life all the time and being able to kind of have that voice for them to kind of piggyback of and be like I know it's a different kind of opportunity but at the same time it's like you were able to get through these tough times. And like they all know my story. Through the Boys and Girls Club actually when you're a young staff member there's something called um youth of the year. I was blessed with being the Iowa youth of the year. So it was one of those things where it's like I was able to share my story and use that platform and be able to talk in those type of ways. And so now kind of being able to look at that from a coaching perspective and seeing maybe that diamond in the rough it's like if you give me that effort I'm gonna do everything in my power coaching staff is going to do everything in our power to get you the person that you want to be but what are you willing to do between the ears when we can't see you and I think it's one of those things where it's like we've been able to bring those type of guys into our culture and things like that. And like even if as I said if it takes those two years of development to get that mental right when you're a junior then you should be locked out. But it's like what am I doing in between that time to become that potential guy that they need um and so I think that's the really hard thing too with the with the transfer portal it's like how am I going to be able to when they don't have the quote unquote opportunity that they're wanting how am I going to keep them in our system because of how important they are but why why does everyone want to move into different opportunities um when maybe at face value it's like yeah I want to play but it's like do you want to play because of it it's an internal itch or do you want to play because you think you can impact the guys all 50 plus guys around you and then it's like so well you know it's you know I I had a list of things I wanted to talk about with itching but you know the mindset thing I this really intrigues me and you know you had a lot of things in your path growing up that were just total roadblocks and you found a way around them and you're like well okay there I can't do it this way so I'm gonna try so I'm gonna try another way and you and it worked out and that is you know it there's a lot of high school age kids that when they run into that those types of roadblocks they they they go to something else.

SPEAKER_02 30:06

They move on to something else. And you know I I think what you were able to learn as a young kid as a youngster is is amazing. You know and I I'm thinking back to an earlier guest that I had on Parker Byrd the the baseball player in East Carolina that lost his leg in a boating accident and he's still playing college baseball in Division I in East Carolina. But he found a way and you know I think you know the the message you're able to communicate to to all your your pitchers is is got to be amazing and when they look at it they got to say hey anything's possible you know if you if you're like you said between years if you're if you can do the things that that are going to require you to become the best you could be then anything's a possibility and I think you've done that as a as a baseball player and now you know you're getting a chance to to to coach these guys and that's that's got to be incredible when it comes to the whole mindset side of things.

Coaching Mental Skills With Clarity

SPEAKER_00 31:21

Oh absolutely um so so I think the biggest thing that was probably the hardest thing um to think about so after after my career last year um I I'm truly blessed with I now hold the single season ERA record at Crown. So with kind of that and kind of how I was able to go about my business and kind of what I was able to do in my collegiate career I had multiple opportunities to go play professionally overseas um after my career was done. But it was one of those things where it's like you kind of touched on it too like from a mentality perspective a lot of people kind of understand surface level of kind of how to go about that but with how many Roblox I have had it's like maybe there's a lot of guys who probably have maybe encountered one or two of these but you could darn near write a book on and and your coaching career hasn't even really um kind of even taken off per se yet, right? So it's one of those things where it's like if I'm able to look at this game, if I'm able to mentally really think about hey this is how this needs to happen and see that game in that perspective, why would I bottle absolutely all of that up and go play overseas when I know that I can impact guys now who are going to have the same story or who might even be a little bit more ahead of that story and be like, okay, so now they're already a couple ticks ahead of me so now I know exactly how to attack this. I know how to be able to um see myself in this player. I us as a coaching staff it's like we've seen that happen we've been able to get through that so it's what are what can we get out of that guy? But what can that guy get out of himself? And I think that's a question that no one asks anymore because it's all like everyone does see that oh this this 14 year old's throwing 90 in in in like Bakersfield or something like that just some crazy um crazy town and you're just like okay yeah but genetically what was that guy gifted with and he's probably 1% of the world okay so 99% of college college athletes were not gifted with that 1% they weren't so it's like if you're not willing to work to be the best version of yourself and this guy can just kind of coast you might meet one of those guys in your lifetime might meet one. You see them all on TV but personally you might meet one so it's like why am I letting all my eyes on that one guy where it's like okay this guy is a physical specimen and I need to be that guy I don't ever need to be anyone but myself but if I can't accept who I am inside I'm never going to be content with what my career was. I'm never going to be content with how I went about my business. I'm never going to be content with um when when coaching is done or things like that was like what did I do wrong? If that's how I look at life like I've already lost if that's how I look at every opportunity that I've had it and be like okay this is the worst thing that's happened. It can't get any worse then I'm gonna be pretty good because it's like nothing can affect me. Like there would literally be times and I do not say this to my guys because it takes a mental just psychotic individual but there would be days before starts that I would literally picture in my head I just gave up 15 runs all on home runs. Before I went into that start and I would mentally be like I know I'm not gonna do that. So nothing matters. All I literally have to do is I have to let that front foot land. I have to stay closed and I have to rotate my top half as hard as possible and throw everything with conviction and I know based off of how I've stacked my days and how I go about my business and how I understand how to tunnel I'm gonna have success because I'm already winning here. But if I'm not winning here first the field doesn't matter. And I think that's the thing too where it's like um so other than the other two jobs I have a third job. So I I stock shelves at night 40 hours a week at a grocery store from 10 p.m to 6 a.m so so uh so I listen to a lot of podcasts and I really enjoy listening to podcasts and and kind of how a lot of them go about their business from a coaching perspective. And it's like Tim Corbin, Coach Bianco, like if they're in the classroom four days a week on mentality stuff, why are we trying to not even attack attack that side of things and so with all that being said like the main course for all coaches now is the Brian Brian Kane mental performance coach uh course um so I prioritized that and I got my mastery certification in that um I believe I got that in January and it was one of those things where it's like it's all things we think about right it's it's all things that we we know as coaches but are we able to break down that information to each guy individually are we able to meet that guy where he's at and where it's not like we're just throwing a lot of information at him and I think being able to work with the college guys but also work with the younger guys at at Minnesota Renegade um it's like okay well I know I can't speak to this this 10 year old and I speak to my um 19, 20 year old at Ed Crown um but I can be able to go over those same ideas but how I articulate my words is the most important thing because if they don't understand what I'm saying, they're not going to understand how to do it. But if I can simplify it in the simplest form and still get the results that way, that's when I they're gonna have success because that's how they understand. That's how they learn that's how they interpret um so that that's kind of something at crown that us as a coaching staff we really try to lean into as well. And so from a recruiting standpoint it's like everyone on that coaching staff has had crazy stories. Right. So it's like we understand what everyone's going through. Every coach understands what everyone's going through but it's at the same time are we breaking that down in a way where they understand that we're gonna be incredibly hard on them because we love them. Not because not because we're we want to belittle them not because we're trying to be quote unquote a bad um a bad egg in their life but it's because maybe they haven't had that kind of hard tough love that that's what they need because that's what's going to propel them maybe in that right direction. That's what's going to propel them and if you can be able to fail on the field and be able to get out of it life's gonna be kick. Like I I I truly look at life and it's just like I've been through so much like it's like okay throw anything and it's like that I know things are going to get worse. Like I I know there's things that I can't control. And and so I I love the idea of controlling the controllables. I I think that's a very important um cue in a lot of situations but I think the big thing that I that I would slightly make that tweak is control my mentality control how I go about my business there's still things that are out of my control that slightly I that I can kind of be able to take a slight deviation on because of the people that I have in my circle like who am I around who am I bringing into these into these um types of conversations am I having fruitful conversations with the right people like there's so many things that that are in that mentality side of the game that no one thinks about like do I have a good relationship with my catcher can I shake off my coach in this count because he's he has earned I've earned that right to do that.

Self Talk Circle And Brotherhood

SPEAKER_02 39:47

Right. Let me ask you this self-talk how important is that when you know in your situation but with the the players that you're working with now the because a lot of players you know whether they're going up the head they're like man I I just can't strike out. I I I gotta put it in play versus something positive because a lot of times if you start thinking it that's what's gonna happen.

SPEAKER_00 40:20

So the three words that I cannot say I can't won't never I very much dislike these words because what it does is it gives you that false sense of there is kind of a ceiling to whatever we want to do. No there's not in anything in life there's not a ceiling people give us a ceiling because they don't understand that there is something beyond that. Like people who don't understand how to go about their business in the correct way put ceilings but there's never a ceiling in life like if we ever put a ceiling on our life then it's like that's when we hit what if that's when we hit but I could have done this but I could have done that like technically on the on on the forefront I still have a year of eligibility and our head coach gives me gives me crap about it every single day and and it's like but I was content with what I did. Like I I knew that probably a lot of situations that I was already blessed with I shouldn't have been in like I was given those opportunities because how I went about my business and how I was able to have that self-talk with myself. I wouldn't say it was something that I lived by because I self-talk I think is one of those things where it's like it's for that person that particular person but it was always hey you've been through this this isn't gonna be anything hey you've been through this won't be anything and as as maybe disheartening as it as it sounds like to a listener listen to this you died you're here for a reason like as straight into the point as it is you died on the table there's a reason you're here what is that reason you need to find it you know what it is so if I know that reason personally then I can show that to everyone I can lean into my players in that way. Us as a coaching staff we are able to go about our business where it's like they know all of our stories we go we make it very clear everyone on the team knows I died on the table. Like that's the first thing they knew about me like that I that's something that I need to be transparent about my whole my whole journey everyone knows that like that was something that needed to be said because it's like okay yeah maybe I'm not the biggest guy and I know I'm not and that's why that's why just some of some of the stories and some of the things that that I've been able to um kind of be blessed with in my career it's like there had to be reasons for it. Like if you if I was a quote unquote mental midget none of this would have happened but I I I think I think my family more than ever um not once did they did they ever be like okay like you need to stop this like you're not big enough for this um and and as even if every person in the world around me said that I couldn't do it and they did the people closest to me said I could so it was like nothing's gonna affect me.

SPEAKER_02 43:51

Right. Now let me ask you this the uh you know I I keep thinking about Parker Byrd who I had on the podcast and He talks about the boating accident and the fact that he's pulled back up in the boat and basically his leg is annihilated. And he says that somebody comes up in a boat because the his boat that they were on, the rope was wrapped around the uh the propeller, so there was no way they could get him to shore uh to to help him. And uh the first boat that comes by the family looks at him and and they're like, We don't want my kids to see this, and they just drove off and left him. And here's a guy that's uh on the verge of death losing all this blood. And I was amazed at how he was able not be upset with that family when all they could have done was just put him in a boat and took him to the the dock and got him help, and they didn't know when the next boat was coming. And uh, you know, like like you just said, you know, there there's a reason why he he survived that and he had something more to do, and he's proven to the world he's able to still compete at the Division I college baseball level with no leg below the knee. And uh, you know, I I just think that it's a uh one of those things where you know you you had to have the ability to to not take a negative approach to your situation and try to find something positive and and build on that.

SPEAKER_00 45:49

And that's kind of what what you've done basically your whole life no a hundred percent and I and I think it's I think when things like that happen, you you're able to kind of have that outlook on life a lot differently than most. And I think once I was able to really understand the mental side of things, and I I truly don't think I had that hundred percent understanding until I was probably a junior in college. Like, even after that much time being able to reflect and things like that, it was like, why do I care so much? Like, truly, well, like on the mound in a game, why why do I care so much? Like, once I release the ball, there's nothing I can nothing. Like, I I can say, hey, I wanted to go here, probably not gonna go there. Like, from a from a pitching approach, it's like an average MOB miss is 13 and a half inches. So why am I as a college athlete caring so much about trying to be this perfect? Like, and then the more that you kind of dive into kind of the biblical side of things, it's like there's no reason to think that. Like, I could literally, or anybody in the world could give up a hundred runs and and God's love for us wouldn't change. So it's like, why is there people from a societal view where I look at it and like, okay, this guy doesn't like me? Cool, awesome. I'm never gonna see that guy again. Or it's like a mean tweet, people feel like they need to comment on that type of stuff. Okay, that's just that much less time where I'm not able to go about my business because now mentally I'm thinking about this, mentally I'm thinking about that. Like, that's why bringing those people into your circle is so important. And it's like as like tough as it is at times, like it's gotta be extremely cookie cutter because that's the mentality that you fall into, is the people you're around. And and there's and there's a lot of that where it's like you're not able to pick who you're around. So it's like, how am I gonna be able to either impact them where now they're gonna get on my side from a mental perspective? Or it's like if it's if it's bad enough where it's affecting many, many people in my system that that that I that I love and care about, it's like okay, you're gone. I I it doesn't matter who you are. Like, that's why the idea of from a teammate perspective of brotherhood is so important. Like, I hate it when when um teams are like, okay, yeah, we're really good friends, or like we're best friends, okay. The best teams will take a bullet for another guy and an actual physical bullet. Because he knows that he will take one for him. There's not a single team that gets probably beyond the regional level that wouldn't do that. Because if you're willing to physically, and I think us from that Christian perspective, we understand that Jesus died on the cross for us. We understand that sacrifice, we understand how things go about from that side of things. Um so it's one of those things as well where it's like we really need to continue to look at it from that perspective and keep our circle as close as possible.

Hate Losing And Keeping Perspective

SPEAKER_02 49:34

Well, I gotta ask you this when I ask this of every guest hate losing or love winning.

SPEAKER_00 49:40

Hate losing, without a doubt. Why is that? Are you talking more from a coaching perspective or player perspective? Either or. Um, player, because most of the time I knew I had the ball in my hand. And so mentally I thought I didn't do what I needed to do for the team. But then when I but then when you kind of get older and you reflect on it, it's like there's so many things that you can't control. And and you might have your stuff that day and you just get touched, but no one looks at it that way. Um from a coaching perspective, I think it's a lot. I'm gonna be I think it's harder from a coaching perspective, especially like in tight ball games where it's like because half the time I I'm um blessed with calling the pitches. It's like, did I call the rock the wrong pitch there? Did I do this? Did I do that? Did I set him up for success? Did I make him fail? And then when I but when I take a step back, it's like there's so many things that probably that we could go over it a million times and and and it could still happen that way. And I think that's something that we try to really um kind of hone into our guys, but then at the same time it gets to a point where it's like if you're mentally not tough enough to endure that situation, we uh we can't trust you in it because like you don't believe in yourself first. Like as much as like it's it's painful at times, like there's guys that you thoroughly enjoy being around, like they make the team that much more important, but then when they get on the field, they just kind of close up and they they think about the game as as this oh I have to do this because this is what I feel like needs to happen. But when you take a step back and you're just like, eh. Like us thing, uh so with COVID, our whole rotation last year was 23, 24. So we were we were older guys, and so every every time we had like faces loaded situation as a starter, we'd always go, uh, too old to care. Too old to care. So it was like, but then that that simple sentence, it was like all said and done, it's a kid's game. Like I we're able to play this at this high of a level, and it's like and everyone's like, oh, but if I don't get to the bigs or if I don't get drafted, like it's a loss. Okay. Does that four-year-old version of you actually think that you were gonna be a collegiate athlete? Like, I get I get my brain wasn't developed yet, but like at five months me passing away on the table, it's like did you think you were gonna do anything close to what you did? So it's so it's like you sometimes have to take a step back and be like, no matter what the level, no matter what the opportunity, like it's I think statistically, it's even down to physically playing the game. Five percent of all high schoolers like like we just need to accept the wins where the wins are. Like, we can want so many things, and uh as a coaching staff, it's like, oh, we want this many wins, we want this many wins. Um in a lot of programs, that's what it is. For us, it's like I'll completely pivot back to what I said kind of in the beginning was how many guys can we continue to bring to Jesus that are trying to understand that? How many guys are we are we trying to impact with these type of stories? Like, I like I really hope this does kind of sound familiar to someone and like okay, yeah, it wasn't the big leagues or anything like that, but like this kid from Iowa in the middle of nowhere, and and he's now like a a collegiate coach, and it's like I'm can see myself going through those type of situations because I was able to hear it. It's like that's all sometimes you need to hear is is hear it. Like, um, stories about Jim Abbott. Like, Jim Abbott was a Cedar Abbott's colonel, and that was five minutes from my house. So he actually got inducted in the Cedar Rapids Colonel's Hall of Fame. Um, and and he he had a speech, and I mean I have 13, 14, and and so I was kind of in that adolescent years where it's like oh okay. Um but but when it but when it came to that, it was like, okay, you have to listen because like he's opened up so many doors for guys who probably never thought they would have done it.

SPEAKER_02 54:35

So it's yes, I had a uh I had a former assistant coach of mine on early on when I first started the podcast, and uh excuse me, and he had a player that was a good player, and in the summer he worked at a stamping plant, and he was his job was to take the piece of steel out and stack it, and he reached back, and uh a teammate of his who also worked there with him hit the button and it he literally lost both arms below the elbows. And he was like the you know, the kid could have said, That's it, baseball career's over, but he he loved the game so much that he was not only uh uh someone who got to play on the baseball team, he also was a a linebacker and started on the football team. And uh, you know, he he knew that he wasn't gonna be able to to swing a bat or or or pitch or throw or whatever it may be, but he was like, when I get my chance to run the bases, pinch run, he was all out, and you know, he and I, you know, just thinking about you know people who face adversity, you know, there's so many different ways you can go. And you know, here's a someone who found his way to say, hey, I'm not gonna let this stop me. And you know, I going into this, I I'm gonna be honest as I can possibly be. I had no idea that we were gonna take this route. And um, you know, here we are almost an hour later, and I um am just thrilled that I luckily came across you. And you know, to be honest with you, I don't even know how I I found you. It may have been through X or whatever, but you sharing your story is is what you know I look forward to most when I do these podcasts because I never know what I'm gonna get sometimes. And what you've been able to share tonight is uh just been incredible. And I, you know, I'm an older guy, you know, I'm in my I'm 62, and now you're a young guy, you're just getting going. You know, I I honestly can see that, you know, you're this is just the beginning for you, and I can see you uh taking over and running a program someday, and and who knows how high you can go with it. And I um really do appreciate you taking the time considering that you know you gotta you gotta work a midnight shift and you're coaching college baseball. Wow, thank you so much.

Why The Person Matters Most

SPEAKER_00 57:35

Yes, sir. Uh one once again, I just appreciate the opportunity to be able to share this type of story. Um because I because I know they're it's one of those things now where it is a VLO game and things like that. And there's a lot of guys who aren't probably gonna get that opportunity because that's how the outlook on the game is now. But like the importance on pitchability and being able to carry yourself in that type of way and be able to show yourself like okay, people everyone in the world can be against me. But if but if I mentally think it and if I know in my heart like I can do whatever I put my mind to, then it's one of those things where it's like there's slight setbacks. Like, like nothing's a complete 180. Like, um, I think the big thing that it wasn't a podcast, but it was I think it was a YouTube reel. And it was a um was a very, very wealthy um individual, and and the guy asked him, how many wrongs did you make before you made a right? Or how many things had to happen before you finally got on that right path? It's like he probably said it was probably about he said over a thousand. And and it's like any one of those thousand could have never led him to where he was, and now he's a billionaire. So it's like, why would I ever why would I ever give up on the smallest thing that is gonna hinder kind of a direction? Like it's a pivot. Like I very much enjoy the pivot podcast. Um and so that's that's one of them where where it's kind of from that sports um specific, but like at the same time, it's like you learn so many things about the person more than the player. And it's like I think that's something where it's like the more that um opportunities and the more things that I've been able to kind of um be able to cover and things like that is like even the guys at the highest level probably have some of the best stories, but we only know them as athletes, like we know them for their accolades, we know them for this, we know them for that. Like, like um, I think I think one of the best episodes was when Marshawn Lynch was on the was on the pivot podcast, and he was just like, Everyone knew me for this bad guy, and things like that, but like if you if you look back from a f from a philanthropist side of things, like there's probably no one in the league that's ever done as much for his community than him, but all we do is remember the player. It's like he's he's gonna be remembered as a player, not the person. But the people closest to him are gonna remember him as the person. So it's like when I when I'm able to reflect on kind of what what I've been able to do, it's like, yeah, my numbers are pretty cool. Like I think, I think they're awesome. Like I do, but like I really hope when you think of a story, it's not me as a player, it's me as a as a person. And if it's not me as a person, then it was either I didn't have the effect on you, or it's like you didn't decide to get to know me as well as you thought you did.

SPEAKER_02 1:00:54

Right. And you know, you're I'm sure that you know someone is going to come across this podcast and listen, and you know, your story, what you've shared is going to have an impact on them. And you know, that's that's the greatest thing about these uh when I when I jump on these podcasts is I you know I never know what I'm gonna get. And sometimes I just get lucky and stumble into a question that that actually triggers something, and then it turns into what we have today tonight. And you know, I you know, like I said earlier, I I I can't thank you enough. It's Ryan Vondrit Vondrichek, he's the pitching coordinator at Crown College, and so much more. Coach, thank you so so much for taking time to be on Baseball Coaches Unplugged.

SPEAKER_00 1:01:49

No, absolutely. Thank you, Ken. True blessing. Um, thank you for sharing letting me share my story, and um I'm just excited to continue to kind of lean into uh kind of what path um I'm gonna be uh blessed with, but at the same time, how many how many lives I can impact within that path.

SPEAKER_02 1:02:10

This 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 visit them online at www.nettingprose.com. As always, I'm your host, Coach Ken Carpenter. Thanks for listening to Baseball Coaches Unplugged.