The RosterPilot Show

Latest Episodes:

Behind the Travel Softball Scene | Mike Zimmer Apr 03, 2023

Show notes

Travel Softball can feel like a maze to families. Which tournaments should you attend? What team should you play on? When should you start playing travel softball? This week I sit down with Texas Glory assistant coach Mike Zimmer. Mike has coached travel softball for several years and has a daughter going through the recruiting process. Mike also runs the biggest softball Facebook page. If you are affiliated with travel softball, you will love this episode.

Timestamps for Mike Zimmer

[3:35] Saving money during Travel SoftBall

[6:38] Advice to Parents on Picking the Right Team or Coach

[11:45] The Fear of Missing Out

[13:51] Making Travel SoftBall More Affordable for kids

[16:47] Taking Control of the Recruiting Process

[22:46] Avoiding Bias for Parents who Coach

[29:29] The Lack of Arm Strength Development in Most Programs

[33:52] The Impact of Hitting

[37:19] The Mental Side of The Game

[39:49] Dealing with Failure

[42:20] The Facebook Community Coaching Softball

Follow Mike Zimmer

Twitter: @Mike_P_Zimmer

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Pioneer of Pitching Development | Tom House Mar 27, 2023

Show notes

Patrick Jones @pjonesbaseball is joined by Tom House @tomhouse this week. Tom House doesn't need much of an introduction. He has been involved with baseball for over 40 years. After his MLB pitcher career ended, he decided to take up coaching and became an MLB pitching coach. He had such a big impact that Nolan Ryan mentioned him in his hall of fame speech as someone who made a massive impact on his career. After coaching at the MLB level, Tom decided he could impact more players working in the private sector. It wasn't just pitchers that sought to work with Tom. NFL quarterbacks also wanted to spend time with him; Tom Brady and Drew Brees are among the few quarterbacks who worked with Tom over the years. To help as many pitchers as possible, Tom recently built a pitching app called Mustard app. A pitcher can take a video of themselves throwing, and with artificial intelligence, they will immediately be sent back a report on what they need to work on and drills specific for them. If you love pitching, you will love listening to the legendary Tom House on this episode.

Timestamps for Tom House

[4:34] Introduction to Motion Analysis

[8:10] The Confirmation Bias

[11:01] Pitching Mindset

[22:30] Towel Drill

[24:51 ] Working with Hall of Famers

[31:02] MLB 15-second rule

[34:25] Windows of Trainability

[42:08] Process Over Outcome

[47:44] The Development of Mustard App

Follow Tom House

Twitter: @tomhouse

Mustard App

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Hitting Development @ Virginia Tech University | Kurt Elbin Mar 20, 2023

Show notes

Patrick Jones @pjonesbaseball is joined by Kurt Elbin @elbin_kurt this week. Kurt is the recruiting coordinator and associate head coach at Virginia Tech University. He has coached at division 3 and division 2 levels of college baseball. Prior to Virginia Tech, he was at Virginia Commonwealth University, coaching under Shawn Stiffler who was recently on the podcast. In this episode Kurt opens up about his philosophy on developing hitters in his program, how he's evolved over time, recruiting, and gives advice to coaches who one day want to coach at the Power 5 level.

Timestamps

[3:32] Unconventional Techniques

[4:30] Changing Up The Variables for Players

[11:22] The Team’s Game Plan

[15:14] Virginia Tech’s Reputation

[18:17]Helping Players with The Mental Side of the Game

[21:54] The Significance of the Recruitment Process

[29:58] Identifying Great Players

[33:07] Learning from Coaching Mistakes and Proud Moments

[36:57] The Pitch Clock

[40:32Typical Coaching Day

[46:19] Advice for Younger Coaches

Follow Kurt ElbinTwitter: @elbin_kurt

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Science of Hitting, Bat Fitting, and Force Plates | Chad Miller Mar 13, 2023

Show notes

Chad Miller is the Co-Founder of the Louisville Slugger Science Hitting Center. Chad works with players at every level of the game and is a consultant to several MLB organizations. He is on the cutting edge of technology in hitting, and In this episode, we talk about some of the things that Chad walks us through in his evaluation process. We get into bat fitting, force plates, technology, and his vision for the future of hitting development.

Timestamps

[2:37] Common Hitting Traits that Need Improvement

[11:00] The Importance of Balance in a Player’s Hitting process

[13:23] The Importance of Ground Work in a Player's Hitting Process

[17:17] The Value of Technology in Coaching

[25:49] Key Takeaways from Bat Fitting: Improving Player Performance Through Proper Equipment

[34:10] Chad Miller’s Long-Term Vision

[35:51] Common Mistakes of Baseball Coaches

[39:12] Handling a Player’s Training Feedback

[42:35] Choosing the Perfect Equipment for a Baseball Player

[45:28] Thoughts on Blast Motion

Follow Chad Miller's Twitter: @CMillerLSHSC

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Lessons learned from being a head coach | Shawn Stiffler Mar 06, 2023

Show notes

This week we welcome the head baseball coach of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Shawn Stiffler. This season, 2023, is Shawn's first year as the head coach at Notre Dame. Previously he was the head coach at Virginia Commonwealth University. In this episode, we talk about all good head coaches' traits, how to run an organized practice, and how Shawn has changed over his coaching career.

[2:28] The Most Important Quality of a Head Coach

[4:38] Communication Skills

[8:17] Structuring Baseball Practices

[9:28] Developing Hitters

[17:44] Advice for Young Coaches

[23:47] Staff Hiring

[26:29] Gut Feeling VS Analytics

[41:36] Adapting to the Transfer Portal

Follow Shawn Stiffler

Twitter: @ShawnStiffler29

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The Mental Game | Andy Mckay Feb 27, 2023

Show notes

This week we welcome one of the best coaches I have heard speak on the mental side of the game, Andy Mckay. Andy is currently the Assistant GM for the Seattle Mariners. In this episode, we talk about goal setting, preparing for failure, and why as a coach, you should be coaching a player's response and not their result.

Time Stamps

[6:04] The Importance of Long-Term and Short-Term Goals for Players

[11:41] Key Focus Areas for Mental development

[19:04] Helping players Prepare for Failure

[26:07] Coaching the Response not the Result

[29:47] Changing the Pitching Approach

[37:24] Knowing a Player, Process Beyond the Data

[40:41] Strategies for Helping Players Overcome the Fear of Failure

[49:25] Realizations throughout Andy’s Coaching Career

[51:35] The Qualities and Practices that Make a Great Baseball Coach

[54:04] Quantifying the Impact and Progress of Baseball Coaches

Follow Andy Mckay on Twitter: @AndyMcKayHG

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How to develop a high school pitcher | Jason Mills Feb 20, 2023

Show notes

On this week's episode, we welcome Jason Mills. Jason is the head coach for DH Conley High School, pitching coach for the Canes 17u National, scout for the New York Mets, President of the North Carolina baseball coaches association, and a high school chemistry teacher. This episode discusses developing high school pitchers in a team setting. If you enjoy this episode, please share it with someone you think would like to listen.

Timestamps

[2:18] Weekly Activities to Reach Your Potential: A Guide for Maximum Growth and Success

[4:52] Role of a strength coach in high school baseball

[13:15] Pitch Counts

[20:25] Year-Round Throwing

[28:48] Scouting pitchers

[40:30] Framework for developing pitches

[44:33] The risks and benefits of throwing breaking balls

If you haven't, please leave us a review on iTunes

Follow Jason Mills

Twitter: @dhcbaseball

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

How to build a successful program W/ Patrick Murphy Feb 13, 2023

Show notes

In today’s episode, my guest is Patrick Murphy, Head Softball Coach at The University of Alabama. His staff has been named NFCA south regional staff of the year 11x, including national staff of the year in 2012, he’s in the Alabama sports hall of fame, and in 2012 the Alabama Crimson Tide won the National Championship. More importantly, Coach Murphy is a good person who cares about his players. I visited him this past fall at the University of Alabama and was blown away by how well his program is run. In today’s episode, we talk about how to build a program, college recruiting and developing players on and off the field.

Timestamps

[3:50] Strategies for Involving Parents and Players

[14:24] The Three C’s

[17:10] Building a Strong Culture

[24:45] Strategies for Handling Discussions about Playing Time

[29:31] Dealing with Failure

[30:21] The Impact of the Transfer Portal on College Athletics

[34:52] Personal and Professional Development for Coaches

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Junior College Baseball W/Jon Watson Feb 05, 2023

Show notes

On today's episode, my guest is Jon Watson, and we dive into the world of Junior College baseball. Jon is currently the head coach at Chandler Gilbert Community College in Arizona. He has a wealth of experience as an assistant coach at the JUCO level and now as a head coach. We talk about who JUCO baseball is for and why you should consider it if you're a high school baseball player.

Timestamps

[5:37] Time management strategies for game days

[9:01] JUCO recruitment

[19:44] Undiscovered talent in JUCO

[23:51] Perception of transferring from JUCO

[26:16] Reasons for attending JUCO

[37:19] JUCO success stories

Follow Jon Watson

Twitter: @Jonwatson36

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Aaron Longenecker: Secret Service Agent Becomes D1 College Softball Coach Jan 30, 2023

Show notes

On today's episode, my guest is Aaron Longenecker. Aaron is currently the hitting coach for the Souther Mississippi softball team. Aaron spent 20 years as a United States secret service agent before becoming a softball coach. In this episode, Aaron explains his process in developing hitters at Southern Miss, how he uses Twitter as a recruiting tool, and how his previous career in the secret service helps him today as a coach.

Timestamps

[3:57] Transition from US Secret Service Agent to Hitting Coach.

[5:49] Aaron's baseball past before joining the US Secret Service.

[6:38] The coaching itch during his college and early career.

[9:16] The impact of Hal Mcray on Aaron Longenecker's baseball journey.

[11:07] The Thought process behind Aaron Longenecker's Coaching Career.

[12:16] The appeal of softball over other sports.

[15:20] Recruiting process in travel softball.

[17:26] Suggestions for enhancing the travel softball experience.

[18:44] Identifying potential players to recruit.

[19:27] Twitter as a qualified lead in the Recruitment Process.

[24:31] The role of being a secret service in determining desirable personality traits in a player.