Episode Transcript
[00:00:02] Speaker A: Hey, parents and coaches, are your kids using the right glove? The most important skill for youth athletes to learn is how to play proper catch. The problem is most youth gloves are made with bad leather and are too big for small hands. They actually make it harder to play catch. That's why former Major League Baseball shortstop Kevin Smith created Cali Gloves. Cali gloves are crafted from 100% Japanese kip leather and are the perfect size for kids.
All Cali gloves come with palm slits, finger loops and elastic wrist lacing that encourage proper hand placement. The right closing patterns and give kids more confidence to go make plays. Cali Gloves even allow parents to break in the glove without stretching out the fit.
It's the glove Kevin wishes he had growing up and the glove all his teammates want for their kids. Visit caligloves.com to learn more and help your kids play better catch.
Cali Gloves K a l I gloves.com
[00:01:10] Speaker B: welcome to this week's edition of the Dugout Drift podcast. I am Andy Kira Kitties, joined by my Wonderful Co host, Mr. Keith Glasser. How we doing, sir? Great.
[00:01:19] Speaker C: How are you?
[00:01:21] Speaker B: Back at it, baby.
Recording with the US Men's team, battling the Belgiums right now.
So we get a little distracted. I apologize. It's pretty intense, but obviously there's been a lot of stuff going on in college baseball recruiting.
We've had an opportunity to be out on the road, talk to a lot of different coaches at a lot of different levels.
So what we want to do today is kind of unpack some stuff on kind of the current state of affairs and in the college landscape and see where it takes us kind of free flowing here. I know I got a couple things that I want to discuss and I know Keith does too. But, you know, first thing for me is, you know, I keep hearing, I keep hearing from, I keep hearing it on Twitter, I keep hearing it around the fields, you know, going to these tournaments and watch guys play where everybody's talking about, well, you know, being a 27, like, this is the hardest it's ever been to play college baseball.
And for a little while, I think I was kind of sympathetic, maybe even empathetic to that stance.
But the more I think about it, I think that every year that college baseball evolves, the next recruiting class that's up is the most difficult one. Right. I feel like we've been having this conversation for five years running where, you know, this is the hardest year to play college baseball. This is the hardest year to college play college baseball.
And I think it's time for parents, this is probably the same across all college sports, right? Like your wife coaches college lacrosse. I'm sure this is a trend with them too. Like, it's ever changing, it's ever evolving. The rules are changing. We got the five for five and we got the transfer Porter, we got the roster cuts. Like, all of this stuff is happening.
And I think taking the default stance of this is the hardest it's ever been without looking at it more from through the lens of just understanding what the actual environment is. Yes, it's ultra competitive and it starts there, but I think there's the difference between viewing it as an ultra competitive environment versus this is the hardest it's ever been. The hardest it's ever been is a little bit defeatist to me. I think understanding the environment, the different levels of play, the things that factor into evaluation, the importance of being able to perform when it's time to perform.
You use that as information and ammunition to be successful versus the inverse of that, where it almost comes across as a complaint. And I think that people who go into this process and complain about things versus understanding the landscape, the environment, and what you're really trying to accomplish, I think the people who go into this looking for good information and guidance in a better understanding of what they're taking on, those people tend to be a lot more successful in this process than the people who look at it through the lens of like, well, if this was five years ago, my son would be a Division 1 player.
Well, it's not.
It's now, and it's difficult and it's competitive and it's not getting any less competitive. And I think once you understand that and you can get over that, I think it allows you to see it through a little bit of a clearer lens and make some better decisions.
And I think that's really important for people to be successful in trying to navigate all of this. And yeah, that's kind of my hot but hot hot button topic. I had a chance to speak with a ACC head coach this weekend, and he alluded to something kind of similar. And kind of how he put it to me was, you know, there's that old statistic of 7% of high school kids get to play college baseball, Division 1, 2 or 3, excluding junior college and NAIA.
And how he put it, he goes, most people are a lot closer to the 93% than they are the 7%, never mind the top half percent that you need to be to play at a Power 4 school.
And that is a cruel reality for a lot of People, but the people who understand where they fit in it have a lot better chance of being successful in finding a place where they get to go play college baseball.
This is coming from a guy who's been a head coach in college baseball for 20 plus years.
He's coached at the highest level in numerous different locations.
And for somebody with that type of experience in that type of knowledge to state it in that way, that was, was interesting to me that this isn't.
Coaches see it this way too. They understand the landscape. They understand that the bar has risen significantly to play college baseball at any level and that the bar to play in the ACC is higher than it's ever been.
So that was, I don't know if it was eye opening for me, but it was interesting to hear it from somebody kind of at the top of the field that I got a ton of respect for. To, to ask him quite openly, like, hey, like, what do you think about what's going on with college baseball right now? And that was one of the first things that came out of his mouth is that, you know, I think a lot of people get caught up and they see it through rose colored, you know, rose colored glasses. Is that the saying? Or did I jack that up?
[00:06:56] Speaker C: No, you, you used it correctly.
[00:06:59] Speaker B: Yeah, but, yeah, it was a good combo and that really stuck out to me. And I think for a lot of people, that's the first big step that they have to take is embracing the understanding of college baseball right now and the different levels of play and what's required to play there.
[00:07:18] Speaker C: But is it harder?
[00:07:21] Speaker B: Well, that's what I'm saying. Like, I think every class it's, it might get a little bit harder, but it's just, you're dealing with like a slightly different circumstance. So I don't know if it's any harder. I just think it might be a little different.
Does that make sense?
[00:07:34] Speaker C: Yeah, I mean, I, I have a hard time believing that every year is the hardest year for high school kids to be able to play college baseball.
Because it's not, it's hard to begin with.
It's.
It's designed that way in, in one way shape or form. Right. Like you have 7% of people that are going to play. That means 93%, excluding juco and NAI, 93% are not going to play NCAA Division 1, 2 or 3 baseball.
That in and of itself, you know, and I think people look at and say I'm the 7%. Like, to his point, I think more people are closer to the 93% than they are the, the 7%
[00:08:23] Speaker B: or even
[00:08:24] Speaker C: the 2% that are going to go play Division 1 and then the 1, the, you know, less than 1% that are going to go play at the, in the Power Fours. And, you know, I, I think back to when, you know, we went through the recruiting process like it's a wildly different experience 20 plus years ago than it is now.
And I would probably argue that it's a little bit harder to do 20 years ago than, you know, if we're comparing apples to apples, which we can't in, in this scenario. Like, you know, you, you kind of were just at the mercy of who saw you and who you played. Like, there was no Diamond Nation there for the Northeast and the New England people. Like there was no Diamond Nation even in the South. There was no Lake Point. There was no baseball heaven. There was no NABC that's running the Boston Classic or whatever they're calling it now.
Those didn't exist. Those were not things that, where there were these giant recruiting tournaments that everyone would show up to, you played on a team and you went around and traveled and played some people and hope that there were coaches there that saw you play and liked what they saw and, you know, ultimately ended up recruiting you.
And, you know, I, I would probably argue in that realm, it's harder to get recruited from that standpoint than what we're currently seeing today.
But, you know, it's a little bit easier now, in my personal opinion. Right. Like, you can show up at a lot of these bigger tournaments and you're guaranteed to have a ton of college baseball coaches there to watch you play.
[00:10:05] Speaker B: No.
[00:10:05] Speaker C: Do I think it's a little bit more difficult from the standpoint of, you know, on the college coaches end because there's a lot more information and a lot more teams, a lot more kids that you have to sift through. Yeah, I do.
And, you know, you can probably get missed or, you know, not be able to be seen things of that nature.
But on the same hand, you know, you have a lot more information available to you than ever before from a college recruiting standpoint.
And as a, as a player and a parent, there's, there's a lot more information to be had out there that, you know, there's this podcast, there's people that do what we do. It's, you know, there's consultants like us that can help you navigate this process. And there's a lot more information to be had, you know, and there's a lot more camps and showcase. There was, you Know, Perfect Game was in. In its infancy.
When you and I were going through the recruiting process 20 plus years ago, there was no.
Like, there weren't. And I think this is a wild thing for people listening to this, to kind of wrap their head around. You know, obviously, if you're a parent and you played college baseball at a high level, you can, you know, understand what we're saying. Like, there was no showcase.
There was no showcase thing.
When we. When you and I went through this process, like, I went to one, and it was the first one ever in Albany.
[00:11:25] Speaker B: I went to.
[00:11:26] Speaker C: It was run by the Hayner brothers.
[00:11:29] Speaker B: I went to Wadaka was the.
[00:11:30] Speaker C: Wadaka was probably the only big one top 96.
[00:11:35] Speaker B: And that was a Massachusetts thing back then, and it was legitimately. They invited 96 players from the state of Massachusetts to play in a tournament, right?
[00:11:45] Speaker C: But now, you know, throw, you know, Google Baseball showcase, and you're gonna come up with 8,000 of them on the, you know, that you can. You can sign up to go, you know, showcase yourself out. There was no pbr. There was no, you know, prospect select there. You know, a lot of that stuff was either in its very, very early infancy or hadn't really come into existence yet. And I think that, like, you know, and we can probably go on this. Go down this rabbit hole for a long time. Like, I think it was probably a little bit easier.
You know, I think it was harder, right, to find players that you wanted to recruit, but I think it was easier because you actually saw them play.
We're. Now, we're to the point where the pendulum has swung so far to the right, where it's like, wow, I don't know if we can really, you know, I saw him. He looked good, but, you know, it's a simulated game. It's a one one count. He knows what's coming. It's, you know, we make all these excuses on the tail end of it now instead of, you know, and we've fallen in love with the metrics, and we do these things, but at the end of the day, like, you still have to go play the game.
And I think that we, you know, I think as coaches, we lose the plot a little bit and that, you know, we fall in love with the metrics, and we like the guys that do it, and then we get into campus and they can't play the game, and we miss some of the guys that maybe aren't metric starlings that are, you know, really good baseball players.
And I think those kids used to be recruited a little bit more than the kids that put up good metrics. Because I think the metrics thing people can fall in love with. And it's like, well, it's in there.
It's just a matter of time until it comes out. Well, if you haven't seen it come out yet, you're really gonna have to coach that kid up, which is part of the other part of it too is like.
And this is down at a more controversial rabbit hole. Like, you actually have to coach when they get to college.
You have to be coached. You have to coach.
We're not getting finished products at the collegiate level, but, you know, and I think some of this showcase stuff has done that.
But I don't, I don't subscribe to the fact that this is the hardest thing. Like, this is the hardest recruiting class in the history of the world. I think, to your point, like, I agree. I would, I would take it down a. You know, I think it's from a different standpoint that I, I think it's a little bit harder just because there's a lot more information out there. There's a lot more events to go to. There's a lot more things that are going on that you just can't be at all the time that these kids might be at. Maybe they're good there. You see them, they're not that good. And you miss on kids that way more so than, you know, the traditional. I just, you know, I, I can't get. Get, get out and see them, you know, But I don't, I don't think it's though. I mean, it's going to be difficult by any.
That's what it's designed for. 93% of people aren't going to make it.
So given that statistics be hard, like it's going to be hard. You know, it's not like it started at 50% of people 20 years ago played college baseball. Now we're down to 7. And it just keeps getting more and more difficult every year. Like, it's always been seven.
Like, that number hasn't changed in a very long time. It floats between like 7, 4 and like 8, 2.
Like it just. But like it's always been in that 92 to 93% of people aren't going to play college baseball.
So, like, it is what it is.
It's designed to be difficult by just by what the. This, how the system is set up.
And, you know, you can feel bad about yourself for it or you can actually, you know, do something about it. And try to be really good and show up and show out when people are there to watch you and give yourself an opportunity to be able to be recruited by people. But if it's just going to be like, well, this is too hard, like, I can promise you, if the recruiting process is already too hard for you, college baseball will be too hard for you. And that, that's just, that's just a truth.
It's designed to be difficult because it's designed to weed out the vast majority of people who aren't going to be able to make it in college.
[00:16:00] Speaker D: If you are the parent of a high school baseball player with college aspirations, you already know the recruiting process can feel overwhelming. Endless showcases, nonstop emails and big promises with very little clarity.
That's why we recommend Diamond College Showcase Camps, the nation's premier academic baseball showcase. At Diamond College showcases, every college coach in attendance is there with a purpose to coach, instruct, evaluate and recruit. Every player is seen, every player is engaged, and every family leaves with a clear understanding of where they truly stand. This is not a mass camp. College coaches run the drills, evaluate every athlete and provide honest professional feedback that you can trust.
Diamond College Showcase Camps are built for serious student athletes who value both baseball and academics. If you're looking for transparency, clarity, and a recruiting experience that respects your time and your players future, Diamond College Showcase
[00:16:54] Speaker C: is the place to be.
[00:16:55] Speaker D: To learn more, visit diamondcollegeshowcase.com.
[00:17:04] Speaker B: Yeah, you, you hit on something that I think the pendulum is swinging back towards performance, right? And I'm going to preface this by saying that you still have to have some of the prerequisite metrics that are important, right? Like you need to be able to throw a baseball a certain velocity, you need to be able to hit it a certain velocity in order to play at certain levels, right? So we have to baseline it there. But.
And this goes back to another conversation I had with that same head coach. But I'm gonna, I'm gonna quote one of our favorite World cup soccer pundits, Mr. Zlatan Ibrahimovic, who, if you haven't followed him, you need to start watching. But he said something the other day in, with regards to the World cup and, and I believe he was talking about Brazil, that like the game doesn't reward potential, it rewards performance.
And I think that in today's world, with the age of players increasing because of the rules, with the need to win now more and more important that These coaches with 34 man rosters, they have less willingness and less ability to take a kid who has potential but hasn't performed yet.
And I think that's really important to understand as you go through this recruiting process that like your ability to perform and be successful on the mound or at the player in the field.
Yes, you need to have some of the potential. Right. Because you need to have some of the skills that are required of you to play at certain levels of college baseball. But I think that the game is pivoting back in an odd way because of the amount of data that coaches have. The ability to see how a kid performs.
Right. You can look at, all right? You went down to Georgia and you played eight games and you played really good competition. Well, how did that go for you?
Right. Those numbers matter. I've talked to dozens of coaches that actively seek out that information to better understand the performance side of things. And I think that's an, is an interesting thing that he quoted and said while he was, you know, doing his job as a soccer pundit. But I think it applies directly to college baseball right now that it's not just potential, it's not just, well, I'm big and I'm tall and I'm strong.
You know, guys are going to like me because I've got tools. Well, these guys don't have time with a 34 man roster. They don't have time with the pressure to win, to take on projects anymore.
You know, the ACC head coach that I had a chance to speak to for a little while was, he said something that was also interesting. He said, if you're going to start two or three freshman position players in this league, you're in trouble.
Because of just what it takes to compete day in and day out. And I don't know if that's necessarily true across all of college baseball, but I think it's become increasingly hard to lean on young players and be good.
Specifically in programs where.
Specifically in programs where it is of high pressure for them to, to win games. Right. And you get to the ACC and the SEC and the Big 12, you know, they pay those guys a lot of money, but they're also willing to fire them pretty quick.
And you know, you don't have time to mess around with that stuff. And that's where I think the performance stuff comes in, is that, you know, that's why some of these guys are pivoting to the portal in order to, to fill out their rosters and be as competitive as possible is they don't want to have to do a bunch of guesswork and they don't want to have to start a bunch of freshmen because it's just not, you know, it's not a formula that's going to be all that successful. So, you know, I thought that was another interesting take. And I think it. I think it speaks to college baseball right now and kind of the state we're at. And I think it all starts at the top.
And I think that mindset and the understanding that it's really hard to win with freshmen, I think that's trickled down.
And there's guys who used to be on those rosters that aren't going to be on those rosters anymore, and they push other guys down. And I think it's why Division 3 baseball right now is as good as I've ever seen it.
And the kids who are ending up on these campuses are better than they've ever been from a pure talent perspective. And I think as a parent and as a player, understanding how that works is a very powerful piece of information. As you go through this process and helping you hone in on what's really important to you and being able to take information from people to let you know, like, hey, I. You know, I think you fit at this level versus this level, and here's why.
Instead of bucking that information, taking it in and go, all right, you know, that guy's been involved with college baseball for 25 years. 20 years.
You know, maybe he's got an idea what he's talking about, and maybe I need to start looking at one school instead of another one.
[00:22:34] Speaker E: Parents. If you've ever felt overwhelmed trying to navigate youth sports, there's a new resource designed just for you. Team Match.
Team Match is an online platform built to streamline how families function, find the right youth sports teams by location, sport, and skill level all in one place. It also provides a safe, organized space for kids to share their accomplishments, stats, and highlights, while giving coaches and teams a clear way to connect with athletes
[00:23:00] Speaker B: who are the right fit.
[00:23:02] Speaker E: Less searching, less stress, more confidence in the process. Youth sports just got simpler for families. This is Team Match. Check it out today at team match sports.com
[00:23:16] Speaker C: I think with freshman, you're right. It's going to be difficult with freshmen playing early, really, anywhere. Right? But, you know, the potential part of it is I still think, like, I'm going to push back a little bit because I think that the potential piece still matters.
[00:23:30] Speaker B: Right?
[00:23:30] Speaker C: Like it.
And it matters for. I think it matters more for the.
For this reason that you have to have the potential to continue to get better at the level in which you are being recruited at.
I think the misnomer is that you have potential to be a college player. And it's just like, well, I could automatically be a Division 1 player. Like, that's not necessarily what we're saying here. What we're saying, like, if you're being recruited Division three level, if your floor is, you know, back end roster guy, then, you know, what's your potential? Does your potential become a.
A mid tier guy that, you know, can play a little bit? Like, what. What does that look like? You know, but the potential still matters from the standpoint of that, you know, what they've seen and what you can do. You're going to be able to continue on that upward trajectory when you get coached up in college. So I do still think it matters, but I think it matters in a different light than what most people kind of think that it does. That, you know, I just had the potential to play in college so I can play at any of these levels. Like. No, that's, that's not really what it is. There's. There's going to be certain places where you're not going to be able to
[00:24:49] Speaker A: play,
[00:24:51] Speaker C: you know, but go ahead.
[00:24:54] Speaker B: No, you're right. And I think that's an important, I think you. An important clarifying point. And I want to clarify kind of where my head was at is like, there used to be a space at the Division 1 level where you could take what we used to call a flyer on a guy.
Yes, go.
All right. If I get that kid for a full year in the weight room and he gets stronger and the V goes up, that he's got a chance to be a contributor on my roster. Maybe he's two years away.
That used to be a thing.
[00:25:33] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:25:34] Speaker B: And there was guys who were successful with it. We played with guys like that that it took them two full years in college to be good and then they were good, but they didn't do anything for two years.
In today's game, I think that coaches are way less likely to take that kid for.
So I think that that's where the potential versus the performance for me, that's what I was trying to highlight. But you, you're absolutely right that, like, potential doesn't enable you to play anywhere you want. It may open the door if you know where you're looking.
[00:26:09] Speaker C: Yeah, no, I, I think that you'll see more of the quote, unquote, taking a flyer on guys from, you know, the Division 2 and Division 3 levels where you don't necessarily have roster limits.
Things of that nature, right. Like, I can take a guy who's a year away because I have three seniors, you know, that are outfielders and you know, while he's a freshman, he can learn from them and he's got some potential. If we can coach him up, he's going to be really good for three years type thing.
I think that's way more. I don't, I don't think it goes away. I do think it's probably a little bit less than what it's probably happened in the past because I think the, the availability with, you know, roster limits being down to 34, things like that, like, yeah, like there's more players available that are better at lower levels than have been in the past. So I, I would say that it's probably not going to be as prevalent as it kind of used to be. But you know, I, I don't think it goes away at Division 2, Division 3, things like that.
But you know, I, like I said, I, I just think that like you, there's.
The potential still matters, but like the gameplay stuff I think is, Is huge.
And I think the pendulum is swinging back in a way that it matters more than maybe we have put stock into in the last five, six, seven years. And I'm guilty of it. Like, I'll admit it. Like, I recruited guys out of showcases that were metric starlings and they just couldn't really play all that well. And like, that started my mind shift back towards, like, we need to get away from recruiting this type of player. We need to recruit guys that can actually play baseball.
You know, And I think that it's where. And I think you're.
It gets difficult from the standpoint of there's so much baseball being played from a high school standpoint, from a summer standpoint. There's more high school summer teams than I've ever seen in my life.
The showcases, the games that are being played in showcases, the age, the age difference, the kids of kids that can show, show up all of those things.
And I think that a lot of people want, you know, you're watching players and you want to continue to see them play against good players and good arms and things like that. But I think on the same hand, like, you got to judge them in some regards against what they've done, right?
You know, you got a guy who hits.500 and you keep wanting to see him a pitch again, you know, hit against better arms. Like how many of them are out there that you can see him hit against, right? Like he went through an entire season and hit.550.
He's got to be able to do something.
You know, it's not like he's facing nobody. You know, it's not class F baseball where it's, you know, schools of 42 kids and everyone plays on the baseball team, you know, so I, I think that like that stuff, and that's why the high school stuff still matters, right? It's not just, you know, playing for something bigger than yourself and trying to win championships and do this stuff, but like you're playing against your peers and if you're going to be, if you want to go play in college, you have to be one of the guys that's better than the rest of your peers in your area.
And I do think like to that point, like just because you are one of them doesn't necessarily mean that you are going to play in college, right? There's going to be some other things that, that could potentially go on as to, as to why you wouldn't play, you know, but like that's the starting point, right? Like if you're, you know, if you have never made a, an all county, you know, whatever team, you know, not to say it's impossible, but you haven't been really good against your peers, so it's going to be hard for you to. And I'm saying this like if you're, if you're a 20, 27, right? If you're a 28, 29, 30, like you have plenty of time, you know, in that the.
I hate to burst everyone's bubble but like the all tournament team at the Firecracker Classic this past weekend, like no one cares about,
[00:30:29] Speaker B: you know, can't say that.
[00:30:32] Speaker C: Well, what does that mean? I don't know, like that doesn't mean anything to me. Like it's like being like, I made the all star team at seven.
Awesome.
That, that you could have played in a four team tournament for all I know.
Doesn't matter to me And I do think that in plague those things and they do matter, right? Like in the, in the context of recruiting of like, hey, he was first team all, you know, Albany county, whatever the heck it is, right?
It matters because it's a talking point and like other people have thought that you were good at what you do, you know, but there, there comes a point in time where like you have to show up and show out and you know, do it when the lights are on and people are watching and in the recruiting realm and you know, I just think that, you know, those things still do matter.
And, you know, it speaks to, you know, not only your potential, but what you're capable of doing against your, your peers.
But that's who you're going to be judged against.
So, you know, I think in a roundabout way, what I'm trying to say is like, you go be really good against everyone in high school and then continue it on into the end of the summer season and be good when people show up to watch a pitch or play, whatever it might be.
Yeah.
[00:31:57] Speaker B: The performance matters. Like it's just that simple.
Yeah, I mean, it's.
I keep coming back to just being educated on, on kind of what it takes and also having a clear understanding of what you're trying to accomplish in this.
And I think that that helps immensely when you're talking about navigating this new environment. Right. Still, we have our opinions. Go listen to our last podcast about the five for five. But you know, I don't think this is the boon for high school guys that people think it's going to be.
I think college baseball remains old and we unpack that for a good 45 minutes. And I think pat on our own back. So I thought that was a really good conversation that we solicited quite a bit of information on from different coaches to unpack. But you know, you got that, you got the 34 man roster, you've got the transfer portal. And I think getting this right all starts with understanding the environment that you have to operate in. And I think that's the step that a lot of people skip or don't want to hear about because it doesn't align with their assumptions on where they fit or where their son fits.
And those can be difficult conversations. But I think it's important that there's a level of transparency there because you don't have a ton of time to waste. You don't, even if you're a 28. Like, yeah, most 28s are going to get recruited next summer, but you don't have time to mess around, wasting time running around, getting seen by schools that aren't going to recruit you when you could be developing, when you could be in the weight room, you know, when you could be focusing on nutrition. Right. I talked to Coach today. He said, I think some of these kids would be way better off putting a baseball down for six months and just focusing on how big, fast and strong they can get.
And they'd be shocked at how much better they would be at baseball.
And I don't think a lot of people have a sense of how true I think that statement can be for a lot of kids, that I think everybody just assumes that if you run out and you're at showcases and you're at tournaments, that it'll get recruited. You'll get recruited. But, you know, sometimes exposure gets you exposed, and if you can't take that feedback and if you can't understand your deficiencies in order to get better, I think it makes it harder to get to where you want to go.
But it all starts with that baseline knowledge for me. And I think, you know, it's what we try to provide on here. You know, it's why we have these conversations, because, you know, hopefully the people that are listening take it to heart and, and do their homework and try to better understand exactly what they're up against and make good decisions, both in the short term and the long term and. And put yourself in a. A position where you've got coaches watching you, and then if you can get to that position where people are showing up to watch you, it's really incumbent upon you to, like, you got to perform, you know, back to the performance thing. Like, potential gets people to show up, performance gets people offers, quote that, quote
[00:35:16] Speaker C: that it's pretty good. I think the.
It's. It's where we're going to be at moving forward, right? Like, there's.
There's only
[00:35:31] Speaker D: your performance.
[00:35:32] Speaker C: And what it is that you're doing, no matter what the arena is, is going to be the thing that ultimately gets you, you know, either your offer or more people to actually, you know, show up and watch you play, to see what you're capable of doing.
And it matters because to your point, at the, you know, the higher levels, your, you know, the pressure to win is immense. But make no mistake about it, the vast majority of college coaches want to win.
Like, you know, you spend all this time doing, you know, recruiting and coaching and planning and scheduling and practicing and doing all this stuff. Like, what's it all for?
Right? Like, you're teaching a lot of things and, and life skills and, and getting kids to, you know, be better human beings than what they were when they entered in, when they leave. But at the same time, like, you want to win, no one really just wants to lose it. It's a miserable existence to play college baseball and play 56 or 40 games and just go get your teeth kicked in every Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, or Tuesday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, Tuesday, Saturday, Sunday, whatever your conference schedule sets yourself up for, you know, so it's.
It matters and being able to, you know, to want to win and be successful and do those things like it. That stuff is starting to have a hell of a lot more of a weight put on it, if you will, that people care. Coaches are caring a lot more about what you're capable of doing from a when the lights are on, what can you do?
And that gets your foot in the door. That doesn't mean you're going to get there in your freshman year. You're just going to be a dude the second you set foot on campus.
You still have to go in and work and be really good and play hard and do the right thing so that you can give yourself an opportunity to be on the field, to be able to be, you know, competitive and win.
[00:37:40] Speaker B: Well said.
Got anything else you want to you want to cover on today's kind of State of the Union? If you will, sir.
[00:37:50] Speaker A: All right.
[00:37:52] Speaker B: Well, thank you everybody for listening. Tune in next week. I'm sure this will not be the last time we touch this topic as things seem to be in a state of of change frequently. But yeah, tune in next week. We'll talk to you then. Thanks, everybody.
Thank you for listening this week.
[00:38:10] Speaker E: If you're watching on YouTube, go ahead and hit that subscribe button and smash that like button for us. Check us out on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, as well as Spotify. You can follow us on Twitter and Instagram MD Baseball. If you want to find out what's me and Keith do to help families and players navigate the recruiting process, go ahead and check us out on emdbaseball.
[00:38:33] Speaker B: Com.
[00:38:34] Speaker E: Take a few minutes to check out our new online academy. I promise you'll get some good information out of that.
[00:38:38] Speaker B: Thanks again for listening.
[00:38:39] Speaker E: Check in with you next week.