Patrick Jones Baseball

This week I sat down with current ESPN Softball Analyst and former All-American @ Texas A&M, Tori Vidales. Tori is currently a professional softball player for Athletes Unlimited. In this episode, she talks about her background as a player, adjusting as an analyst, and what she wants to improve upon this upcoming season with Athletes Unlimited.Timestamps for Tori Vidales[2:35] Highschool Journey  [7:30] Hitting off of a Tee[8:44] Routine before playing the game [13:35] Post Softball life[13:20] Biggest difference between Athletes Unlimited and the WPF[22:52] TV Commenting Career  [32:19] Interviewing or Commentating[34:21 Delivering Analytics [36:16] Things to look for when watching Hitter [38:51] Approach at the Plate [41:30] The Toughest Pitcher [44:39] Things to Improve upon [47:57] The Best Hitter in the World Follow Tori Vidales on Twitter: @vidalestoriInstagram: @vidalestori Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Bat Speed. You want more of it but don't know how to get it. Do you swing weighted bats? Lift heavier weights? What should you do in the weight room? This week, we welcome Bill Miller to the podcast. Bill specializes in working with rotational athletes. In this episode, he talks about the ways he has been able to help hitters develop more bat speed and increase their exit velocity at the plate.Timestamps for Bill Miller [3:33] Helping Athletes Build Rotational Power and Strength  [5:33] Bat Speed[8:20] Areas for Training[11:30] Lead arm rotational throws [14:19]Increasing a Player’s Power [15:25] Grip Strength Findings  [19:08] Training both sides of the body as a hitter [25:39] 4D Motion Vs K-Vest[28:40] Driveline[30:35] Developing and Challenging Hitters[33:42] Biggest Challenges Working with Pro Players Vs College Hitters [35:57] Mental Game [37:38] Helping a player with their Mental Game [40:24] How Pro guys think throughout the year Follow Bill on Twitter

Dr. Ismael Gallo, a physical therapist who was once a professional baseball player, appears in today's episode. As a current physical therapist and a former baseball player, he can mix movement and on-field baseball and comprehend abilities and skill growth. He also created a movement system that enables players to execute more effectively from a young age through high school, junior high, college, and professional baseball. This is Dr. Gallo's second time on the podcast. His first episode was #268. Timestamps[5:14] Identifying what's Important when watching games  [7:30] Improving baseball flow on a Team Setting [8:40] Baseball Flows [11:45] Importance of using the Ground [13:20] Importance of using the Ground Vs. Moving through the middle of the body[16:27] Best example of movement flows  [17:53] Movement Patterns and Structure Change [20:56] Static Stretching [22:38] What hurts a player’s performance [27:57] Kettlebells with Movement Flows[30:05] Movem

This week we're focusing on the mental side of the game. This is what I've seen separate players over the years. Of course, you have to have the physical skills, but you'd be surprised at how many players have better physical skills but can never seem to put it all together. The reason? The mental game. In today's episode, I'm sharing 7 ways to help players with the mental side of the game.Timestamps [0:44] A Player’s Version of Success [3:40] Plan for Failure [7:23] The Process Checklist [9:19] Be less negative, Not more Positive[11:18] The Art of Not Caring [13:54] Social Life  [6:17 ] Breathing If you enjoy this episode, you might enjoy my weekly newsletterThe Hitting Chronicle 1 hitting actionable hitting tip delivered to you every Tuesday.Join over 4k coaches here Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

This week we're talking to two great coaches in the private sector. John Sangillo @AcesSangillo and Matt Pilewski @kingfish626. John is a hitting coach In New Jersey who works with 100s of hitters. He has traveled all over the country doing private clinics. John constantly learns about hitting and discusses how he works with hitters. Matt Pilewski owns PVS Baseball, a baseball facility in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Matt talks about how he started coaching and what working with pitchers at his facility is like.Timestamps for John Sangillo & Matt Pilewski[4:27] Revolutionizing Player Development: The Emergence of Performance Velocity Systems [13:08] John Sangillo as ACE [17:00] Unlocking a player’s potential [22:22] A Chance Encounter that Led to a Fruitful Partnership[28:38] Challenging Conventional Wisdom with Innovative Methods[36:25] Getting Inspiration  [43:02 ] Our Job is to eliminate our job [47:50] Success Stories [52:30] Genuine Teaching  [56:31] Hitting

Junior College Baseball. That's the theme of this week's episode. Our guest is Erik Shoenrock, head baseball coach at Southwest Tennessee Community College. Erik played collegiately at the University of Memphis and was drafted by the San Diego Padres. In this episode, we cover everything about junior college baseball. How the scholarship process work, roster sizes, tuition, recruiting, development, NCAA rules, and everything else you can think of.Timestamps [6:10] Recruitment after junior college level  [12:22]From Junior College to the Pros[13:20] Scholarships [18:38] Recruiting Process [22:31] Recruiting Based on the Environment [26:17] Going to the Next Level [28:29] Player Development StandPoint [32:12] Old-school Techniques [35:05] Fall Ball [38:26] The Transfer Portal[39:37] Junior College Follow Erik ShoenrockTwitter: @CoachEScho Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Tyler Zombro is a professional pitcher who spent several years in the Tampa Bay Rays organization. In 2019 he was named minor league reliever of the year. Even though he is a professional pitcher, Tyler is also a full-time employee of Tread Athletics. A company that trains pitchers remotely. In this episode, we talk about Tyler's personal development and what he's seen work in developing pitchers and what hasn't. If you love pitching, you will love this episode.Timestamps for Tyler Zombro [7:15] The Difference Between the Best of the Best Pitchers[8:44] Teaching Execution [9:43] Mindset during Pitching [12:44] Increasing Velocity[13:44] Dealing with Injuries [21:24] The biggest transition from the college game to the pro game[22:51] Advice to Hitters from a Pitcher [28:23 ] Tread Athletics [31:05] Focusing on what players are good at[33:09] Things to Improve upon as a Coach[34:21] The Plan[41:25] Transparency and Accountability at Tread [43:31 Tread Vision [44:47] Hirin

In today's episode, we're talking about the 'thing' that has ended careers. The word that nobody wants to say out loud in a clubhouse. We're talking about beating the yips. Today's guest is Jason Kuhn, a former college pitcher whose career ended when he got the Yips. Devasted, he wanted to prove to himself that he was mentally tough. So he decided to become a Navy Seal. After he served, he came back to the United States and started working with pitchers who were dealing with the same issue that ended his career. He has had a ton of success and has been featured in Sports Illustrated for his work with Tyler Matzek.Timestamps [5:40] Transformative Power of Overcoming Challenges[7:48] Advice to Younger Self[12:34] Team First Mentality[19:59] Cause and Effect[20:34] The Danger Zone[22:09] Root Cause of Yips[29:26] The Lack of Arm Strength Development in Most Programs[31:56] Coaching Players Who Struggle to the Yips [48:59] The Comprehensive Solution to the Yips[50:12] The Time Frame of Removing the Tension[

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

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 wil

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 CoachesFollow Kurt ElbinTwitter

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 MotionFollow Chad Miller's Twitter:

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 PortalFollow Shawn StifflerTwitter: @ShawnStiffler29 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 CoachesFollow Andy Mckay on Twitter: @AndyMcKayHG Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 ballsIf you haven't, please leave us a review on iTunesFollow Jason MillsTwitter: @dhcbaseball Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 informa

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 storiesFollow Jon WatsonTwitter: @Jonwatson36 Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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 rec

On today's episode, my guest is Chase Gerbrick. Chase is a freshman at Lipscomb. He talks about what his first fall ball was like. He also talked about his life as a college baseball player and how he got recruited to play at Lipscomb. Chase has a great recruiting story. He also talked about what you need to do to put yourself in a position to get recruited.Timestamps[3:16] Insights on college baseball experience[4:29] Hard adjustments in college baseball experience[9:08] The role of pre-college development in college baseball performance.[12:59] Differences in bat speed between high school and college baseball[18:34]Chase Gerbrick's Pursuit of Excellence in D1 Baseball[19:27] Understanding Chase Gerbrick’s Goals and Plans in Baseball[21:19] Looking at Chase Gerbrick’s Recruitment process[25:09] Biggest Misconceptions in College Baseball Recruitment process[34:25] Factors to consider when choosing a college baseball school[38:12] Determining the Best Fit for Immediate Playing Opportunities[43:49] Looking Ahea

On today's episode, my guest is Krista Stoker. Krista is the co-founder of S2 Breakthrough, which is a data-driven softball player development facility. They're focusing on player development for softball players, but they're using data-driven methods and research. They are working to apply data and research to their methods to develop softball, pitchers, and hitters.Timestamps[13:51] The Idea Behind S2 Breakthrough Programs [15:44] Recruitment Process of S2 Breakthrough[19:29] Funding and resource Limitations for Softball Development Centers [23:25] Effective use of training techniques for young players to reach their potential[27:06] The importance of Pitch Counts on the development of young players [33:08] The similarities and differences between hitting and pitching in softball [34:29] Katie Stewart’s hitting success [38:40] The scale of S2 Breakthrough’s athlete training program [39:05] The future of growth and expansion of S2 BreakthroughFollow Krista Stoker www.s2brea