The Closing Pitch Baseball Podcast

History rhymes, and sometimes it completely repeats, but the majority of the time it's a newer version of what was in the past. How has the game evolved to become more about celebrations, and velocity, and less about winning? Is there a place in time we can point to where this happened before?  Spiker, Dave, And Raffy talk about Aaron Judges' historic season, Manny Machado's lack of hustle in...

It can be tempting. It wants you to stop short. It convinces you that no one will know. It wants you to be lesser version of yourself because it’s easier. Will you compromise? Closing Pitch Twitter Follows: Spiker Helms: https://twitter.com/SpikerHelms David Birkby: https://twitter.com/David_Birkby Rawlings Tigers: https://twitter.com/Rawlings_Tigers Learn More About the Rawlings Tigers: https://w...

How do you change the vibe of a team?  What do you do when you have negative nancy complaining about the weather, turf, or umpire?   In this episode, we address the mood. Will you pass the vibe check? Closing Pitch Twitter Follows: Spiker Helms: https://twitter.com/SpikerHelms David Birkby: https://twitter.com/David_Birkby Rawlings Tigers: https://twitter.com/Rawlings_Tigers Learn More A...

Getting locked in our minds can be the tiniest prison. We can easily put ourselves in this place by traveling down the rabbit hole of emotions. How do we break out to play fast and free? Closing Pitch Twitter Follows: Spiker Helms: https://twitter.com/SpikerHelms David Birkby: https://twitter.com/David_Birkby Rawlings Tigers: https://twitter.com/Rawlings_Tigers Learn More About the Rawlings Tigers...

Greener pastures? Are you switching teams too early? In this episode, we speak about when is it a good time to move on. Closing Pitch Twitter Follows: Spiker Helms: https://twitter.com/SpikerHelms David Birkby: https://twitter.com/David_Birkby Rawlings Tigers: https://twitter.com/Rawlings_Tigers Learn More About the Rawlings Tigers: https://www.rawlingstigers.com/form-a-team.php Listen to the Show...

This is a more reflective episode. I wanted to share something I learned after listening to an interview during one of my financial classes. I'm not going to talk about finance but the psychology of pursuing a goal, passion, or desire. Mark Ritchie III mentioned a book I listed below about the psychology of trading. In the last chapter, they talk about the five capitals. He went in-depth with each...

Don't be discouraged; you're doing something others are unwilling to do.  Losing sucks! I hate losing more than I love winning, but that's me. In a most recent post from one of our directors, it was evident that our national team took their lumps this summer. His introspective post was probably one of the best-communicated thoughts I've seen on the experience.  In this episode, we share...

We recently were at the PBR Nationals at Lake Point in Emerson, Georgia. We saw some unbelievable talent, but one obvious thing was the ballpark's attitudes.   You could easily pick out the players who were unselfish and who were selfish. The unselfish players shined like rockstars. They were talking the game, they had positive body language, and you gravitated towards them as you watche...

The track of a player's career is fascinating. The journey is unique to each player, but there's one pitfall that potentially could derail an upward-trending player.  In this episode, we talk about the 13U curse, the advantage of being in the bottom third, and how to avoid the pitfall.  Closing Pitch Twitter Follows:  Spiker Helms: https://twitter.com/SpikerHelms David Birkby: https...

You need to know here when you're talking with multiple teams during the tryout process. Especially at the high school level, there are many things to consider. Over the past 5-6 years, we want to share the best way to handle the process and navigate it towards your best playing, learning, and development situation.  I would love to hear your thoughts and share your take on the subject....

Pitch counts suck! Yep, we said it, and here's why... In this episode, we speak with Jordan Oseguera who is the Director of Performance and Pitching at ArmCare.com. Arm Care specializes in pitchers' health. They want to know when and how much a player can throw in a given day.  In this conversation, you're going to learn about:  - why pitch counts are not a great metric  - what matt...

With mics, cameras, and a social media handle, you can influence a group of people. This doesn't necessarily mean you're a leader. You can be someone pandering to a group of people because the algorithm rewards you for engagement. It's something to think about as influencers are starting to be labeled as leaders. In reality, they are only "influencers." They influence behavior.  So what makes...

Its' been less than 365 days since our second edition of the Tactical Guide to Recruiting. A lot has happened and we're back on the mics to talk about it! We're in a world where athletes are getting paid, there's no penalty for your first transfer, and we're on the cusp of potentially seeing an adjustment to scholarships. What does this mean for you? How does the transfer portal affect high school...

Baseball Twitter blew up 🤯 The first start of the season, on the road, and he was cruising! Clayton Kershaw made headlines with his final bow of the game after the third out in the 7th inning of a perfect game. This caused a massive split inside the baseball community, with people calling it "a problem" and others saying it was, "100% the right move, it's a learning lesson for amateur baseball."&...

This episode was previously released on the Tiger Interview Series.  In this episode of the Tiger Interview Series, we have Brett McQueen of Lightning Performance. A well-accomplished athletics trainer who has trained professional and tactical athletes. Conversation includes: - how to be in mid-season form every day - taking the necessary steps to train correctly - winning in nutrition Websit...

FUEL THE BODY! Part 2 of the conversation with Scott Brown.  Listen to Pt 1 here  Instagram:  Scott Brown: https://www.instagram.com/coach_brown_18/ 1st Phorm: https://www.instagram.com/1stphorm/ Rawlings Tigers: https://www.instagram.com/rawlingstigers/ Twitter: Scott Brown: https://twitter.com/Coach_Brown_18 1st Phorm: https://twitter.com/1stPhorm Spiker Helms: https://twitter.com...

The consistency has been keen with having teams knocking on the door of the state championship and having players reach college and professional baseball. How do you consistently structure your program to win regardless of personnel, situation, or circumstance? In this episode, we speak to Scott Brown, a former high school baseball coach who has a track record of winning teams.  Currently, he...

DEEP Into the archives, I went to find this episode.  I was editing last week trying to find a clip from the Closing Pitch and found this piece that read 'December- Recording 03.' After listening to it, I thought this was a great piece to send out for players to watch and listen on setting standards for yourself to live by. We site three situations. I hope you like the episode!  Also, we...

One of my lesson clients, who I love coaching, by the way, came in frustrated. He was getting angry at his performance. It was the frustration you get when you're struggling to make an adjustment.  You're learning from your mistakes, but you're not making the fast adjustment to fix them.  I stopped the lesson to 'calm him down,' but to also figure out what was happening in his headspace....

"Showcases are expensive!" "They're not worth it." "The top kids get all the looks."  There's some truth to the rumors around showcases, but we all might be viewing them all wrong. We have Evan Pratte, former power 5 D1 coach, and current National Director, discussing the untapped potential of showcases. David Birkby further expands the point with his Twitter thread on how to leverage yoursel...

MLB locked out + negotiations are shaky = MASSIVE Opportunity for D1 baseball to build their fan bases.  College baseball has had a slow growth in fan adoption with the season being played in the colder months, but with spring training on pause and social media platforms, this could be a massive adoption.  We love this play for the D1 schools. It has talent, personalities, and swagger.&n...

We're back, we're here, and we've got stories to share!  Dave and I recently went to a Perfect Game tournament in Arizona with our National Teams. This event allowed us to see our players in a different light. It quickly reminded us that stacking experiences build the psyche of a player. We also realized this lesson in our own lives. We share stories of our past and how being a part of the go...

This show will be the best 73 minutes you spent this week, which is not click-bait. Dr. Ellen Reed sits down with us to explain how the human mind works, how it interacts with athletes, and why we need to focus on it.  Dr. Ellen Reed shares her experiences as a performance coach, mother, and professional dancer. You will be surprised how she teaches a simple process to get you back on track w...

Deion Sanders shocked the world last month by convincing the number 1 football recruit to switch his commitment and sign with Jackson State.  Who is Jackson State? A small FCS school in Mississippi with the head coach being HOF Deion Sanders. Welcome to the world of the NIL. The new regulation allows athletes to receive compensation based on their name, image, and likeness.  How do we fe...

There wasn't a shortage of opinion when it comes to specializing in a sport. As promised, we bring Ben Brewster on the Closing Pitch podcast to discuss his tweet that caused everyone to cry; "HOW DARE YOU!"  In this conversation, we tackle this question plus the opportunity cost you could be incurred by playing year-round.   To learn more about Ben and his company Tread Athletics we...