YBMcast

As the 2026 Missouri high school season comes to an end, Kevin Moulder of Prep Baseball joins the show to discuss the players who have made the list. Who are the Seniors who have stood out for their high school career and who are some of the up and coming Juniors and underclassmen making the list. We take a look at the All-State teams that remind us of these tremendous players who will now be movi...

Who's #1! This is what we are discussing today in this episode of YBM Baseball Talk. Missouri American Legion Baseball is underway, and we have some players to talk about. Along with the first two Players of the Week and 19U Teams of the Week. YBM is dropping our first edition of the 2026 Power Rankings for 19U and 17U and we will discuss some of the players making an impact for their clubs. It is...

The 2026 high school baseball season has come to an end, and it's time for the final rankings. On this episode of Baseball Talk, Brian is joined by Dave Wiggins, Head Coach at Principia Christian and Recruits Baseball Director, as they break down the final Youth Baseball Midwest rankings for Classes 1 through 6. Throughout the season, teams across Missouri battled through conference play, district...

Brian welcomes in Missouri American Legion Kirkwood Post 156 Head Coach Chris Copeland and Festus Post 253 Head Coach Dylan Black to preview the upcoming 2026 Missouri American Legion Baseball season. Legion Baseball continues to be one of the most respected and tradition-rich brands of baseball in the country, and today we take a look at what is shaping up to be another exciting summer across the...

On this episode of Baseball Talk, Brian welcomes in Diego Solares of Scout Connect and Carl Lange of Dinger Bats to break down the Illinois State Baseball Playoffs. The IHSA postseason always delivers some of the best baseball in the Midwest, and today the group dives into the matchups, programs, players, and storylines that are shaping this year’s playoff run across Illinois. The conversation inc...

On this special edition of The Hitting Zone, Mitch Thomas is joined by Bobby Minor for one of the most important conversations the show has tackled yet: Why are we losing players? From unrealistic expectations to the changing culture surrounding youth sports, Mitch and Bobby take a hard look at the current state of youth baseball and the pressures facing players and families today. The conversatio...

We started the season with the preseason #1 Eureka Wildcats and we are going to finish with the Liberty (KC) Blue Jays atop the class 6 rankings following a stellar season. Don't worry the Wildcats are right behind the at #2 and it is more like a 1 A and 1 B, and you can take your pick as to who you think A and B is at this time of the year. Who will be challenging these teams not only in their ow...

In 2026 we have some new players arriving on the scene, Summit Christian Academy Eagles in KC, the MICDS Rams in STL, and Father Tolton Trailblazers in Columbia, MO all moved up due to the private school Championship factor. De Smet Spartans and St Francis Borgia move back down from Class 6 after the championship factor points are no longer applicable. Five teams coming into the 2026 season in new...

Top to bottom Class 4 is one of the toughest classes in the state of Missouri, with arguably the best team in the state regardless of class in Logan-Rogersville. Today we go through all sixteen districts in Class 4 and take a look at who we think will be able to take home the title and advance to the MSHSAA Sectionals and begin the journey to Ozark, MO. The real question is there a contender to th...

In 2026 we decided to make our first attempt at creating a ranking for Class 3 and it has been well worth the effort. We have been following teams as closely as possible and working to develop the information into a workable top ten rankings throughout the season. As you watch this District Preview you will find that we did have some teams whom we did not catch through the season, but for the most...

We are going to break down each district 1-16 and bring you a look at the teams in the brackets and look at the #1 seeds that have the upper hand in each bracket. Only one team from the 2025 final four have a one seed, but Faith Christian Academy finished 2nd in Class 1 and has the one seed in District 15. Let's get to it and bring you our look at the run to Ozark and the Class 2 Final Four. SUBSC...

The District Playoffs are here and we are ready to bring you the coverage. We have Dave Wiggins joining us to help talk about these teams and bring you a look at what we know about each bracket and who we might see in Ozark, MO at the Ozark Mountain Sports Complex. SUBSCRIBE, LIKE, COMMENT, SHARE  Check out our sponsor's pages! Powered by Game 7 Baseball: game7baseball.com Get all your Gear at Pri...

Brett Graves stops in for a quick episode of Keep Klimbing to officially announce the hard launch of the Premier Pitching & Performance BOOST App. This platform is built to support athletes at every stage of their development — bringing together the same principles we’ve talked about all offseason: workload management, pitch development, strength progression, and structured training — all in o...

On this episode of Baseball 101, host Dave “Diamond Dave” Wiggins welcomes former Miller High School Head Coach Justin Snider for a conversation about the unique challenges faced by coaches and players in smaller school classifications. Coaching at smaller schools often means working with fewer resources, smaller rosters, and unique program limitations. Coach Snider brings his experience, knowledg...

Dave Wiggins is back in the host chair for this episode of Baseball Talk, filling in for Brian, and is joined by Diego Solares, Founder of Scout Connect. On today’s show, the conversation centers around Scout Connect’s Preseason Rankings for Illinois large schools, taking a look at some of the programs expected to compete at the top levels across the state this season. Dave and Diego break down th...

Dave Wiggins steps into the host chair for this episode of Baseball Talk and is joined by Kevin Moulder, Director of Scouting for Prep Baseball Missouri, along with Staley Head Coach Dionandre Josenberger. The conversation begins with a look at the start of the high school season, including discussions about tryouts, early practices, and what coaches are looking for as teams begin preparing for th...

On today’s episode of The Hitting Zone, Mitch Thomas is joined by Nick Schwieder, High School Showcase Director for Competitive Edge, for a conversation that looks at development from a different angle.   Before we talk about developing athletes, we have to talk about developing the adults who guide them. Nick shares insight into what goes into building and sustaining a strong organization — from...

As the season approaches, one of the biggest challenges athletes face is transitioning from offseason training into in-season performance. On this episode of Keep Klimbing, Brett Graves breaks down how pitchers and athletes can effectively bridge the gap between training and competition. The work done in the offseason — from workload management and strength development to pitch design and mental p...

This marks the third and final Youth Baseball Health Check of the season here on Youth Baseball Midwest. We visited Legacy Performance Academy to sit down with Josh Kranawetter, Youth Baseball Coordinator, and Mike Ott, Founder and Owner of Legacy Performance Academy, to continue our conversation about the overall health of youth baseball. We like to talk baseball, so we decided to do a health che...

On this episode of Baseball 101, host Dave “Diamond Dave” Wiggins sits down with Andy Marks of Mach 1 Baseball to talk about pitching development at both the youth and high school levels. From early fundamentals to advanced preparation, Andy shares insight into what proper pitching development should look like as athletes progress through the game. The conversation focuses on building a strong fou...

Dave Wiggins is hosting this episode of Baseball Talk and is joined by Cody Massey, Head Coach at Maryville Christian School and founder of Buzzin' Baseball, along with Diego Solares of Scout Connect. Together they break down high school teams to watch across Illinois for the upcoming season, taking a look at each classification from Class 1A through Class 4A. Illinois baseball continues to produc...

We are going to have some fun today with Dave Wiggins Recruits Baseball Director and HC of Principia high school. Do you remember the best rivalries from high school? There is always that one team you remember that we all loved to beat, and they loved to beat you! The St. Louis Post-Dispatch sports just published an article that looked at rivalries and what makes them special and memorable. We are...

On today’s episode of The Hitting Zone, Mitch Thomas is joined by Hunter Hisky for a wide-ranging, honest conversation about the current state of youth baseball — and whether we are truly developing athletes. Pulling perspective from the opposite end of the state, this episode moves through real questions facing families and programs today: • Do team labels like AA, Major, and AAA really have valu...

Today’s episode is Part 2 of the crossover conversation between The Hitting Zone and Baseball 101. In this segment, Dave Wiggins has Michael Yeager, Assistant Coach & Recruiting Coordinator at Johnson County Community College, walk the audience through what the JUCO experience truly looks like from the inside. From facilities and expectations to structure and strategy, Coach Yeager defines wha...

We are joined by Kevin Moulder, Scouting Director for Prep Baseball Missouri, and Dave Wiggins (Head Coach at Principia Christian & Recruits Baseball Director) as we discuss the upcoming YBM Game of the Week slate for the 2026 season. As we march toward our YBM Season Opener, we take an early look at players and matchups from around the state and discuss some of the games we’ll be spotlighting...