BASEBALL COACHES UNPLUGGED
Baseball Coaches Unplugged | If you're tired of cookie-cutter baseball coaching tips, Baseball Coaches Unplugged is your new dugout. Hosted by Ken Carpenter, a 27-year veteran high school baseball coach, this podcast delivers practical baseball practice plans, college baseball recruiting insights, and proven youth baseball coaching strategies you can use immediately.
Every week, Ken interviews championship coaches, college recruiters, and industry experts who share actionable baseball coaching tips that actually work. Whether you're coaching youth baseball, travel ball, or high school, you'll discover ready-to-use practice plans, culture-building tactics, and leadership strategies for modern athletes.
Perfect for baseball coaches at every level—from first-time youth coaches to seasoned varsity veterans. Subscribe for weekly episodes that turn coaching challenges into championship moments.
New episodes drop every Wednesday!
Episodes
190 episodes
This Small-Town Program Won 7 State Titles—Here’s Why It Worked
A small-town program doesn’t stumble into seven state titles and five Hall of Famers by chance. We sit down with coaches shaped by Coldwater, Ohio and the late legend Lou Brunswick to unpack how a people-first culture, simple fundamentals, and ...
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Season 4
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Episode 21
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59:48
Baseball Coaching Tips for Practice Plans, Hitting, Pitching & Culture
A Hall of Fame career doesn’t happen by accident—it’s built on clear language, daily habits, and choices that put integrity first. Coach Ken welcomes ABCA Hall of Famer Terry Ayers to trace five decades of high school baseball and why, despite ...
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Season 4
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Episode 20
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50:46
5 High School Baseball Coaching Lessons That Actually Win Games
Five coaches. One convention floor. A flood of practical wisdom you can use at your next practice. We hit record at ABCA in Columbus and asked straight questions about what actually translates to wins when the lights are bright and the lineup i...
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Season 4
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Episode 19
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18:41
8 Analytics Secrets That Winning High School Programs Don't Want You to Know
Want to win more high school games without a big budget or a data team? We break down a practical roadmap for using analytics that fits into a busy coach’s life, from what to track in a notebook to the in-game decisions that swing close contest...
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Season 4
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Episode 18
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22:06
What We Lose When Baseball Stops Telling Its History
Old-time baseball isn’t a museum piece—it’s a masterclass hiding in plain sight. We invited Jim Koenigsberger, a gifted storyteller of America’s pastime, to trace how legends like Yogi Berra, Jackie Robinson, Satchel Paige, Ted Williams, and Ri...
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Season 4
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Episode 17
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34:01
"Normal Equals Average": Why 90% of Baseball Coaches Do This (And How to Stop)
Normal equals average. That single idea hits like a fastball under the hands, because it calls out the comfort that keeps programs stuck. We pull back the curtain on why talent and facilities won’t save a team that avoids adversity—and how a hu...
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Season 4
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Episode 16
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11:27
Gary Gilmore Explains Exactly How Coastal Carolina Scripted And Won The 2016 College World Series
A holiday thank you turns into a masterclass on building a champion when Gary Gilmore, the recently retired head coach of Coastal Carolina, joins us to unpack how a mid-major beat the blue bloods in Omaha. From overlooked recruits to a dogpile ...
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Season 4
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Episode 15
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1:37:14
How A Five-Minute Survey Can Transform Your Team’s Culture And Communication
A roster full of talent won’t save a season if communication fractures. We sat down with Travis Davidson from Team Sports Consulting Group to unpack how a simple five‑minute survey can transform culture, reveal real leaders, and help coaches re...
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Season 4
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Episode 14
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48:23
Tradition Meets Change: Leading Without Rewriting The Playbook
What does it take to move one seat over and keep a winner winning? We sit down with Hilliard Darby’s new head baseball coach, Andrew Ozbolt, to unpack the real work of inheriting a high-performing program: protecting standards, earning trust, a...
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Season 4
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Episode 13
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31:09
What Keeps Coaches in the Dugout When Everything Says Walk Away?
Why do high school coaches keep showing up when the hours are brutal, the stipend is small, and the critiques are loud? We open the door to the dugout and talk honestly about purpose, sacrifice, and the quiet wins that outlast any trophy. Ken s...
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Season 4
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Episode 12
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28:41
5 Offseason Standards That Keep Teams Hungry
Winning can be the start of the slide. After a deep run or a title, the real threat isn’t on your schedule—it’s in your clubhouse. We unpack how complacency takes root during the quiet months and map out a hard-nosed offseason plan that keeps p...
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Season 4
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Episode 11
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11:01
Outside The Fence: A Dad's Guide To Letting High School Coaches Coach
The toughest moment for many baseball dads isn’t a bad call or a tough loss—it’s handing the reins to the high school staff and walking to the bleachers. This candid conversation with Dr. JT Anderson, former team chiropractor for the Denver Bro...
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Season 4
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Episode 10
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36:05
Team Chemistry: The Science Behind Championship Teams
What if nearly half of what separates good teams from great ones can’t be found on a stat sheet? We explore the real engine behind championship baseball: team chemistry. Drawing on a large-scale study of MLB teams from 1998 to 2016, we break do...
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Season 4
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Episode 9
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11:56
Why Top High School Coaches Are Walking Away
Twenty-two coaching vacancies in one county—without scandal, without losing streaks—just a wave of veteran leaders saying, “Enough.” We sit down with Mansfield News Journal sports reporter Jake Furr to unpack the forces driving high school coac...
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Season 4
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Episode 8
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36:02
The Transfer Portal Killed Freshman Playing Time: Here's Your Plan B
Ready for an honest look at the smartest path from high school baseball to D1 and beyond? We sit down with Coach Austin Nelson of Cochise College to unpack why junior college baseball often beats jumping straight into a crowded Division I roste...
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Season 4
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Episode 7
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32:41
Inside Eaton High’s Blueprint For 15 State Titles
What does it really take for a small farming community to build a high school baseball dynasty? We sit down with Eaton High School head coach Todd Hernandez to unpack the real blueprint behind 15 Colorado state titles, four since 2021, and a 74...
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Season 4
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Episode 6
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36:19
What Does "All In" Really Mean? Character, Effort & Teamwork
A Hall of Fame coach with 500+ wins doesn’t hang around by accident. Coach Mike Shade of Gahanna Lincoln High School (OH) opens the dugout door to 41 years of lessons: why relationships anchor a program, how practice—not pep talks—decides resul...
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Season 4
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Episode 5
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36:41
What Makes a .260 Hitter More Valuable Than a .300 Hitter?
What if the fastest way to win more games is to stop spending outs? We take a hard look at the numbers that truly drive runs—on-base percentage, slugging percentage, and the deceptively simple OPS—and show how a smarter lineup can flip close sc...
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Season 4
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Episode 4
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16:22
Failure by Design: Why Baseball Prepares You for Chaos
A thrown chair blocks the stage door, and a young actor freezes—until a director offers three words that change everything: use the difficulty. We take that vivid moment and walk it straight into the dugout, exploring how coaches can turn injur...
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Season 4
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Episode 3
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9:00
3 Fundamental Pillars Every Coach Needs in Their Baseball Program
Mason Stookey knows the true meaning of rebuilding. When a tornado hit Coweta (OK) High School's baseball field in 2021, destroying their fence, equipment, and freshly planted rye seed, he faced a critical choice: follow the trend toward artifi...
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Season 4
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Episode 2
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30:59
Why Tough Schedules Build Championship Teams
Championship programs aren't built on talent alone – they're founded on consistent systems, deliberate culture-building, and a philosophy that develops complete athletes. Coach Ben Evick of Cape Henlopen High School has mastered this formula, l...
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Season 4
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Episode 1
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28:09
Why Coaches Play Their ‘Favorites’ — And How to Become One
Ever wonder what separates the starters from the bench in high school baseball? The answer might surprise you—it has less to do with March tryouts and everything to do with what happens in September.The players who earn starting positio...
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Season 3
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Episode 55
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13:41
The Secret Sauce to Winning 3 State Championships in 5 Years
What separates consistently successful baseball programs from the rest? For Coach Jared Ingersoll of American Fork High School (UT), it's creating what he calls "the AF way" – a distinct approach to baseball marked by exceptional energy, relent...
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Season 3
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Episode 54
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43:11
5 Accountability Moves Every Championship Team Makes
Ever wonder why some baseball programs consistently win championships while others, despite similar talent, fall short? The answer often lies in one word: accountability. But not the kind that's just plastered on team hoodies or chanted in pre-...
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Season 3
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Episode 53
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11:23
What Does “Burn the Boats” Look Like in High School Baseball?
Ever wonder what it takes to build a championship baseball team in a place where players sometimes have to shovel snow off the field just to practice? South Dakota State Champion coach Jeremy Van Heel takes us behind the scenes of his Brandon V...
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Season 3
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Episode 52
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27:20