BASEBALL COACHES UNPLUGGED

This Small-Town Program Won 7 State Titles—Here’s Why It Worked

• Ken Carpenter • Season 4 • Episode 21

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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 joyful competition built a winning standard that still travels across the state. The stories are rich: Lou treating the star and the 16th man the same, scheduling bigger schools without apology, and yes—calling squeeze from a bus with a turn signal after getting tossed. The lessons run deeper than trophies: build trust, respect every role, and keep it loose so players compete free.

We trace coaching paths that started as bat boys and Pony League mentors, ran through pro ball and college, and returned to high school dugouts with a clear blueprint. You’ll hear why fundamentals still beat flash—clean relays, timely bunts, strike-throwing, and disciplined base running—and how that approach turns teenagers into resilient teammates. We also tackle the modern game: coach-to-catcher and coach-to-pitcher communication, where tech can sharpen tempo and decision-making without stealing leadership from the field.

Then comes the debate every spring stirs up: should Ohio shift to double elimination or best-of-three at the district level? With turf fields and tighter schedules, these coaches argue baseball deserves a format that rewards depth and consistency, not just a single dominant arm. Through it all, the thread is human: fathers and sons balancing love and standards, the sting of losses that teach more than wins, and the quiet satisfaction of doing things the right way every day.

If you value clear teaching, culture that lasts, and stories that make you grin on the way to practice, you’ll feel at home here. Subscribe, share with a coaching friend, and leave a quick review telling us your take: double-elim or best-of-three?

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SPEAKER_03:

Hello and welcome to Baseball Coaches Unplugged. I'm your host, Coach Ken Carpenter. And today I got a Hall of Fame group of coaches together. And uh I would like to start off uh rather than uh uh me introducing who's going to be on the show, Mark. First off, I gotta say congrats for you being inducted into the OHS BCA, which here is Ohio, uh Hall of Fame. Uh and if you could to set the stage here for today's show, you kind of introduce the coaches since you know these guys very well.

SPEAKER_06:

Yeah, it it was probably a couple weeks ago I reached out uh to all of them here. And I wanted to do it after the the effect of the uh clinic and so forth. But uh I got thinking, you know, and Co-Water now has five, five guys, Lou Brunswick, Trent Deuce, Brian Harlem, Greg Wilker, and myself that are in the Hall of Fame now. And I I really think, and you guys step in and correct me if I'm wrong on it, I really think that is a an Ohio record. I thought it was important that we get everybody together. And so what I did is I reached out to them, Kenny, and see if we could set a time to get everybody on at a given time and talk about our years going all the way from Coldwater to where it took us to our present-day job and school, and just talk baseball.

SPEAKER_03:

Well, sounds good. Well, you guys all played for the legendary Lou Brunswick at Cold Water High School in Ohio. And tell me about your experience as a player playing for Coach Brunswick, and we'll start off. Let's just start with Trent.

unknown:

Let's just start with Trent.

SPEAKER_07:

Um Well, I had an interesting history because I actually didn't play, I only played two years. Uh I played my sophomore in my senior year. Um, I thought I was gonna be the next John Lway, so I was focusing on football, and then I realized I wasn't Lway. Um so, but Louis, um Louie Clinton. You know, first of all, Louie Louie was uh I appreciate Louie letting me play my senior year because he was all over me my junior year to play, and I was just I didn't want I was just hooked on football. And and I know he was he was not happy with me, but he did uh his senior year, he let me play, and it was a great experience. We won the state title our senior year. Um but um but uh but I learned a lot from Lou. I I actually grew up with the Brunswick household. Jeff's my age, me and Jeff were buddies from the get-go, and so I kind of grew up in the house. So um I learned baseball from a very young age. I I guess I learned the importance of baseball because it was a big deal in their household, and I was there all the time. Um, so I I learned uh a lot growing up through the years. I mean, you could you name it. I mean, how to throw, how to hit, and you know, your mentality and so on and so forth. But uh, you know, just just I I you don't have enough hours to sit here and let me tell you everything that that that Lou taught me.

SPEAKER_03:

So well, Coach uh Coach Greg Wilford, what tell me a little bit about it.

SPEAKER_01:

Well, I was a 1979 graduate, and uh I was the youngest of seven, and so Coach Brunswick, he knew our family very well, and my parents had the the utmost respect for him. And uh Coach Brunswick was he was more than a he was more than a teacher and a coach for me. He was he was a true father figure. My father passed away when I was in second grade, so he was a outstanding role model for me. Um so I just had a great experience playing for him, and just the lessons that I learned from him, you know, I I tried to uh take through my my years of coaching, you know, and and some of the main lessons work ethic. You know, I watch him, and you know, when you're 16, 17 years old, you really don't understand how hard the person is working at it. But once I started teaching and coaching myself, I'm thinking, how did Coach Brunswick do that? You know, he would drive a morning bus route, you know, he he was coach all teach all day, coach all day, and then he'd he would drive us to the game, and it was just amazing. You know, so that's a big thing. But the work ethic, and he just he treated everyone the same. You know, it didn't matter if you were the best player or if you were the 16th best player, you know, he treated everyone with respect. And those were some of the valuable lessons I learned from Coach Brunswick. And I think that's the reason we're all here today.

SPEAKER_03:

Yes. Well, Mark, you were in the house, so what's that? Well, you you were in the house. You grew up with him as your dad.

SPEAKER_06:

Yeah, it um just going off of what those guys said, you know, and I always go back to a thing that that Trent said a couple years ago. And I think this is important with all of us because I I think it's why the foundation of Coldwater Baseball still goes on and on and on. Um is because uh Trent made the comment. The thing that stands out about your dad is uh is what I took to Van W Butler, what what these other guys took to the other schools too is the idea of uh he wanted you to learn baseball and he wanted to excel, he wanted to win, but the biggest thing he wanted you to be was yourself. He wanted you to be yourself, whoever that may be, and fall within the parameters of the program and you know go out and have some fun. And and and two of the biggest things that really gets me with dad is is is the relationship and the care that I personally felt with him, with all his players and so forth. We all had the ultimate goal. We never went around the the school saying we're gonna win a state title. We always knew that that was always a plan because it was cool water, that's what you strive for. But it was just the magical experience we had. It was just something you had to experience because uh baseball was was was life and it was it was a great deal.

SPEAKER_03:

Well, Aaron, you're you're here representing your dad. Um did did your dad talk to you about his experiences with coach Lou Brunswick?

SPEAKER_00:

Um, yeah, a little bit. Uh I know just hearing stories of Lou from my dad or from anyone around Cold Water, there was great things. Uh kind of like they said, kind of like my dad kind of learned from Lou and kind of in his coaching style, a lot of it had to do with relationships um with your own coaching staff and with the players. I think building that relationship and that trust um in everyone. Uh I think that's was a big thing that my dad took from Lou, uh playing underneath him and winning some state titles with Lou. And I think that seems like a lot of us here learning from Lou and then so on, like that's how programs are kind of built relationships, the foundation, some of those core values that Lou definitely um instilled in all of you guys, then my dad, and obviously down to me, and even Coach Clinky, uh now the head coach at Coldwater, a lot of those things, um, just are still in the programs. Um I knew of Lou a little bit, uh uh, but not too much. But yeah, he definitely had some stories of Lou. How he coached was kind of how my dad then learned how to become a coach and learned from Louis. So that's just a great thing to see with everyone's day.

SPEAKER_04:

So I'd like to read it stuff.

SPEAKER_03:

If I could, I'll just have a test down edit for it. If everybody, if you could just check your volume and make sure it's not turned all the way up. If you can just take it down a couple ticks, sometimes that it creates that echo. I don't know if you guys are answering.

SPEAKER_07:

It's too loud. Yeah, a little bit too loud, but yeah. Okay. Is that better?

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah, I think it is. Yes. Okay. Well, uh, Tom Brunswick. You're in the uh you're in the middle of the screen here, and you are the uh person that's stepping in to represent your dad. Tell me about that experience growing up with your dad and what he's what he taught you about the game of baseball.

SPEAKER_05:

Okay. Well, I can speak for Tom as Lou's son and playing for him, and then I can speak for what Lou might say about what the three gentlemen have uh just talked about. Uh being dad's son, um it was an honor to play for dad. Um we never felt never felt the pressure of playing for dad when he was coaching. That's who he was. He was our coach. And when we came home, that's who he was, was a dad. And we never talked about the game very much when we came home. Once we came home, the game was over. We never really talked about it. He went his way, I went my way. And then the next day we did the same thing. So um, it was an honor to play for dad. Um, it was a privilege. We set high standards in the 70s, graduated in 76. We wanted to win the state. We never did. We made it to the district in the regionals a few times or never made the state. It wasn't until Mark uh in 83 and 84, his teams won the state back to back, and then Jeff in 87. And I was so proud for them, as proud of them as it as we would have won it. So we didn't get to win it, but uh, hopefully we raised the bar pretty high. And those guys, they stormed right through, they won back to back, and then they won it in 87 again, so um we didn't get a chance to win it, but um, we are so proud of uh brothers, and I'll never forget the smile on dad's face when he won it in '83, and then again in '84. Huge smile. You know, it was 25 years before he won a state title, before his teams won a state title. There were many times he was telling me, I'm not gonna coach you because it's too tough when you lose. And I'm sure all the coaches here have felt that feeling when you lose that last game. It's like, wow, we put all this in here, and sometimes you lose a close game, could have gone either way. That the feeling the next three days is just tough. And I remember he told me, I'm never gonna coach you, Tom. I said, What? Yeah, I was only nine years old. He said, Yeah, I'm not gonna coach you. Well, three days later, he's telling me uh let's go ready season now. Playing for dad was um an honor. It was fun. It was better when you went two for four and won the game than you went 0 for 4 and lost. But uh regardless, there's ups and downs with that. And I would say this as speaking for Lou, to all the coaches here that um have uh Aaron Tech, Coldwater, Mark and Del Fountain for the most part, Greg at Millbury Lake, and Trent at uh Vandalia, their programs are extension of what dad would have done. He'd be very proud of uh all three of you. All four of you guys. Um he would say, Yep, you guys are doing it the way we would do it. Because I'll tell you, they're about relationships. They relate to the kids first before they're baseball players. That's one thing dad did was um he he knew the players before he knew what what they could do on the baseball field. Um, he built trust with them, he knew them as as people, and then uh, you know, they're a person first, then a second baseman, then a short stuff. He built long-lasting relationships, and I thought was the the best thing he did. And all the coaches on on this board right here have done the same thing. They got relationships that go on and on and on forever. So we would be proud of all the coaches here. And uh to have five guys that played at Coldwater and then on the Hall of Fame feels special to him.

SPEAKER_03:

Definitely well let me ask you, Coach, the um did your experience playing at Coldwater as a baseball player uh play any sort of role in you becoming a baseball coach?

SPEAKER_01:

Is that for me, Ken?

SPEAKER_03:

Uh coach Coach uh Trent.

SPEAKER_07:

Oh, absolutely. Yeah, I mean, uh so when I went to college, you know, they asked me my major, I said eligibility. And uh then I had to come up with a real answer at some point. And uh so I um like I said, I I grew up, I grew up really at the Brunswick House. My a lot of my youth was there. I mean, it's what I knew. And then my first couple years of college, I played at Bowling Green, and we never made a lot of tournament runs at BG, so we'd be done kind of early, and I'd come home and I'd always throw BP for Louie because they were always deep in the tournament. And I guess it just kind of grew on me, you know. And uh, so I decided that's what I wanted to do. So yeah, it had a huge impact on me. I teach solar space kind of like Louie did. Um so um without a doubt. And and I'm gonna add to what Mark said about I I always remember this. We always had fun, like Louis always had fun, and and I coached with Tom and for the Mariners, man, we had fun. Like Tommy had fun, like he he it wasn't a stress thing, man. He could always lighten the mood to get you to play in that mode um where you're not, you know, your sphincter's not too tight. And uh I and Louie always did that. We would laugh, we just always laugh. There's always something to laugh at. I just I always remember that. Just keep it loose, you know, don't take it too seriously. We were all serious competitors, but there, you know, there's got to be a fine line there. So that that was another big thing I I got.

SPEAKER_01:

Coach Wilker. Yeah, just uh piggyback what Trent said, you know, just uh Coach Brunswick, it was about embracing that competition. You know, he he loved to compete, you know, and that's a big thing I always try to get across uh to my players, you know, enjoy the competition, you know, win or lose. You know, the other thing I want to talk about was just the tradition. You know, I got into coaching. I remember Coach Brunswick came to me because I'd I was working uh locally, and uh he said, Coach, he goes, uh Greg, why don't you why don't you why don't you coach a pony league team? And Mark may remember this. Mark's uh is between us. We had two pony league teams, and a couple of my buddies coached Mark's team, and a couple myself and a couple of other buddies, we coached the other team. And uh that was a very talented, very coachable group, obviously, because they went on and won back-to-back championships a few years later. And I I was hooked on coaching at that point because I just I love that group of kids, you know, and and I just remember competing as I'm not if Mark remembers this, but I can still remember Mark when we played our team played you guys, and and we we ran a squeeze play and beat you guys. I can't remember who was pitching, but you were catching and you were pretty fired up. And your dad goes, Mark, they they beat you fair and square. Well, several years later, we're playing. I brought my team down from Lake High School, and I had a pretty good team then. And one of my players hit a three-run homer to tie it up in the in the seventh or top of the seventh. Coach Brunswick beats us in the bottom of the seventh with a squeeze play. You know, he just looks at me in the dugout and just flashes that grin, you know. And so he that's like but uh a lot of a lot of great memories, you know, just that tradition, and and I hope they continue passing on down.

SPEAKER_03:

Well, Mark, you were uh you know, playing for your dad. Did that have uh influence on you becoming a baseball coach?

SPEAKER_06:

Uh Tom and I didn't have a chance. Yeah, we had to. No, I'm just kidding. I'm kidding. Yeah. Honestly, with all that, um I went, Kenny, it's interesting because I didn't know where my coaching career was gonna go because I got drafted by the Mets in '84. And and I'm I'm not, you know, I I face it straight on. My years of professional baseball, I went in the third round. I was pretty good uh coming out of high school and everything, but uh my professional days weren't that good. Uh it was a rough life, it was a rough go for me. And um I know I spent I I know I spent a couple years there just trying to find a job, hopefully get through four years of of college and see once where that went. So the coaching stuff uh was was a byproduct of what my years with Pro Bowl was. And I just that was my only way to stay in the game. And so I wanted to give back a little bit in regards to you know my knowledge that I had with kids, but because of my experience there, my time was a little bit longer getting into coaching. My first year of coaching was at the year of 29, I was 29 years old. So um, you know, it wasn't coaching right away because I I truly thought I was gonna be uh a big league player at one given time. Obviously didn't work out, and so I had a couple years there where I was I was trying to find myself.

SPEAKER_03:

Makes sense. Well, Tom, what what are your thoughts?

SPEAKER_05:

I also was drafted uh out of high school, not as high as Mark was, but I was drafted. So I got a chance, and um once I got the chance, I took it. And uh as Mark mentioned, the minor league days are tough. You're gone for six straight months. Back then there's no cell phones, no way to connect it no way home, there's no phone boost at 7:30 on Saturday night, all collect. That's how I talked to my parents. I wrote letters. Uh but I my dad told me if and when you sign, you are gonna go to college. And I said, Well, I'll take your advice on that, Dad. But you know, I think I'm gonna be a big leader, like we all think we're gonna be. But let me tell you, once I showed up at the spring training, there's a pretty good ball players, not only in America, but uh the other countries too. Venezuela and Puerto Rico and Dominican, we know where they come from. I mean, they're they're very good ball players, so I thought, oh boy, I better go to college, and I'm glad I did. That's the best advice dad ever gave me. It's the best thing I ever did because by the time I was released for the third time, I had a college degree. It's like, go ahead and release me, I'll just go teach. And I was ready to I was ready to do something regular, you know, outside of a Pro Bowl after doing it for seven or eight years. So as I was playing, I tried to learn as much as I could about the game. About what would be good for a high school player. What's good? What would help them win? Well, you know, I probably learned more from my dad than I did any of those pro coaches. The pro coaches, you know, they're more focused on the high draft picks, they're they're they're but I learned more from my dad. And maybe it wasn't on the field, but I learned how to treat people, treat them as uh respectful. It doesn't matter if he's the best player or the 16th best player, best player. You treat them all the same, and you win as a team and you lose as a team. So I thought uh maybe I'll try coaching. So I started coaching a little JB over at Salina and uh did that and coached the Grand Lake Mariners for 12 years, um, the head coach a few of those years, I at least 10 of them, and then coached Cower Acme 23 years. So a lot of different levels. But uh, you know, speaking for dad to the coaches on this panel here today, he would say just keep it simple. It's not about exit level, it's not about radar, it's about feeling the ball, doing fundamentals, throwing strikes, getting the butt down, getting the relay, making plays. Many times when he coached teams, we might not have the best looking uniform. The other teams in the other uniform might have looked better and stronger, bigger and stronger. But the kids in the co-uniforms always look better at final metals and always had discipline for the game. A lot of times the cavaliers have a three, the other team had to be two. You had to beat it. You had to beat the colour cavaliers. Um mistakes they happen. Discipline, fundamentals, keep it fun, a lot of passion. Set your goals high and uh you know, if the state turned win the win the MAC, you know, sure. Uh but the the goal is always to win the state. And it's seven times we've done that for uh it's a lot of years going on too, but they still don't win. It's hard, it's really hard. You know, it's just thankful for getting seven state titles. But I would say this one, Dad. Um When the season starts, he doesn't just say, guys, this year we'll win an estate. He coaches every team the same. You start from day one and just build blocks. One day at a time. Try to get better each day. You know, be a be a be a good teammate. Do what it takes to win. Don't worry about individual awards. Let's do this as a team. And I'd say all the coaches on this panel exactly, exactly. And coach Harlan exactly the same way. You'd be very proud.

SPEAKER_03:

Well, Aaron, you were uh currently coaching there at Coldwater, and you know, I guess you know, I I I have to ask you, the uh you're you played in Coldwater, correct?

SPEAKER_00:

Yes, yep.

SPEAKER_03:

So did that play a role in you becoming a coach?

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, I definitely did. Um growing up uh with my dad being the head coach ever since I was one, I think was actually the first year he was the head coach. Um being a bat boy all those years, just seeing how he coached just the program in general. Um I just kind of fell in love with baseball, sports, all sports really I played, but like baseball is my favorite. I think by the time I played with him for the those four years, uh by the time my senior year came around, I kind of had an idea. I was going to play baseball at Sinclair, uh JUCO. Um, but I knew, I mean, I wasn't going big leagues like the Runswick over here, but I kind of had an idea that I wanted to coach, so I was gonna go into education uh and then eventually coaching. And then while I was in college, uh my dad kind of gave me those first opportunities. I started coaching Pony League for my brother, my younger brother Evan. Um two years of pony. Uh and then as he got into high school there, I also coached him junior acne. Um so those are kind of my getting my feet wet in the coaching uh world over here at Coldwater. Um loved it. And then obviously, with me going to school for education, uh, once I moved back home from college, uh I became part of the staff over at Coldwater, coaching JV uh for two years there uh while my dad was still the head coach. And then eventually, uh now recently it'll be my fourth year uh with the Varsity staff under Coach Clint East since my dad passed. Uh but yeah, I think just coaching, uh playing under my dad, coaching with my dad there a little bit, and obviously um just the program in general definitely led me uh to wanting to coach and being with the kids and seeing those relationships um develop and how relationships with players can go a long ways. I remember growing up and my dad's former players would come up to him at whatever event, where we were. My dad kind of knew everybody, and a part of that was through coaching. A lot of people from Coldwater played for him, came back to Coldwater, and knew him as Coach Harlemer. I think that was a big thing to me that I'd love to see, uh, and I want to be part of that. So that definitely core to baseball under my dad, and obviously Lou starting it uh with the program definitely led me to this trajectory to coach who I am today.

SPEAKER_03:

Well, I I got a two-part question. What would one change you would like to see in high school baseball and a positive that you take away from the game today? And we'll go back to you, uh, Coach Deuce.

SPEAKER_07:

Um the positive is uh, you know, just despite all the travel ball that's going on um today, I I think there's there's still a lot of of heart and soul that goes into to high school baseball. I think there kids are are they they're sold out in spring. They really are. And it's a and it's different than summer ball. It's more of a it's more of a team attitude. Um and you're you're playing in front of fans. You know, sometimes you get sometimes you get some nice crowds. You don't really get that a lot of that in summer ball. Um and it and I think it teaches it teaches kids how to it's more of a college attitude because you're going to class um and you're playing ball and you're representing your school um and you're representing your you know your community. Um so I I still think it's it's there's a lot of positives in that. And um, so I still think it's a big deal, despite you know, the the rise of of travel ball. Um what was the other part of the question, Ken?

SPEAKER_03:

Uh change what you would like to think.

SPEAKER_07:

Oh, changes. Uh I mean the only thing I'd really I think they've made a lot of good changes. Um I I think once you get to the district round of tournament, it should be it should be a double elimination. Um a lot of states do that. Um I I'd like to see I I think it's possible, especially now with all the turf fields. You know, I know they're worried about rainouts, you know, and there's not enough time. There is enough time now with all the turf fields. There's enough around to to do it, um, where you can play a best two out of three and uh and you can do it in a three, four-day period. Um so I I'd like to see that. That's one change I'd like to see in Ohio. Once you get past, you know, get past the section all round, um, you get to the districts, and I think that'd be a cool thing.

SPEAKER_03:

Well, Coach Walker, you uh uh what is the positive you'd like that you've noticed and what would you like to see change?

SPEAKER_01:

Definitely positive would be the uh quality of coaches. Uh up in northwest Ohio here, the coaching was just incredible. I think we played numerous trips to the state from the streets uh between Ferrisburg, Maumee, and so on. So they're probably coaching outstanding. I believe it's like crackmark seven, like crackmark seven. Correct. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, whereas if you're gonna never win flip away. So I hope it just doesn't be close to five.

SPEAKER_03:

Mark, how do you feel about this?

SPEAKER_06:

Well, on the well, on the button, just denominating with the rest of the guys on the positive stuff. Yeah, it's um the kids are committed. They they really are are are committed, like Trent said, to start the spring and so forth. There's just a lot more dynamics for the kids nowadays, uh, a lot more opportunities and so forth. Um kids can practice as long as they want to want to and so forth game. Not negative, but things that change. Would be I like the idea of what you talked about, but maybe like if we reach a lot of Windows series, maybe two about three, something like that, a little bit. And I think discuss that quite a bit.

SPEAKER_04:

Um, how do you feel about it?

SPEAKER_05:

Oh, as a positive, oh, there's so many. There's so many. Uh Greg mentioned uh the the quality of coaches is is tremendous. Um I've been to the State Clinic the last two years, last year when Trent Gun Inducted and this year when Market. And uh it's amazing the the amount of good coaches there are, and uh which is so important because um you know it's it's up to them and the next generation to pass it on. We gotta keep the game going and uh to pass it on from one generation to another. Uh to some they might say it's a slow game. Well, it's not if you look at all the things that happened between the pitches and uh do the things right, and the coaches need to keep making it fun, keep making it important. Great coaching. Um speaking for my dad, you know, back in when he started, maybe that's the case, not the case. I know um some coaches uh back then maybe just did it because they needed a coach. Um, you know, it's a stipend. Uh not always, but uh there's a lot of good coaches in this area. There's a lot of good coaches statewide. There's a lot of good coaches all over the place. Um I think it's good and competitive. I love uh the the competition in the spring. The seven divisions is good. Um it gives you know it gives everyone a chance, especially in the upper level, which Trent was doing it. You know, that it was not fair for him to play that some of the schools are three to four times larger than them. Um I think it's a great game. I'm okay with the changes that they made, and I don't think that they need to make a lot of change. Speaking for my daddy, uh what he probably to know it probably wants to work. I remember the change growth in 35, 32, and 34, 38 and when you square one, we all need that sound that I would say you would like to get, but unfortunately, you know, there's sometimes when I chose that. You know, I like the ten in the game. I like that's going to gap a little bit more. Um, but that's not going to happen easier for something we can do. But I think it's a great game. I don't think we need to do too much with it. If Daddy was here today, I think you'd say the same. You know, the kids count as anything. Um you know, I don't think we need to do too much. It's a great game. Let's let's keep going.

SPEAKER_03:

Well, excuse me, Aaron, um you're the young guy on this panel, and uh, you know, what is there a change that you would like to see? And is there some positive a positive that you've noticed?

SPEAKER_00:

Um, going off positives, uh, really agree with what Trent said at the start. Um the just the spring game, the high school teams, I think there's definitely value in some, especially this area of the programs that really invest into the spring ball and not as much into that select travel ball. I know that's a big thing uh kind of now, and that's kind of more of a negative, I would say, would be the select ball, especially at a youth age, but I get the high school level. But just the spring ball. I think the competition is great, uh, especially in the school that's really value it. Uh it means a lot to schools. Uh, I know, like Coldwater and Lake and Vendelia, um, and you get those atmospheres uh at Veterans Field in a big league game, and it means a lot. It leads me a lot to the community, and I think the kids see that as well. Um, other positives recently that they've changed, uh, I know like the technology now that they're using uh with in-game. I know we used it at Coldwater the last couple years with the coach to catcher communication. Uh some people might not love it because catchers don't have to call games anymore. But uh sorry to tell you, even if a catcher's going to college, the college coach is still calling a lot of the games. I know I caught in college about eight years ago, and my pitching coach, uh Essen Claire, was still calling games. So I mean you could say some people don't agree with that, and now they're doing the the coach to catcher and pitcher. Um I think coaches can definitely take a benefit from being able to talk to the pitcher kind of in your ear. I know it's a trial this year. I know it's something that we're gonna try to implement, and that's something I think Coach Clinky should have to figure out how much can I talk to this pitcher compared to that pitcher. Like, can he handle him and my him and my his ear? And like, how much can I say? Am I just gonna call pitches for this pitcher? Can I tell him, hey, you're not talking your glove, you need to stride out more, like you need to slow down, like just the pace as well. Some of those things I think are beneficial. Um and I know they're doing the whole the second or the first base, having the running base next year in Ohio, uh like the orange base or whatnot. Um, some people don't love it, some people do. I'm indifferent about it. Um, I think in the end it's gonna avoid, I guess, more injuries if you see that. Um, but I don't think that's gonna affect the game too much. I know they're doing it in college already. I'm gonna be surprised if the MLB implements it here in the next five years as well. Uh but one thing I think that I could like to see change, um, also what I can talked about, um just the tournament in general, how you can kind of make it a double elimination or a best two out of three. I know just thinking of other sports, football, normally the best team always wins. Right? Baseball, that might not be the case based off if you have one good pitcher that you have to then go face, you might have the better team overall. But if you got to go face one dominant arm that's throwing 95, uh you you might lose that game. You gotta play them, that's how to play them. Uh arms, then you might still arms be able to move on. Um pitching wise. Um if you don't have that dominant arm, you don't have that tough arm, uh I think that's one thing, and I've got one thing too. Um I would like to see change a little bit.

SPEAKER_04:

That's two out of three, best two out of three, uh for the thing, higher than higher than you know, I I I gotta ask this question.

SPEAKER_03:

Funniest story or forest memory at cold water or coach. Trent, we'll start with you.

SPEAKER_04:

We'll start with you.

SPEAKER_07:

Um funniest memory of Louis? Is that what you is that what you're asking?

SPEAKER_03:

Yeah, funniest memory or fondest memory, either one.

SPEAKER_07:

Um well, I I I obviously have a lot of them. Um probably when he got thrown out at Parkway, um and our AD, Mr. Lobianco, who's also the father of all the players had to come in and coach us. Um so it was a home run ball, and it was oh my god, it was six-foot foul. And I I don't I don't know. I don't know. They called it fair. I don't know if it was Alhard or what. They called it fair, and uh Louis just went bonkers. Yeah, and uh yeah, he got tossed, and uh I don't know why that one. I mean, we had so many, like I said, we won the state title our senior. There's just a lot of great memory. I don't know what it was that one was just I guess I never saw Louie that upset. I mean, he was just he went off on this dude, and uh yeah, and and in came Lobo, a little guy, a little Italian guy coaching us. It was actually kind of it was kind of surreal. We came back and beat him, it was a big game, so yeah, I I don't know why that one kind of sticks out in my mind.

SPEAKER_01:

Coach Wolver uh a couple of them. First one who was uh responsible for for doing the field early on. Um but we walked out there and there were actually two foul lines, and uh the custodian that put the lines down, he had problems with the the chalker there. So I remember Coach Brunswick talking to umpires. He goes, Well, today we're gonna play the inside line instead of the outside line. You know, I always remember that one. Um the other one, my senior year, we lost uh because Coach Brunswick, he uh he was so used to making tournament runs, we lost the first game of the tournament at St. Mary's. They had a uh gentleman named uh Sisko was on the mound. Galen, I don't know if you guys remember, Galen Sisko was a pitching coach there years ago for Kansas City. His son had a third ball we just couldn't hit. We lost five to two or five to three. And Coach Brunswick, you know, just we had a good group of kids and he didn't he didn't want the season to end. So he somehow he got us in the tournament at Indy in Indiana, and we were playing some really good competition. It was towards the end of May. You know, whereas most coaches would have been ready to you know cash in, call the season. He just wanted to keep playing. So we played some really good competition, and and Coach that the umpire was terrible, and he got tossed out. And again, I didn't see Coach Friends get upset like that very often. He got tossed out of the game, and back then there was no assistant coach. So he's flashing signs from the bus. You know, the the players, I'm out there coaching first or third base, and you know, he's putting a squeeze sign on, and and uh it was a lot of fun. It was a great memory coming back from Indiana, it was a great way to end our season.

SPEAKER_06:

Mark can to add on to that story, because that was a story I was gonna bring up. I was gonna ask Coach Wilker if he remembered that. And do you remember Coach Wilker? The guy's name was Hi Cobb.

SPEAKER_01:

I absolutely do. And he threw more.

SPEAKER_06:

Hi Cobb we were playing to Caleb, Indiana, and they were ranked number one in the state. Yes. And we were hanging around and we were really playing some pretty good ball. And I was a bat boy at that time, yeah. So Louie Badgett and all those guys were in the stands, they were yelling at the umpires and so forth. And actually, Dad got thrown out when he said, Don't let the rankings intimidate your decisions. And that umpire turned around and kicked him out, and he went straight to the bus. And when he flashed the left turn signal, that meant steal. When he went to the right one, that was hit and run. And he flashed him. And the coach that helped with that, Coach Wilker, wasn't it Mike Romac?

SPEAKER_01:

Was Mike Romack in there? Possibly, but I don't I don't think we had an assistant coach in, Mark. I he didn't have an assistant because it's like I interject you here.

SPEAKER_05:

Yeah, go ahead, all right. So we're talking uh dad like being a hothead and stuff, you know. And uh these two two things he's been thrown out of two games. Well, I got a third. Uh this bus thing happened in the early 60s when we're at uh Wapauck St. Joe, and I was a five-year-old bat boy, and uh basically all I did was play it in the dirt, steal people's gloves. I wasn't much of a bat boy. But uh sitting on the bus, and all of a sudden dad showed up on the bus. I said, What are you doing in here, Dad? It's cold out there. I know, but what are you doing? He said, I got kicked out. I said, Oh, okay. All right, there's that Wapak St. Joe. And he did, he did the turn signal thing there too. You know, the left one was a steal, the right one was a butt. So he had practice for that decal tournament. He'd already done that. And yes, Mike Romack was the uh coach back in '62 when Louis got thrown out of that game. So yeah. So um the three games he got thrown out, we've mentioned here today, and that's probably the only three I remember him getting thrown out. But um the turn signal and the busting is uh two of those things he did um getting thrown out.

SPEAKER_04:

Um getting thrown out.

SPEAKER_03:

Well, you know, I I gotta say, you know, he prepared for every situation. But uh Aaron, uh what is uh your fondest memory playing at Coldwater or 20th Coldwater?

SPEAKER_00:

Uh yeah, my fondest memory will definitely be my sophomore year uh whenever we won state in 2014. Uh I started catching my sophomore year there. That was when my dad's first state title. Uh I think winning it his first one uh was really special. He could be a part of that team. Um being a bat boy going up. There was lots of times when he was close. Uh lost finals, the lost and the final 2014. Finally getting his first uh with me on the real team uh special for me and special uh for him as well. That was gonna be my fondest memory. But going off kind of you guys are talking about uh I don't have too many memories of Lou. Like I said, I mean I'm the young guy here. But anytime Lou made his walk over to uh the diamond, whether it was practice or practice after games, I think my dad did a really good job of letting the kids that might not have known who Lou was, uh like who he was. He was the former coach, um everything he used to say, anything that he knows Lou taught him. That's what my dad kind of used to say. He kind of learned from Lou. I think anything, and then we kind of knew who Lou was. Uh obviously, me growing up, I knew who he was, but some of my friends or my teammates might not have. And I think anytime he came over, he would talk, pull a few guys aside, whether it's pitchers, um, or he'd sit there and kind of talk to the whole team at times. I remember when I was in high school, and I think everyone just really kind of listened. Uh Lou definitely had a lot of knowledge about the game in general and uh all those state titles he won. I think everyone would just sit there and listen, and then we'd eat I remember one time we left practice, and uh one of my good friends, uh not the biggest baseball guy, uh, but we kind of left practice and we were like getting our cars and he kind of looks over at us, he goes, Dang, that that loo guy is he kinda knows a lot about baseball, doesn't he? And then we kind of looked at it and we're like we're like, Yeah. Like he won a lot of state titles, man. So even he even he was sitting there listening uh to what Lou had to say to us as we were you know 17, 18 year olds. Uh so yeah, those are some great memories I have playing at Coldwater.

SPEAKER_06:

Hey Kenny, Ken, can I interject there going back with Aaron because being able to have a father-son relationship and coaching and and and and at Coldwater like Tom and myself have definitely had. Aaron, share with us what what was your fondest, fondest memory type thing with you and your dad in coaching or even playing in those years?

SPEAKER_00:

Um yeah, I mean the fondest I'd say while I was playing for him was definitely winning state with him, I guess the biggest moment I kind of said. But playing uh with under my dad and then him being dad at home, uh kind of like you said, Mark and Tom uh with Lou. Most of the time when we were at home, uh we kind of went our own ways. Uh would eat dinner, mom would only have dinner ready after games and whatnot. Um but we really wouldn't talk too much about the game unless I brought it up. So I think that was one thing I always respected uh from his standpoint, um, whether it was a good game or bad game. If it was a good game, normally mom's chippy or my siblings, I was the oldest, my siblings are talking about the game and whatnot. Uh, but even if it was like a bad game and we lost, um dad wouldn't really bring it up too much unless I asked, and normally I asked. And I had I had my opinions uh that I would I would say like why didn't we do this? Or and sometimes he would just be like, you just play, like you don't worry about what his decisions he made. But I think at times he also listened. Uh I think hearing that perspective uh from a player, um what the boy what the guys think uh as well, uh not just other coaches, uh, could definitely benefit him. But um yeah, it was a great uh point of him. He definitely held me to a higher standard, I would say, uh than anyone else. Uh just how I went about my business, I think, growing up, playing the game, um, always expecting me to be the leader of the team. Uh not just me, but not just friends. A lot of my friends. A lot of my friends. I grew up with a bunch of buddies eight, seven, or eight, all the way to we were seniors. Uh, and them being around my dad, he definitely pushed, I noticed, and he even said this after we graduated uh to a lot of my buddies. Uh he was able to push us more than he kind of could other kids because he knew uh how they would react, and they knew my dad well enough being my friend over the years and him coaching them when we were eight, all the way until we were 18. Um but I think that's uh a good thing about coaching. He knew when, and I'm starting to learn a little bit of how you can coach certain guys. You can't coach every guy the same. Um other guys can handle certain criticisms. Sometimes you gotta be all positive to a player because he's not gonna handle handle the harsh stuff. Uh, but I think that was something that he was good with, not just with me uh as a son playing for him, but also other people as well. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03:

Well I I'd like to ask this of every podcast guest, and I kind of have an idea what your answer is gonna be, but I'm gonna try anyways. Coach Deuce, hate losing or love winning?

SPEAKER_07:

Um both. Um I mean I think I think you probably learn more from the losses, unfortunately. And they and they stick with you longer, so so you probably hate losing. Maybe more than winning, unfortunately. We've never won a state title, so I mean, every every year I've coached has been a loss the last game. So I've I haven't been as fortunate as you know, Aaron, and and uh Greg, did you get one?

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, um hate hate losing. I mean it's it's it's again it's it's a no state title. No, we we made it uh state final four once. Um okay.

SPEAKER_07:

All right. So Aaron, I guess you're the only guy that's ever you know coached us, you know. Were you on that? Well you were play, you were a player. I was playing.

SPEAKER_00:

I wasn't I was on the staff until 21 after COVID by the time they're gonna. So as a coach, as a coach.

SPEAKER_07:

Well, none of us, none of us, we're all sh none of us not, I guess. So yeah, I mean that unfortunately that last game, you you know, it sticks with you all winter and drives you. So uh and that I guess that's what you try to avoid. We just haven't had a lot of success doing it, I guess.

SPEAKER_01:

So yeah, that'd be my answer. I'd agree with Trent. Coach Walker, hate hate losing, you know. But like you said, you you learn more from your losses, you know, and you just try to move on, um, and and and enjoy the wins, you know, and and it's it's tough sometimes, you know, because we're all so competitive, you know, that you think you're gonna win every time you go out there, just like we did with Coach Brunswick. We we thought we were gonna win every didn't matter who we were playing, you know, and you guys can vouch for this. He always he we played a tough schedule, you know, he played the larger schools. I remember when I was in high school, we'd go to Lima Bath or Elida, you know, and and he wanted to play a really good schedule. He wasn't afraid to lose. You know, and he always said we're never we're never gonna apologize if we lose to our opponents. And I always remember that. You know, that's why I tried to you know get across to my players over the years also. You know, we always wanted to play a tough schedule.

SPEAKER_03:

Coach Brunswick, Mark.

SPEAKER_06:

Yeah, it it's losing. I I'll tell you, Kenny, I I was never a very good loser. You know, honestly, it was sort of my downfall a little bit. Uh, you know, like they said with winning and losing, I you know, when you win, you got to cherish those moments too a little bit. But um, I wish I would have slowed down a little bit. I wish in my early years I would have slowed down. Uh would have cherished those moments a little bit more. Yeah, you do learn from the losing part of it and so forth. But uh yeah, it got it got skewed with me a little bit as far as that kind of stuff. Um, but losing, it it sticks with you, no question. I wish I I wish I had better outlets, I guess you would say, when it came to losing. Um it drives you, like Trent said, no question. Sometimes it drove me too much. And um if you want to see the opposites in a father-son or whatever, you go to Lou Brunswick and you go to Mark Brunswick, and you absolutely have opposite personalities. There's nothing in common there. You know, dad would be, I'll never forget the one time I'm down there in Buffalo. I wasn't real good at pitching changes, and he had it down to about a batter or two. He was so good at that. And so my guy was struggling. I was trying to get him through six so we didn't have to use another guy and things like that. I said, Dad, get over here. Get over here and just corner the dugout. He said, Son, I'm retired. And he went back to his ice cream cone and started, kept eating his ice cream cone. He said, I'll be there when I get there.

SPEAKER_01:

I just want to add something. Mark, it always amazed me that your father was able to, you know, we didn't have many tough losses, but driving the bus home. Because I remember that when I first started coaching after a few years, you know, we had a hard time finding bus drivers. The transportation director asked me, Greg, you want to uh get your license to become a bus driver? I said, No way. I said, I don't want to drive a bus home after a three to two loss to Elmwood or you know a loop school. I don't know how your dad did it, but he he was you know, he just had that calming influence all the time.

unknown:

Yeah.

SPEAKER_02:

I guess I can speak for dad.

SPEAKER_05:

Yeah, I'll speak for dad here. I'd say definitely the losses uh were uh tough on him. Uh now he only lost 150. And he won 750. But um, you know, the losses are really tough on dad. As I told you guys earlier, after the one loss in the district finals, he was basically done coaching. Like I'm not doing this anymore because the losses hurt too bad. And uh he wasn't gonna come back. Three days later, he was ready for acting practice. Now you learn a lot more from your losses, as as dad did too. But um, you know, um, I just said, why don't you just win them all? He said, Well, son, it's hard to do. Well, when Mark in 83, they did win them all. It wasn't like every single game. Were you undefeated? And then in 87, or was it 90, they won every single game, too. And that's unheard of in baseball, winning every single game, and they did it twice here at Cole Wars. That's unheard of. You know, for for many years when dad coached, they had a couple years where they're barely over 500, never under 500, but barely over 500. It wasn't until Mark and those guys uh start playing and they they start having gaunty records like they did in Trent and my brother Jeff and Logo and that group, they you know, they had records where they didn't win 20. That was always the goal here, Cole were to win 20. They won 30. And that's pretty darn good when you only have a 27-game schedule. So uh you learn from your wins uh and your losses, mostly your losses. So there's a saying you're never as bad as the bad loss. You're not that bad. You aren't as bad. If you lose 13 to 2, which the Cavaliers hardly ever did, um, you're not that bad. If you win 20 to nothing, you aren't that good. You're somewhere in between. And that's where the coaching comes in, and that's where, you know, uh what he was very good at, and all the coaches on his panel are good at too, and Coach Harlem was too, was um they always stay positive. No matter how crushing it off, sometimes as a coach, it was just so crushing that you could just say, I I can't do this tomorrow, but the sun comes up, you get ready, and you get get your guys ready and do it again. And that's the great thing about baseball, is you get a chance to do it every day. You don't have to wait seven days. Usually it's the next day and you're back out there. Oh, dad uh mark, don't cut yourself short. He those losses were tough on him, too. Very tough. He did not like them. He did not like them at all. Very mild-mannered guy. And uh, Greg, as far as driving that bus back, uh, he drove it back, but it was always easier when he drove it back after a win and versus a loss. I can remember a few times where they lost a tough game and they lost in a bad way. And uh I was with him on the way home, and uh he's yelling at the guys on the bus yet. You know, he's driving, he's yelling at him looking back there. I think one of the guys maybe laughed after a game. And that's a no-no. After you lose, you don't laugh on the bus. And one of the guys snickers or something, and Lou let them all have it. So, you know, I was like, Dad, just focus a little bit. You gotta get us home here, you know. But he did it. The losses are never easy, but um they're I guess they're necessary to learn from, but don't mean you have to like them. Yeah.

SPEAKER_03:

Well, Aaron, yeah.

SPEAKER_00:

I'd have to agree. Yeah, it's definitely the losses. Uh, I think when you when you think about it, uh when you win games that you didn't play well in, I think you uh can even be upset, even though you won. And like they said, like take all your wins, uh, don't take any for granted. Uh, but it's definitely the losses are definitely harder. I know for my dad a little bit. He didn't always act like they affected him too much um at home. Uh not in front of me at least, but I know uh speaking with my mom uh since he's passed and stuff, like he definitely had a lot of hard times uh with some of those losses, especially those tournament runs. Uh you just come up short. But uh, like they said, you find your way to bounce back, get up the next day. Um baseball's a roller coaster. In the losses, you find the positives to tell your team, uh, just to keep them kind of level-headed. Uh, and then in the wins, you've got to find the negatives as well. Uh so but just win overall wins and losses, definitely the losses, definitely uh more tough than than winning the win, I think.

SPEAKER_03:

Well, I I I'd like to throw mine in there. I when I was at Buckeye Valley, all of our league games, we would have to ride with the softball team because of the busting issues that we had. Anytime there was an ice cream stand along the way, softball team always made plans to get an ice cream code. And and and then we turned on to Hoover Road with the school guns. Winner lost, winner lost, softball team was required to sing the fight call. So if we lost a game every time that I was just playing, it was it was tough. But I couldn't say anything because the softball coach was the athletic coach. He was my boss. Well, guys, it was great to have you guys on here. Tom Brumman, Greg Wolker, Greg Volker, Tom Boom, and Aaron Harleman. Aaron Harlem. Thanks for taking time to be on baseball coaches on the blue.

SPEAKER_06:

Hey, Ken. Can I interject just one thing? Yes, go ahead. Um, because Tom had brought it up with 750 wins with dad. Um, and I know Trent Trent had made the point of, you know, obviously didn't have a state title. Well, if he would have been in a lot of these other divisions, he would probably have about four or five by now. Trent's sitting at about six hundred and some wins. Sorry, Trent, I I had to do this. He's got uh two sons that were absolutely dynamite. You know, obviously Damon is now in the in the pro ranks, and Kobe now is committed and is going to Ohio State. He's a junior this year. And if Trent hangs on long enough, I don't know, Trent. I don't know. Um, I think uh the old Wiley veteran that he might be able to surpass him in in wins and so forth. But I just want to give a shout out once Trent has Trent has one of the state-of-the-art Division I programs in the state of Ohio.

SPEAKER_03:

Yes, definitely. And you know, thanks, Mark.

SPEAKER_07:

But uh I always I feel like all all these guys are uh all these guys are great coaches. What do they always say, fellas? Not the X's and O's, Jimmy's and Joe's, the Jimmy's and Joe's. That always helps.

SPEAKER_06:

Oh yeah.

SPEAKER_01:

Yeah, oh yeah. Yeah. I missed the question there, guys.

SPEAKER_03:

Well, guys, thanks for taking time to be on baseball coaches and button.

SPEAKER_01:

You're very well. Thanks, Kenny. Thanks for doing that. Thanks, Ken. All right, enjoyed seeing you guys. Yeah, thank you. Good to see you. Thank you.

SPEAKER_03:

Thanks, uh, I I hit the stop record button.

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Ken Carpenter

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