BASEBALL COACHES UNPLUGGED
Baseball Coaches Unplugged is a podcast for insights on high school baseball coaching, travel baseball development, and college recruiting from coaches building winning programs. Each episode features real conversations about high school baseball coaching, travel baseball development, college recruiting, player development, practice planning, pitching and hitting development, and building a winning baseball culture.
If you’re a baseball coach looking for practical ideas on running better practices, developing players, navigating the recruiting process, and leading a successful program, this podcast delivers insights from experienced coaches across high school, travel, and college baseball. Hosted by 27 year veteran high school baseball coach Ken Carpenter.
New episodes drop every Wednesday!
BASEBALL COACHES UNPLUGGED
Why Winning Follows When Culture Comes First
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You can feel it when a program is built to last and Highland Sparta High School baseball in Ohio has had that feeling for decades. We sit down with Donnie Kline and Travis Church, two coaches who have both been head coach and assistant coach in the same program, to unpack what actually drives long-term success when the roster changes every year. The headline is simple but hard to execute: culture first, players second, coaches third, and wins show up as the outcome.
We dig into why multi-sport athletes matter more than ever in high school baseball. Football and wrestling kids bring grit, role flexibility, and a competitive edge that carries into the spring, while multiple seasons help reduce burnout and keep young athletes growing. We also talk candidly about the pressure parents feel to specialize early and why we still push athletes to keep options open as long as possible.
From there, we get specific about player-led culture: standards that don’t change, ownership of the little things, and creating a “player-centric” program where athletes can run parts of practice and take pride in how they prepare. We share coaching lessons, including a decision that still stings, plus the fun moments that come from aggressive small ball and “chaos offense.” We also tackle the parent side of the job and what families often don’t see, then close with what it really takes to pursue college baseball: loving the process, lifting, nutrition, sleep, and embracing changing roles.
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What Makes Highland Baseball Last
SPEAKER_00Today on Baseball Coaches Unplugged, why multi-sport athletes play a huge role in successful baseball programs, player-led culture has led to 30 years of success, and two coaches who have been the head coach and the assistant coach on the same staff at Highland Sparta High School in Ohio, Donnie Klein and Travis Church. Next on Baseball Coaches Unplugged.
SPEAKER_02Baseball is changing, and great coaches are changing with it. Welcome to Baseball Coaches, hosted by 27-year high school baseball coach. Each episode takes me to have real conversations with high school travel college and professional baseball coaches on building winning programs, developing players, running better practices, navigating recruiting, and creating a culture that lacks. New episodes every Wednesday that showcase the best baseball coaches from across the country.
SPEAKER_00If you enjoyed today's show, please be sure to share it with a friend or a coach that could benefit from listening to Baseball Coaches Unplugged. Look for a new episode every Wednesday where I sit down with some of the best coaches from across the country. And if you have time, be sure to subscribe and leave us a review. It helps us to grow the show. Today's episode of Baseball Coaches Unplugged is powered by the Netting Professionals, improving programs one faculty at a time. Will Minor and his team at the Netting Professionals specialize in the design, fabrication, and installation of custom netting for baseball and softball. This includes backstops, batting cages, BP turtles, screens, ball carts, and more. They also designed and installed digital graphic wall padding, windscreen, turf, turf protectors, dugout benches, and cubbies. Netting Pros also work with football, soccer, lacrosse, golf courses, and even pickleball. Contact them today at 844-620-2707. That's 844-620-2707. And you can visit them online at www.nettingpros.com. Check out Netting Pros on X, Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn for all their latest products and projects. Hello and welcome to Baseball Coaches Unplugged. I'm your host, Coach Ken Carpenter. Joining me today, I have two coaches, and they've been in both positions, head coach and assistant coach for each other. And today it's Donnie Klein and Travis Church. Both have been the head baseball coach at Highland, Sparta High School here in Ohio. Coaches, thanks for taking time to join me on Baseball Coaches Unplugged. Absolutely.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, thanks for having us.
The Real Value Of Multi-Sport
SPEAKER_00Well, it's football season. We're one gay men at the high school level here in Ohio, and I'm sure being the size school that you guys have, Coach Klein.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, I think those athletes are sought after. They're the kind of guys that go out and you know they're the ones who are putting in different types of work, different types of uh strength and agility. Um, you know, we like that they bring a different you know mindset, a skill set that you know may not always be obvious in baseball. So, you know, obviously we talk about football or wrestling, we talk about like you know, grit, toughness, uh getting in the trenches and just kind of mixing it up. So it's nice when those guys, uh, you know, in our sport and girls in our sports, when they can bring those attributes, those skill sets they develop, it really does help us out. And uh, you know, like I say, I think we from an athletic program, you know, I think it's almost like layers, right? And I think you want to have as many layers as possible to create any type of culture that's gonna, you know, kind of lead you to to wins, championships, and all that kind of stuff.
SPEAKER_00Coach Church?
SPEAKER_03Yeah, I just to piggyback on Coach Klein. When we have this conversation a lot, actually, he and I is just how we really appreciate multi-sport athletes, particularly within our program as well. And you just like seeing like how those players, you know, because obviously you see a side of them obviously within your own pro baseball program, but then you see you get to see them in a different light and those other programs playing for other coaches and having other teammates. And, you know, we also see, you know, from a performance standpoint, like a lot some guys may be, you know, baseball, they may might be the dude. And in a different sport, you know, they have a different role. So when you get to, you know, the leadership skills that those kids can obtain being in those different roles, I think is very vital to the success of not only our program, but uh any program that they may be part of.
SPEAKER_00Well, there's a lot of pressure that comes with specializing early, and and it seems like a lot of players are starting to do that. And I've always been a big fan of the two and three sport athlete. What would you guys, Coach Klein, what would you what do you say to the parents who ask if their son should just lock in on maybe baseball only?
SPEAKER_04Yeah, I I I I think we would disagree with that. And again, there's always scenarios and situations where you know that maybe may be more applicable in another scenario, but you know, like we talk about uh just uh different skill sets, the mindsets that you can gain from other sports. And you know, the reality is, you know, one sport, one season, anything could happen. You know, we see injuries, we see situations with uh, you know, positional blockades and you know, things could go awry. There's just so much benefit, so much upside of you know available to our young athletes when they can play in different sports. And you know, coach talked about the different roles, and I think it's fantastic, and that's exactly right. And you know, you're you're able to grow as a young student athlete when you do participate in multiple activities, multiple sports. And and the other thing I say is just the support from the different programs. The programs become intertwined, there's networking that goes along, and we share athletes. And so, you know, I just I I would encourage all young people to play as many sports as possible until they start to kind of overlap. And I think it there's there is, I'm sure we'll get into this, but you know, it leads to communication and uh coordination between programs, of course. But I think there's just so much upside to playing as many sports and being involved as many activities as possible as a young person, it just it makes you a more well-rounded young athlete and person.
SPEAKER_00Coach Church.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, not a whole lot to add other than you know, I would agree with Coach Klein. Um, I think to you know, deter, you know, student athletes, particularly at a young age, to start specializing. I think that that can be just critical in their development, really, as kind of any athlete. And also, I think too that, you know, I think that you know, with them being able to be multi-sport athletes and continuing to to grow in all facets and being able to face some adversity in those different avenues is is critical in just success in life. And also you don't want kids specializing too early just from a burnout rate, seeing it happen too often. And so yeah.
SPEAKER_00Well, you know, the the the reason I brought up that question is both of you guys have sons that are playing college baseball right now, and how did you guys treat it with your your sons?
SPEAKER_03So I think for both, you know, my uh within my family, we always encourage the boys to, if they wanted to be three sport athletes, to to embrace it. We love that idea, you know, but we definitely wanted them to be involved in two. And so that was important for within my house is that the boys were involved in at least two sports and and involved in two programs. And you know, both of them started out three sport athletes and and you know, by their sophomore year they went down to two and and finished out two. So I think that both of them would say that was beneficial for their growth as just young men and uh as also as a student athlete.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, I agree with yeah, I agree with Coach Church. And you know, I think one of the things that you know we did was we never emphasized that you had to play a specific sport that you had to play in college, or I mean you know, we just really and again when I was a younger man, I may not have agreed with that, but you know, as you get older, and you know, all we ever wanted to stress to our kids, I have you know, daughters and sons, was that just keep options as uh open as as long as possible. Don't cross something off and um don't put all the pressure to play one sport or be involved in one activity. Um, we really just want kids to have as many options available as possible. And um, sports provides and and and a lot of times, you know, enables kids to have options. And for I've had two sons that have been involved, you know, you know, in baseball collegially, and you know, both of them, neither one of them, it was kind of like if you want to do this, we support you. And if you don't, we support you as well. And but there was never a pressure, it was never a goal. It was never, you know, we didn't play summer baseball for any type of end goal of playing collegially or or playing past high school. And it was just something that we spent our summers doing. And so it was never I had to be here, want to be here. It was just if you guys want to be involved with this, we will support you. And that's that's pretty much it worked out well. I've got a uh another daughter that plays, you know, college, you know, volleyball, and it was the same thing with her. It's just just keep keep the doors open as long as possible, and then if that uh provides some opportunity for you, follow it.
SPEAKER_00Exactly.
Head Coach To Assistant Coach Shift
SPEAKER_00I don't know if I did a clear enough job at the beginning explaining you guys and your role from head coach to assistant assistant to head. So, Travis, go ahead. Since uh when I was at Buckeye Valley, I had an opportunity to coach against you uh quite a bit. If you could just explain for the listeners how that took place as far as the coaching.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, so I got to hear Highland in 2005, was my first year as the head coach, and was head coach from 2005 to 2014. And in 2014, I had an opportunity to get Coach Klein involved with our staff and our program. So he was an assistant for me my last uh year as the head coach. And then Coach Klein took over the 2015 season and is and is currently our head coach. And I came back, I got back involved in I believe 2021 in some capacity, and has just been a uh a true blessing for for me to be able to get back involved and be an assistant within the program.
SPEAKER_00Okay, makes sense. So so let's stay with the the whole leadership topic here. Coach Klein, hardest lesson you learned as a coach and did as it what did it do as far as changing you uh the about the way you do coach?
SPEAKER_04Yeah. My answer probably continues with what Coach Church is talking about. You know, they say uh, you know, you you never follow a legend, you follow the guy that follows a legend. So, you know, when I when I took over the position after you know Coach Church had left, you know, it there's those are big shoes to fill. Like you talked about uh competing against Thailand during your time at Bucket Valley. And you know, my ultimate goal was to win. And and you know, I thought you had to win, you had to win, and it was a lot of pressure on winning. And you know, my first couple of years, that was the goal. It was just to win. And if if you ask me on the pyramid, that's all it was. And after successes and failures, you start to realize, or at least I started to realize that you know, winning is fantastic, but it shouldn't be the goal. And we started to restructure our program based around other things that were more tangible, things that we could really kind of focus on. And um, as we did so, our success kind of improved. And so, you know, we we did have success, but it wasn't because we wanted to try to win, it's because we wanted to do things that we thought would help us develop student athletes to create better young men in our community. And as we did that, winning became like this, it just started to happen naturally. And so it was a a lesson, and I would I would try to kind of emphasize or or to help young coaches out say, you know, winning is great, it really is, especially if you want to keep coaching and keep people off Facebook. But yeah, at the end of the day, it can't be the goal. You know, there there's a there's a it we we switched our focus, our emphasis, and we did, like I said, we we've had a lot more uh you know success on the field because of that.
SPEAKER_00How do you feel about that, coach?
SPEAKER_03Yeah, just you know, piggyback on that, and I've tried to have that conversation with younger coaches, whether they're you know coming to Highland for their first position, you know, running a program here, or you know, anytime that anyone asks me, you know, what you know, what does it look like, or how how did you have how have you had success, you know, I guess for me it's like what do you define success as? And you know, like coach said, everyone loves winning, and Highland Baseball program has been pretty successful over the last couple decades of of winning baseball games. But I think if people took a deeper dive into actually what we're about, it's it's truly about developing young young men and and really like coach said the the wins actually do just kind of take care of themselves. And when when you have a standard and something to special to be part of, kids want to be part of it, and they will really do anything you you want them and ask them to do, they'll rise above, and and that's truly what success is. And then, you know, from a leadership standpoint, like once they get out of school, like, you know, some of the best moments I've had is getting that wedding invitation, getting, you know, the the text messages of just check-ins and stuff. And I think from that standpoint, I think that that truly identifies from a you know what we have as as far as leadership and you know success.
SPEAKER_00Totally agree with you on that, Terry. And you know, I gotta be honest with you guys being the coach at Buckeye Valley I hated playing you guys. But I also loved it in the if that makes sense, because you guys when you showed up at high, if you didn't play your A game, it was gonna be a long day, or even in some cases, it could be a short day. But you know, you guys do things the right way, and you know, I I want to say it, you know, you said a couple decades, I'd say the last 30 years, as at least as far back as I know it, and you guys have been
Building A Player-Owned Standard
SPEAKER_00good. And why is it that Highland baseball is good?
SPEAKER_04Well, you know, I I think you know, uh you win with people, right? I know it's a Woody Hayes saying, but it really is. And you know, uh Coach alluded to developing you know young young people and young athletes, and that's absolutely true. And you know, I I think one of the things that I'm most proud of, and I think Coach Church will echo this, is that we've become a very player-centric program. And I think if you ask either one of us, are you a control freak? We're probably gonna check that box, yes. Uh, and and and so one of the harder things that that you know, I think we've gone through is this this uh process of trying to make ourselves almost replaceable, meaning that you know we want to teach kids drills, we want to teach them, you know, um good habits and um how to how to do uh to approach a lot of things in baseball and in life the right way. But when you do that, when you're able to do that, you remove yourself from the equation. And so we have become a very player-centric program. You know, coach talked about coming out to you know the ball field, and um, you know, our guys take a lot of pride in the little things, right? They take pride in how our field looks, they take pride in how they look. Uh, we practice, you know, shirts tucked in, hats forward. Um, everyone looks the same. And they there starts to become an ownership of everyone wanting to do more. Everyone wants to get the turtle off the field, everyone wants to get the mounds you know ready, everyone wants to get the the field ready. And then, you know, there's times where as a staff, you know, we'll be consumed with doing something, and you look over, and the players are they're starting to drill work and they're and they're they're on their hands and knees and they got the gloves ready and they're doing all this stuff the right way. And you know, you talked about not wanting to play Highland. And I think any kind of program, any sporting activity, uh, when you do a lot of the little things right, they start to add up. And I think our guys have just kind of gotten into that mindset that if we do these little things correctly over and over and over again, it does make it a challenge. And you know, it starts in in the weight room, it starts in the classroom, it starts in the hallway, it starts in the batting cages before we ever, you know, even get close to looking at our schedule. But when guys start doing things the little things the right way, they take pride in doing things the right way, they start to take an ownership that allows the program to flow the right way. It flows through them, and the staff just kind of puts the parameters, the guidelines on the on to keep the guys going. But they they they deserve a lot of the credit. They're the ones that kind of get this going. And then, you know, just kind of the I guess the quietness and the background of this, of course, is the support of people like administrators and parents and families. You know, we put any kind of need or or inquiry into our our you know our messaging, and we get instant responses, you know, from our families. Yeah, we'll do that, we'll take care of that, we'll bring this. So the volunteer, the servant leadership is just really evident in our program, and it just kind of flows through everything.
SPEAKER_03I think that, you know, for just to piggyback a little bit, but I I think that, you know, the the success we've had, if you look at wins and championships and so forth, I think that that, you know, I think that that is based off of a standard that was set, you know, with Coach Stoyle, you know, when you know he got here in '99 and really had a vision. And and community members like Tim Belcher and others, that baseball became real important here in the Highland community. And, you know, with that, anything, anytime something's important, people understand it's worth worth worth doing right. And so, you know, starting there with Coach Stoyle, and then when I came in, I just didn't want to screw anything up that he had started. And then you start, you know, you start putting your own little twists to things. And I felt when I stepped down in 14, the program was in a better position than it was when I got here, and it wasn't anything, you know, that I had done, but just the fact that Highland Baseball be became real special. And and you know, Coach Klein and I had a conversation here a couple weeks ago, and you know, I told him then like Highland Baseball is in a better spot now in 2026 than what it was in 20, you know, 14 when I stepped down. And and it's just because of the continuous growth of how important baseball is within our community, the boys truly do understand what the standard is. And and man, it's it's really it's really neat to see them just come in. I I we talked about last winter was just such a fun, I mean, just a great winter for us. Like I get goosebumps just thinking about how special that winter was because I mean we were having kids showing up at you know quarter till six, three, four days a week in the mornings for weights, and then they were after school with our workout development of of getting their hitting in and and throwing program on their own. Like, you know, and the thing is, is it's tough now because kids get out early. You know, we don't get them all after school. So we got kids coming in, you know, getting their work in and the facility on their own, and they just need a little direction. And and these kids have just done a phenomenal, phenomenal job of buying in and understanding how special the program is. And because of that, we can really work on the finer things with them and because they truly trust it. And, you know, I think that you know, that saying of they don't really care how much you know until they know you care goes a long way with our kids. I think they truly understand that you know we're we're truly invested in them as young men. And if we can teach them a little bit of baseball along the way, that's it. We'll go ahead and take that as well. So really it's that's kind of the precedent of like why b you know Highland Baseball has been successful as it has been over the years here, but it's just got a different feeling, Ken. I just I I really can't explain it. You know, both of my boys have been blessed to be part of the program, and you know, they just they will tell you that it's just different. It's it's there's something about it that it just feels different. And and like Coach said, I don't think it's really anything, you know, that we've done per se. It just it's happened and with a lot of hard work and a lot of effort, and but I don't know that there's really one specific thing that stands out.
SPEAKER_00Well, I think you hit the nail on the head when you said, you know, one, it's important to you as coaches, it's important to the players, it's important to the community. And you know, I've been around long enough that there are have been some programs here in Central Ohio that were really, really good in the I'm I'm trying to think of a way to say it. They just it's not a baseball's not as as important as it used to be. And and you can see the decline in the numbers, the decline in the level of play. And you know, I I I think as a an administrator, you gotta really take it upon yourself to make it baseball just as important as the money-making football and basketball are. Because a lot of times that focus goes that way, and by the time it gets to spring, it's just like, well, it's almost summer, you know. And I mean that's that's me getting up on a sub box a little bit there, but but when you got a community and administration and everybody all pulling in the same direction, good things are gonna happen. And I think you know, for a listener that might be listening right now, when I coached against Travis back in twenty fourteen, they were really, really good. And I can't believe I mean, I can't imagine that it's a lot better. That's gotta be scary for a lot of the teams that you guys face. You know, it's Just my thoughts. I'm just throwing it out there and and that's a that's a tribute to you guys for for doing things the right way.
Regrets, Great Calls, And Small Ball
SPEAKER_00And I you know, I I think that you know, this kind of leads me into my next question. You know, whether you're in a dugout or a coaching third base, you know, it's not easy. And in high school baseball, just like at any level you you get second guessed, and that that's that comes with the territory. But what is something that you wish that you made a different decision on looking back at some of the games or you know, maybe been a big game, and then on the other end of it, what is a perfect call that you made and you're like, man, that was the right decision in that at that time.
SPEAKER_04Well, I'll I'll start on that one. And and you know, I I think one of the biggest mistakes I ever made, I know, uh is is you know, regardless of how you foresee anything happening in games, a lot of times we think we have control. And I can recall one time uh you know having a senior night and not getting a senior in, and that that hurt. And you know, I called the family afterwards and I apologized, and but it's still you know, when I think about that, it still kind of stings. And so, you know, it's the you know, those, those you you talk about the wins and the losses, and the championships and you know, those things and all these little you know, one one out decisions, one minute decisions that impact the game, which is true. But the reality is, you know, our our program is a culture. And so the culture survives when we protect it and when we uh provide opportunities for it to develop and to flourish. And so when you take care of your players, like Coach talked about, you know, making sure our guys know they're loved, you know, it's it's you know, we are a competitive program, and everybody doesn't get to to hit three holes and play shortstop or or get that Friday night start, you know, league game. And that's just not realistic. But if all guys know they're valued, no matter what their role is, I think that you can create a culture where families and and and players appreciate being involved with it, even if they're not walking away with a bunch of hardware on you know MOAC night or or you know, if maybe the banner just can hung with that ear. But you've got to do little things right. So, you know, I always go back to decisions that impact that culture. And I think, you know, having a senior night and not getting a senior and that hurt. And it was a mistake on my end, and you know, I it's it's one that I'm I'm I'm not proud of, of course, and try to go past it. So, but you know, I uh the other side of that, of course, is you know, we have had some good wins and and we have had some some fun games throughout the years. And you know, they're typically ones where you allow players to develop a skill set and then you see them kind of like put it into play. And you know, I a couple come to mind. Like, you know, we're we are very from a baseball standpoint, from a from an offensive philosophy, we love the small ball. We call it chaos offense, but it is centered around small ball and a lot of base stealing, put ball in play, and it takes a lot of discipline. And you know, I can think of a couple of wins that maybe, you know, I think Cooper Merkling's suicide squeeze. We walked off Lakewood in the 2001 district championship, and that was a fun one. And this even last year in the 25 season, you know, we we tried to talk about guys just trying to develop their skill set, and we had a senior Jaden Collins, he he recognized that the ball was being tossed back from the catcher soft. And it's a one-one game, it's a league game. We're playing at home versus River Valley, a good good team, very talented team. And you know, he kind of looked and said, Hey, can I, you know, can I go for it? Like, yeah, green light. And he steals home to win the game, bottom of the seventh, two outs. And so, you know, it's exciting. And it's exciting, not just because the game won. And had he not been successful and in the play with the other way. In fact, I recall a year before we actually tried against uh Shelby and it was the kid was called out, might have been out. But you know, to see the young man Jayden, you know, to to to see that on his own, to kind of bring it to our to our attention, to want to do that, that's what we talk about. You know, we we like when guys are aggressive, and um, sometimes there's there's a downside, right? And it's not always gonna work out. But when you see players work on something, they want to develop something, and they keep trying to, you know, kind of uh proverbally sharpen that knife, and then to see them put it in action, that's exciting. And to see this young man say, Coach, I can get home here. It's a one-one game. We had a good hitter up and you know, two outs, say, Yeah, try to sell home. And he did, and it's this exciting win. I think those are probably the plays that kind of stand out from that standpoint.
SPEAKER_03Um I think you know, for me, as far as like tough times, I guess was and I I don't know really that any particular game stands out. Obviously, there's a couple that do as far as just because we weren't on the winning side of it. But, you know, coach said as far as culture and so forth. So I think for me, like I think is to this day, I think when I see former players that, you know, we interact a little bit and and I walk away and I didn't feel like warm, I I didn't get a good vibe that they were warm and fuzzy toward me. I start really reflecting on like what what was or what happened, you know, during our time together that maybe I didn't do what I could have done to for that interaction after they had b you know graduated from high school to be better. So I think that that probably is you know something that I like I said on a daily basis now when I run into former players, I you know, you just get that feeling of when you walk away like, oh yeah, well we made an impact. The program made an impact. Or well, we probably fell short, and you know, why was that? And so those are you know things that I constantly reflect to this day on. As far as, you know, I think I think any time we had an opportunity to see kids succeed and put a smile on their faces has been just a a blessing to me. And that again, it goes back or reflect back to you know weight room of you know, kids making a goal of what their goal was, and then we max out and they make that goal, and and just seeing you know them light up or the dog piles that the boys make, you know, after winning a league championship or winning a big game, or you know, it's just those are the times of that that you just able to step back as a as a coach and just really embrace. And I'll be honest, like when I in my first couple years here at Highland, like man, we were phew. I mean, it was regional semifinal my first year, and then second year we're in the state semifinal, and then after that, I kind of got my own way in the program's own way a little bit because we didn't make it back in 07, and we didn't make it back in 08, and I'm like, what in the world am I doing? Like something's going on, and and essentially, you know, I was kind of probably putting a hindrance to the growth of the program based off of you know my my approach on it, and so just being able to take a step back and recalibrate and make sure that I kept the things important that needed to be important, you know, was was super helpful to me.
What Parents Miss About Coaching
SPEAKER_00Well, parents can be tough one coaches. I mean, that's you know, whether it's it's your own parents there at Highland or you know, you could be playing a game and you can see the opponent's parents just being brutal. What is something you wish parents understood about how difficult it is to be a baseball coach?
SPEAKER_03I think for any not just baseball, but any varsity coach and or anyone really coaching, I think for parents that they really understood why you know, guys like myself and Coach Klein and you, Coach Carpenter, why we do it. You know, I think that, you know, I I essentially wanted to get into coaching much like most of us do, because someone had made we had a coach who made a difference in our lives, right? And so, you know, if parents truly understood and embraced why we are doing it, I think it they would maybe be a little softer to criticism, I guess. But I think that the the amount of time, like I I know that they and I guess neither do we, we don't need them to know, but the amount of time that we put into this is is truly uh mind-blowing that essentially only our wives and our and our kids at home really understand how much goes into running a program and and being part of a program. So I think that that's that's that's big as well when I think of like, you know, when when parents may be a little abrasive toward us or or you know, come a come across of of being aggressive. And essentially, I think, you know, we just want their student athlete to grow as young men and and with that them being able to take that to that structure and that discipline that is needed for that growth to happen. Sometimes, you know, parents don't all are not always receptive to that.
SPEAKER_04Yeah, I I I think the time and effort goes, you know, sometimes is not always seen, like Coach talked about. And I think the other thing that, you know, I I would want parents to know is if if they were able to kind of measure, see like, you know, how much we love and think about their kids. And you know, it's it's not just a game. I know a lot of times parents show up to, you know, three or four nights in a uh a week and they watch a baseball game for two, two and a half hours, and that's kind of their their their insight into what they see a lot of times or playing time or when they're pitching or what games they get. And um, the reality is we we we think about their sons all the time. And I mean it's in the hallways, it's in the cafeteria, it's in the it's in the you know, the weight room. And you know, when we see little games, you know, a little guy puts up, you know, a couple plates or you know, and and and a young man learns how to hit a curveball backside, or someone learns how to develop a change-up pitch, and you know, we see these little wins, we're so excited for them. And it doesn't always translate to playing time. And sometimes it does, sometimes it doesn't. And you know, so we're with these young men a lot. And when when they leave you know the hitting facility or they leave the baseball field or they leave a game, we're there for you know, like Coach talked about, probably uh an inordinate amount of time, you know, another hour or two, and we're breaking it down, we're talking about it, and not just what happens in the game, it's what happened in the dugout, what happened in pregame, you know, why this young man seems down. Um, is there something going on? Is it you know, is it you know girlfriend related, is it courage related, or something going on at the house? We're very in tune with their lives. And so, you know, if there's a uh a time period in the year where our focus is these young men. And you know, I think sometimes families only see like a you know a batting lineup or a playing card or you know how many innings went through a week. And our our thought process of these young men is continual. It doesn't just start and end with a game. And so, you know, sometimes I I don't know that parents always see that or appreciate that, but you know, we love these guys. And um, do we want them to have success and to be able to hang banners? And and of course we do. But the reality is sometimes it doesn't translate. And and sometimes there's just other ball players that make it difficult. And sometimes there's scenarios where um we wanted to play this young man, it didn't happen, and you know, we're saving for the weekend, and this game got canceled. So we thought he was gonna throw on Saturday, but that game got canceled, but now he doesn't get a chance to throw. So, and there's some frustration, you know, on a parent level. We we understand that we're we're we're dads too, but but I just I I wish or I uh if we could find a way to kind of like just convey like we we think about you guys all the time, and it's not just baseball related. And when they leave our program, we love them just the same. And whether they want, you know, you know, 17, 18 games or 22, 24 games, no matter what it is, we love these guys, and it's it's not just what they give us on the on the ball field, a lot of times it's the other stuff. And like you know, Coach mentioned earlier about getting you know wedding invitations, that's it, man. That's you know, when someone asks you know us to handle a diploma or to go to a graduation party or to um you know they call and they you know they had a son or a daughter or they're coaching and they want to get back into it and they just kind of check it in, that's when it all kind of comes to a head. But I think just overall, just how much we care about the guys win, loser, draw and um how much we think about them no matter what the scenario is.
SPEAKER_00Exactly. I I
The Truth About Playing College Baseball
SPEAKER_00love that. What is the biggest point you try to impress upon players and their parents about making that jump and wanting to be a college baseball player?
SPEAKER_04I I think one of the things that stands out is just, you know, ultimately, just if if you don't absolutely love the process, yeah, you were probably not doing this correctly. And again, regardless of level, regardless of you know, banner who they're playing for, you know, you have to fall in love with the weight room. You have to fall in love with nutrition and fall in love with the process that includes making decisions away from the ball field. Uh that means going to bed early. It means you know, choosing what you fill your system with, you know, what what what what foods and and and and fluids and you know things that you are going to you know put into your body as a young athlete. So if you're not totally into that whole process, you might want to reconsider it. But and and you know, like I say, this the it gets hard and hard every level. So, you know, if your your role in Highland or or or Buckeye Valley or any school may have been, hey, you're the stud, you're the guy, and you may not have that role anymore. And so if you're not willing to embrace that and have the same passion and enthusiasm for the game, you might want to reconsider. But I would say just if you're not gonna be someone that loves the process, it's gonna be completely engaged and full in, like I say, it's probably not something that you want, not an endeavor you want to go down.
SPEAKER_03Yeah, and I think that those conversations happen once, you know, I think when when they first come into our program, you know, we begin those relationships and have that conversation of what their end goal is or what do they want to get out of, you know, the game of baseball. And, you know, and and again, that takes, you know, for a program to be successful, it takes all kinds of guys, not just those guys that want to go play college baseball. So, you know, I think of like our our squad we had this past spring, like, you know, we got a number of those guys that that that they had tremendous, tremendous value to our program that may not play college baseball. And due to you know, them deciding that they don't want to do that. And we completely embrace the fact that that that they don't want to do that. And and but we uh also I think that we have a our the program is set up to where when guys if if college baseball is their end goal, I think that you know they can leave the program set up pretty good as far as you know the expectations just based off of conversations we have, you know, our practices and our just how things are organized and structured, that hopefully we're also setting those kiddos up for success if they uh want to go that route.
SPEAKER_00Okay, I'm gonna hit you with a couple rapid fire questions here. And we'll Coach Klein, you go first, Coach Church, you go second. Hate losing or love winning? Hate losing.
SPEAKER_01Coach Church? Hate losing. I g I I gotta ask why.
SPEAKER_04I I'll I'll say, you know, I guess I I think you know, we talk about standards and and you know, the the standard is is you know set a certain way. And I think winning is I hate to say expected because that almost sounds uh uh maybe it may not come across the the correct way, but I think when you do things the c the right way, the the end result often is winning. So if you lose, that means you didn't do enough of those little things, whether it was you know getting guys on base, whether it was allowing too many runs, whether it was you know losing a freebie, was whatever whatever chart you have in your dugout, whatever it is that you want to stat and keep track of, means you do a very good job of it. And uh that's a failure at all levels, whether it's uh getting off the bus the right way or you know a lineup card decision or or you know just a misplayed ball somewhere. So it means that we made a mistake. And uh so I think we the expectation is to win, and so losing just exemplifies that we didn't do something right, and um we have to go back to drawing board.
SPEAKER_03I think you know, I think it's probably you know just how how we identify losing too, Ken, as far as like, you know, I think of life, just our day-to-day. You know, there's days where you know, you know, I I I don't get real happy with myself because I didn't do very I lost the day because I didn't do the things that I set out to do and I didn't take steps forward and in my walk. And so, you know, when that translates over to to the field, it's you know, making sure that, you know, if I'm not early, I'm late mentality. If it's, you know, whatever it may be, you know, that's that's a that's a loss. And and and we understand that ultimately, even though we don't put a huge emphasis on W's and L's on the scoreboard, ultimately those finer things that our daily walks is helping us set up to to be to get that W on the scoreboard or or or we're gonna take that loss. I know that we've you know we've taken we've taken some L's on the scoreboard where we still felt like it was a win for the day for the program. Uh we feel like we got better. You know, the guys did did things that we've asked them to do, and we continue to show that growth. So but why losing why I hate losing more than than winning is just the fact of like boy, I just I lost the day. And I think that the the idea of you know, as I get older I really starting to understand more the the uh how valuable each day is and anytime you can win one, you gotta win it.
Rapid Fire And A Classic Story
SPEAKER_01Toughest position to coach.
SPEAKER_03Well I I think this I think pitching has just gotten you know, we why why I say pitching, I think pitching is we identify with on our program is I mean that's that's the the staple to that really kind of makes things go. Like you gotta have some guys that gets some get some outs and pitch some outs. And so I think from a pit and then just all the integral things I think of I freeze up, I'm good. I think all the integral things of of the mechanics of pitching, and you know, we're we're bust with the young man who does a really great job with our pitching staff right now just because he's in it every day. Like he's always wanting to learn more and just ex energy of wanting to to give our boys on the mound every ounce of you know every ounce to take in to be successful. And so I think from that standpoint, I think pitching is and you know the velocity and the spin rate, and you know, so then all that stuff goes into effect because that's what these high school kids are seeing. So how do I, you know, how do I communicate effectively to them that it's not about velocity and it's not about you know all that stuff. We got to get guys out. And so I think that from a mental and physical standpoint, I think pitching is is it's a pretty tough one to to coach.
SPEAKER_00Would you agree, Coach Clun?
SPEAKER_04Well, yeah, I think so. You know, I I think we're we're we are very clear in our program that uh you know pitching is the number one position and catching is number two, and then the other seven guys just help out. And so if if pitching is is number one, then catching up to be number two from uh from a coaching standpoint as well. And you know, we're we're very spoiled here at Highland. We've been we kind of call ourselves catcher you, at least quietly, and we've had such such success there and just had some real dogs back there. But that really begins with Coach Church. He takes a lot of pride in our catchers, and they spent a lot of time you know dealing with that. And you know, I I think you know, we probably take it for granted because we had had some success with pitchers and catchers because of the emphasis on on development from varsity, junior varsity, and even when we get middle school guys close to it, they're in the same boat. And um, Coach Church does a fantastic job. In fact, he even works with the softball catchers and other other programs as well. So he does a fantastic job. But you know, when you think about the role of a catcher and how it's changed a lot, you know, you may or may not be calling pitches, but every single ball that's thrown your way is going to be a reaction, right? So if the ball is not put in play, if it's not a ball in play, it's a ball induer or ball you receive and how you handle that. Um you're in charge of the whole defense. And you know, I think you know, we focus a lot on on the the demands during the game, but I think the demands off season are probably even more, you know, probably more telling from a standpoint that, you know, if you're a catcher, you know, you're missing on so many reps and other stuff because you are catching bullpens and you are in gear and a suit that's gonna wear you down at a level that a lot of other positions don't truly appreciate. So, you know, you catch for 75, 80 minutes and then you jump in the cage. Well, you've been squatting up and down with a partner, another guy, or two, you know, I mean, so it's it changes the way that you actually get in the box, right? So your day changes based on what happens with the most important entity of our game, pitching. So if you caught pens before you hit, if you had to lift, I mean, so the physical and mental demands on catching is often overlooked. So we always say if a catcher hits 320, that means it's an alpha who's about 360, right? I mean, because you know, that that catcher, his his role in the offseason and his role in pregame, his role during the game, it's just so different than everybody else. He has to focus on so much more. And that's why, you know, we see so many catchers become coaches. Well, heck, they've been they've been you know a quasi-coach since they were, you know, 9, 10, 11, you catching, you know, guys back then. So I think it's catching from a standpoint that you know we we're not always able to focus on the the mental and physical demands that require them to be successful at their position.
SPEAKER_00Which do you like more? Your home whites or road grays? Whites. Whites, easy. And I I think I got the answer to this one small ball or let them swing.
SPEAKER_01Small ball. Small ball all day long. Small ball all day long. 100%.
SPEAKER_00Okay, and I I gotta flip my page over here. One sporting event that you wish you could have attended live in your lifetime.
SPEAKER_01Hmm.
SPEAKER_04Well, I'll just it's we're getting to football season here, so I I'm gonna go with Ohio State beating Alabama in the semifinal game 2014. Zeke's runs as a you know, 85 yard touchdown run. Um, just to be there live and be involved with that. I mean, you know, I I I love big I love all sports. I think you know, speak coach for for coach church as well. We love all sports, but um you know, football is a gladiator sport. Um it, you know, a lot of a lot of Ohio ties, and I think why. Ohio State be Alabama and kind of like really flip the switch on their their program. That was a good that would have been a fun one to go to.
SPEAKER_01Oh man. Well that's a tough one.
SPEAKER_03You know, I probably get a little sappy here with you, but I think any event that and included one of my two boys being a part of you know, I think that that's just something that I just truly uh have really have and thankful that I've bet that I was around for everything that I was for them. And so just getting to see them perform with their teammates and uh you know, and again, that's uh I gotta thank a lot of people to be able to to be able to do that as much as I did. And so that's probably mine. I know that probably doesn't hit exactly what you're wanting, Ken.
SPEAKER_00No, that's fine, man. There's nothing wrong with that at all, that's for sure.
SPEAKER_03Good answer.
SPEAKER_00To finish up here, Coach Church, you've done this with me before, but I'm gonna let Coach Klein go first. Best baseball story you can tell on this podcast.
SPEAKER_04Oh boy. You can leave out names if it's if it requires that. I'm redacting a lot of things as I go through some stories here. Yeah, I don't know that there's one I don't know that there's one specific story. Oh gosh. I uh without getting somebody in trouble. Uh I'll just say anything, you know, I I think any story that comes to fruition organically and impacts your squad. And whether it's you know, you you you find a turtle in the dugout and it becomes your unofficial mascot, or there's a saying that you say that came from something that happened in a dugout, kind of a secret secret type thing, and no one knows what you're even talking about, but the boys yell that stuff out loud, and you know what it is, but it's one of those things that kind of rallies them and keeps them going, and it's kind of an inside secret, but it's one of those kind of things. There, there's there's a lot, you know, it's when you live with young men for for you know half a year, there's a lot of stories that's probably not you know arable, but um I I I think anything that just happens organically that impacts your season. So I I think just finding a way to create culture from from one of those things that just happens throughout the season.
SPEAKER_00Yeah, Coach Church, I I can guarantee you got a good one for me.
SPEAKER_03Well, I do. I yeah. So I got uh an old Highland Buckeye Valley one for you. Oh boy. And and why I remember this is because I was just talking to my son about it, my oldest, and he's actually getting ready to start a field experience at Ashley Elementary, which Scott Thomas is the assistant principal at now.
SPEAKER_00Yes.
SPEAKER_03So I think it would have been like 2007, we're playing at our place, and Scott Thomas was on the mound, and freshman Cole Randolph comes up to the box and hits his first home run, varsity home run. And the prior basketball season, like Scott was just an incredible athlete, right? Yeah, and the Columbus Dispatch had did a an article on Scott, and the title of it was you know, the Larry Bird this side of French Lick or something like that. And it was about Scotting. Well, as Cole was rounding first base, Garkeen, our athletic director now, uh, hangs out of our dugout and yells, oh my god, Cole, you hit that clear to French lick. And we got a couple looks from Scott over toward the dugout. But so, and like I said, that one just came to mind because I was just talking to my oldest son about the Scott Thomas and and and told him that story.
SPEAKER_00So yes, and uh baseball is probably, in my opinion, the best sport when it comes to being able to go back and tell stories and things that may have happened. And you know, I I I always say I should write a book because I got the stories from all the podcast guests, and then the ones I've experienced myself, and uh it always makes it interesting, that's for sure.
SPEAKER_01Yeah, yeah.
SPEAKER_00Well, it's Donnie Klein, head baseball coach at Highland Sparta High School in Ohio, and his assistant coach, Travis Church. Guys, thanks so much for taking time to join me here on Baseball Coaches Unplugged.
SPEAKER_01It's a lot of fun. Thanks, Coach. I appreciate it.
SPEAKER_00Baseball Coaches Unplugged Podcast is proud to be partnered with the Netting Professionals Improvement Programs, one facility at a time. Contact them today at 844-620-2707 or visit them online at www.netting pros.com. As always, I'm head coach Ken Carpenter. Thanks for listening to Baseball Coaches Unplugged.
