father to greatest kids on earth, husband to greatest girl...college baseball coach..Chicago in my soul. UMHB...19 and counting, Wedding officiant. WINNERS WIN.
Why is baseball the greatest sport?
Because the best team doesn’t always win. You have to be prepared, tough, and have the ability to execute. You can’t just show up.
Need evidence? These NCAA Regionals prove it.
These next 4 weeks could define your next 6 months.
Are you going to throw away 5 months of hard work and become a back up?
OR
Are you going stay locked in at the goals at hand and come in to January as the best version of yourself?
It’s a choice.
My season ended 48 hours ago.
Last night I thanked my wife for allowing me the endless hours it took to run the program this year.
She was grateful for my gratitude but also understood the sacrifice it takes.
The lesson learned: I married a baseball angel.
@MelissaStawski
For all you seniors out there that have to make the decision to put your “real life” on hold and go back to school & athletics for one more year, spending the extra time and money...
Whichever decision you make:
1. Be 100% all in on it
2. Never regret it
3. Be at peace with it
My freshmen come to campus in a week. My upperclassmen come back a few days later. The whole team will be back together in 10 days.
To say I’m excited would be an understatement!
The summer is great but the best part of my job comes back in 10 days.
Can’t wait.
Most baseball seasons do not end the way you want them too. But no one can argue with what our players accomplished this year.
I’m eternally grateful and proud of this group.
#winnerswin
I once said “I’d rather lose with the RIGHT players”
Making that decision has now allowed me the chance to win with those RIGHT players.
Funny how that works.
#winnerswin
🤫
My son’s first basketball game was today but I’m out of town and could not make it.
However…
5 of my players go to the game in support of my son. Absolutely incredible. Family.
May not be a popular opinion but I am not a fan of the unwritten rules of baseball.
They are “unwritten” because the people that originally put them into existence knew they were so absurd, they didn’t want to put their names on it.
Bat flip.
Swing 3-0.
Show emotion.
Have fun.
If you go through all the comments about
@CoachFredenburg
and his retirement, you hear over and over what kind of man he was and mentor he became for his players. Not much about the championships he won.
Says a lot when the best D3 football coach ever is a better man than coach!
I always told guys that its not our job as D3 coaches to get our players to professional baseball. It’s our job to create a great college experience. If baseball continues after, its a cherry on top...but when it does happen, it’s one heck of a cherry!
Really proud of you Landon!
Really excited to announce the hiring of Mitch Wilson as my head assistant!
I think he will be twice the coach that he was a player, which is saying a lot considering his unbelievably decorated career.
#winnerswin
#GoCru
Pretty cool watching my dad get inducted into his high school hall of fame. The word “toughness” was used to describe him over and over the entire night. The teddy bear of a dad was a grizzly bear of a competitor and I couldnt be more proud.
Winners win, at everything
@Papamike58
I was honored, humbled, and blessed to have had the opportunity to share with my baseball colleagues this week at the
@ABCA1945
convention.
What a truly memorable experience! Thank you to all that made it possible.
What a great job we all have!
Little league coaches, HS coaches, travel coaches, college coaches (at all levels)...never be afraid to reach to others in the industry for advice or to connect. 99% of us got into this business to learn, help, and develop...that doesn't end with just the players!
#abcachat
Truly humbled by all the love & support tonight. Hitting milestones is always great but it just reminds me of all the wonderful players I was honored to coach & all the amazing assistants that have been at my side along the way. Very blessed at the moment.
As always…Winners Win
If you don’t think coaches are a main part of the college experience, just take a look at the mass exodus of players leaving a program after the coach leaves.
Coaches are not the only piece but they are a major piece of the puzzle.
Find the right staff, you will find your home.
Big rosters? Universal DH? 7 inning double headers?
If MLB forces the players to have Jimmy John’s box lunches and Dominoes Pizza for dinner, David Ross better be worried about job security because my resume finally stacks up!
Minutes after becoming the all time passing leader in the NFL, Drew Brees tells his boys...
“You can accomplish anything in life that you work for.”
The biggest individual moment in his NFL career and he makes sure to still be a Dad first.
Winner.
Role model.
Class act.
Did your school win a National Championship today? Well, mine did!!!
@CruFootball
made the entire Cru Nation proud. People get what they deserve and each person in that program deserved this championship!
Got that 💍
#CruFam
#WinnersWin
Every time you take the field, play the game like you did when you were 8 years old...
Have as much fun as possible.
Play fearless.
Enjoy your teammates.
(Winning is never mentioned)
When we recruit, we look for the best possible combination of talent and character.
Why?
Because talent will take you to some awesome places but the lack of character won’t let you stay there.
Virginia loses to a
#16
a year ago.
One year later they make the national championship game.
Plain a simple, that’s all about culture.
Hats off to the true definition of a winning program.
Winners win, period.
If you are getting recruited or will ever be recruited to play baseball by one of the schools that is playing on ESPN U right now…consider yourself very lucky.
@nccbaseball
@edmathey1
Our all time hits leaders...
1. Bryan VanDuser
2. Mitch Wilson
3. Joe Silva
4. Jack Walker
What do they have in common?
GREAT people who LOVED the game and wanted to be coached every single day.
#winnerswin
That was one of the hardest and most rewarding championships I’ve been a part of. 100% is the credit goes to my players and coaching staff. Proud to be a Cougar today.
Unpopular take…
Here are the list of rules kids not in high school who play any type of local, club, or travel sports should live by.
1. Have fun playing your sport.
That’s it. That’s the list.
Absolutely honored to be given a book that has been in the
@crubaseball
program since day 1. It’s been passed down from coach to coach and I can’t thank
@oldcru
Coach Shipp enough for passing it on to me. It was first checked out 103 years ago! Traditions never graduate.
17 Academic All Conference Players
Spring GPA of 3.66
Cumulative GPA of 3.35
Our program culture creates this success.
The guys in this program are more than just athletes.
Winners Win...at everything.
I challenged by 6 & 8 year old today to find a kid at reccess who is by themselves and play with them.
They were excited to make a new friend.
I explained that they won’t be as excited as their new friend will be.
MAKE AN IMPACT!
My 10, 9, and 7 year olds go to grade school here in Texas. Today is their last day before summer break. When I dropped them off, there was a police officer and a sheriff out front as an armed presence.
As a parent, this was very relieving.
As a parent, this was very sad.
I am excited be adding Coach Haney to the staff. His priority of wanting to impact his players in all aspects of their lives is what makes him so special!
Also, doesn’t hurt that he is a former Chicago Cub!
One of my favorite days of the year. It’s our pre-season banquet day! We get to celebrate all the success from last year and brag on the boys before we start this year in front of the ones that love us the most.
The banquet also means one other thing…it’s about to be game week!
Not too many better things than seeing the look on the kids faces when they come down the stairs and see what’s under the tree.
Best present I’ll get all day.
Merry Christmas!
Convo with my daughter Danni today:
D: do I have a new school next year?
Me: yes
D: how many inches is it from our house?
Me: inches!?! I have no idea
D: fine, how many houses away is it?
Me: houses? Your measuring system is flawed
D: at least I don’t measure in frogs anymore
🤷♂️
One of the best experiences of my life was playing for that school and wearing that jersey. They truly turn boys into men. Much of my baseball career is owed to the people in this program. Hats off to you. Most importantly, THANK YOU!
@jneestrita
@StRitaHS
Today we highlight Mike Stawski '01 who in his 3-yr varsity career won 17 games with 148Ks in 136.1 innings pitched. He played collegiately at St. Joe's in Rensselaer & is currently the head baseball coach at the University of Mary-Hardin Baylor.
#SRLegends
I really hope that all those athletes that have lost a season so far and “would do anything to be on the field again” or “can’t imagine their life without their sport”...brings that same passion when they actually get back to playing.
Easy to say, not easy to do...for some.
A lion does not have to tell others he is a lion.
A good player does not have to tell others he is a good player.
A hard worker does not have to tell others he is a hard worker.
Why am I brutally honest & transparent with my players?
The truth will help them both in the short and the long term, no matter what the truth is.
Some truths are bad.
I don’t want to be liked now and hated later. I’m ok being disliked now but gaining their respect forever.
Sure Coach Tommy Boggs was a competitor and a rival…but first and foremost, he was a friend of mine.
Coach Boggs is one of the reasons I live in Texas right now.
The baseball world lost a heck of a coach.
The people that knew him best, lost a heck of a man.
Rest easy Coach.
For the first time in my coaching career I was able to see a former player of mine play professionally. Proud moment for me. Thank you
@ConnerKeaton
@boomersbaseball
Players across all levels and all sports...the biggest asset you bring in the eyes of the coaching staff has nothing to do with your ability.
Be reliable, consistent, trustworthy, tough, and a great teammate.
Those are all choices.
Oh and these people become the best players.
Never allow your title or position to affect your power to influence.
Whether you run the show or you are on the bottom of the food chain, your ability to influence should be unwavering.
Make a difference wherever you are, whenever you can.
This is a cool record. It takes total TEAM buy in to get this.
We have…
-the national stolen base leader
-4 guys with double digit steals
-17 different players with a stolen base
And not done yet!
One of the best hires of my career right here! A baseball guy through and through. He is destined for big things!
Hats off to Riley Zayas on a such a well written article.
A4) we force our guys to go 1st to 3rd in all practices. Their cue is that if they get to 2nd base before the outfield touches the baseball they HAVE to go to 3rd. We probably get thrown out 30 times at 3B during fall practice but it forces aggressiveness immediately.
#abcachat
9 out of 10 times you impact someone, you will never know you even did it.
That doesn’t mean you stop doing it.
Next time someone impacts you...let them know.
“If you fail on Monday, the only way it remains a failure on Monday is if you decide to not progress from that. So if I fail today, I’m gonna learn something from that, and try again on Tuesday.”
-Kobe Bryant