Charleston area Hitting/Catching Coach. Home of the Patriots and Patriots Select Baseball Squads having a singularly belief on the right way to swing.
I have been involved with the game of baseball for over 30 years. I was a 21st round draft pick by the Reds out of HS but injured during my record setting college career. Since my playing days ended I have coached numerous levels including HS and have worked with a number of players that went on to play college. My approach is a little different as I focus on what the individual player needs to do to be successful vs.
We could have more “success” with a more disciplined approach at the plate, but you can’t create a yes,yes,yes mindset and want kids to walk at the same time. As kids get older, we can shift to more of an “ aggressive in your zone” approach, but until ABS is everywhere aggressive hitters are successful hitters. Side note, no one remembers that awesome walk they had, they remember hits and diving plays!
Just another day at the ballpark….
05/06/2026
Another great weekend of ball. The boys made it to bracket play at Ripken Myrtle Beach, but lost in the last inning of the first game. That doesn’t really tell the story though. We faced a very good team game one on Sunday, and after we got down, I decided to save pitching for bracket play and we lost big. No break between games so we rush to the next field and after the first inning, it’s 3-0 them. There is absolutely no quit in this team so the chants start right back up and off we go. Fought all the way back to tie it in the top of the sixth. So proud of how far these guys have come. As an aside, shenanigans, tomfoolery, and smiles ruled the non-playing time.
In a post BP car conversation with Ace this week he said that his extension had really been helping him hit off speed pitches recently and I said, “that’s the whole point.” He thought about it and said “ooohhhh, extension keeps my barrel in the zone longer so I don’t have to be perfectly on time.” This is my kid, we hit 5-7 days a week and 90% of them are lesson cage sessions, not just hitting. He has heard “in, in, extend” approximately 100k times since we started hitting when he was 3 and it finally clicked why about 10 years in.
In my “real” life I lead adults and a well regarded tenet of leadership, and book, is “Start with Why!”
This makes total sense with adults, but when we are coaching young kids, starting with the how and letting them discover the why may be a better approach.
04/23/2026
This doesn’t look like a team that went 1-2 and didn’t make the championship game for the first time this Spring. I heard someone refer to us as a bunch of lovable misfits this weekend and I loved it. This group is from all over the Lowcountry, all with a different story about how they got to a new team for their 12u Spring. Sometimes winning is re-establishing the love for the game.
We Chase Outcomes in games, We Chase Perfection in Practice.
Ace and I were hitting yesterday and he took a bad swing but hit a line drive backside. He sliced it so my comment was “in in extend” which is my queue for that. The next swing was way better but the outcome was a ground ball, to which I replied….better. He laughed and I asked him why. He said “I hit a line drive and get corrected, and hit a ground ball and you don’t correct anything, that’s funny.” We then went into the difference between games and practice. In games, the outcome of your swing matters. In practice, the outcome doesn’t matter. Our only focus in practice is continuously chasing perfection. By doing that, our outcomes in games should work itself out.
03/20/2026
Reach out for your chance to win Banana Ball tickets and to support the Patriots’ trip to Cooperstown!!
03/16/2026
The boys played great and fought their way to the silver championship. Proud of their fight and the growth they have all made. More proud of the whole group for exhibiting the type of behavior that garners the post below from our competition. Good Kids, Good Families, Good Ball…in that order, isn’t something we talk about and then don’t live. It is our core culture and although it doesn’t always lead to championships, it sure does make your weekends more fun.
03/05/2026
We talk about this a lot. As the talent gap shrinks, there is only one way to be elite and that is to be better mentally. More focused on your diet, more focused on your health, more focused on your training, more focused on your reps, and more focused during the game. Athleticism is great, but the ability to lock in at a deeper level over and over is the true separation.
Not to be outdone, Ben picked up his first hit as well. My favorite part of this is that he was unhappy about his swing so we worked hard one night after practice to get him more comfortable. I know he gets tired of hearing me say “when you are at your best, that ball is driven backside” but this is that!