Ahead Of The Curve with Jonathan Gelnar

Matt Denny- Head Baseball Coach, Casteel HS (AZ)

Today were welcomed by Matt Denny head baseball coach at Casteel high school in Arizona. Matt was the former guest of the show and one that I knew I had to bring back. Matt is in his fourth year at Casteel and took over the reins after being at Greenway high school, and Mountain Pointe HS. In 2023 they won the Arizona 5A State championship.
On the show, Matt and I discussed implementing culture at a brand new high school, we talk about standards of behavior, and we take a deep dive into implementing the mental game and what it takes to win at a high level. 
 
Time Stamps 
01:00- building the brand
04:00- compete 
08:00- Getting/Creating buy in
22:00- Dugout Behavior
27:00- Standards of behavior
36:00- Fall Development 
50:00- Kangaroo Court
1:07:00- post season play
1:15:00- contact information
 

Scott Pickens- Head Baseball Coach, Mid Michigan College

This Episode is brought to you by www.seventy8sports.com
Bio
In just its fourth year as a collegiate program, the Mid Michigan College baseball team did exactly that in 2022. As it was the Lakers turned in the best season in program history this past spring as they went 31-8 overall and finished third in the conference.
The Lakers also earned their first-ever postseason berth under head coach Scott Pickens.
Pickens took over the program near the end of the 2021 season, a season that ended with an overall record of 4-22. The 1998 Mt. Pleasant graduate and former CMU catcher and assistant coach earned MCCAA Western Conference ‘Coach of the Year’ honors after leading the Lakers to their best season ever.
So on the show we discuss what it took to go from 4 wins in 2021 to 31 in 2022, we take a deep dive into player ownership on the field, 
Time Stamps
01:00- Vision and First Steps
10:00- Standards/Rules
33:00- Pre season to In Season
43:00- Player Ownership
50:00- Quick Hitters 
 
Contact
https://twitter.com/PickenBaseball
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYqhWasnhpWDcRNoOX56YFA
 

Matt Swope- Associate Head Coach, University of Maryland

Bio
Matt Swope just finished his 6th season as assistant coach/recruiting coordinator at the University of Maryland and is his 11th season overall on staff at Maryland after serving as the Terps' director of operations for five seasons from 2013-2017. Swope has been a vital part and played key role in Maryland’s rise to national prominence both as a player,  and coach.
 
In the 2022 season they set program records for: Home Runs, Hits, Runs, RBI’s, Slugging %, Walks, and doubles.  So on the show we discuss what led to such a successful year this spring and i one work "relentless. We also go over what hes planning this fall.
I loved this episode and i think you will too. Here is Matt Swope!
 
Time Stamps
02:00- Offensive Culture
08:00- Fall Outline
15:00- Prep Work / Routines
22:00- Pre Season Focus's
27:30- Game-planning in season
37:00- Non Everyday players
42:00- Quick Hitters
 
Resources
https://beteyah.com/
Cant Hurt me- David Goggins
 
Contact
mswope@umd.edu
https://twitter.com/mdmadehitting
 

Evan Burk- Author of ”Finding Intangibles”, leadership coach and podcast host

This Episode is brought to you by www.seventy8sports.com
Bio
Evan Burk is an author, keynote speaker, leadership coach, and podcast host specializing in leadership, high performance, and building winning team cultures. Coach Burk has spent nearly two decades coaching elite athletes and leaders within top sports organizations. As a former NFL and college football coach, he knows how to bring teams together, overcome adversity, and elevate high performers to achieve at their highest level.
Now he uses his unique football coaching background to educate and inspire leaders, high performers, and teams for corporate clients and organizations by teaching the principles and practices learned from coaching teams at the highest levels of football.
In 2022, Evan Burk released his first book, Finding Intangibles, in which he helps organizations identify the hidden traits that drive elite performers and championship teams. He also hosts a weekly leadership podcast, The Highest Level with Evan Burk
Time Stamps
1:00- Intro
6:00- "The Best Teams"
9:00- Character Evaluation
17:00- The Talent Paradox
26:00- Measuring team chemistry
31:00- Body Language Discussion
36:00- Importance of clarity of role and goals
44:00- 6 questions to ask
 
Contact
https://twitter.com/CoachEvanBurk
https://www.coachevanburk.com/

Brenton Del Chiaro- MiLB Hitting Coordinator, Milwaukee Brewers

This Episode is brought to you by www.seventy8sports.com
Bio
Brenton Del Chiaro is in his sixth season with the Brewers and first in his current role as hitting coordinator after spending the previous two seasons as assistant hitting coordinator.
 
He joined the organization in 2016 as a hitting coach with the Arizona Brewers, a role he continued through the 2021 season in addition to his duties as assistant hitting coordinator.
 
Prior to joining the organization, Del Chiaro spent nine seasons (2008-16) with the Los Angeles Angels organization. This included roles as a coach at Rookie Orem (2008), hitting coach (2009-10) and manager (2011) at Class-A Cedar Rapids, manager with the Rookie Arizona Angels (2012), hitting coach at Class-A Inland Empire (2013-15) and hitting coach at Double-A Arkansas (2016). He also spent time with the Major League team as a bullpen catcher in 2007 after retiring following a seven-year playing career in the Angels system (2001-07).
On the show we discuss his role as a hitting coordinator, we talk hitting environment, and how he goes about having conversations when making swing changes. This episode is so good with Brenton Del Chiaro!
 
Time Stamps
01:00- Mike Trout
07:30- Role of a hitting coordinator
13:00- Training Environment 
21:30- What are some of the first things you do when evaluating what a player needs to work on?
30:00- Conversations when making swing changes
36:30- Gameplanning and approach
42:20- In dugout conversations
54:40- Quick Hitters
 
Resources
Mike Trout Article
https://theathletic.com/3346131/2022/06/03/mike-trout-minor-leagues/
 
Contact
https://twitter.com/BDel_Chiaro
 

Troy Gerlach- Head Baseball Coach, Chaparral HS (AZ)

This Episode is brought to you by www.seventy8sports.com
Bio:
13 years as an assistant – 6 years HS and 7 years collegiately
10 years as Head Coach 144-120
             7 at Arcadia HS in Phoenix AZ (state playoffs 4 years – Semifinals in 2017)
             Just finished 3rd year at Chaparral in Scottsdale AZ 34-25 covid shortened record (State tournament quarter           finals 2021 and Semifinals 2022) 
USA Baseball since 2012
             2018 15U National Team assistant coach – Won the Gold at the World Championships in Panama.
             2022 12U National Team assistant Coach – Will compete for Gold in Taiwan @ World Championships in August
 
Time Stamps
01:00- Vision of the program
06:00- Standards and Non Negotiables
16:30- Offseason Calendar
25:20- Communication with players in the pre season
46:00- Conducting in season practices
55:00- Quick Hitters
 
Contact
https://twitter.com/gerlach13

Jose Puentes- MiLB Hitting Coach, Houston Astros

Check out www.seventy8sports.com
 
Bio
Jose joined the Houston Astros in December 2019 as a minor league hitting coach, He is currently the Low A hitting coach in the Astros Organization. He coached at the high school level since 2006, most recently at MacArthur High School and Johnson High School in San Antonio, Texas. He was an assistant coach Steele High School from 2007-2012 and an assistant at Wagner High School in 2015-2016. He owned and operated a select organization named San Antonio Cardinals from 2007-2010
 
Time Stamps
01:00- Journey to Pro Ball
04:00- Helping players through a professional season
11:00- What separates professionals from amateurs
17:40- Game Prep
26:30- Mental Game
30:00- In Between AB's conversations
50:00- Quick Hitters
 
Contact
https://twitter.com/JosePuentes04

Cody Ellis- Head Baseball Coach, Patrick Henry Community College (VA)

This Episode is brought to you by www.seventy8sports.com
 
Bio
Head Coach at Patrick Henry CC Fall 2019-Present
2021 season- Won region for first time in program history, finished 4th in the JUCO D2 World Series, 43-17 record
2021 Region COY, South Atlantic District COY, ABCA South Atlantic COY
USA Baseball
2021- PDP League Manager
2019, 2021, 2022 USA Task Force Member for 16U and 17U
 
Time Stamps
01:00- Vision and first 100 days on the job
08:00- Rules and Standards
18:00- Fall Program
23:00- Feedback
26:00- Winning the fall
34:00- Winning the preseason/In Season
50:00- Quick Hitters
 
Contact
https://twitter.com/PHCC_Baseball
https://twitter.com/CoachCodyEllis

Kellen Lee- Mental Skills Coach, San Francisco Giants

This Episode is brought to you by www.seventy8sports.com
 
Bio
All-American Baseball Player and National Gold Glove Winner (Catcher) at UC San Diego
Played 1 season of Independent Professional Baseball
Master’s Degree in Sport Psychology from John F. Kennedy University
PhD in Performance Psychology from Grand Canyon University
Certified Mental Performance Consultant (CMPC) through the Association for Applied Sport Psychology
Previous Positions
Assistant Director of Baseball Operations at Santa Clara University
Master Resilience Trainer-Performance Expert (MRT-PE)
Mental skills training and instruction for the US Army
Current: Adjunct Faculty for Sport and Performance Psychology Master’s Degree Program at Holy Names University
Current: Mental Skills Coach for the San Francisco Giants
 
Time Stamps
01:00- Where do we start with the mental game
11:00- Self Talk
26:00- In Dugout Needs
38:00- In Dugout Questioning
43:00- What do players want more of?
50:00- Quick Hitters
 
Contact
https://twitter.com/MentallyPerform 

Kevin Graber- Head Baseball Coach, Phillips Academy- Andover (MA)

This Episode is brought to you by www.seventy8sports.com
Bio
Two-time Northeast Region Coach of Year and two-time finalist for National Coach of the Year Kevin Graber has led Phillips Academy Andover to 12 consecutive Central New England Prep Final Four appearances, winning back-to-back titles in 2012 and 2013, the school’s 10th Central New England Prep Championship in 2016, and another -- the program's 11th -- in 2018. And just this week they dogpiled again to finish first in 2022!
In 2021 and 2018, Graber was named Northeast Region Coach of the Year by the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA), New England Coach of the Year by the National High School Baseball Coaches Association, and finalist for National Coach of the Year by both organizations. He’s also a featured presenter each year at the World Baseball Coaches Convention at Mohegan Sun, and he’s also presented at last year’s ABCA National Convention in Chicago.
On the show we discuss
Time Stamps
01:00- First 100 days on the job
05:00- Dogpile stories
13:00- The art of communication
21:00- Standards/Core Values
25:00- Promotion of the program
38:00- Offseason Program
45:00- In Season Practices 
50:00- Post Season
Contact
https://twitter.com/real_PAbaseball
https://www.instagram.com/bigbluebaseball/
kgraber@andover.edu
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