KPB Podcast

In addition to coaching, Macdonald is known for his work educating players and families about the recruiting process on Twitter or through his website, collegebaseballrecruiting.net. Coach Macdonald is one of the leading voices on the college baseball recruiting process. His online course, Foundations of College Baseball Recruiting, launched a few months ago and aims to empower recruits with the tools to make informed decisions about the recruiting process and college baseball. 

Accurate, thorough, thoughtful, and well-organized, Coach Macdonald's content is a must for any serious college recruit or parent. Coach Macdonald’s commitment to transparency and equity in the recruiting process is admirable, so it’s great to finally have him on the KPB Podcast to pick his brain about all things recruiting. You won't want to miss this episode!

Coach Macdonald's Website: Foundations of College Baseball Recruiting Online Course

Coach Macdonald's Twitter: Ian Macdonald (@sowhatnextpitch) / Twitter

Contacting College Coaches: How to Write an Intro Email

This Podcast Episode in Thread Format

How to Create A Successful DIY Recruiting Video

You May Also Be Interested in: 

How to Use Social Media to Get Recruited

In this episode, are excited to be joined on today’s podcast by Colorado Rockies Data and Game Planning Coordinator and former Big League infielder, Doug Bernier. A California native, Bernier’s baseball career included success at every single level. After college baseball stops at Cuesta College and Oral Roberts University, Bernier started an incredible 16-year professional baseball career, which included 4 seasons in the Majors and over 1500 professional games. Bernier and his wife, Sarah, generously give back to the game through Pro Baseball Insider (probaseballinsider.com), an organization providing free instruction for aspiring ballplayers given directly from professional players. In addition to talking with Doug about how he maintained consistency and focus during the ups and downs of the better part of 2 decades in professional baseball, we pick his brain about his days as a professional scout and now a coach with the Rockies Big League squad. You won't want to miss this one!

We've been sensing a great deal of panic among recruits and parents who have become fixated on the recruiting shutdown and D1 baseball's prolonged dead period due to COVID-19. In this episode, we try to put those fears to rest and explain why now is the time to plan and prepare, not panic. This episode follows a round-table discussion put on by our friends at the 3-2 Count Foundation exploring this new age of recruiting from multiple vantage points. We strongly suggest you check out the video here after listening to this episode! 

Listen in for more information of check out the NCAA article directly HERE.

In this episode, we follow the lead of our popular written article about the risks and rewards of walking on. You can read the written article here. 

Listen in to learn about:

1. Different types of walk-on opportunities

2. Questions to ask when offered a walk-on opportunity

3. Risks and rewards that come with walk-on opportunities

The most comprehensive and important #KPBpodcast episode on parents' role in the recruiting process is here! Following the same format as our Parents' Role in the Recruiting Process mini-series, we break down everything a parent needs to know to understand their role in the recruiting process and successfully help their son find a college baseball fit. In this episode, we break down:

1) An overview of parents' role in the recruiting process and how to how to appropriately be involved in the process

2) What parents can do during each of the 10 steps of the recruiting process  to help their son

3) The 5 most important responsibilities and roles of parents throughout the entire process

You won't want to miss it. Click play now and follow up on the additional parent resources we mention by reading the articles on the site!

While campus visits should be fun and informative, they are also a big stepping stone in the recruiting process. We’ve lived through and heard plenty of stories of campus visits that go poorly. There’s nothing wrong with getting to campus and realizing that a school isn’t a fit for you, in fact that’s great! You don’t, however, want to ruin your chances with a school that interests you because of silly mistakes. In order to help you avoid making preventable mistakes, here’s a list of 7 ways that campus visits often go wrong and advice for not letting that happen to you. After listening to this and our How to Ace a Campus Visit article, you’ll be prepared to dominate your time on campus and can focus on just being the best version of yourself!

This is the podcast version of our written article by the same title, which can be read here.

With the signing period starting in just a few days, there will likely be a wave of commitments in the coming weeks. If you are one of the recruits making a commitment or that will be you at some point, this podcast is for you! In this episode, we will address the way to handle your commitment the right way. The baseball world is small and the last thing you want to do during what is supposed to be a happy time is burn any bridges or have a bunch of college coaches angry with you. To stay in the good graces of everyone you have interacted with during your commitment, follow the 5 steps discussed!

This podcast is the audio version of the written article by the same name. You can read that article here. In this episode, we aim to bust some myths about "exposure" and help you better understand how to know that you are ready create meaningful exposure to college coaches. If you want to know the truth about seeking exposure and figure out how to know when you should start maximizing exposure opportunities, this episode is for you. Listen in to find out more!

Find video and written college baseball scholarship resources similar to this on the KPB website right here. 

Everyone wants to get a college baseball scholarship, but how much scholarship money is available? What can they expect if they do get a scholarship? Tune in to find out as we talk about some of the basics about college baseball scholarships!

Read the written version of this podcast on our website here. 

With the signing period for seniors less than a month away, many players are considering their college baseball options and where they should commit following the end of fall ball.  Hopefully you are putting a lot of thought into your commitment decision and looking at things from every possible angle. What does that mean? It means asking and answering a lot of questions about the programs you are considering. In this episode, we rattle off a laundry list of things you should be considering before making your commitment official, from the academic culture to the relationship you have with the coaching staff and more. Listen in as we try to help you  make your commitment decision one based on facts that will stand the test of time rather than emotions which can quickly change once on campus.

This episode is the podcast version of the written article of the same title available here. In this episode, we discuss the precautions you need to take if you decide to commit before being accepted by the admissions committee. Listen in to find out what to do to make sure the commitment holds strong and you take care of business in the classroom. 

You've been talking with a college coach and they seem interested. Then, all of a sudden you stop hearing from them. What does it mean? What should you do? We discuss that and more in this podcast episode! You can also catch the written version of this podcast right here!

This podcast is the audio version of the written article by the same title, which can be found here.

If you are reading this article, you probably already know we spend a lot of time talking about what you should be doing to stay on track for college baseball. Our website is devoted to providing you with all the information and guidance you need to make it to the next level, free of charge. Last year, a parent suggested that it would be helpful if we discussed some of the things parents and recruits should avoid in the recruiting process. The ability to recognize potential pitfalls has become increasingly important as the monetization of youth baseball leads to more people trying to profit from vulnerable players and parents who are hoping to give themselves the best chance at the next level.  In this podcast, we will look at 5 red flags that can come up in the recruiting process. For the purpose of this podcast, we consider a red flag to be an event or interaction that should set off alarm bells so that you take some extra time to make sure that things are the way they appear to be. Not all red flags will turn into real issues, but they do merit closer attention before proceeding. Listen in to learn about the following 5 red flags:

1. Hidden Costs

2. Bait-and-Switch Models

3. Guarantees of Any Kind

4. When Coaches and Players at the Same Program Give Conflicting Information

5. Rushed (Scholarship or Roster Spot) Offer Deadlines

Listen in to learn more!

@BradSanfilippo

Topics:

Academics, D1, Recruiting, Player Development, Offensive Philosophy, Mountain West Baseball, San Jose State, Pac-12, Mid-Major, Power-5

The time to get serious about your academic pursuits is right now! In this Friday rant, we reiterate topics discussed in the written article Better Grades Mean More Opportunities. Check out that written piece to get the links to many of our best academic support resources!

In this podcast, we get straight to the point here-- academics are a huge piece of the recruiting puzzle! We explain why they are so important to college coaches and why now is the time for you to take them seriously. Listen in to find out more! 

This podcast is the audio version of the written article by the same title on the KPB website. You can find that article here and we strongly suggest you check that article out and dive into the links it shares that are referenced in the podcast.

We know that social media is becoming increasingly important in the recruiting process, but what does that mean for you? How can you avoid the negative consequences of social media while still benefiting from the information and free exposure that social media platforms provide? We discuss all that, talk about what we have learned about social media in recruiting from our college coaches survey, and more! Listen in.

This is the podcast version of our written article by the same title. That article can be read here. Note: The email examples in the article will be easier to understand in written form than what is described in the podcast episode, so be sure to check them out!

Here's a common scene in the recruiting process: You just got an email from a college program you are interested in. You are excited, and hope this will be the start of your journey to making a commitment. But do you really understand the intent behind the email? Is it expressing real interest? Before you get too far ahead of yourself, make sure you read the email closely. College coaches send out a number of different types of emails that mean different things and have different purposes. While the emails may sound similar, they can have very different intentions.

Emails are a safe way for college coaches to reach out to recruits without having to show their hand (level of interest).  The emails can have a variety of meanings and purposes. The way the email is worded, how much personalized information is included in the email, and what type of response it asks from you will help you better understand the intentions of the program that sent it.

In this episode, we discuss the different types of emails that college coaches send and what they mean. Specifically, we discuss 3 different kinds of emails you might receive from a college coach (Camp Email, Exploratory Interest, Definite Interest), what each means about your recruitment, and how to follow up. Listen in to learn more!

This podcast is the audio version of the written article of the same title, available to read here.

As a coach, instead of focusing on the “right” language, focus on using language that creates understanding and the right physical response for each individual player. That may mean you tell one hitter to “swing up to the ball”, you tell another hitter to “swing down on the ball”, and you tell the rest of the hitters to “swing level or on plane”. By being flexible with your verbal cues, you help everyone get better and make yourself a more successful coach.

The idea of being flexible with language and finding verbal cues that work for each guy means you will have to set your ego (and perhaps stubbornness) aside. Doing so does not mean that you don’t know what you are talking about or that you teach the wrong things, in fact it’s the opposite. A multidimensional approach to coaching is a sign that you are committed to teaching and helping your players develop the movement patterns they need to be successful.  That’s what coaching is all about. Coaching is about player development, not proving your way is the only way. If you still aren’t ready to give up your preferred verbal cue for something that doesn’t resonate as well with you, think about this: Mike Trout trains his swing thinking about swinging down on the ball and Kris Bryant trains his by thinking about swinging up. Should one of these MVPs change his training cue because it’s wrong? No! There are many paths to success! Moving forward, prioritize helping your players find their own paths to success by using language and verbal cues that work for them.

This podcast episode corresponds to our written article by the same title, The Importance of a Diverse Recruiting Plan.

In this episode, we discuss the many different ways that college coaches are finding the players who end up playing in their program and discuss the importance of having a diverse recruiting plan that gives coaches multiple ways to connect with you, evaluate you, and recruit you. Listen in to find out why it's so important!

This podcast is the audio version of the written article, Learning From Others: The Power of Purposeful Observation.

 "You have to apply yourself each day to becoming a little better. By applying yourself to the task of becoming a little better each and every day over a period of time, you will become a lot better."- Coach John Wooden 

Want to play college baseball? There are people around you every day that can help you get there. The people we are thinking about are probably not the same people that immediately jump into your mind. We’re not talking about your coaches or your parents or even your teachers and counselors, although all of these people can be a tremendous help in the recruiting process. The people we are talking about are your teammates and your peers.

Your peers can play an incredible role in helping you understand what it takes to get better if you can take your ego out of the comparison. That can be easier said than done. Most high school players fall into the trap of letting their ego interfere when comparing themselves to their peers. Who has the better stats? Who is getting more attention from colleges? Who got invited to this event or plays on this team? Why is he getting recruited by that school and I’m not? Why is he already getting offers? These types of comparisons only serve as a distraction. Every college bound player is on a different timeline and follows a different path to the next level. When we talk about the role your teammates and fellow competitors can play in helping you get better, we are talking about learning from their successes and failures as much as your own.

There’s a common misconception that learning has to come from your own success or mistakes, but imagine how many more learning opportunities you create each day when you really pay attention to what is happening around you. That’s the entire point of our Think the Game articles. Learn from everyone’s experiences, so you don’t have to make every mistake for yourself! There is feedback and important lessons all around you that can help you grow and improve and we want to highlight how you can use this feedback to be your own coach and get a little better each day. We discuss 4 keys to purposeful observation in this episode. Listen in to find out what they are!

 This podcast is the audio version of our written article, Targeting the Right Schools in Recruitment

A common misstep in the recruiting process happens when players pursue schools where their baseball skill set doesn’t fit. These players either only target schools where the standard of play is too high for their skills, or they ignore interest from schools where their skill set does match up well, thinking they can “do better.” It goes without saying that you should treat all interest as serious interest and make sure you do your research on every program individually. With over 1,600 college baseball programs, there are many schools you will not know about. With so many programs out there, how can you make sure you are targeting the appropriate schools for your skill level? It turns out that this question doesn’t have one simple answer and that’s why so many recruits get it wrong! Luckily, we have done the research for you and we’ve come up with 5 things you can do to help make sure you are targeting the appropriate level of college baseball for your skill set.  We discuss them in this podcast!

This is the podcast version of the written article titled, Networking: Your Secret Weapon in the Recruiting Process.

 When it comes to the recruiting process, surrounding yourself with a good network of people can make a big difference. Not only can a quality network help you make sound decisions throughout the recruiting process, having ties with people who are well connected in the college game can go a long way to opening doors and providing opportunities. There are many stories of players getting a foot in the door with a college coach because a former teammate, current coach, or someone they know has a connection to open that door. While your talent, work ethic, character, and skills are ultimately what will get you to the next level, at times recruiting can feel like it’s more about who you know than what you can do. If you are worried that you don’t have a strong network behind you, don’t worry! On this podcast we will discuss how you can use your connections to strengthen your network and how you can use your network to help in the recruiting process.

Listen to the episode for more on how you can:

1) Assess the strength of your social network

2) Grow your social network

3) Use your social network to help you in the recruiting process

This podcast corresponds to the Emotional 101 article on the KPB website.

“The ballplayer who loses his head, who can’t keep his cool, is worse than no ballplayer at all.” –Lou Gehrig 

There’s no debating that the way baseball is being played is changing. The game is slowly starting to embrace a more modern flair. Bat flips and celebrations that would have cost a beaning in past generations are becoming the norm. Still, many college coaches debate the outward displays of emotion that they see. Sure, it’s a new generation, but how much bat flip is too much bat flip? How much emotion can a player display before it becomes a side show? Since we know college coaches are spending a lot of time  evaluating the body language  and behavior of recruits, we take a look at some of the emotionally-charged situations college coaches see on the recruiting trail and how they help or hurt a recruit’s chances of being recruited.  

This podcast mirrors the content found in our popular article by the same title, which you can read HERE. We were asked to write that article by a college coach who was frustrated by the constant barrage of poorly written emails from recruits. Using a poorly written email as an example of players failing to understand the importance of being detail oriented and thorough in the recruiting process, we discuss 4 major reasons why college coaches are paying attention to players who attend to the details and are willing to go the extra mile to do things right.  Listen to find out why in a recruiting world where there are countless players with similar on-field skills and ability, a recruit who shows attention to detail will quickly separate himself from the rest.  

This episode provides insight on mistakes that parents are making at the ballpark and mirrors the content in the written article found HERE. 

College coaches may be recruiting high school players, but they are paying very close attention to what the parents of recruits are doing at the field as well. Parents make many unintended mistakes that can hurt their son's chances of getting recruited. We don't want that to happen to you, so we discuss 5 common mistakes that are made at the baseball field by parents and provide suggestions for more constructive alternative behavior. Listen in so you don't hurt your son's chances of getting recruited and playing at the next level.

It's a straightforward questions that can make or break your recruiting process before it even begins. If you want to improve your chances of finding a college baseball fit, you first need to know what that fit looks like. In this episode, we give you resources and suggestions to to help you answer that question, starting with  this worksheet  to help you sort out your college preferences. For more information and insight, listen to the episode or read the written version here.

This episode is the podcast version of our written of the same title which can be found here :  https://keepplayingbaseball.org/make-the-most-of-summer-ball-2019/ 

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It’s about that time of the summer when your final tournaments are coming up. Guys are in a lot of different  situations – some may have spent the summer showcasing for college coaches, while others are hoping to make their varsity team this coming year.  

No matter what level you’ve been playing at, there are some things you can look back on now to get the most out of your summer baseball experience. A huge part of progressing in the game is learning and making adjustments. Summer ball is a great time to learn your game, try new things, and figure out what you need to work on.  

On this episode, we ask you to consider 7 important questions about your summer and use them as a tool to reflect on what you’ve learned and what you need to improve on as you move forward. Development is the key to playing at the next level, and this list will help you stay focused on continually improving.   Listen in to find out what they are!

We’re excited to welcome Paris Junior College Head Coach Clay Cox to the podcast. Cox has been at the helm of the Dragon Baseball Program since 2016 and with the program since 2015. Over this time, he has developed a reputation for dominating in the classroom and on the field. His team is constantly among the nation’s leaders in team GPA and his squad has consistently moved more than a dozen players on to 4-year programs or professional baseball. Prior to his time at Paris JC, Cox spent time coaching at University of West Alabama and in the high school ranks at Rockdale High School, in addition to summers coaching in the Texas Collegiate League where he had a lot of success. Along with his role as head coach, Cox is Founder of Infield U and is active in sharing his coaching practices with the baseball community. Cox brings a wealth of knowledge to the KPB podcast, and in this episode we pick his brain about recruiting, program building, academics, infield play, and much more. So grab a notepad and turn up the volume as we connect with a high energy leader and great baseball mind.

Contact Coach Cox:

Twitter: @CoachCox19 and @Infield_U 

Email:  ccox@parisjc.edu 

Website:  https://www.infieldu.com/ 

Topics:

 JUCO, Recruiting, Infield, Development, Infield U, Academics, Hitting, Pitch Recognition, Texas, Transferring

Making Sense of Your Scholarship Offer

Doing a Basic Budget Analysis for Your College Search

Asking Coaches About Training and Development

This podcast is the audio version of our written article by the same title. You can read that article here. 

Every college-bound high school player dreams of getting noticed by a college coach. If you weren’t interested in that, you wouldn’t be on this podcast right now! Well, we want you to get noticed, too, but we want it to be for the right reasons. A lot of people don’t realize that intangibles, like attitude, knowledge of the game, and appearance, can play a big role in making or breaking your chances of playing for a team.  

You may wonder what we mean by “intangibles.” We are talking about things that can’t be physically touched. They have nothing to do with your athletic skill set, but you can be sure that coaches are looking for them. Intangibles include not only your attitude, your knowledge of the game, and your outward appearance (height, weight, fitness level) but also things like your ability to be in the right position, your understanding of the unwritten rules of the game, your ability to focus, and whether or not you can think on your feet.  

For example, let’s say that there is a player who is interested in playing at a D1 school on the West Coast. We will call him Carl. If it were up to Carl’s talent and athleticism alone, there is little chance that he would be considered for a spot on the team. Sure, Carl is a good player, but to play at the school he is interested in, he would have to be one of the top prospects of the region. Carl attended the showcase for his dream school and the coaches immediately noticed his attitude and his hustle, and that he looked like and carried himself like a ballplayer.  

Now Carl may not end up getting a roster spot on the team, but that is not the point. The point is that even though he may not be expected by many recruiters to be a great player, he may get a shot to play at one of the top schools in the country because of his intangibles. Carl is buying himself additional opportunities: he is getting noticed for the right reasons. Intangibles are things that every player can control through hard work and effort.    

On the flip side, many players of all different talent levels get crossed off of coaches’ lists before they even step between the foul lines. You don’t want to get noticed because you look lazy, distracted, slow, or careless. That would be getting noticed for the wrong reasons.  

In this podcast, we list 10 things (you are in complete control over!) that you can do to get noticed for the right reasons. Listen in!

College coaches want players who respect others. Seems simple, right? You'd be surprised how man players get crossed off of recruiting lists not for the way they play the game, but because coaches see them having negative interactions with coaches, teammates, umpires, opponents, and parents. If you have any doubt about what people would say about you following an interactions with them, it's time to get to work mending those relationships. Respect is a cornerstone of successful college baseball programs and coaches will be spending a lot of time finding out if you respect others and will be a respectful member of their baseball community. For more, check out the written article here.

This article shadows the lessons from our written article of by the same title, which you can read HERE.

We strongly suggest reading the written article as well and reading the entire article series about a fictional recruit named Alex, who experiences many of the same recruiting situations that you will. The series uses real life stories and feedback from college coaches to teach valuable recruiting lessons. Learn it from Alex so you don't have to learn it the hard way yourself!

Among the lessons discussed are:

1. Every time you are at the field, you may be being evaluated (before the game, in the dugout, during pre-game, during the game, in between games, etc.)

2. You won't have your best day every single time you are at the field, but find a way to be mentally and physically present each time, even if that means having a good "bad day".

3. You passion and involvement (intangibles that have nothing to do with your on-field skills) speak very loudly to college coaches. Disinterested players get little interest from college coaches. 

4. Show how involved you are with actions and attitude that help your team win

5. We recap some don'ts around the field!

Listen in for more!

 This is the audio version for the blog article, You need A Strength and Conditioning Plan

Every year, we ask college baseball players what advice they would give high school guys trying to make a successful transition to college baseball. Every year, we get some variation of the response above: “Get in the weight room!”

Take the advice of the guys who have lived the experience and survived the difficult transition to college baseball. If you want to play college baseball, you need a strength program in high school. Building a baseline level of functional strength is incredibly important for recruiting and to be prepared for the rigorous college season. Functional strength means strength that is useful to performing baseball specific movements more efficiently. A strength and conditioning program that improves functional strength is the answer to many baseball deficiencies and allows a player to throw and hit harder, run faster, bend and move more efficiently, stay healthy and much more.

So what does this mean for recruits wanting to play baseball in college? Plain and simple, make building functional strength a big part of your development plan. As we discuss in our article, Why Size and Physicality Matter in Recruitment, college coaches are looking to recruit physical players. While not everyone develops physically at the same time and not everyone can be 6’3”/205, everyone can add strength and mobility that will help them perform better, stay healthy, and get recruited. Getting in the weight room consistently is one of the single most important things you can do for your development. A quality strength and conditioning program in high school provides the base and preparation necessary to make significant gains in college when your body matures and allows you to improve as a player by leaps and bounds. 

So how do you go about creating a quality strength and conditioning program? We share some basic exercises you can do in this guest blog by former college baseball standout and PT Alex Wirta, but there are many people  who offer great strength and conditioning advice specific to baseball for free. Here are five of our favorite free resources that are well known in the baseball community:

1. Eric Cressey, Cressey Performance
2. Driveline Baseball, Baseball Development Powerhouse and Industry Leader
3. Ryan Faer , Cleveland Indians
4. Zach Dechant, TCU Baseball S&C
5. Coastal Carolina Baseball’s S&C Team

All 5 of these resources share a wealth of strength and conditioning information and are a must follows on social media. Their blogs are linked above and they are also easy to find on Twitter. These resources are a great place to start doing your research and summer is a great time to learn about and implement a strength and conditioning plan that is right for you. Don’t wait, it’s time to get to work!

Disclaimer: As always get approval from your parents, doctor, and school strength coach before you start any conditioning program.