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How To Hit A Baseball Interview

What College Coaches And Scouts Look For In Baseball Or Softball Recruits & Chances Of Scholarship 2022-2023 | Parent Advice: How To Get Son Or Daughter Noticed & Do You Have To Play Travel Ball?

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What college coaches and scouts look for in baseball or softball player recruits and what are the chances of getting a scholarship in 2022-2023.  Learn some parenting advice from Coach Mark Gonzalez about how to get your son or daughter noticed and does your kid have to play travel ball?

GoBigRecruiting.com says this about the chances of getting a scholarship… (true for baseball and softball)

“There are only about 300 division one programs, and they all only have 12 scholarships. With hundreds of thousands of HS softball players out there, the odds are less than 5%.“

“You Can Have Average Mechanics and If You Have A Good Approach, You Can Still Be Successful” – Mark Gonzalez Dad Advice on How To Hit a Baseball

 

 

How To Hit A Baseball Interview

How to hit a baseball interview with super parent Mark Gonzalez, and his 7+ tips for other parents out there raising an athlete in a competitive sports environment.

In this how to hit a baseball post interview with Mark Gonzalez, aka East Bay Mark – @NorCal_Trojan on Twitter, and inspirational parent coaching his High School Junior hitter, joined me on the Swing Smarter Hitting Training Podcast and here’s what we covered:

  • What do you find to be the biggest mistake, one or two mistakes on how to hit a baseball that you see out there?
  • Was there an aha moment at some point where you finally said Oh, you know what, I might be over overdoing this being the helicopter parent?
  • “You can have average mechanics and if you have a good approach, you can still be successful…”
  • Is how to hit a baseball all about hitting dingers and doubles?
  • What ever happened to playing Whiffle Ball in the street, and can kids learn anything from video games?
  • What things have you guys been doing on the recruiting side?
  • “If this college wants a certain type of hitting approach and if that’s the hitting approach you really don’t like well maybe that’s not the school for you…”
  • Any other how to hit a baseball parting thoughts that you would give to those parents out there with freshmen, sophomores, juniors in high school, coming from a dad who’s coaching their own kid?
  • Where can people find you Coach Mark and powerful BONUS tips???

CLICK HERE to download and save the how to hit a baseball transcript PDF.

Enjoy!

About travel ball, nowadays it’s a good idea, but in my opinion it doesn’t have to be all year round.  Get kids playing other sports in the off season if you can.  Above all, make sure they’re working on the right things, and then working on doing those things right.  Also, here are two other helpful recruiting links:

  1. Power Showcase: How to Improve Your Recruiting Efforts
  2. Committing to College Baseball: Podcast episode

BREAKING NEWS:

Grab two chapters of our NEW Amazon book FREE...

"Swing Smarter: Science Based Hitting Training Built To Understand How, Why, & Reasoning Behind It"

YES! I WANT TWO FREE CHAPTERS!
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Committing To College Baseball

Committing To College Baseball: A How-To VIDEO

“Committed: The Guide to Developing College Ready Recruits from Middle School Through High School” Committing to College Baseball Book by Bryan Eisenberg & Walter Beede

 

 

Here’s what Bryan Eisenberg, Walter Beede, and I discuss in the above committing to college baseball interview:Committing To College Baseball

  • What are the top-3 kid raising pitfalls parents fall into in middle school and high school in before college and professional ball?
  • The DANGERS lurking in self-comparison from ages 14-18 years old
  • “Getting repetition because through repetition, we’re going to gain our retention….”
  • “They won a college world series. It was a great moment. But suddenly, everything’s winding down. I suddenly realize that journey had concluded…”
  • “I use the term and I’ve used 40 years where I tell parents the whole objective [of committing to college baseball] is to trade athletic ability for academic excellence.”
  • “What’s the difference of success levels between your son who just played through college and the one who went pro in the way you treated them and brought them up?”

This is also an episode of the Swing Smarter Hitting Training Podcast.  One of my favorite committing to college baseball gold nugget quote from Walter…

Walter Beede: “I would say the first lesson that I learned is if we have to push, then we’re probably not going to get the results that we’re hoping.

Mental standpoint, meaning if your son is pulling you, instead of you pushing your son, much more advantageous position to be in, especially for the student athlete. I think it’s about structure routine and accountability. Meaning my oldest son was really scattered, not so much from, as a multi-sport athlete, but just, really didn’t have that defined schedule of, okay, I’m going to lift here, work out here.

I’m going to do this routine here with regards to throwing or hitting or what, whereas my youngest son was driven. A lot of that had to do with him being around the college routine and watching how student athletes conducted themselves in a non-team environment, meaning off to the sidelines, how they will bring up [committing to college baseball], et cetera.

I would say the red line in the sand, between the young man that ultimately gets to the college level and the young man that kind of gives up the game at the high school level, truly is about the passion component. My oldest son loves the game but wasn’t passionate about the game.”

CLICK HERE to download the committing to college baseball interview transcription in PDF format.  And if you’re interested in learning more about getting “committed” and want to support Bryan and Walter’s fantastic cause, then CLICK HERE to grab the book on Amazon.  And by the way, all the student athlete life hack tips and tricks that Bryan and Walter reveal in the book apply to fastpitch softball as well.

ENJOY!

BREAKING NEWS:

Grab two chapters of our NEW Amazon book FREE...

"Swing Smarter: Science Based Hitting Training Built To Understand How, Why, & Reasoning Behind It"

YES! I WANT TWO FREE CHAPTERS!
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Josh Karr

ATTN: College Coaches, COVID19 Risk Hiding In Your Recruiting Process?

To Coaches That Want To Fill A 2021 Roster Spot Despite COVID19

(CLICK HERE for the full transcription of the interview)

UPDATED: Josh has currently found a home at a JC, but I’m sure he’d welcome any other interests.

I’m doing something a little different in this post…

I want to help college coaches.  But most importantly, I want to help support one of my High School Seniors that got stuck in this COVID-19 season ending cyclone.  What follows is an interview to help coaches fill a 2021 roster spot with a solid student athlete…

The NCAA has allowed a 5th year for seniors in college impacted by COVID-19 season shutdown.  I agree with this.  It was a good move.  However, what about High School seniors who only got to play 15-20 games in 2020, without the opportunity to commit?

I’ve interviewed one of those seniors, Josh Karr.

FULL DISCLAIMER: I’ve worked with Josh in the past, and his dad reinforces our system with him as well.  I wanted to conduct an interview as if I was a college coach recruiting Josh.

 

Quick stats and highlights from the interviewJosh Karr

  • 6-foot, 2-inches, 215-pounds. From: Wills Point, Texas. Goes to: Wills Point High School.
  • 96-mph ball exit speed off tee using PocketRadar app. Hit 100-mph on LIVE pitching but didn’t record that.
  • Infield corner position player: 1B/3B, has played outfield before (RF).
  • .960 to .970 Fielding%
  • 60-yard time: 7.2
  • Pop-time: 1.99
  • 3.62 grade point average.  1040 SAT.
  • Loves Math.  Wants to major in Biology, end up in the medical field.  Possibly wants to be an NPA.
  • 2019 stats (Junior year): .329 BA, .451 SLG%, .537 OBP%. 27 hits, 4 homers, 5 doubles. 26 RBI’s.
  • Named “player-to-watch” for his region.  Out of roughly 540-550 players of the whole region. Josh was one of top 40 they picked for it.
  • His main focus hitting right now is line drives

If you want to reach out and contact Josh, you can at the following spots:

  1. Email – jmkarr at SBCGlobal dot net (formatted this way, so Josh doesn’t get a lot of SPAM)
  2. Phone – 661-889-5543
  3. MaxPreps page
  4. On the socials – His personal page on Twitter is: @JoshKarr16 … and his baseball page is: @BaseballKarr …you can DM him there as well.

Final thoughts: yes, I’m a little biased in Josh’s case. And no, I don’t do this that often.  But I’m going to vouch for this graduating High School Senior.  Josh comes from a solid family.  They’re hard workers.  Highly disciplined.  And focused on what they set their mind to.  Josh is a fantastic student.  And since I’ve known him, he does what he needs to to compete at the next level.  He needed to cut weight, so he cut 10% body fat and dropped 10-15 pounds last fall.  His weakness is pitches down in the zone.  He’s currently working on driving those pitches on a line.  The point is, this is a coachable student athlete that is looking to compete for you.  Please reach out…

 

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Hitting Training For Baseball & Softball Swing Trainers | Hitting Performance Lab

8 Exercises For Tight Hips, Recruiters Observing Parents In Stands, & Why MLB Hitters Are Obsessed With Launch Angles

Here Are Our Top-10 2017 “Best-Of” Non-HPL Links Shared On Social Media (plus BONUSES)

I wanted to put together a 2017 year-in-review of the Top-10 links we shared on our Facebook fan-page.  How popular a post is depends on Shares, Likes, and Comments.  And I have over 27,066 Facebook fan followers, which is a big study group to judge the helpfulness of these links.

By the way, the following linked resources don’t include Hitting Performance Lab blog posts.  ENJOY!

 

#10 Most Shared Link in 2017

What should you do if…?

“Your child plays in a league that mandates minimum playing time for each player. Your child consistently plays the minimum amount, and never when the game is on the line. The same players always play more than the minimum and are in at crunch time. You don’t think this is fair.”

CLICK HERE for original post.

 

#9 Most Shared Link in 2017

Like Physicist Dr. Alan Nathan told me, body mass isn’t the best indicator of batted ball distance, bat speed is.  If bat speed isn’t at top speed, then Ball Exit Speed won’t be either.  This is GREAT news because teaching bat speed is within the control of EVERY player, body mass?  Not so much.  CLICK HERE for original post.

 

#8 Most Shared Link in 2017

From the post:

“Throughout the recruiting process, [Chris] Collins, Head Basketball Coach at Northwestern University, says he observes parents in the stands to help identify the sort of environment the recruit grew up with. In the recruiting process, coaches should begin to notice if parents are supportive and positive, or negative while encouraging individualistic behavior that only regards their son or daughter rather than the entire team.”

CLICK HERE for original post.

 

#7 Most Shared Link in 2017

From the post:

“These 8 movements take just a short amount of time, so you can add them in throughout your day to break up long bouts of sitting, or you can even use them as a warm-up to your regular training routine…Our hips are incredible structures that allow us to be mobile and strong and perform everything from the most mundane activities as walking to amazing feats of strength and power shown by the finest athletes.  Take the time to take care of your hips and your life will be the better for it.“

CLICK HERE for original post.

 

#6 Most Shared Link in 2017

One of the best quotes in this Wall Street Journal article?

“These self-made hitting gurus didn’t play in the big leagues, operate outside the mainstream and are convinced there is a better way to hit than what’s being taught at the major-league level. And they are rattling the baseball establishment.“

CLICK HERE for original post.

 

#5 Most Shared Link in 2017

From the post:

“Colt McCoy says this is because specialization limits the skills kids can learn, both motor and relationship skills, from playing multiple sports. Being on different teams gives kids an opportunity to learn and grow.  The other benefit of playing multiple sports is that you don’t get burned out. McCoy shares here that he didn’t know he was going to play football in college until his junior year in high school!  He continued to play basketball, golf, and other sports through high school because he liked being a part of different teams. McCoy strongly feels that when kids specialize at too young an age they miss out ‘on what sports truly encompass.'”

CLICK HERE for original post.

 

#4 Most Shared Link in 2017

Many of you know how I feel about the ground-ball hitting approach.  I think the biggest push back from pro GB hitting coaches is because they have no clue how to optimize line drive Launch Angles in their hitters.  Do you have a hitter with above average speed?  Then why not teach him or her to drive the ball with authority too?  Gives them another tool for their toolbox.  Teaching a fast runner to JUST hit the ball on the ground is just plain lazy.  Be better than that.  When coaches aren’t growing, they’re dying.  Make hitters better.  Give them more tools.  CLICK HERE for the original post.

 

#3 Most Shared Link in 2017

Shameful conduct.  Bullies.  I feel bad for the young ladies on this team who were seen as guilty by association. CLICK HERE for the original post.

 

#2 Most Shared Link in 2017

How cool is this?!  From the post:

“Joe Jackson was at the Rangers’ Spring Training complex on Friday, and no, you did not somehow step into a time machine and travel back to the 1910s. It was Joe Jackson, the 24-year-old Minor Leaguer who, yes, is the great-great-grandnephew of Shoeless Joe Jackson”. 

CLICK HERE for the original post.  And our MOST SHARED non-HPL link in 2017 was…(drum-roll please)…

 

#1 Most Shared Link in 2017

This video is well worth your time. George Springer’s dad was interviewed after World Series Game-7 ended, and after his son received the MVP award.  Great insight into what dad taught Junior growing up, even discussing a unique perspective to the stuttering challenges George Springer (son) grew up with.  CLICK HERE for the original post.

And for the BONUSES…

 

BONUS #11 Most Shared Link in 2017

As many of you know, I love getting athletes to move better.  If we do that, then they’ll perform better. This is a great routine to help with stiff hamstrings, which surprisingly is what most of my hitters have!  CLICK HERE for the original post.

 

BONUS #12 Most Shared Link in 2017…ahem…I mean First Week January 2018

This was a recent popular January 2018 post, but I wanted to include it here.  Preaching the ‘Sticky Coaching’ gospel for parents.  CLICK HERE for the original post.

 

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