Every seasoned player knows the crack of the bat isn't just about hits and home runs; it's about the life lessons learned on the diamond. Sit back as I, Ken Carpenter, chat with Otterbein University's esteemed baseball head coach, George Powell. Celebrating his 600th career win, Coach Powell doesn't just recount his victories but shares the heart of the game, the mentorship that shapes young players, and the life-changing moments that reverberate far beyond the outfield.
Strap in for an emotional journey through the annals of baseball, where passion and resilience triumph over adversity. As we explore the profound influence of mentors and family, Coach Powell and I dissect the recruitment minefield of Division III baseball, where the next MVP could be the walk-on no one saw coming. You'll hear firsthand how technology's seismic shift has turned recruiting on its head, forcing coaches to adapt or be left in the dust. This episode isn't just a playbook rundown; it's a testament to the human spirit woven into the fabric of America's favorite pastime.
As we round third and head for home, get ready for tales that capture the essence of coaching. From a varsity record that'll have you on the edge of your seat to the under-the-radar players who became the heroes of their own stories, these anecdotes are not just about baseball—they're about the indelible marks left on those who live and breathe the sport. Lean in as we pay homage to the unsung heroes off the field, the assistant coaches whose strategies and support are the game's backbone. This episode is more than a game recap; it's a celebration of the journey, the people, and the love of the game that connects us all.
Every seasoned player knows the crack of the bat isn't just about hits and home runs; it's about the life lessons learned on the diamond. Sit back as I, Ken Carpenter, chat with Otterbein University's esteemed baseball head coach, George Powell. Celebrating his 600th career win, Coach Powell doesn't just recount his victories but shares the heart of the game, the mentorship that shapes young players, and the life-changing moments that reverberate far beyond the outfield.
Strap in for an emotional journey through the annals of baseball, where passion and resilience triumph over adversity. As we explore the profound influence of mentors and family, Coach Powell and I dissect the recruitment minefield of Division III baseball, where the next MVP could be the walk-on no one saw coming. You'll hear firsthand how technology's seismic shift has turned recruiting on its head, forcing coaches to adapt or be left in the dust. This episode isn't just a playbook rundown; it's a testament to the human spirit woven into the fabric of America's favorite pastime.
As we round third and head for home, get ready for tales that capture the essence of coaching. From a varsity record that'll have you on the edge of your seat to the under-the-radar players who became the heroes of their own stories, these anecdotes are not just about baseball—they're about the indelible marks left on those who live and breathe the sport. Lean in as we pay homage to the unsung heroes off the field, the assistant coaches whose strategies and support are the game's backbone. This episode is more than a game recap; it's a celebration of the journey, the people, and the love of the game that connects us all.
Today on the Athlete One podcast 600 game winner Otterbein University baseball head coach, george Powell.
Speaker 2:And then you'll have a kid that's an elite player that might not skill set but plays the game pretty fundamentally and plays it right and will kind of associate his success on the field with somebody else that has a higher skill set. So they think that they can play at a higher level where they'll have everything they can handle at the Division III level on it. And those are the things that I think that kind of affects the recruit. That hurt us sometimes in the recruiting. As you said, turning the nose up is, I think, a good way to put it and they just don't understand how competitive it is. Here that's the first thing. We'll get an all-Ohio kid that just kind of slipped through the cracks and you know we'll meet with them. The first thing they say is I never realized it would be this competitive.
Speaker 3:Because you're still dealing with 22-year-old men. Welcome to the Athlete One podcast. Veteran high school baseball coach Ken Carpenter takes you into life's classroom as experienced through sports. Go behind the scenes with athletes and coaches as they share great stories, life lessons and ways to impact others and and.
Speaker 1:Episode 99 of the Athlete One podcast is powered by the Netting Professionals, improving programs one facility at a time. The Netting Professionals specialize in the design, fabrication and installation of custom netting for baseball and softball. This includes backstops, batting cages, bp turtles, screens, ball carts and more. They also design and install digital graphic wall padding, windscreen, turf, turf protectors, dugout benches and cubbies. The netting pros also work with football, soccer, lacrosse and golf courses. Contact them today at 844-620-2707. That's 844-620-2707. You can visit them online at wwwnettingproscom or check out Netting Pros on Twitter, instagram, facebook and LinkedIn for all their latest products and projects. Before you settle in, I'd like to ask a huge favor. If you could, please hit the subscribe button and leave us a review. It helps us to grow the show. Now to my interview with 600-game winner Otterbein University baseball head coach, george Powell. Hello and welcome to the Athlete One podcast. I'm your host, ken Carpenter. Joining me today is Otterbein University head coach, george Powell. Coach, thanks for taking time to be on the show.
Speaker 2:Thanks, thanks, ken, for having me. I appreciate it.
Speaker 1:Well, it's April, it's foreign degrees and, I guess, typical baseball weather in Ohio.
Speaker 2:Yeah, I mean, I was just saying I'm just dealing with this weather this whole week, just trying to figure out practice schedules and all that stuff and trying to get on with you is kind of a challenge. But we're here. But yeah, it is. You always go through this in April, especially in Ohio.
Speaker 1:Well, you have a week to let us sink in your thoughts on getting win number 600, and you joined an elite group of coaches Don Chowdhury, brian Bruner, bob Fisher, herb Strayer and another Auburn coach, dick Fitchfall.
Speaker 2:Yeah, yeah, really, to reflect on it, you don't coach for the milestones, it's just something. I think that happens via a lot of reasons. I got a lot of well wishes on Twitter and just messages. Know, uh, twitter and um, you know, just messages, texts is that this was just unbelievable, um, and so you don't really realize what you do until you hit these things you hope you do and impact people the right way. Um, but just the well wishes was, was was really good, but just reflecting on it, it's, it's kind of surreal. I was, I was a coach, fish balls assistant.
Speaker 2:When he hit he had his 600th Um, and I don't, it was somebody purple, I don't know if it was Capitol or uh, mount Union, but um, you know, I just it's just surreal to me, like it's, like it's, you know, I can't believe it's. I still, you know, as you know, when you coach you and just doesn't feel like 25 years, yeah, and 600 wins, it's kind of unbelievable. And to be mentioned in those guys' status, I mean, those are, you know, I mean Don Challey's all-time winningest coach, I think maybe in baseball it's just incredible what he did. But just Bob Fisher was always good to me, having an opportunity to coach against all of them was something I thought when I was reflecting. I thought was pretty neat, you know, wow.
Speaker 2:But just Bob Fisher, herb Strayer, those are the shoulders that you know, us coaches now in the OAC, which is a great conference, those are the shoulders we're standing on and they're the ones that made this conference the best in Division III, you know, out of 385 or 86 teams, it's just the most competitive league and it's just an honor being named with those guys. It's nothing that you sign up for, it's something that you think you're going to get to or it's just something that happens via luck and being around a lot of really good people, having a lot of really good coaches, good players. Like I said, I can't emphasize enough good people. So it's been pretty, pretty cool just reflecting and getting messages and catching up and with people I haven't talked to. So that's the other good thing about milestones it reconnects you with people that you have good feelings for and that they have for you, and you kind of let those feelings go for years and then, when these things happen, you, you get to reconnect.
Speaker 1:So that's been the real nice thing for me well, I've known you for quite some time now and you know, I thought when I was doing my research I'm going to try to go a different route here. So I reached out to a current player that I had a chance to to coach and, uh, he's a pitcher for you, luke waller. Well, yeah, he said. I said because you know when I go. Well, yeah, he said I said because you know when I go to look at things I like. But I'm going to ask about this, ask about this. I thought what would a player like to hear? And he said to ask you about the team culture. And he says it's amazing that the great mindset you set with all the players yeah, I go ahead. So how did him go about calling that?
Speaker 2:Monique. I just think, being around a game, ken, like you have, I hope this thing doesn't keep people like this. I don't know how to turn it on, but, as you know, I mean I think the longer you go, you know what's good. You know, I've been very fortunate to coach a lot of really really good teams that really show you what good culture is all about, um, and it's really the leadership within the players, um, but you try to point them to the right direction. That's the one thing I would say. I coach more than ever now is just the mentality of the game and not letting it overwhelm you and being a good teammate and understanding how lucky you know these guys are to have an opportunity to play at this level With all the other crazy stuff that's going on in the world. It's, you know they have it pretty good and having them understand that I talk a lot about. You know what it is to, what you have to be to have success at this game Because, as you know, it's unforgiving, it's guaranteed failure, and it's how you handle those things that I think individually that allow you to collectively. If you can handle those things the right way, you can pick people up that are going through the same issues that happen in the game, whether it's a slump or you know you did everything right but you lined out and you have nothing to show for it. And that's what this game is trying to do is trying to overwhelm you mentally. And when you can get it together mentally from an individual standpoint, I think collectively, guys start feeding off of each other with it and picking each other up, and you know, when you get a bad strikeout, somebody comes up and picks you up, the next guy picks you up, and I think that's kind of. You know, what I probably preach, more than anything, is about who you are and I don't know.
Speaker 2:I talk a lot about the mentality that you have to have to have success in this game. I think part of that is being a good teammate. We don't, we, I don't have, we don't vote for captains and stuff, and I think that was something I did early in my earlier days, because I always thought to myself it's a tough sport to lead in when you're in an 0 for 13 slump and the game already put overwhelms with, you know, with with those type of negative things, outcomes that happen regularly in the in the game. So, um, and I don't want to restrict leadership, so in the years past I think that's part of it too. I think everybody feels invested, whether they play a lot or pitch a lot.
Speaker 2:I think a couple of our really good leaders in our pitching staff are two twin, the Conrad twins, that are seniors that really haven't had a lot of opportunities, and when I say many opportunities I'm saying maybe an inning here, an inning there in their whole career and they're seniors but they hold guys accountable and I think that's the thing that's special within our program is um, you know there's definitely a standard that that's been set long before. As you mentioned, coach, fish ball and and um, you know that's a standard of Otterbein baseball and you have to kind of get to try to get to that regular. But you need the right people, the right guys to do that. You can't do it with um.
Speaker 2:You know kids that are selfish, or you know it's or they. That's baseball is the blame game. You can blame anybody anytime it's the umpire's fault. The coach took the pitcher out, put another guy in they shouldn't put in shortstop, made three errors. Um, you know all that stuff. So when you get people away from those type of easy way outs, then I think you know you get them to focus on the right things and that's hopefully individually to grind for that individual success, so collectively for as a team, you know it benefits everybody.
Speaker 1:Well, you know. Welcome back to your career. You mentioned coach Fischball. How big a role did he have?
Speaker 2:And you know did your dad play a role in your approach to playing the game and now coaching baseball. You know, I think obviously I'll start with my dad. It makes it easier that way. But my dad just little things in the game. He was a guy that taught me how to handle things and when I didn't handle things he didn't let me off the hook. And I think that's the problem today sometimes with parenting when parents get involved, I think the negative side of it. I think parents' involvement is fine as long as they let the kids experience their experiences and not try to force the experience and within those experiences there's going to be negative outcomes, um, which is growth. So you want that, you want that, but sometimes parents don't.
Speaker 2:But my dad was just so influential in sports he thought athletics was a mechanism that will teach you about life. So, whether and I played growing up football, basketball, baseball, and I did it in high school at westville north a long time ago but uh, his attitude was just he, he, he that the athletics teaches you about life. So and he made a big point in that, and especially when we had, you know, tough losses as little kids and when I would cry when we'd lose, cause I hated losing, uh, as a little kid and um, you know, he would say that's, that's part of this. This is things that happen and little things in baseball that I still, you know, teach here and talk about all the time. And I'm happy now because we've been real successful this year is our two-strike approach. My dad, baseball-wise, was just a big guy choking up, moving to baseball and that was always something that stuck with me, even though I would be, you know, growing up in my high school and college career. I'd be a middle lineup guy, but it was always important for me to move to baseball.
Speaker 2:Now, from a coaching standpoint, um, dick Fishball meant, you know, I think they're they're both the most two influential men in my life, uh, mentors, you know, obviously my dad meant everything to me. He was a great, great father. I miss him dearly every day. Meant everything to me. He was a great great father. I miss him dearly every day, um, but Dick Fishball was just, uh, uh, who's, you know, he was just a technician, uh, on coaching and hitting, um, and how he laid things out and how he was so direct when he, when he coached he was, uh, you know, taught me a lot and that was. And then he taught me a good mentality as a coach, kind of be even keeled and see things for what they are and to understand that there's going to be some bad days in baseball and not to go too high or too low. So his consistent approach on how he did things, um, and very direct on how he coached, um, he, he was, and he was a technician, he was a, you know, back in, you know, you go into the eighties and nineties and if you want to go into the seventies, he was a guy that all the you know baseball people wanted to have come talk about hitting uh to their team or whether it was, and he was a great man for me. He was always supportive of me. So, um, it's two, two huge influences on me.
Speaker 2:Mike Florac I coach with just for one year. He taught me a lot up when I was up at Youngstown state after my experience with coach fishball. Um, he taught me just in one year just about how, again, to be direct and be precise and decisive on making decisions, and I know I can go back on Roger Engel's plan for him at Ohio Wesleyan. He was the same way. He taught me a little bit about culture. If I look back at it now, he would galvanize the team, especially when things would go sideways. How he would galvanize the team, especially when things would go sideways. But Dick Fishball and Ed Powell were. You know, ed Powell was as good a father as anybody could have and Dick Fishball is as good a mentor, and even more than that, to me, you know he was just like a second father to me, but just hugely important to me.
Speaker 1:When you look back at Jake Ferrer, what are some of the absolutes a player must have to?
Speaker 2:play at Irvine. Success. The absolutes is, I think, to have the passion to play. I think that's the thing that everybody likes, the idea of going and playing, and I think that's what happens because it's. You know, it's still a step up and you hear a lot of times, like I said, come and watch an OAC baseball game, come and watch Baldwin, wallace or us or Heidelberg or these teams. I mean it's good baseball in this conference, it's as good as it gets. All the teams in the country when we go down south want to play us because we're the, we're the conference. Better having two and three, you know, world Series teams.
Speaker 2:But the absolutes for players is that that passion. Obviously talent matters, but you know I would, you know, I've been, I've had really good luck with guys that were under recruited or not recruited at all and everybody in Division three is a walk on. But you know we've had some guys that we didn't recruit, that just showed up, that were all you know, all region players, academic, all Americans and just great contributors to our program. But I would say, going back to the absolutes, the passion, the work ethic, I think being who you are is hugely important. Like you were talking about culture earlier.
Speaker 2:I think the type of person you are, the selfless, you know person, and you know I used the line, the guy that used to be at University of Louisiana I think he's not there anymore, but one of the things he used to say is work while you wait and you know we talk a little bit about that, but just, I would say the absolutes is just having the really true joy to playing and if it's not baseball, the next thing is baseball. You know. So if it's studying, the next thing you're doing is probably going to be hitting or, you know, lifting, something that's going to help you become a better baseball player. You know, I would say that probably for me is just the passion and really, you know, have that love to play, discipline. I think you think within that that it's important to you.
Speaker 1:When you had a chance to experience being the assistant coach, talk about how important your certain coaches are, not only on this staff, but your staff as well.
Speaker 2:I've had a who's who. I mean it's just absolutely incredible. I mean, in my first recruiting class I had Brian Meyer who played and was on the 2003 OAC championship team. I'm the first one that I was able to coach. He came on as a graduate assistant to me after he was done and then his transformation in the coaching world has been pretty dynamic, where he went to Wright State, he went to Tulane for a while, went up to Butler and then got an opportunity to get into pro ball. We saw him down in Fort Myers. He was the manager of the year in the single A in the Florida League last summer and he's a single A coach now for the Fort Myers Muscles. But he's part of that lineage for me that I, you know I was able to coach um at Brink.
Speaker 2:Ambler came into my life. I don't know if you know Brink, but Brink came in um because his wife was, you know, doing a, getting a master's degree at Ohio state. He went to university, alabama. He did a lot of really good things from a hitting standpoint, um and and some of these guys did it for literally next to nothing. And now he's the I just talked to him about. He's another guy I just reconnected with. He was a AAA coach for the Tidewater Tides, the hitting coach, and now he's kind of going through all the organizations now but he's part of you know. He was in there for about three or four years for me in a couple championship years. Jordan Cairo, who everybody knows. Jordan has Christian played for me, jordan helped a couple years and did a lot of good things, brought a lot of things that Wright State did over. I'd be remiss with not saying John McCourt from a pitching standpoint, but probably the biggest influence that was a crossover with me and Coach Fishwell was debuting, who was with me and Coach Fish for a long time.
Speaker 2:That's kind of set up. We've always pitched it real well, set up our pitching at the end. But there's so many other guys now the current staff, colton Honston a really good job. I'm finally resourced and staffed the way we should be. Thank goodness from the support from our current AD, craig Glott, our current AD and Bill Fox, our VP of affairs, made that happen. So we were one of the last teams in OAC not to have a full-time assistant and you know, with carrying as many guys and not many now because of COVID's done, but like being in the mid-40s of guys and having two teams, I think that's you need that support with it. We've got two graduate assistants now. We're just staffed the right way to where we can develop guys.
Speaker 2:In the past it was just kind of touch and go, just because guys were doing it for nothing. He helps out Tom Ryan with our pitchers. Now His grandfather is Jack Ryan, one of the all-time greats in Central Ohio. So there's plenty of other guys that I'm proud of. I know I'm leaving out, like Aaron Hutchinson, bobby Wright I mean there's so many guys that have made this program what it is and have allowed me to have the success that I've had as a coach with it.
Speaker 2:But just, I could go on and on. But there's, you know, the Dave Ewing's, john LaCourte's, the Joe Wilkins I forgot the list of him. He's been huge. Joe Wilkins from Norwalk, not from Columbus, not from Scioto. The guy we got another Joe Wilkins who's done has a huge influence on our program and pitching development and just a lot of things we have in place there program and pitching development and just a lot of things we have in place. There's just been so many hands involved and it had to be, because you know there was nothing really here holding them, so you had to take the help.
Speaker 2:As you know, as a coach there's nothing better than good assistant coaches that you can rely on, that you know stuff's getting done when it needs to get done, that you can't always be there for Especially now, and you know my role a lot of times I find myself doing. Mike Florek told me this young sound state when I would come into work I'm sorry I'm carrying on, but I would come into work and I'd go through my recruiting pile and I'd buy pitching. You know what we're going to do for and everything was just, you know, it was just pretty class discipline issues and whatever that's going on. That's coming down from. Ironically, at that same time, jim Trestle was the uh, um, athletic director at Youngstown state when I was here. But he's dealing with all this stuff and I remember him saying you know he watched me one day do all my things and get everything in order and stuff and he hadn't even really got started on the things he wanted to and he said my chair that might as about one fifth about coaching baseball and, um, he goes.
Speaker 2:Just realize, as an assistant coach, you get to do the fun stuff, you get to do the coaching and all that. So, um, but you need, you need, you absolutely need, uh, um, and I from that he's, he's totally right. So there's just a lot of things now that I'm coming in after I get done here I'm reconciling bills and you know where we fed the guys and just little things that you know go under. You know that you have to do now that are different. There's just a lot of things to manage to now that you know in the earlier days you didn't have, but regardless you need to have great assistant coaches and I've been really fortunate to have them, I think I hope I didn't miss any of them because they've all been, you know, they've all been hugely important to to what we've done and what we do well over the past 25 years.
Speaker 1:How much do you think the game has changed? Is it is the recruiting? Definitely there's a plug yeah, I mean obviously.
Speaker 2:I mean I go back to the point. I was like kind of pre I would come in and call from the office phone from like seven to 10, from like Sunday night to Thursday, and send out mass mail, or saw the colleges and stuff with social media. Now it's there's times where I mean I, I, I text with guys and it's kind of crazy it's. You know, sometimes you don't know, you don't know what somebody's voice sounds like until you get them on campus for a visit voice sounds like until you get them on campus for a visit. So, um, uh, but uh, no, it's, that's. The recruiting for sure has changed. The game's changed because of how everything is. Obviously it comes down from major league baseball trickles from division one to us and we got the times stuff now for pitches and um, you know just everything else launch angles and the hitting and uh and just the other stuff. You know, with driveline, and I think we were doing that stuff before before, that stuff, but drivelines kind of came in and branded stuff from a pitching hitting. Oh, you know, and what the body was really doing when we thought it was. You know, when we had the VHS, when we were taping hitters at the most important point, at contact or when they were throwing the ball. It was nothing but a big blur so you couldn't really see. But when super slow-mo came in, that kind of changed the game and we kind of understood what the great players were doing and that's what we tried to do. I know, with Dave Ewing and with the pitchers and John LaCourte and Joe Wilkins here, what we did with the hitters and Jordan, cairo and Brank and the guys that I mentioned, I think Brian Meyer in the earlier days, you know you were able to kind of see. So it kind of changed what you taught. I think we would teach a little bit different than what Coach Fishball taught in hitting.
Speaker 2:I would love for him to be around this now just to hear him talk about it, because he had a strong opinion on how you swing a bat and I'd love to hear his thoughts on it, on that same question, with the launch angles and all that stuff, and I think there's so much stuff out there, it gets it gets kind of tangled up and, um, confusing for guys. So I think the game is is sometimes over complicated. We over complicate it now than we might have before. Um, you know in terms of doing things, but you still have to do the things to win that the game requires you to do, and that's you know limiting free bases, throwing strikes uh. Making routine plays defensively, um. You know. Limiting strikeouts. Getting on base the other way, um and uh. Getting in plus counts offensively, and um. You know the bunt game and doing the little things. The game dictates a lot of times what you have to do, and being consistent at it is probably the main thing. But I would say that you know the bat flipping and all that other garbage that goes on now, which you know again stems from the big leagues and stuff you know. That I don't think has any part of it. It just it eventually hits us and hits our players, and it goes down to high school for that matter.
Speaker 2:But the recruiting for sure, just because of the social media stuff, it's just easy to instant message guys, text, guys, get on it. You know, if you hear a name, somebody's looking to you know, I don't know. Somebody says somebody's interested, you can get on in five minutes, get on a computer and get video on them. You know, um, where in the past you used to have to wait for them and I just think there's so much stuff out there it's harder to get the. You know there's times where you can still do it. You know where you can we're. You know small college guys. You can go out there and get somebody that can should be playing at higher level.
Speaker 2:But that's harder and harder to do than it was in my earlier days. Like Doug Stevens, a kid from Newark Catholic, and Dan Romanowski, the R1-2 punch in my earlier years made it real easy for me to coach, get on a bus and go play somebody, whether it be Marietta or whoever, to have those two guys go on 1-2, I always felt pretty good about what the outcome was going to be that day one too. I always felt pretty good about what the outcome was going to be that day Um and so. But getting those types of recruits now is a little bit more difficult cause there's too much stuff out there on guys and um. But that's probably the thing it's.
Speaker 2:That's changed is the, the, the interaction that the, the communication part of it is. It's it's done through texting more now than it is by talking, which it's that's which. I'm still an old school guy. I like the verbal stuff probably better than I do the texts because you can take a lot from whatever. What's that mean with texts and stuff? What's that supposed to mean? But it's all changed from that end of it and the game's changed just from the standpoint of what the great players are really actually doing. We really never knew. We didn't know why Sandy Koufax was able to throw, for you know, whatever he threw, the innings he did 10 years and stuff and eventually his body breaks down. But it's like he was very efficient with his body and that's why he struck a lot of guys out, threw a lot of no-hitters and you know back then, you know if we got, if we're coaching that in the 80s we'd probably be telling Sandy Kovacs to throw a different way when actually he was throwing the way he should have been throwing.
Speaker 1:Well, d3 baseball excuse me, D3 baseball in Ohio has to be the best in the country. Not about why high school players should consider the D3 route, because you hear a lot of you know kids talk. Lot of kids talk about D1 or both, right?
Speaker 2:I think now it's really going to change. Well, I mean, I think you've got so many colleges and people don't realize that in the country. I think we've got 12 or 13 Division I's and now there used to be NAIA's but now you've got all the Ashland. You've got a Division II conference in your state and within Ohio you have three Division III conferences. Basically With us. I think for me the OAC is the best, just because it's just competitively and ranked-wise and what we do against the best teams in the country at our level. There's pockets. You know Wisconsin has those big schools, the Whitewaters, the Lacrosses and the Oshkoshes, and those schools those are 20,000, 15,000 student universities. And then East Coast you have the same kind of thing. There's some big schools on the East Coast but in the New England area there's good T3s but there's really none down south and out west. You have one conference out in Southern California, a really elite school, so it's tough for kids to get in those schools and really there's nothing too much downtown. A few schools in Georgia but nothing pressing. So I think in Ohio it's just really good and now with the portal and all the things, with the rules and all that stuff is changing. I talked to a high school coach a couple of days ago, a really successful Ryan Alexander, a couple of days ago. You know Ryan, really great local coach, and we're talking about a little bit. It's like it might get to a point where, with the portal and what D1 coaches are doing, they're plucking guys out and they're going Some guys are going Juco routes. Now I think we might be a stepping stone for guys that maybe come and play at our level for two or three years and then go, try to move up to a higher level. I don't know if I'd be a fan of that, because I like the development process of it. It's just really good baseball, the OAC at this point, and I would really good baseball.
Speaker 2:I mean I, I mean the OAC at this at this point. I mean in the, and I would say in the last 10 years it's probably been like that. It hasn't always been, but there's always been, you know, really good teams in the conference but I think top to bottom what makes it. But you know, um, I, that's like I said earlier, I think come watch game. I mean we've heard this from scouts before and they thought the game was played better at our level. You know there might be an arm or two that were obviously better going to Ohio State and watching the Big Ten matchup, but the game and how things are played and how we do you know things I think are, you know, are very fundamental and I think that leads to you know good baseball. So it just, I don't know there's, you know, are very fundamental and I think that leads to you know good baseball. So, um, it just I don't know, I don't it's well, there's a lot of us, so it's.
Speaker 2:The other part of this too is I've changed kind of my recruiting part of it. We obviously still recruit Ohio and central aisle, but there's pockets in this country where you can go and get kids that don't have what we have right here, and you know it's crazy. There's not states like Arizona and Phoenix in those areas. There's it's a fourth biggest city. I went out there, uh, to recruit just a little bit and there's a huge Ohio contingent out there with connections and stuff. But, um, you know there's places now where, with with again, the internet, that you go out there, there's not a lot of opportunities for a really good student out there. That's a pretty good player to catch on with one or two division ones and a couple of D2s and JUCOs that are really good out there. There's that good student out there that you know.
Speaker 2:So you got to kind of be you know, kind of going back to the last question on what's changed is that's probably the thing that you kind of open your spread, you throw your net out on a wider base now in the recruiting efforts where you can go to different pockets in the country to, you know, try to get kids and attract them to to this. And we, we we've been able to. We've got a couple of kids from IMG, got a kid from Tokyo that's why I'm wearing a hat he got me that Yomare Giants hat Haruki Tata he's a senior and we got a kid from Seoul, south Korea, through a connection Simonson and IMG. That are two good players and that.
Speaker 2:Those are things that I don't think people, kids growing up in Ohio, understand that we're able to attract really good players here too, from not just Ohio. So but you know it's right, we're right in the a lot of people and these are great education. You know schools that have I mean, we're reversing a lot of Otterbein spent the growth that's one of the things changed just the immense opportunities here, just from an academic standpoint, with degrees it's really, you know it's changed. There's a lot of opportunities that way. So when you can have those opportunities in the recruiting part of it to balance the academic side to the baseball side, I think those are, you know, those are the things that I think can be attractive to any recruit.
Speaker 1:You know, those are the things that I think can be attractive to any recruit. Well, you know, when I was a head coach and I'd have a player that was considering, you know, or they were wanting to play college baseball, I would always tell their parents and the player All you gotta do is go right here to Central Island. You can see some really good B3 baseball and you know you shouldn't turn your nose off to that because it's it's very good and you know that's a thing a lot of players don't realize is d3. I can recall it's been quite a while, but I believe ohio western.
Speaker 2:You know I was saying it and it's white yeah, they did, and um roger angles did and and you know I you know not to talk about me, but we got our my 300th win halfway through against University of Cincinnati Really good team. It's just baseball. We were able to beat UC in a kid that was, I think, drafted in the seventh round. It's just baseball. Sometimes If you play the game right you can get good results. But 10th Petri, it was to beat Ohio State. Those are years whereester beat Ohio State and those are years where I think Ohio State won the Big Ten. So with Bob Todd it was back in those days. So yeah, I think you can.
Speaker 2:I think kind of what you alluded to, where kids turn their nose up. Part of the issue now is you know we run into it now is there's less kids because of lacrosse and other sports. There's less kids playing baseball but there's more teams in the summer. So it doesn't really add up, you know, in terms of that. But what happens is in the summer leagues you got, you know, 10 to State or Ohio University or D1 might like, and you'll have another kid on the team that doesn't have that skill set but plays the game pretty fundamentally and plays it right and we'll kind of associate his success on the field with somebody else that has a higher skill set. So they think that they're, they can play at a higher level where they'll have everything they can handle at the Division III level on it. And those are the things that I think that kind of affect the recruit. That hurt us sometimes in the recruiting.
Speaker 2:As you said, turning the nose up is, I think, a good way to put it, and they just don't understand how competitive it is. Here. That's the first thing. We'll get an all-Ohio kid that just kind of slipped through the cracks and we'll meet with them. The first thing you say is I'd never realized it would be this competitive, because you're still dealing with 22-year-old men when you're 18. So it's a whole different ball of wax.
Speaker 2:But I think it gets confused because of what other you know. Billy's going to get the Division I scholarship but Tommy's just as good or having a better summer. The parents can say, well, he's better than him, he should go to Division I and he doesn't have the skill set. He'd be eating alive if he saw 92 every day at the plate. But he can hit 84, 85, which is probably the sweet spot for us. But I think we get pitchers that throw 84, 85, that have better pitch ability than some Division I, guys that have that throw 92 or 94. You know, but I think to kind of your point.
Speaker 2:That's kind of jumping back to your last question. I think that's something that has effect. I think summer baseball has changed and kids are used to playing so they're not used to starting over at the college process and understanding that the development process is still going. And a lot of times guys nowadays I've been pretty fortunate here but a lot of guys are impatient with it and they want that instant gratification. They don't understand why they're not playing because they've always used to been playing. As you know, as I coach in high school way back when you used to have a freshman team, a JV team and a varsity team and on good high school programs you didn't get a sniff until your junior year even, no matter how good you were then. And now that's not the case. Kids are used to playing varsity as a freshman or sophomore, so they're used to playing at that level. So sometimes that's a thing that when they get to us they feel like they're almost entitled to play. But you've still got to earn it here too.
Speaker 1:Yep, well, you mentioned high school and you were a pretty darn good player coming out of high school. You played for Hall of Fame coach Bob Haley at Westerville North. Then you went to Roger Ingalls up at Ohio Wesleyan and you were a four-time all-hunter selection at three different positions first base, third base and DH. Did they have any influence on how you do things nowadays?
Speaker 2:Oh, I think all of them do. I'm glad you mentioned Bob Haley because he was another guy that you know taught that, Like I said, in high school I played football, basketball and baseball Back in the day when you could do that and now Coach, is in a really good spot and sharing, as you know, trying. Hagley was, uh, just a fundamentally sound coach and he brought a mentality of, like you know, uh, expect to win and um, just that, that, that just we're here to, we're here to beat you mentality, um, and expect to win, uh, every time, you know, and um, but a very fundamental coach. But I think, yeah, those guys helped me. And I think, going back to what I said about my dad, the two-strike hitting, obviously the positions you're talking about, what I played, I don't know. I mean I probably was better at first base in any position. I played it most of my life. But I played third base one year and was probably, you know, I'd make some really good plays and have some really routine errors too on routine plays in DH.
Speaker 2:So hitting obviously was the thing that I did well, but I think, yeah, I think all of them, you know, as I learned, you know, when I was playing at Wesleyan, I would give lessons at Grand Slam. That's kind of got me hooked up with Coach Fish and Coach Fish taught me a lot while I was, you know, playing it. I understand that Kenny Schultz is another guy. God rest his soul. That was a summer coach I loved playing for when I played for Gar-Trusty in the Westville A's way back in the day when I was in college and stuff. But I learned a lot from all those guys in terms of hitting. It's a constant as you play. If you're learning and you're cerebral about it, you don't overthink it, but you're trying to understand what you're trying to get your body to do.
Speaker 2:I think you know being around a lot of good minds and Bob Hagley was a guy to preach moving the baseball, being able to slash the bunt game and all that stuff and I was always able to do some of that stuff, even though I didn't run great Um, but uh, I don't know. I think um and Roger Ingles, I just always was around people. That was about moving to baseball and that was something that I always focused on. So I think I always gave myself a better chance to hit by limiting strikeouts and those've had, let's say, 30 at-bats and you've struck out 10 of them, what happens if you strike out five and you get two hits in there? That makes that whatever. If you're looking at, as I call them, stat rats the guys that are always looking at those things, Because sometimes results don't say what you're doing, because you can be having good at-bats and not having positive results. But I think all those guys had a big influence on me offensively.
Speaker 2:Like I said, I would say Bob Hagley, or my dad, Bob Hagley, Bill Harver, that coached me, that really got me to love the game. He just recently passed coached the Warcats, the original ones when I was 13, 14. A lot of really good players played at a high level, the original summer ball teams. He had a big influence on me just starting to love the game and kind of separated me from I wasn't sure if I was going to go football, basketball or baseball, um, but he bill harbour was the guy that, uh, at a young age it got me to love the game. And, like I said, my dad, with two strike, hitting early and just a consummate, like with fish and and uh, roger angles, those guys were, you know they're just good coaches. Roger was really good about how you make adjustments and you know approaches and stuff. I you know the things. I remember this, the how he helped me from a hitting standpoint or you know it's funny that you met.
Speaker 1:You know, when we talk about Al Habley, when I moved to Central Ohio back in the early 90s I started off as an umpire and I got assigned to a Westerville-Worth game and in the middle of the game it just starts pouring. So we pull everybody off the field. But you could look up to the I want to say the right and you could see the track. Kids were running on the track. It was a track meet and I did not know Bob Haley until I met him during ground rules and I remember him looking up there and he says look at, that's a. That kid's 100 yards behind everybody else he's gonna finish court and he should get a medal for that. And I was just like, oh boy, you just tell he was like he. Well, I'm winning.
Speaker 2:You know, yeah, he was okay. I mean and that's a really good point, I think he would teach you about what can be in competitive really was like what it is. You think you know what it is like, cause you want to, you want that self gratification, but he, he, that was definitely him. It was. That was definitely that end result. You showed up, no matter who it was, and we were really unfortunate my junior year not to win a state championship and, uh know, lost it to toughy roads and cincinnati western hills, where pete rose went to school and in a two-day deal where you know, we had to come back because it was that trout and field and we lost light and, uh, it was just, you know it was a great team, but he, just, you know where, he just like I'd say, there's times where just would will us to win games, like when the game didn't treat us good or we had you know, you know, cause that's what the game does sometimes. Um, I go back and talk sharing about the university of Cincinnati. I mean I think we took our third baseman out of the game that day because they hit a ball so hard that we, our third baseman, thought he broke his hand catching it and we had to take him out. Take him out. But they get a lot of balls like that and, and you know, it wasn't that Otterbein was, we were at the right place, right time and scored, but and that's what the game does, but, um, I don't know.
Speaker 2:I think, going back to coach Hagley, he was, he was just. You know the my. My point is the game sometimes doesn't treat you well and you can do everything to win, but sometimes it doesn't work out. Bob Hageley, that didn't happen very often, if it did at all. I think I was 50. I was telling this the other day. I was 50 and 6. In my two years in varsity baseball, won 50 games and lost 6. Like I said, one of them was an extra inning state championship game. One of them was my senior year, was a regional championship game to the eventual team that ended up winning, I think, at Burlington and London State that year.
Speaker 1:Well, I also reached out to a former player, connor Crotty, and he talked about the impact that you made on him and he writes I want to sound like Kixie Kixie here he talked about. Asked Coach Powell about any moments that stand out at Auburn that you'll always remember. Is there anything that you look back on? Your career? You go, wow.
Speaker 2:I mean there's some great days, for sure. I keep saying the win against Cincinnati in the 300, just how that came about. We're supposed to play Mount St Joe's and Chuck Murray's a good guy that was coaching down there at the time and said, hey, but we can't play tomorrow. I got a game for you, you're going to play Cincinnati I said thanks, chuck. You know that's good, but I think that stood out because that was a unique thing. Situation for me. Obviously the championship games, all of them. You know I can go. You know we finished the last one.
Speaker 2:We went up at Baldwin Wallace. We were, you know, we had to win. We had to sweep Marietta to get in the tournament. Then we went on and won like nine in a row and we did that. We're fourth in the conference to get into the final four teams and we go on and just run through the tournament, win three games and then go on to a regional. That stood out.
Speaker 2:No-transcript. We had a kid named Adam Brandt who left-handed kid that pitched a little bit pro ball, played for the and actually pitched and made it to AAA he's a firefighter now locally Threw a one-hitter against Marietta. It was a bunt hit and we won one to nothing and that game stood out because that we won and that was up at Heidelberg with Matt Palm and some of the really good teams he had and we went on to win. That was the first one-on-one and I would say that one started it. But there's a lot of little ones in there that I feel fortunate. I enjoyed last year. North Central out of Chicago is a really good Division III team. Beating them last year was good, just because they have a legendary coach and those type of things. So those are good program wins so.
Speaker 2:But for me it's always about the experience of the players. I tell them that all the time the biggest thing, you know, I don't know, going back to connor, um, connor was five connor's, one of those guys that had a lot of talent and I'm kind of jumping around but had a lot of talent and and'm kind of jumping around but had a lot of talent and he got. You know, it's for me the thing I, I, the things that you preach as a coach, and when you get a guy that gets it, those make my days. You know, nick, you know Connor was a guy that always had a talent and then when he just met his ability to go play and do the things that was capable. It was fun but unfortunately COVID hit, you know, that year I and do the things that was capable was fun but unfortunately COVID hit that year I think he was beating. We beat Denison that last game. He threw before everything got shut down. But for me those are the moments now that I really enjoy is when guys get it like get the messages and grow and handle the adversity the right way or whatever they need to work on to get better at within themselves to figure that stuff out is good.
Speaker 2:I had a player named Nick Pitzer who I love dearly. He's an FBI down in Huntington, west Virginia right now and uh, text me all the time about the team, cares a lot about the team. But his earlier years he was, you know, single kid and um from a uh, military family and great parents, but he always, you know he was I was always fighting him on, you know, not throwing his bat glove, saying um and I'd take him out of games and all that. And then um, it all came full circle. I think his senior year he became one of the best leaders we had and, um, I remember we were down. We lost a double header over at La Roche and it didn't look like we were going to make the NCAA tournament, which we didn't because we needed to at least split, and we didn't do that and I was really down and he's the one that was picking me up and saying, hey man, this is part of the game, this is part of what you signed up for and those are the things that I would teach him. So he kind of taught me my lesson that I was trying to teach him at the end. So those are the moments, honestly, ken, that you know, do it for me now. So the wins you can.
Speaker 2:I can name a few things that were you know I remember distinctly. There's a lot of things that people say happened, that I did or whatever. I don't remember that they remember. So, um, that happens in 25 years too, but, um, no, I think the, uh, um, the, the for me now is when kids get it Now.
Speaker 2:It makes me emotional sometimes when you get a guy that really understands now what it is. We have a player right now, braden Quinsle's, got a lot of Quinsle, has a lot of talent and um, and he's leading everything and hitting and everything. Right now I'm a great year and it's just not letting the game overwhelm him to where it affects his attitude, that affects his approach to how he plays the game, and I think that's starting to happen now for him. So he's starting to see a little bit more consistency on what he can do and he's got a lot of talent. So if he allows that stuff to happen, really good things are going to happen consistently, the things that he wants to happen.
Speaker 2:And you know, kind of getting them to understand, to get out of their way. To me that's what it's all about. That's what makes me emotional when guys get it, as I would say, they understand what you're trying to get them to do and they see all. And that's kind of what I do now is try to point guys and push them in the direction that they don't understand or they're not sure that's what they want. But I know, being around this game, that's what they want. And when they finally go, oh okay, now I get it, that's to me when it makes all this worth it.
Speaker 1:Well, I do like a little rapid fire here toward the end and I wanted to shoot a couple quick questions at you to finish up and tell me what you think here. Hate losing or love winning. Man, hate losing or love winning.
Speaker 2:Man, that's a good one. I don't know if it's wrapping. I think when you're coaching, the biggest thing I had to deal with as a young coach is how we won. The longer I've coached, winning the game 7-3 ugly is acceptable, but I think you can learn. I used to always say I'd rather learn by winning than losing, but I think that's how you learn too.
Speaker 2:I think wins used to be a relief and would be a relief, and I never enjoyed them, and I think that was one of the things in the last 8 to 10 years that I just said I'm not doing, I'm not going to bang on these guys because we, you know we're winning, like we did the first game against Misericordia World Series. We're up 15 to four in the sixth inning and we win the game 15 to 14 on a diving catch. So we kind of almost let a game get away, and that's what baseball can do to you, um, but instead of sitting, that's probably the one thing I'd say. I'd probably say obviously you enjoy winning, but enjoying the wins now, um, and and letting the losses help you grow, um, would be the way I'd handle it then. I hated losing more than I liked winning, but I think now I'm better at it.
Speaker 2:I think you have to be as a coach. It's just not sustainable to be up and down emotionally. It's the same thing. Coaches blame the same game. We go off and go off on a kid or go off on a team. We're trying to say it's not, I've told you what to do, it's your fault. It's your fault. It's your fault. And when you get away from that, because that's what you don't want the kids to do. But sometimes it's tough because we wear the wins and losses more so than the parents would ever think or know and we're trying to do right by them all the time. But I would probably say that I'm sorry for the long-winded answer, right?
Speaker 1:When I would probably say that I'm sorry for the long-winded answer. Right when recruiting, would you rather see a player in person during a game or a showcase?
Speaker 2:During a game a thousand times. I shouldn't say a thousand percent, because that's really not a thing. A hundred percent, yeah, I just think that you can go to showcases and you got showcase kids now that can run, throw, hit and all the measurables and the BP and stuff. And you know, like I always tell our guys, our guy, we didn't hit. Our assistant coaches will say throughout the year, we didn't hit very good in BP. I always say that's good because we can't win the game in BP. So you, you know, or the infield stunk and I'm like, well, good, we're not going to win or lose because of it. Um, but, uh. But to see a kid a hundred percent, uh, live, how they play, how they, how their attitudes are, how they handle adversity probably the most important thing I like seeing.
Speaker 1:Best advice for a homeschool player who wants to play college baseball.
Speaker 2:Um, just like I said earlier, I think have a true passion, like it's gotta be something that, whatever you're doing, the next thing's baseball or there, or whatever it might be left in, or preparing a meal for you know, to, to, to help you get whatever to help your, you know, if you're trying to gain weight or whatever it might be, whatever you're trying to do to benefit you, I think that's it, um, and I think have the idea of that.
Speaker 2:Um, you're going and playing with guys that have been in the weight room four more years than you, three more, two year or one year, it doesn't matter that are more physically developed, um, just because of their age. Um, but I think the weight room is important to guys now more so, and I think just having that true passion of true passion, not the thing when it feels good and things are going good, then that's when I really like baseball. But when it's going really bad, how are you with? How you're going to work at the game? When things aren't going your way, how hard are you going to work to get out of it? You've got to have that continual. I'm going to overcome whatever comes my way, because baseball is going to give you the adversity for sure.
Speaker 1:If you had one game to win, and all of your honor-riding teams, who would you give the ball to?
Speaker 2:Oh, I mean one game. Yeah.
Speaker 2:It'd be Dan Romanowski. For me there's a lot, there's some good ones, but I'd say for me, I always used to kid. When you know my earlier days, when we had Dan and Doug Stevens, we'd have a pretty good one too, and I'd always, as a kid, I was back in the day where they printed paper and I'd get on the bus, sit in my seat and open the newspaper and put my feet up on the thing on the bus where the tray is and say who? And look to my left, and who do we got today Because I really wouldn't care, because I knew who we had. So and that'd be that I'd probably say Dan Romanowski, just because he was just a dominant force and he pitched eight years and I think if he doesn't tear his meniscus or something covering first base when he was in AAA with Charlotte, he probably makes it to the big leagues.
Speaker 1:And finally, why should a kid come and play at Auburn University?
Speaker 2:why should a kid come and play at Auburn University? I think for the experience, both the balance of the education and the competitiveness of the program, and playing in the best conference in the country. And we're trying to go. You know, I thought you were going with. What game do you want to win? And that'd be a national championship.
Speaker 2:This team, coach Fishbowl, had them in a national championship game. You know, a couple years ago we finished second, a game behind Marietta and a game ahead of Baldwin-Wallace. But we got beat in a tournament by Baldwin-Wallace and they got that large bid and those two teams went on to the NCAA tournament. Both of those two teams went to the World Series. And that's, you know, that's our goal. There's nobody that has a higher expectations on the field than us. And you know that's still the thing that I'm chasing.
Speaker 2:You know, 25 years here is that realization that you know, in baseball, if things come together and you have a special group and how you play the game, you can overcome talent. And you know a, you know somebody throwing 95 and you got a guy throwing 85, you can overcome that. I've seen that many times, um, and win those games. So, um, but for me that's, you know, uh, that's, that's, um, what I would tell a young man.
Speaker 2:But you know, I think the fit's got to happen and we got a lot of degrees and stuff. So I think the that part of it is is, you know and I use this thing coach Fishball would always say you know, could you see yourself here if you didn't play baseball? Um, that's hard for kids that really want to play, though. So, uh, but I think we have a lot here with our location and stuff, is it's a, we have a, and especially now you know higher education and the directions it's going and stuff. I think you know, for us, I think, being we're in a pretty stable place right now with, I think, the university's leadership.
Speaker 1:Well, I, Chris Huseman, just jumped into my head as you were talking and he was an honor blind player and the first guest I ever had on the podcast and he could always do a great. Oh yeah, Dick Fishball impersonation. Is there a funny or great story that you could finish up with about?
Speaker 2:We did our first pitch dinner and there's so many fish stories and we all imitate him, because imitation is the best way for flattery. We all did it. But when I was a GA, the funniest story was he had a grand, he had a uh outside line that was his and he had a university line. So he had two phones in his office and him and um, uh, uh God rest her soul, miss fish, donna, uh were having an argument. I was sitting across from him in the desk and this wasn't baseball related. He was in an argument and he was on the outside line because it was his grand slam phone where he worked. But something happened where she hang up, they were going back and forth and he was going that's just trite, donna, that's just tritena, that's just trite. And I never knew what trite meant and I had to look it up. But so he taught me that because miss fish was a school teacher and was dramatically always correct and and she was, and so I'm sure he learned that from her and she and she hang, she hung up on him and he hangs up the outside line but he starts dialing on the Otterbein line and he's getting it, and he's trying to get it and he's slamming it down, he's dialing again. He does it like three times and he looks at me and he goes. You saw me do that the whole damn time, you know, and it was just an awkward thing where I was like I just walked into a kind of a fight. But there's so many great fish stories Going back on the 600th thing, the thing that I remember at his and the consistency on who he was, and I think we can cuss on this, but it's not bad cussing and he was a player here, a really good player, and threw him a ball and said congratulations, fish, your 600th win.
Speaker 2:And I remember Fish, like that was the last thing on his mind. He was happy we won the game and he was just going oh shit, like this doesn't mean anything. But he was such an unassuming guy and that's what made him great. Just a salt of the earth guy. I think about him. It's hard to believe he's been gone as long as he's been and just a huge influence, but just a great guy and we had a lot of great memories and and he has a lot to do with any, any and all the success that I have he's had a certainly a big piece of it, for sure.
Speaker 1:Well, george Powell, head baseball coach at Audubon University and once again coach, congratulations on win number 600. And thanks again for taking the time out of your day to be on the Athlete One podcast.
Speaker 2:I appreciate it. Kim, Thanks for having me. It's great catching up with you and look forward to seeing you soon.
Speaker 1:Don't forget to follow the show on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook at AthleteOnePodcast. Here at AthleteOne, we're proudly sponsored by the netting professionals improving programs, one facility at a time. Coaches, if you're looking to upgrade your facility, there's only one call you need to make, and that's to the netting pros. Call you need to make, and that's to the Netting Pros. You can contact them today at 844-620-2707, 844-620-2707, or you can visit them online at wwwnettingproscom for all their latest products and projects. As always, I'm your host, Ken Carpenter, and thanks for joining the Athlete One podcast.