BASEBALL COACHES UNPLUGGED
Baseball Coaches Unplugged is a podcast for insights on high school baseball coaching, travel baseball development, and college recruiting from coaches building winning programs.. Each episode features real conversations about high school baseball coaching, travel baseball development, college recruiting, player development, practice planning, pitching and hitting development, and building a winning baseball culture.
If you’re a baseball coach looking for practical ideas on running better practices, developing players, navigating the recruiting process, and leading a successful program, this podcast delivers insights from experienced coaches across high school, travel, and college baseball. Hosted by 27 year veteran high sch;ool baseball coach Ken Carpenter.
New episodes drop every Wednesday!
Episodes
201 episodes
The 5 Biggest Lessons from 200 Baseball Coaching Conversations
Two hundred episodes sounds like a number until you realize what it represents: 200 chances to sit down with real coaches and talk about what actually builds players. I’m Coach Ken Carpenter, and this milestone is my thank-you note to every coa...
Can You Pitch in College Without Throwing 90? Here's How
The radar gun is loud, but it is not the whole story. I sit down with Crown College recruiting coordinator and pitching coach Ryan Vondracek, a former undersized high school lefty who barely touched 80 and still carved out a standout college pi...
Cal Ripken Jr. Wrestling Before Games? MLB Stories You Won’t Believe
The majors look glamorous from the stands, but the real game is the pressure, the travel, and the personalities you share a clubhouse with. I’m joined by former MLB outfielder and longtime minor league manager Brad Komminsk, and he takes me str...
Can You Really Give Baseball Players 'Permission to Fail' and Still Win?
Your smoothest pregame infielder turns into a statue when the game starts, and you can almost see the thoughts rushing in. That flip isn’t random, and it isn’t a mystery flaw in his mechanics. It’s FOMU: the fear of messing up. I walk through w...
5 Competitive Drills Every Baseball Coach Should Steal
You can tell within the first few pitches whether a high school baseball team has been coached with intention. It's not on the scoreboard — it's in how they carry themselves, communicate on the field, and respond when things go sideways....
Why High School Umpires Are Quitting And How Coaches Can Fix It
Last year, one state lost nearly a third of its umpires and not to retirement. They simply stopped showing up. I’m Coach Ken Carpenter, and I’m putting you in the plate shoes for a few minutes so you can feel what your local officials feel on a...
The One Decision That Decides Most Baseball Games
The swing that wins on a showcase doesn’t always win with two strikes and a runner on second. We sat down with Cloverleaf head coach Aaron DeBord to unpack how to build hitters who make better in-game decisions, how to train under pressure, and...
Want More Playing Time? These 3 Habits Separate You From Everyone Else
If you’re banking on raw talent to carry you, this conversation will feel like a wake-up call. We break down the real separator in high school baseball—consistency—and show how it outperforms flash, hype, and one big showcase swing. From runnin...
The Most Important Trait Great Catchers Share—and How to Build Your Program Around It
Looking for the blueprint to develop a catcher who actually wins you games—and a program that players never want to leave? We sit down with Gaetano Gianni, former Reds draft pick and 2025 NHSBCA Region 7 Coach of the Year, to unpack the skill s...
7 Ways to Flip Your Inner Voice From Fear to Confidence
Pressure finds you in baseball—the question is whether your mind helps or hijacks the moment. We pulled back the curtain on the inner voice that shows up with two outs and the game on the line, and shared a simple system to turn stinking thinki...
Cold-Weather Baseball Coaching: Practice Design That Works in the Midwest
Ever wonder how a Hall of Fame coach keeps his team sharp when the forecast says 30 degrees and snow? We sit down with Jeff Mielcarek, head coach at Toledo Central Catholic, to unpack the hard choices, smart practice design, and durable culture...
This Small-Town Program Won 7 State Titles—Here’s Why It Worked
A small-town program doesn’t stumble into seven state titles and five Hall of Famers by chance. We sit down with coaches shaped by Coldwater, Ohio and the late legend Lou Brunswick to unpack how a people-first culture, simple fundamentals, and ...
Baseball Coaching Tips for Practice Plans, Hitting, Pitching & Culture
A Hall of Fame career doesn’t happen by accident—it’s built on clear language, daily habits, and choices that put integrity first. Coach Ken welcomes ABCA Hall of Famer Terry Ayers to trace five decades of high school baseball and why, despite ...
5 High School Baseball Coaching Lessons That Actually Win Games
Five coaches. One convention floor. A flood of practical wisdom you can use at your next practice. We hit record at ABCA in Columbus and asked straight questions about what actually translates to wins when the lights are bright and the lineup i...
8 Analytics Secrets That Winning High School Programs Don't Want You to Know
Want to win more high school games without a big budget or a data team? We break down a practical roadmap for using analytics that fits into a busy coach’s life, from what to track in a notebook to the in-game decisions that swing close contest...
What We Lose When Baseball Stops Telling Its History
Old-time baseball isn’t a museum piece—it’s a masterclass hiding in plain sight. We invited Jim Koenigsberger, a gifted storyteller of America’s pastime, to trace how legends like Yogi Berra, Jackie Robinson, Satchel Paige, Ted Williams, and Ri...
"Normal Equals Average": Why 90% of Baseball Coaches Do This (And How to Stop)
Normal equals average. That single idea hits like a fastball under the hands, because it calls out the comfort that keeps programs stuck. We pull back the curtain on why talent and facilities won’t save a team that avoids adversity—and how a hu...
Gary Gilmore Explains Exactly How Coastal Carolina Scripted And Won The 2016 College World Series
A holiday thank you turns into a masterclass on building a champion when Gary Gilmore, the recently retired head coach of Coastal Carolina, joins us to unpack how a mid-major beat the blue bloods in Omaha. From overlooked recruits to a dogpile ...
How A Five-Minute Survey Can Transform Your Team’s Culture And Communication
A roster full of talent won’t save a season if communication fractures. We sat down with Travis Davidson from Team Sports Consulting Group to unpack how a simple five‑minute survey can transform culture, reveal real leaders, and help coaches re...
Tradition Meets Change: Leading Without Rewriting The Playbook
What does it take to move one seat over and keep a winner winning? We sit down with Hilliard Darby’s new head baseball coach, Andrew Ozbolt, to unpack the real work of inheriting a high-performing program: protecting standards, earning trust, a...
What Keeps Coaches in the Dugout When Everything Says Walk Away?
Why do high school coaches keep showing up when the hours are brutal, the stipend is small, and the critiques are loud? We open the door to the dugout and talk honestly about purpose, sacrifice, and the quiet wins that outlast any trophy. Ken s...
5 Offseason Standards That Keep Teams Hungry
Winning can be the start of the slide. After a deep run or a title, the real threat isn’t on your schedule—it’s in your clubhouse. We unpack how complacency takes root during the quiet months and map out a hard-nosed offseason plan that keeps p...
Outside The Fence: A Dad's Guide To Letting High School Coaches Coach
The toughest moment for many baseball dads isn’t a bad call or a tough loss—it’s handing the reins to the high school staff and walking to the bleachers. This candid conversation with Dr. JT Anderson, former team chiropractor for the Denver Bro...
Team Chemistry: The Science Behind Championship Teams
What if nearly half of what separates good teams from great ones can’t be found on a stat sheet? We explore the real engine behind championship baseball: team chemistry. Drawing on a large-scale study of MLB teams from 1998 to 2016, we break do...
Why Top High School Coaches Are Walking Away
Twenty-two coaching vacancies in one county—without scandal, without losing streaks—just a wave of veteran leaders saying, “Enough.” We sit down with Mansfield News Journal sports reporter Jake Furr to unpack the forces driving high school coac...