BASEBALL COACHES UNPLUGGED

Inside The Life of a High School Baseball Coach

• Ken Carpenter • Season 3 • Episode 15

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Discover the world of high school baseball coaching with Marysville High School's head coach, Nick Blake, as he sheds light on the unique challenges faced by Ohio teams. Ever wondered how a $575 pay-to-play fee affects team dynamics and family budgets? Coach Blake opens up about these financial pressures and shares strategies he's learned from top coaches to keep his program thriving. Listen as we discuss the advantages of having state-of-the-art facilities like an indoor hitting area and a brand-new weight room, crucial for staying competitive during Ohio's chilly months. Coach Blake also emphasizes the necessity of allowing players time away from the sport to fend off burnout and promote mental health.

Get inspired by innovative fundraising ideas that have bolstered the Marysville baseball team, including a successful bingo fundraiser that has become a financial boon for the program. Coach Blake explains how this initiative not only supports baseball but also benefits other sports within the school. The conversation delves into fostering community and family involvement, highlighting the unsung heroes who contribute to the program's achievements. We also explore possible changes to high school baseball, such as implementing three-game series in the postseason, and reflect on how celebrating team successes can sometimes outweigh the sting of losing. Join us as Coach Blake shares personal insights on achieving work-life balance while raising a young family close to the school.

Join the Baseball Coaches Unplugged podcast where an experienced baseball coach delves into the world of high school and travel baseball, offering insights on high school baseball coaching, leadership skills, hitting skills, pitching strategy, defensive skills, and overall baseball strategy, while also covering high school and college baseball, recruiting tips, youth and travel baseball, and fostering a winning mentality and attitude in baseball players through strong baseball leadership and mentality.

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Speaker 1:

Hello and welcome to Baseball Coaches Unplugged, a podcast that helps you, the listener, with strategies to help elevate your coaching. You'll gain practical insights from some of the best coaches across the country that you can implement with your team today. I'm your host, Coach Ken Carpenter On today's podcast. Marysville High School head coach Nick Blake joins the show to discuss the daily challenges of trying to compete against some of the best teams and coaches in Ohio, the challenge of families having to pay $575 to play, and his observations of what the best coaches do to be successful.

Speaker 2:

Welcome to Baseball Coaches Unplugged with Coach Ken Carpenter, presented by AthleteOne. Baseball Coaches Unplugged is a podcast for baseball coaches With 27 years of high school baseball coaching under his belt, here to bring you the inside scoop on all things baseball, from game-winning strategies and pitching secrets to hitting drills and defensive drills. We're covering it all. Whether you're a high school coach, college coach or just a baseball enthusiast, we'll dive into the tactics and techniques that make the difference on and off the field. Discover how to build a winning mentality. Inspire your players and get them truly bought into your game philosophy Plus, get the latest insights on recruiting, coaching, leadership and crafting a team culture that champions productivity and success. Join Coach every week as he breaks down the game and shares incredible behind-the-scenes stories. Your competitive edge starts here, so check out the show weekly and hear from the best coaches in the game. On Baseball Coaches Unplugged.

Speaker 1:

This episode of Baseball Coaches Unplugged 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 courts and more 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. That's 844-620-2707. Or you can visit them online at wwwnettingproscom. Check out Netting Pros on X, instagram, facebook and LinkedIn for all their latest products and projects. Well, it's mid-December and I've got to ask are you ready for the holidays, since you've got young kids?

Speaker 3:

I am ready for the holidays. I've got a three-year-old and a one-year-old, so the anticipation is building in the Blake House.

Speaker 1:

Well, let's get into the baseball side of things. You have an indoor hitting facility, and how much time have you spent with your team up to this point using your indoor facility?

Speaker 3:

Yeah, so we really try to take advantage. Obviously, being in Columbus Ohio area, try to take advantage of that weather in the fall, spend as much time outside as we can. Obviously we've got some things going on inside the building as well, but at this point weather's turned, I think, for good. So we're in there about five or six days a week, depending on holidays and whatnot. But yeah, man, two, three hours a day after school. We just, in addition to the kind of the cages and whatnot we have in there, we just built a weight room attached to that as well last summer. So kind of got everything we need in one area and yeah, it's hard to beat the boys out.

Speaker 1:

Well, let me ask you you talked about the weather being pretty nice in the fall. Would you trade playing baseball in the fall versus playing in the spring, Because the weather tends to be so much better in the fall.

Speaker 3:

I would agree. Yeah, that would be a fun little change and probably save us all natural turfless schools and coaches from buying so much field product and whatnot, but getting the powers that be those football move to the spring. I don't think that's going to happen anytime soon, at least not in Ohio.

Speaker 1:

Do you push for your players to get away from baseball? Take a break.

Speaker 3:

Yeah for sure. Especially, you know, starting in the fall, we're going pretty hard basically all the way up until the end of, you know, may or June, when our season concludes, and you know, at that point they're kind of going off and doing their own thing and at least on our end, high school-wise, we are pretty intentional about being hands-off really until September. Obviously we're making it a point to stay active in the weight room over the summer. But from a baseball sense, yeah, nowadays you've got so many guys kind of specializing in one thing and 12 months of baseball, I'm not sure depending on what they're doing, I guess, but 12 months of baseball can be a lot for a 15, 16-year-old kid. So getting away and mentally recovering, as well as physically, is something that we definitely emphasize to our guys.

Speaker 1:

Well, speaking of getting away, you know you're a fairly young coach and you know you got a young family. How important is the work-life balance for you as a coach?

Speaker 3:

Yeah, so extremely important. Like you said, a really young family and, thankfully, as many coaches feel like, I've got an unbelievable support system at home with my wife and she carries a huge burden for much of the year. But, you know, thankfully, a couple of years after I took the Marysville job, we actually moved out to Marysville as a family. We actually moved out to marry as well as a family. So my commute to school right next to the baseball field. I'm on the road, about five minutes.

Speaker 3:

So it's pretty easy for me to kind of dip in and dip out and, like you know, like you know, when you got those little ones at home, even if it's 10 or 15 minutes, just to come and, you know, get to play around with them, that makes all the difference in the world, because for a little while there I wasn't able to pop in like that. And when you're, especially in the spring, when you go three, four, five days in a row without seeing them, you kind of wonder how sustainable that is. So, yeah, that is something that is really important to me, not only to help out with my kids, but also spend some time with my wife.

Speaker 1:

Well, you play in the big school division in Ohio. Well, you play in the big school division in Ohio and since you've taken over Marysville, how would you say your coaching style has adapted to the, because you're in a league that's pretty demanding. And how have you changed since you've, from where you started to where you are now?

Speaker 3:

Yeah. So you know, thankfully I got my coaching start my alma mater, devin Kaufman, so I got to experience high-level baseball but I was a player and a coach there. But I took my first job coaching job at London High School, which was a smaller division at the time. I think they're Division IV now. I think they're Division IV now and you know, even that was a change kind of in philosophy and you know where practice time has been and whatnot.

Speaker 3:

So, kind of coming back to the Division I level at Marysville, like you pointed out, we don't get a whole lot of days where you show up to the ballpark and just kind of feel like you can roll the ball out and go get yourself a win. So really making an intentional effort to kind of devise our training really above game speed, so whether that's offensive end trying to, trying to trying to combat velocity or high spin, you know, defensively, making quick plays, base running, all those things, trying to simulate that as best as you can in practice is is something that we're pretty intentional about because if we don't, that's going to get on us those high alarms that we see pretty much every Monday, wednesday, friday. It's going to create some issues for us.

Speaker 1:

Well, I looked at your schedule for 2025, and you're taking your team to Nashville I'm assuming spring break time and what are the advantages for you as a coach, with your team, to get out of town with them like that?

Speaker 3:

Yeah, I mean, you know, obviously I think the most obvious one is you're trying to chase down some nicer weather and give yourself enough to be outside as much as possible, or that can be kind of a crapshoot at home. Obviously it's just a terrific experience for the players. Bonding and camaraderie that kind of takes place over that time period. It's something that we don't take lightly. You just try to create yourself an advantage. When you come home, hopefully you've kind of gotten a leg up, being able to get outside and get that extra training, and then you'll seek some competition that you don't normally see. They don't know your play style or some of your moments at home that you see, kind of know what to expect and you know you kind of get to learn from coaches and other teams that you don't typically see and take something home with you that can help you down the road.

Speaker 1:

Outside of having talent, what do you think the most successful coaches that you've come up against here in Ohio? What puts them ahead of the guys that aren't as successful?

Speaker 3:

I mean, yeah, talent, that's probably going to be at the top of the list, right. But I think we've, as you know, central Ohio and Central District. There's just some unbelievable coaches that we kind of all have the privilege to be around and learn from a little bit, and some of those guys just do such a good job of getting their teams prepared through their training throughout the year. Paired with their training throughout the year, you can just it jumps off the page when you go and you know you go to Orange right, and you know how good of a job Tom does and how well Charlie trained and you know your growth cities, your liberties, ua I mean we get to see Berlin every day. It's such a phenomenally coached team with tremendous talent. I think it's really the detail that goes into all that preparation. I think we have some guys in Central Ohio that just year in and year out in Central Ohio that just year in and year out, their teams are just so well prepared because of the training environment I think they create throughout the year.

Speaker 1:

You know, I noticed you know coaching at the D1 level. It seems like if you cut back on your mistakes, that usually will give you a better chance at winning. Do you agree with that?

Speaker 3:

Oh, 100%. There's a line that I've heard it, you know numerous people. The other team, one team is going to lose the game far more often than somebody goes out and wins it, and I think that's just. That's even more heightened. You know, at the high school level. So that's something we preach to our guys all the time. I mean it starts, you know, you get guys on the mound. It's for us to have a chance you got to be able to throw the ball over the plate relentlessly. You know, at the plate, the ball has to get put in play with two strikes. At the plate, the ball has to get put in play with two strikes, just those things that are often controllable. Controlling those. At the end of the day, you make less mistakes than that team in the other dugout and you're probably coming out on top.

Speaker 1:

I almost feel like if you could just make the routine plays defensively, then you get the occasional great play, but if you could just make the routine plays, you get a chance to come out on top each night. So that's a big part of high school baseball, I guess.

Speaker 3:

A thousand percent. I think it's boring oftentimes to talk about those things, especially with a 14, 15, 16-year-old kid right now who today sees Juan Soto sign a contract for almost a billion dollars. But at the core root of what makes a good baseball team baseball player, it's just those fundamental routine things.

Speaker 1:

Well, the Marysville School District levy just failed and your players are expected to pay, if I'm correct, $575 to play baseball this upcoming spring, with no family cap. How big of an impact will that have on your team and specifically for the parents who maybe are maybe a little bit financially challenged?

Speaker 3:

Yeah, for sure. I mean it's going to have an impact on everybody to some extent. It's by no means an ideal situation and we've got multiple families in the program with multiple kids who do multiple things and it's a pretty unfortunate situation that hopefully will work itself out here sooner than later. Within our baseball program we've got some unique fundraising opportunities that can hopefully alleviate that financial burden on families. But yeah, it's been kind of a crazy few months and hopefully here in the next few months we get some better news and kind of start to get this thing turned back in the right direction. It's a pretty extreme amount, but you know, this is what it is right now, I guess.

Speaker 1:

Well, you know, all part of being a high school baseball coach is you're also a fundraiser and whether you like it or not, and there are always coaches out there looking for new ideas. And I had a former assistant coach of mine who's coaching Northwest Ohio right now as a head coach and he does a purse fundraiser where he has a big get-together and they give away purses and they sell tables almost like you would sell foursomes for golf, and he just rakes in the money for that for his program, and you guys have a pretty good fundraiser that you do. And can you explain kind of like how you do that? And maybe there might be a coach somewhere out there listening that might want to take notes on that?

Speaker 3:

Yeah, for sure. So we do. Do you know? We have a pretty big mulch fundraiser. That's a big one for us, but probably one that you're referring to is bingo. So we have a bingo hall in Marysville that runs bingo twice a night, 12 months a year and that for a much longer time than I've been head coach at Marysville back, years and years and years. Essentially the baseball program is kind of tasked with working those bingos. So anything from selling some tickets, working in the concessions, things like that. So with that, the bingo hall, the baseball program gets a cut of that that profit.

Speaker 3:

So families are able to to work. I think the the line, the amount of. Maybe before, before this, this levy situation kind of presented itself Families would typically work six shifts a year. That that, that that's a huge financial, financial benefit for the baseball program. We're able to also offer it at other sports at the school. We're looking for some fundraising opportunities. So it's pretty unique, not only to have that opportunity, but it's a unique experience to work in, as you can probably imagine.

Speaker 3:

But it's something we are tremendously grateful for. It requires a ton and ton of work on our end and very, very, very little of that comes from me. We have some unbelievable families in our program and unbelievable members of our baseball board who take that on. Of our baseball board who take that on Our secretary now my gosh, third or fourth secretary since I've been here but Jen Hayden, parent of ours Any chance I can get I'm going to shout her out. She's really the MVP of things. She kind of handles all that, all those logistics of making sure ships are covered and whatnot, because at the end of the day, that's kind of what allows us to do so many of the things that we've been able to do over the years, whether that's, you know, like I said before, a weight room facility, upgrades, hit tracks. You know, our players are afforded some pretty awesome opportunities because of the work that goes in from our families. So, yeah, it's unique, but it's something we're really grateful for.

Speaker 1:

And it's a lot of work too. So you're right about that, my work, my work, and it's a lot of work too, so you're right about that, you know. Getting back to your, your players, what are the character traits that your most successful players possess? And and what do you do to try to get cause? You know you're always going to have on a team the elite guys, your, your best players, and then the majority are going to be, you know, in that average to getting their range, and then you might have a couple guys that aren't quite there yet. But what do you think is necessary to be an elite player at the high school level?

Speaker 3:

Yeah, I guess you know some things that I guess we kind of look for on our end. We want guys who are low maintenance, you know, going to do the right things, say the right things, wear the right things. The right things, wear the right things. We look for guys who, you know, hardworking is, I think, oftentimes kind of thrown out there, but really we want guys who are disciplined and committed to their process, our process. I just I think we can tell this to our guys it's really difficult not to get better at something. When you just are disciplined in doing it how it's supposed to be done, and if you're able to kind of commit to that over an extended period of time, you walk in as a freshman. By the time you're a senior. If you're just able to kind of be where you're supposed to be, when you're supposed to be there and the way you're being asked to do it, it's pretty difficult not to kind of get yourself where you want to be by that finish line.

Speaker 1:

What would be one change that you would like to see happen in high school baseball?

Speaker 3:

That's a great question. You know, I always thought it would be exciting. Some of our neighboring states have pulled us off. I would, especially now since we've increased the seven divisions of baseball, I would love, at some point in the postseason, for there to be a three-game series versus, kind of one and done. I think that would be cool. I think it would hopefully highlight maybe more complete teams versus. You know, you got that one power arm who sent somebody home who maybe didn't deserve to go home, but you know those are I'm not sure what all the logistics that go into that, but I think that would be exciting.

Speaker 1:

Hate losing or love winning.

Speaker 3:

You know what I genuinely think. I've kind of changed courses on this and you know it depends on the game, but I think more oftentimes than not, early in my career, I hated losing. I would wear it all over me until I could shake that off with a win. I think my wife would be the first one to tell you that as time has progressed, I've really tried to understand. This is baseball. It's high school baseball. The ebbs and flows that come with that are often unpredictable at times. I just love watching our guys be successful and celebrating that with them. So at this point, personally, I just love winning. I love everything that comes with it. I love the smiles on the guys' faces after the game. So that's kind of where I stand right now.

Speaker 1:

Is Juan Soto worth $750 million?

Speaker 3:

You know I saw somebody break that down he's going to make for the next 15 years like $6,000 an hour. I'm not sure what, I don't. I have a hard time believing that he's worth that. But you're worth whatever. Somebody's willing to pay you, I guess.

Speaker 1:

Yes, and I almost feel like if someone's going to give you that money, I mean I don't know if anybody wouldn't take it All right. Name two sports legends that you'd like to sit down and have dinner with, just to hear their stories.

Speaker 3:

Wow, just their stories. You know what? Wow, just their stories. You know what? Mj I think would be entertaining One. I'm kind of fascinated by the mindset of him as an athlete, but a lot of times it sounds like any chance he gets to kind of go at somebody, whether that be through story or whatnot. Like any chance he gets to kind of go at somebody, you know, whether that be through story or whatnot. I think that would be pretty entertaining, I guess, just maybe just for the laughs. He's kind of a goofy dude. Charles Barkley I am entertained by him when he speaks. It's not always the most competent thing that I've heard but it's entertaining.

Speaker 1:

I enjoy when he talks about San.

Speaker 3:

Antonio, yeah, that's a good comment, yeah for sure.

Speaker 1:

Okay, you get to have three players on your team and there's a Group A and a Group B. Group A, you got Bryce Harper, barry Bonds and Mr 750 Million Juan Soto. In Group B, you get Freddie Freeman, hank Aaron Aaron and Shohei Otani.

Speaker 3:

I think I'm going to take. I think I'm going to take. Groubet Bonds is the best, best hitter I've seen In my lifetime, at least, you know, during his During his run there. I love Bryce Harper, halftime at least during his run there. I love Bryce Harper who was the third one in that group, juan Soto.

Speaker 1:

Billion-dollar man Tough to pass on either group. I would think that's for sure.

Speaker 3:

He gave me some of that money.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, well, I got two questions, that's for sure. You gave me some of that money. Well, I got two questions left for you. We talked earlier and you played for Hall of Fame coach Tim Saunders. I believe you guys won an OCC championship with him. You said you got a chance to coach with him. What is your best story from those two experiences?

Speaker 3:

Oh my goodness, oh man you know as a player, huh.

Speaker 1:

It can be funny. If you want to throw that in there, they're all funny Some of them only in hindsight.

Speaker 3:

Yeah, I mean as a player. And we lost a game to Hilliard Davidson at home. I remember I think this was my junior year Something happened during the game miscommunication between infield and outfield and what a pop-up drop and he was so mad at us. He, you know, instead of taking us down the outfield and talking to us which that's the whole day with the team is, you know, one of the coaches talking to him out in right field. He lined us to grab our baths and our gloves and we had to run holes and the whole time all of us had to just yell mine, mine, mine, over and over again. So awfully humiliating at the time.

Speaker 3:

But, you know, funny to look back on as a coach. You know he always had a fun, funny rapport with the umpires and I can't remember the poor guy doing the home plate one game. But Tim wasn't happy and this isn't going on for innings so the umpire needed some extra baseball. So Tim went to the bottom of the bucket, grabbed one that looked like it had been dunked in mud and mowed over, tossed the ball to the guy. He grabbed that thing, fired it right back in our dugout. But yeah, it was just little things like that all the time. I learned a ton from him, but also, yeah, that experience coaching with him was a lot of fun.

Speaker 1:

I had a couple of years experiences with him and he definitely made it interesting. You know, those are. To me the stories with the coaches are the ones that tend to be the ones you look back on. You share them at the clinics and different things like that.

Speaker 1:

And I can recall we were coming back from a game at the end of the season and we had Joe Carbone, you know, legendary college Ohio University head coach and Team USA and everything. And we were riding back on the bus and we just got beat and he looks back at Joe and says I need you to make it to the banquet on Thursday or whatever. And Joe kind of said well, I'm planning on spending some time with my family. It's my 75th birthday. And Tim said something to the effect of like, well, you've had 74 of them, save some money on that dinner and just come eat a couple hot dogs at the banquet. And Joe just looked at me and I just started laughing. But great, great stories and you know love hearing. You know coaches share them. Last question what can I do to make this podcast better?

Speaker 3:

can I do to make this podcast better? You know, I just think personally I love popping in. You know I'm a young coach. Any, any, any opportunity I get to learn from from others, I'm going to take, and from from others I'm going to take, and, um, you know, I've also appreciated kind of the wide variety of topics that you've you've kind of dove into, I mean the bringing somebody on top of restraint, um strength and conditioning obviously get your pitchy guys hitting guys. Um, I love hearing the experience of other high school coaches. Um, just, you know, for myself personally, but, yeah, I'm going to keep tuning in regardless. So I think you're doing a great job.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, if I can hit that mega millions, maybe I can get a producer and an editor and all those good things.

Speaker 3:

That sounds good to me.

Speaker 1:

But it's Nick Blake, head baseball coach at Marysville High School. Coach. Thanks again for taking the time to join me on Baseball Coaches Unplugged.

Speaker 3:

Thanks for having me, Ken.

Speaker 1:

Be sure and tune in next Wednesday for a new episode. I take it in a totally different direction. I go behind the scenes of the making of the movie Field of Dreams with Ben Orlando, as he shares some great stories that, if you've seen the movie, you would have no idea that these things took place. It'll be next Wednesday. Baseball Coaches Unplugged is proud to be partnered with the netting professionals improving programs one facility at a time. No-transcript. As always, I'm your host, ken Carpenter, and thanks for joining me on Baseball Coaches Unplugged.

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