BASEBALL COACHES UNPLUGGED

Inside Eaton High’s Blueprint For 15 State Titles

• Ken Carpenter • Season 4 • Episode 6

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What does it really take for a small farming community to build a high school baseball dynasty? We sit down with Eaton High School head coach Todd Hernandez to unpack the real blueprint behind 15 Colorado state titles, four since 2021, and a 74-game win streak that turned heads nationwide. No fluff, no gimmicks—just culture you can feel and drills you can steal.

Todd traces the roots back to youth baseball, where kids in Eaton learn varsity habits early and see role models wearing the same hat they do. That pipeline creates continuity, accountability, and pride that shows up on game day: crisp routines, hustle in and out, and players who know their jobs. We go deep on fundamentals—daily base running, bunt coverages, pick plays—and why the “boring stuff” decides playoff games. Todd breaks down his favorite multi-station defensive circuits and how he keeps every athlete moving, even indoors, using gym nets, a pop-up cage nicknamed Big Bertha, rollout carpet for grounders, and indoor mounds in a wrestling room.

Leadership and honesty sit at the center of Eaton’s success. Todd shares hard-won lessons, including a state tournament decision to save a closer for tomorrow and the philosophy that grew from it: win the next out before you plan the next day. He talks candidly about embracing the target on Eaton’s back, teaching “pressure is a privilege,” and staying process-first after a walk-off loss that ended the streak. We also explore empowering assistants to own outfield, catching, and pitching development, and how clear communication helps navigate playing time in a deep roster.

From small-town roots to a modern, resilient system, Todd shows how to build a program that survives graduation, weather, and expectations. If you’re a coach hungry for tangible practice ideas, culture foundations, and a mindset that travels, this conversation is your field guide. Subscribe, share with a coaching friend, and leave a review to help more coaches find the show. What part of Eaton’s blueprint will you try first?

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_00:

We've won 15 state titles as a program uh since its inception, which is a Colorado state record. And uh so we're we're very proud of that.

SPEAKER_02:

Are you looking for a way to turn your high school team into a powerhouse baseball program? Start 'em young. In a world filled with travel baseball, this small town has a playbook for churning out state champions. Four-time state champion head coach Todd Hernandez out of Eton High School in Colorado. Next on Baseball Coaches Unplugged.

SPEAKER_01:

This is the Ultimate High School Baseball Coaching Podcast. Baseball Coaches Unplugged, your go-to podcast for baseball coaching tips, drills, and player development strategies. From travel to high school and college. Unlock expert coaching advice grounded in real success stories, data-fact training methods, and mental performance tools to elevate your team. Tune in for bite-sized coaching wisdom, situational drills, team culture building, great stories, and proven strategies that turn good players into great athletes. The only podcast that showcases the best coaches from across the country. With your host, Coach Ken Carpenter.

SPEAKER_02:

Baseball Coaches Unplugged is proud to be partnered with the netting professionals, improving programs one facility at a time. Coaches, are you hoping to get one more season out of that batting cage or else green tired of broken ball buckets or wind screens flapping on the outfield fence? Well it's time to take your facility to the next level. This includes backstop, batting cages, BP turtles, BP screens, ball parts, and so much more. They also design and install geographic wall padding, windscreen, turf, turf protectors, dugout benches, and cubbies. They also work with football, soccer, lacrosse golf courses, and now pickleball. Contact them today at 844-620-2707. That's 844-620-2707 or visit them online at www.nettingprose.com. Check out netting pros on X, Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn for all their latest products and projects. Hello and welcome to Baseball Coaches Unplugged. I'm your host, Coach Ken Carpenter. Baseball Coaches Unplugged is the only podcast out there that is on a mission to bring on a coach from every state in the country. If you enjoyed today's show, please be sure to tell a friend about it. Share it on social media. It helps us to grow the show. Today's guest is Todd Hernandez. He's out of Eton High School in Colorado. It's a small town. And in a world where we have people that want to share and talk about themselves every day, today's guest is humble, but don't be fooled by that because he is a proven winner. He's from a town, it's a small town in Colorado, and he does things the right way. And there is a reason why they have the most state championships in the state of Colorado. Today's guest, Todd Hernandez at Eaton High School. Coach, how are you doing today?

SPEAKER_00:

I'm doing well, Ken. Thanks for having me.

SPEAKER_02:

Well, you know, I uh appreciate you taking the time on a Friday uh end of the school day to jump on with me. And I'm just gonna just jump right into it. Four state titles since 2017. What is this um machine culture that you've built? And how do you maintain it year after year?

SPEAKER_00:

Well, you know, uh Ken, you're right. I started in 2017, and I was really fortunate to uh come into a program that had success before under uh uh Jim Danley, who had coached there for 43 years. Uh and he uh left two years prior to my start, and they won 11 state titles. And um I was able to step in and uh just try to keep the thing running. Uh in 2017, we made it to the state finals that year and came up short and um made it back to the final four in 2018 and 2019. COVID shut everything down in 2020, and then uh starting in 2021, we were just really blessed to have a good core group of kids that were really hungry um and focused after uh COVID and uh were able to go on a run and win four straight and uh from 21 to 24, and then this last year made it back to state as well. So uh real blessed and fortunate to have a lot of quality kids. But um, I guess my job with you know when you have those kind of kids sometimes is just to make sure everybody gets on the bus and and uh kind of you know make sure you set the lineup and don't mess everything up. But a lot it all comes down to the kids and my assistant coaches, my assistant coaches are are fabulous, and um we let them coach and do their thing. So uh yeah, we're a nice uh group of kids that we've had and and we'll hopefully keep it running.

SPEAKER_02:

Well, you you just mentioned the the previous coach and the success he had, and then you just keep it rolling. What is it out there that's going on? I mean, that's that's an incredible uh run as far as state champion championships go.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, it is. You know, I think it all started. I I was uh born and raised in this program, and a lot of kids are. I think that's where a small town. Uh when I was growing up here in Eton, uh it was a town of about 1,500, 2,000, and they would run uh Coach Stanley and Coach Urban, who was his longtime assistant, ran a uh summer program where the the kids, elementary kids would get together in the summer, so we would uh you know have T-ball and uh peewee baseball and and play you know four days a week in the summers, and it kind of progressed from there. And he was able to uh establish that program with the youth, and that's kind of where it all starts, uh kind of getting that philosophy, same way the way we do things. I remember being uh you know a middle school kid running the same pick plays that the high school ran, and we still try to do that same thing. It's a little bit different now with travel ball, but we still try to do that. We uh we encourage all of our youth kids to come out to games and you know, if they come watch practice, we want them to be around. And being an elementary school teacher now, I see those kids coming through the elementary school, they're wearing their eating baseball hats and they're eating baseball gear and they come to the games. And um, those high school kids have a tremendous responsibility because they know uh you know they're they're being role models for those youth kids. And um, we have our grad kids that have graduated that come back and talk to our high schoolers, and so it's really just kind of building a community all the way from the elementary level to the alumni. We have alumni nights, we have the youth nights at the games, and so uh I think just trying to continue that that growth and and have that uh that model of of consistency all the way through is has been beneficial. You know, we've won 15 state titles as a program uh since its inception, which is a Colorado state record, and uh so we're we're very proud of that.

SPEAKER_02:

Just to give me an idea here, what what part of Colorado are you talking about that you that you're located in?

SPEAKER_00:

We're in northern Colorado, so uh we're kind of uh if people think of Denver, uh if you gotta go just uh up I-25 uh or uh towards Fort Collins, and then we're about 25 minutes uh to the east of Fort Collins. So um we're kind of you know a little farming community um north of Greeley, about seven miles north of Greeley. So we're just we're tucked up in North Colorado. We're actually closer, probably to we're uh closer to the Wyoming border uh than we are to the to Denver. So uh, but we're we're just right up there. So our springs are a little rough sometimes, but uh you get the wind howling in off the plains. But uh other than that, it's a pretty nice place to live.

SPEAKER_02:

Well, wet can sometimes hide flaws. What's something that you constantly remind yourself and your team about when things are when things are actually going well for you?

SPEAKER_00:

You know, you're exactly right. We uh, you know, you you get into those situations where sometimes you lose a game and you play really well and you're happier after the loss where then you are a win when maybe you kind of didn't do things right. And we've tried to take the appro taken the approach um that you know each season is different, each game is different, and we need we just focus on the fundamentals. That's what it is. When you come to our practices, you're not gonna see anything earth shattering. Um, it's all the little things bunt coverages, uh again, pick plays, hit and runs, uh, base running every single day in practice of some sort. Uh so that way we can work on those kind of things. I think base running is one of those overlooked arts sometimes. And you see, I you see it in the major league playoffs. Base running kind of gets some teams um all the time. And so um, you know, it's nothing earth-shattering. We just try to focus on the little things and understand that what we've done in the past has no bearing on what we're gonna do uh today or tomorrow. So we've you've got to earn it every single day.

SPEAKER_02:

Well, let me ask you this. You know, I I it's like you you got to copy my questions because you uh I was gonna ask if I showed up to watch your team play. Let's just talk about in a game. What's what's the first thing I'm gonna notice about eating high school baseball?

SPEAKER_00:

Well, hopefully the first thing that you notice about eating high school baseball is that we get in and off the field. We hustle in, we hustle out. Um, everybody's got a role from the moment that we get to the ballpark. Um, we're very routine oriented. And so whether that's coming the time when it's time for onfield BP, everybody's kind of, we know exactly what we're gonna do, how every round looks with onfield BP, what our hitting groups are gonna look like, um, what time, you know, I'm probably a little OCD in the sense that what time we go down to stretch, you know, at 3.12 on a four or four o'clock game at 3.12, we're gonna head out to the outfield and we're gonna jog and stretch, and then we're gonna come in and we're gonna throw um our little pre-infield routine, what we're gonna do. And then when we go take in and out, what that's gonna look like, everybody's gonna have a role. Um, and you know, we're gonna incorporate a lot of little things, and hopefully it looks very smooth, it looks very detail-oriented from the from the time that we step on the field. And so that's kind of one of the things that I always we take pride in ourselves. That's what I got from Coach Stanley, having played for him, is that uh Eaton is gonna play the game the right way. We're gonna respect the game. And uh one of my assistant coaches has a great phrase that he says, the game knows. And so when you cheat the game, the game will find out and the game knows and it's gonna come back to bite you.

SPEAKER_02:

No doubt. What is uh when you know you're talking practice? What what's one practice still or routine that defines who you guys are as a team? Do you have something that uh you can share that maybe another coach out there might like?

SPEAKER_00:

Boy, you know, I think we have um, you know, in baseball, you you you know, you you you borrow and you steal from other people with what you're doing. Um, one of my favorite things to do is we have kind of a defensive drill where uh we have our outfielders in different spots, and um our infielders we have probably about three or four fungos going at a time, and everybody's doing something different. So uh we're very far also fortunate to have a couple uh machines that we can set up. And so it's just kind of an infield station drill uh that we do. And so uh we have about seven different stations that we go through and we work through them about five minutes at a time, or you know, even three minutes at a time if we're short on time. And uh, you know, it starts out with you know our pitchers throwing the ball into the the catcher, and we'll we'll hit a fungo, a little PFP back to the pitcher, and they've got to you know go to one and our catcher's throwing to third. And in the meantime, we've got another set of start of the field where we've got uh you know our second baseman uh with the a second for uh a second first baseman uh that's not taking throws, doing uh Bermuda triangles out in right field with fungos being popped up to there. So um it's kind of hard to explain on the air here, but we've got about seven different stations. That's one that I like um that we like to do. Um, you know, kind of and it's it's something that you coaches can just institute whatever they need, whether you need to turn double plays with your guys up the middle while the catcher's throwing to third. And so you could have a uh you know comebacker to the pitcher and he turns and he's going to 1-6-3 while the catcher's throwing to third, or you can have a catcher throwing to first while the uh pitcher's doing a comebacker and going to second, and the shortstop's doing a backdoor play at third on a fake throw. It's you can kind of just do several different scenarios. They're kind of countless, you know. That's the great thing about baseball. There's countless different scenarios that you can work on, but we've got every single player doing something at some point. Um, for so you can take about a half hour of practice and work on you know just a ton of different things. Um, so that's one that I like.

SPEAKER_02:

Well, let me ask you this. Do you had uh you mentioned that you're up near the Wyoming border? What uh do you end up having to spend a lot of time indoors practicing since the weather's always a challenge? Um I know how it can be here in Ohio. I can't even imagine that far up north.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, yeah, we do. We spend there is uh, you know, it's it it's like clockwork. We'll have great weather, and then our our season officially starts the final week of February. So this year, I believe that's February 23rd, that first Monday. And we'll up until then, we'll if we can get outside after school to do things, we will. But we do uh do a lot of things indoors. Um, our indoor facility um is the middle school gym, and so we have two nets in there. We have a drop-down net, and then we have a big pop-up net uh that we affectionately call Big Bertha, and we uh haul it out and we can do some indoor uh hitting in there. We have a machine that's inside. We have um some indoor carpet rolls that we've used. It's our version of turf that we can use, and so that way we can take ground balls inside. Um, a lot of station work. There's a wrestling room right next to our gym that if it's available, we may be able to go in and throw and put some indoor mounds in there. So we have we have three mounds that we keep inside um that we can do pitcher and catcher workouts with uh during the offseason, um, and then the drop-down nets. But it's it's really just kind of maximizing space. So if we have 35 kids in the gym, and then we'll set it up to where maybe we have seven stations and five kids per station, and we can have T work going, we can have front toss going, we can have a colored baseball station uh that we like to use. We can have mini baseballs where we can hit where we can work on front arm and back arm a little bit, and then we can have our regular cage going as well as some defensive work with our outfielders and our infielders. So um, yeah, it's kind of maximizing space and kind of getting things going. And it's we had to do it because we will, even during the season, we may be inside for three or four days in a row, get outside, go play a game, and then come back in.

SPEAKER_02:

Right. Now you guys having the success that you have, and even with the previous coach, it's gotta be a challenge because I would think you're everybody's big game. I mean, it's like I don't know, the the living here in Ohio, the way people probably feel about Ohio State football. You know, if they if they can get the Buckeyes once, I mean that's that's gotta be a pretty good feeling, and that's gotta be similar to what you guys probably experience.

SPEAKER_00:

Yeah, that is something that we we talk to our guys about um all the time, that we're gonna get everybody's best shot. Um, you know, when they come, it's just okay, they're playing eating today. And so we can't afford to just take the day off and look past anybody. You look at um records are irrelevant because you can go and say, all right, well, these two teams that just played last week, you know, maybe they're both below 500 and they're struggling a little bit. And and then next thing you know, when they come and play us, you know, they're locked in and they're focused, their pitchers are are dealing a little bit and those kind of things. And so um, we're we're used to that, but that's also a good life lesson for us, is that you've got to come prepared every single day and um get better. But you're exactly right. That's um we realize that, but we also take pride in that, you know, and so that's kind of thing that that success has has put us into that position. And uh we you know, we would like it that we wouldn't want it any other way, you know. You want that. Um we use we use the phrase that you've heard probably before that pressure is a privilege, right? And so when you're in put in that position, um, you know, we're we're very blessed to be there.

SPEAKER_02:

Well, obviously, you guys have established a a powerhouse program. What's uh a piece of advice you would give a young coach who's gonna be taking over a program anywhere across the country, and it's like, all right, I gotta I gotta do it my way, but you're like, here's some advice I would give you.

SPEAKER_00:

Um I would say probably the biggest thing would be like you said, you've got to be who you are. You cannot try to emulate somebody else. Um, you can take pieces and philosophies from other people, but from a personality standpoint, you've got to be who you are. Um, the other thing is I would always say you've got to connect with the kids first. Make sure that they know that you care about them and that what you're doing is um you're doing for their benefit and you want to and explain why, not just say, hey, it's my way or the highway kind of deal. This is why we're doing this drill. This is why we're doing um this activity. Um, so that way they understand that. Uh, I think that's probably the big thing. And then understand that you're gonna make mistakes. Don't be afraid to make mistakes, don't be afraid to admit when you make a mistake. And that's the biggest learning uh piece for me is you know, those first couple years, man, I blew it on this one. I should have, we could have done this, or we could have done that, and just understand, hey, that's baseball, that's life. Um, learn from it, let's go from it. And then um, I also think as a head coach, you've got to surround. I always I said this to somebody the other day that I've got to be the dumbest guy in the gym. Meaning that my assistant coaches, um, you know, I've got a lot rely on them and trust them to have that knowledge and to let them coach. And so uh to bring in people around you and not be afraid to ask questions, not be afraid to seek out the help of others.

SPEAKER_02:

Yes, I like that because it's uh it's amazing to have in a podcast like this, and all the coaches I talk to, they all talk about the importance of their coaching staff. And the ones that I see to notice that have the most success are the ones that allow their assistant coaches to do their thing. Do you feel the same way?

SPEAKER_00:

Uh I do. I do. I'm very blessed. Uh name drop our assistant coach's names in there. We have a gentleman by the name of Dustin Duncan who runs our outfielders. And my uh first couple years here before he came on, we were we were kind of scuffling a little bit. And now I take our outfield play. Um, you know, the guys like to borrow that football term and say kind of a no-fly zone kind of deal out there that our outfielders and we're gonna have this spring, it's a credit to Dustin that we're gonna have probably six kids competing for three varsity outfield spots, and all six of those kids are varsity level outfielders. Um, and now we're gonna have to have some choices and go from there. Uh Keith Larson, our uh catching coach, came in and really solidified that position and has done a wonderful job there working with our catchers and running our JV program. And uh Scott Longwell, who's our pitching coach, um, you know, he is he's exceptional. He comes in there, he's very level-headed, he works with our pitchers and you know, little tweaks here and there. Um, you know, and it's been wonderful. And then we have a volunteer coach coming back, a former player of ours, Dirk Duncan, and uh he's been great. And it's nice. I love having former players come back to help out because they understand what our philosophy is, they understand what we want out of kids, and so he's gonna do an exceptional job to you. So, like I said, it's great for me to be able to walk around to practice and go hit different spots and check on different things um while they're running the show.

SPEAKER_02:

What's a mistake or a failure that you may have had early in your career that you learned from and it's made you a better coach?

SPEAKER_00:

Um, you know, Coach Longwell and I talk about this one all the time. My very first year, um, we were at the state tournament, and it's a double elimination format in Colorado. I'm not sure how they do things in Ohio, but um a double elimination format, and so we won our first game, and we were able to uh uh throw our number three guy in game one, and we had another game that afternoon to throw in our number one, and then we had uh a senior closer uh in the pen, and we get to the sixth inning, and we're ahead, and our number one guy's kind of losing a little bit of steam, but he's probably okay. And my inexperience, I think, showed I looked at it and I was like, you know what? I want to save our closer to maybe get a few more innings tomorrow because we have a we have a pitch count that we have to worry about, and we had our number two guys set up to throw uh in a game that would have got us to the title game undefeated. And so what I decided to do is like, all right, well, to start the sixth inning, I we took out our number one because and we went with a fresh arm who had done pretty decent in relief throughout the year, and he just didn't have it that day. And we didn't have our closer ready to go, and but it snowballed and we fell behind, and we ended up dropping the game um by two, and uh it turned into a slug fest in the sixth and the seventh, and we slugged a little bit in the seventh, but couldn't come all the way back. And I think looking back at it, um I you can't play for tomorrow. You can't you can't look at tomorrow's game. Uh I would have looking at it, I said, all right, I would have had our number one go batter by batter. I would have had our closer up and ready. And if our number one gets one or two outside inning, great, and then we go direct to the closer and we'll worry about tomorrow, tomorrow. And instead, I was worrying about tomorrow before we got the final six outs. And uh I think if if we would have got those final six outs, we I you know, I was no doubt in my mind we could have got another state title that year. And instead, in that double elimination bracket, we had to come back through the double, the the the loser side, and we made it to the title game. But that's by the time we got to the title game, we were our arms were were were exhausted, and uh we kind of we couldn't didn't have enough uh to to win the title. So that's that's the big one that sticks out to me, and I um you know carried it with me ever since that you know we've gotta we've gotta worry about the next out and not necessarily tomorrow's outside.

SPEAKER_02:

Well, with all the demands that come with coaching, you know, I if I if I read it correctly, you know, you're fifth grade teacher, high school baseball coach, head coach, and also girls basketball coach.

SPEAKER_00:

Um I did I uh I I've retired from coaching girls basketball now. Um, but I did coach girls basketball for 16 years. Wow. And so we had several years where um girls' basketball season overlapped into the spring. And uh so I was coaching baseball and basketball. I think it was I think we did that for about six years where we overlapped between the two before I uh had when I took the head job. And so I retired. Uh I've I've taken a few years off now from girls basketball, but I did that for we did both sports for about six years and uh talk about having to rely on your assistance, which was great. Um, you know, I had great assistance all the way through that, but we would piggyback practices, and so it worked out perfectly because when baseball started, that's when uh playoff time came for girls' basketball. And I always like to practice at whatever time we're gonna play. And so our girls' basketball games would either be at six or seven o'clock in the evening for the playoffs. And so that allowed me to have baseball practice right after school, and then I would go to basketball practice and we would kind of do that way. And then uh, same thing even when baseball season rolls around. When state playoffs roll around, if we have a 10 o'clock game, uh, once state is here, we're already out of school. Uh school has been released for the summer, and so we'll practice at 10 o'clock in the morning. It's good. So I we try to emulate the the practice time with the game time. So, but that worked out really well with girls' basketball because then I could um still I would hit both practices and I would go go from the baseball field to the gym and then get home you know later at night and I reintroduce myself to my wife, Lisa, and and then we've got to go from there.

SPEAKER_02:

Well, how how do you handle that? I mean, it it could it can take its toll. I mean, as far as burnout goes as a coach, how do you handle putting in so much time like that?

SPEAKER_00:

Um, you know, you're right. It a lot of you know extra, you know, sleepless nights where you're staying up a couple hours extra to try to do things like that. I think probably the biggest thing um was just that I I love being around the kids. You get the energy from the kids. And so with girls' basketball, especially at playoff time, there's that energy, there's that tense. And we were very fortunate to be, I think in those 16 years, we made nine Final Fours. Um, you know, we came state runner up a couple times and and those kind of things. So we had a lot of success. And um, so that was nice. And then with the baseball program, the pride and the tradition that the baseball program had had, um, that adds to it. And the community support is awesome. Uh, like you said, uh like we said earlier with the assistant coaches that were great. So um, you know, I would once the the basketball season was over, once the baseball season was over, I probably had a crash for for a couple a couple days and just sleep for a little bit. But um, you know, looking back on it, it was a lot of fun.

SPEAKER_02:

Well, that's that's there's a part of me that's sitting here listening, going, okay, what what's in the water out there? You gotta win, it doesn't matter what it what it is. Um but what is it when when you're coaching and you're like, okay, I I've been doing this for such a long time and uh you've established yourself clearly. But I I don't know of any coach in America that has there there has to be some some parents and players that sometimes aren't happy because you can only run nine guys out on the field, maybe ten if you throw in a DH. But uh how how do you deal with that?

SPEAKER_00:

Um you know you're exactly right. That there's that's one of those things as a coach, you know that there's always gonna be people unhappy. And uh, you know, that's just life. That's just the way it is. And um, you know, for example, you know, this this next spring, we're gonna have, like I mentioned, we're gonna have six varsity level outfielders, and we can only play three of them. And we're gonna have hopefully, you know, 10, 11 baths available, but we're only gonna be able to put nine of them in the lineup. And so I think the big thing is we're gonna have you have to communicate. We're gonna have to be up front with the kids. You be on you're honest with the kids. And if you're honest and you're genuine and you and you um, you know, you don't try to play any games or or do any of those kind of things, that's all you can do. And so that's all I can do. And I understand that that will still um there will be still be some people that are unhappy. And when we have our parent meeting, you know, I'll be up front and honest with them and say, I understand that you love your child, you love your son, and you want the best for them, and their focus is on their child, and our focus has to be on everybody's child and doing what's right for the program. And um, I think if we're just up front and honest and we do what you know uh is coming from our heart, and um that's all we that's all I can ask. And I understand that there'll be some people that are unhappy, and um we just got to try to do right by the kids and be do right by the program, and then just take the other stuff as it comes and understand that it's the thing I've learned is that when people are unhappy with me, it's because they love their child. And uh, you know, there that's everybody's you know, number one priority, and and I I can't fault them for that, I for loving their child and wanting what's best for their child. But as long as I can do what honestly say this is what's best for our team, um, then I just gotta live with what whatever comes. Hate losing or love winning? I hate losing. I hate losing. We have that conversation all the time. And um with my wife and and our kids and uh my child, my own children. My my oh uh middle son is a competitive shotgun shooter, and he's actually he's gone to the, you know, been fortunate enough to participate in uh on the on in the Olympic trials and participate in uh national events, and he's got one coming up in Arizona, and we have that conversation all the time that um but he's the same way I am. I I could win, you know, we were fortunate enough to win 74 games in a row over the last, you know, since uh I think over the last three seasons, we had won 74 games in a row, which I think is fourth or fifth all time nationally. And then I don't remember a whole lot of those wins, but I can tell you that at that at one point the ones that had caught up to us, we were we had won the 74 in a row, and we were 106 and three over a 109-game stretch, and I could tell you in detail all of everything about those three losses, and those 106 wins, uh probably a little bit more fuzzy. So yeah, I hate losing. That's that's the big one.

SPEAKER_02:

So that 74th win, and then you roll into game 75 and you lose. How the what who'd you lose to?

SPEAKER_00:

We lost to Golden Um out of uh Golden Colorado, Golden High School, um, this last March. Uh lost two to one uh in a walk-off in the bottom of the seventh. Um, it was a pitcher's duel all the way through. It was a 0-0 game going into the seventh, and our outfielders had made some great plays. We'd worked out of some jams, we had stranded some runners, they stranded some runners, and we were able to push across a run in the top of the seventh. We got a runner on, bunt him to second, move up on a pass ball, sack fly. We scored one to nothing, and our pitcher had reached his pitch limit. And so we brought in another, we had to bring in another kid to start the inning. And uh just, you know, it was a situation in the moment right there, walks the first guy on kind of a borderline pitch, and then uh kid squares around a bump. We get another walk, and we're gonna we're just gonna throw strikes on those guys, uh the first two guys, and then the their uh three hole hitter comes up um and first pitch hits a double down the line, scores two. They beat us two to one. And so we don't get an out in the bottom of the seventh that was at their place. But really, you look back at it, that golden team, we're a three A high score. Here in Colorado, and that golden team's a 4-A school, and they won the 4-A state title this year, this past year. So that so we lost to the 4-A state champion, two to one in a walk-off. Um, so that kind of at that point, that was one of those games where you talk to your kids, and I talked to our kids afterwards, that we talk all the time that you can't be results oriented. You have to focus on the process. And I think they were expecting us to be upset and um after the game. And I said, It's the same way. If you win a game, but you're unhappy because we didn't respect the process, so maybe our process wasn't good, but we ended up winning the game and we got away with it. It works the same way. I was very happy with our process that day. I was very happy with our approach. I was very happy with how we played the game and how we competed. So we can't be results oriented. We lost the game, but let's but even though I'm unhappy about losing and I hate losing, we can't be results-oriented. And that was the message after the game that day.

SPEAKER_02:

Great message. Let me ask you this here. I want to lighten it up, I guess, a little bit. If you could take your team to play in a major league ballpark, where would you take them and why?

SPEAKER_00:

Selfishly, I would take them to Dodgers Stadium because I'm a Dodgers fan. And so I would love to be out there and they could be on the mound where Clayton Kershaw pitched and Sandy Koufax and and those guys. Uh, but from a historical standpoint, I think they got to go to Wrigley. I think, you know, to go to play at Wrigley and to get a go there or or even Fenway. Um, those those historical parks, that's that's just so they could get a chance to be a part of the the history of the game.

SPEAKER_02:

Well, I wrote this question now, and and since you just answered the way you did, I kind of get the feeling I know what the answer is going to be up at least try. Who makes it to the World Series and who wins it all?

SPEAKER_00:

Well, I hope the Dodgers do. Um, I I I would love to see uh a Dodgers uh Blue Jays matchup. And uh primarily because with the teams that are left, I love the way the Blue Jays play. I love the way they just put the ball in play. I love the way they battle at the dish. I love the way they compete. Um, you know, I like seeing those kind of things. Uh we we show our kids all the time Bo Bachette. I know he's hurt and not playing right now, but Bo Bachet, the way he spreads out with two strikes, takes that two-strike approach and wants to put the ball in play in battle right there. Um so I would I would love to see that matchup. Um as a Dodger fan, I don't like seeing that Blue J lineup. You know, they're very explosive. And so here as as you're as we're recording this, you know, they bounce back from the Mariners uh 2-0 deficit against the Mariners, and their bats kind of come alive. So that kind of scares me. Um But uh, you know, so I would I would like to see to see that matchup as they're going through there. I do have a lot of respect though for them for the the Brewers, um, you know, and the way they play and the way they compete um and the way they get after it. I love the way they run the bases and the kind of the energy that they play with. I think the Dodgers pitchers have been able to neutralize that a little bit by keeping them off the bases. Um, but yeah, as a Dodger fan, I'd love to see them and the Blue Jays make it, and obviously the the Dodgers walk away with one.

SPEAKER_02:

There you go. Well, you've made a lot of great memories as a coach and also as a player. Can you share a story that you look back on and you're always going to remember? And a lot of times coaches like to throw one out there that's got some humor to it.

SPEAKER_00:

Oh boy, you know, a lot of good stories there. I would say probably, you know, the the the the one that I I look at there is um you know, when I was a player, um, you know, and and growing up and playing and eating and doing those kind of things, uh, I think my uh my favorite part of it is is Coach Stanley, um, my head coach who had been here for 43 years, he used to um, you know, you when you take a pitcher out of the game, he would have I was a first baseman and a pitcher. And so I gotta hear the the spiel, I guess, when the coach comes out and and gets to talk to the the pitcher and takes him out of the game and how you're kind of starting to you know lessen the blow a little bit, maybe done the situation. And I guess my favorite memory is uh, you know, I I guess I was kind of a jokester a little bit in high school. So I was pitching and uh we were in Fort Collins and and playing in a summer game, and Coach Danley was coming out to take me out of the game, and and uh as he came to take the ball and give his spiel, I I kind of just stopped him for a second. I said, I got it, coach. And I went through and I said, Well, well, Todd, you know, uh, this is gonna be the third time through the lineup. They're kind of starting to catch up to you a little bit. I want to give them a different look and we'll see if we can get you out of this mess. And then I handed him the ball and I patted myself on the back and I walked off. And he just started laughing out there on the mound. He was like, You just took yourself out of the game. And I was like, Yeah, well, coach, I'd heard you say it so many times. I figured I knew what was coming. So that's one of mine, and that's one of the stories that he would still tell people uh to this day about the time that that I took myself out of the game as the as the pitcher. So that's one of my favorite memories.

SPEAKER_02:

That's great. I love that. Well, it's Todd Hernandez, head baseball coach at Eaton High School in Colorado. Coach, wish you the best, continued success, and it sounds like it's uh gonna be another great year coming up in 26. But uh, coach, thank you so much for taking time to be on baseball coaches unplugged.

SPEAKER_00:

Thank you. I appreciate it. And uh, you know, if you ever need anything from us here in Colorado, or if you're ever in the area, uh let us know and we'll be after a game.

SPEAKER_02:

Definitely. Sounds good, Coach. Special thanks to Todd Hernandez, head baseball coach at Eaton High School in Colorado. Today's episode of Baseball Coaches Unplugged is powered by the Netting Professionals improving programs one facility at a time. Contact them today at 844-620-2707 or visit them online at www.nettingpros.com. As always, I'm your host, Coach Ken Carpenter. Thanks for listening to Baseball Coaches Unplugged.

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