On this week’s ABCA Podcast we head on location with Weatherford College assistant athletic director and head baseball coach, Jeff Lightfoot. Lightfoot has spent 22 years as a head baseball coach and the last 18 years at Weatherford College. Lightfoot is closing in on the 700 win plateau with his time at Eastfield and Weatherford. Lightfoot’s 1998 Eastfield team won the Division III Junior College World Series. In 18 years, more than 150 former Coyotes have moved on to play baseball at the next level. 31 former Coyotes have played professional baseball including four major leaguers. In this episode we cover player relationships, his dual role as an administrator & coach, what the ABCA has meant to him, evolving from his days as a young head coach, offensive approach and program building. The ABCA Podcast is presented by Netting Pros. Netting Professionals are improving programs one facility at a time, specializing in the design, fabrication and installation of custom netting for backstops, batting cages, dugouts, bp screens and ball carts. They also design and install digital graphic wall padding windscreen, turf, turf protectors, dugout benches, dugout cubbies and more. This episode is also brought to you by Marc Pro. That is M A R C Pro. Personally I used it as a coach for my ragged out BP arm and legs after a tough workout. We saw huge benefits with our pitchers and position players in decreased soreness and recovery time. It is an amazing machine that speeds up the recovery process by getting blood flow back to areas that need it. It is durable and cost effective. The Marc Pro needs to be a tool in your peak performance tool kit. I can’t recommend it enough. Hit me up if you have any questions. Order now on Marcpro.com and use the promo code ABCA to get 10% off.

ABCA Podcast

Jeff Lightfoot, Assistant Athletic Director & Head Baseball Coach, Weatherford College

Next up on the ABCA Podcast are Terry and Nick Gobert. Terry is a legend in Indiana High School Baseball. In his time at Jasper High School, Gobert has won six Indiana State Championships, including the final two single class titles. He is one of five coaches in the state to reach the 800-win plateau. Jasper High school is a tradition rich program that includes Scott Rolen and Matt Mauck as alums. Nick is entering his first season as an assistant at Walters State. He started on varsity for 4 years for Terry. After high school he attended Dayton University and the University of Southern Indiana. Gobert started his coaching career at USI and was with Indian Hills last season. Coach Gobert has the blueprint for running a successful organization. In this episode we cover how they handled the player coach relationship, developing winning traditions, how experience still has value, keeping things simple, knowing when to pivot your philosophy, practice planning and how to incorporate family into your program. The ABCA Podcast is presented by Netting Pros. Netting Professionals are improving programs one facility at a time, specializing in the design, fabrication and installation of custom netting for backstops, batting cages, dugouts, bp screens and ball carts. They also design and install digital graphic wall padding windscreen, turf, turf protectors, dugout benches, dugout cubbies and more. This episode is also brought to you by Marc Pro. Personally I used it as a coach for my ragged out BP arm and legs after a tough workout. We saw huge benefits with our pitchers and position players in decreased soreness and recovery time. It is an amazing machine that speeds up the recovery process by getting blood flow back to areas that need it. It is durable and cost effective. The Marc Pro needs to be a tool in your peak performance tool kit. I can’t recommend it enough. Hit me up if you have any questions. Order now on Marcpro.com and use the promo code ABCA to get 10% off.

Terry Gobert, Jasper HS & Nick Gobert, Walters State

Next up on the ABCA Podcast are Terry and Nick Gobert. Terry is a legend in Indiana High School Baseball. In his time at Jasper High School, Goberst has won six Indiana State Championships, including the final two single class titles. He is one of five coaches in the state to reach the 800-win plateau. Jasper High school is a tradition rich program that includes Scott Rolen and Matt Mauck as alums. Nick is entering his first season as an assistant at Walters State. He started on varsity for 4 years for Terry. After high school he attended Dayton University and the University of Southern Indiana. Gobert started his coaching career at USI and was with Indian Hills last season. Coach Gobert has the blueprint for running a successful organization. In this episode we cover how they handled the player coach relationship, developing winning traditions, how experience still has value, keeping things simple, knowing when to pivot your philosophy, practice planning and how to incorporate family into your program. The ABCA Podcast is presented by Netting Pros. Netting Professionals are improving programs one facility at a time, specializing in the design, fabrication and installation of custom netting for backstops, batting cages, dugouts, bp screens and ball carts. They also design and install digital graphic wall padding windscreen, turf, turf protectors, dugout benches, dugout cubbies and more. This episode is also brought to you by Marc Pro. That is M A R C Pro. Personally I used it as a coach for my ragged out BP arm and legs after a tough workout. We saw huge benefits with our pitchers and position players in decreased soreness and recovery time. It is an amazing machine that speeds up the recover

Jumping on the ABCA Podcast this week is University of Tennessee Associate Director of Sports Medicine, Jeff Wood. Wood just finished his 21st season with the UT Baseball program. Wood is a baseball lifer in the athletic training world. His career path mirrors many of our players and coaches. Wood grew up in West Virginia and did his undergraduate work at Marshall. After graduation, Wood started his AT career in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization. He was named the Southern League Athletic Trainer of the year in 1987. 2001 was Wood’s first season with the Vols Baseball program and that season ended at the College World Series. The 2021 season was Wood’s 3rd trip to Omaha. Wood has a wealth of knowledge in the game. This is a heart felt episode on baseball, career path, trainer & coach relationship, keeping players healthy, lifestyle and family. The ABCA Podcast is presented by Netting Pros. Netting Professionals are improving programs one facility at a time, specializing in the design, fabrication and installation of custom netting for backstops, batting cages, dugouts, bp screens and ball carts. They also design and install digital graphic wall padding windscreen, turf, turf protectors, dugout benches, dugout cubbies and more.

Jeff Wood, Director of Sports Medicine, University of Tennessee

Another great baseball family joins us on the ABCA Podcast with Mark & Sam Gjormand. This is our first Father & Daughter episode. Mark “Pudge” Gjormand is heading into his 27th season at James Madison High School in Northern Virginia and his 35th season overall. Gjormand has led James Madison to three state Championships. The 2021 squad had a phenomenal season finishing second in the nation and winning the class 6 state championship. He was named the Atec/ABCA Region II Coach of the Year this summer. Gjormand is very active on the speaking circuit and is an integral part of the ABCA, National Baseball Coaches Association and MVP International. Sam is blazing her own path in the game. Gjormand helped Pudge with the James Madison High School baseball program while she was in high school. After graduation, Gjormand went to James Madison University and worked with the baseball program. Gjormand had an exciting summer working with the Wareham Gatemen as the assistant to the GM and MLB scout liaison. Gjormand was just named Director of Baseball Operations & Assistant Executive to the Head Coach at the College of Charleston. We head down a lot of different rabbit holes in this episode. This is an impactful conversation on the many ways that you can help the Baseball Community. The ABCA Podcast is presented by Netting Pros. Netting Professionals are improving programs one facility at a time, specializing in the design, fabrication and installation of custom netting for backstops, batting cages, dugouts, bp screens and ball carts. They also design and install digital graphic wall padding windscreen, turf, turf protectors, dugout benches, dugout cubbies and more.

Mark Gjormand, James Madison HS & Sam Gjormand, College of Charleston

Our next guest on the ABCA Podcast is Driveline CEO, Mike Rathwell. Driveline has been on the forefront of testing data driven player development and they are continuing to push the envelope of cost effective player development. Rathwell has a lot of new things to discuss. In this episode we cover Driveline’s rebranding of the Motus Sleeve to Pulse, Traq, their new facility opening up in Arizona, his 3 books that he is re reading right now, Driveline’s hiring process, his views on leadership, their youth academy and starting a new collegiate developmental league in Summer 2022. Quick Reminder on ABCA Renewals, New Membership and Convention Registration. You can do all of that on our website www.abca.org or on the My ABCA app. We are anticipating our largest convention this year. The ABCA Podcast is presented by Netting Pros. Netting Professionals are improving programs one facility at a time, specializing in the design, fabrication and installation of custom netting for backstops, batting cages, dugouts, bp screens and ball carts. They also design and install digital graphic wall padding windscreen, turf, turf protectors, dugout benches, dugout cubbies and more.

Mike Rathwell, CEO, Driveline

We dive back into peak performance with Kris Goodman, Tampa Bay Rays minor league mental performance coach. Goodman had a phenomenal career at the University of Iowa and was drafted in the 32nd round of the 2015 draft by the Miami Marlins. After Goodman's playing career was finished he got into college coaching and received his Master of Sports Psychology degree at Minnesota State. This is a deep dive into peak performance and player development. Goodman works with the Rays minor leaguers. He is on the ground floor of trying to help players achieve their goal of playing in the Major Leagues. This is a deep dive into his time growing up as a multi-sport athlete, the role his parents had on his development, the recruiting process, his views on player development and what he is using with his players to help with peak performance in the Rays organization. The ABCA Podcast is presented by Netting Pros. Netting Professionals are improving programs one facility at a time, specializing in the design, fabrication and installation of custom netting for backstops, batting cages, dugouts, bp screens and ball carts. They also design and install digital graphic wall padding windscreen, turf, turf protectors, dugout benches, dugout cubbies and more.

Kris Goodman, Minor League Mental Performance Coach, Tampa Rays

We dive back into peak performance with Kris Goodman, Tampa Bay Rays minor league mental performance coach. Goodman had a phenomenal career at the University of Iowa and was drafted in the 32nd round of the 2015 draft by the Miami Marlins. After Goodman's playing career was finished he got into college coaching and received his Master of Sports Psychology degree at Minnesota State. This is a deep dive into peak performance and player development. Goodman works with the Rays minor leaguers. He is on the ground floor of trying to help players achieve their goal of playing in the Major Leagues. This is a deep dive into his time growing up as a multi sport athlete, the roll his parents had on his development, the recruiting process, his views on player development and what he is using with his players to help with peak performance in the Rays organization. The ABCA Podcast is presented by Netting Pros. Netting Professionals are improving programs one facility at a time, specializing in the design, fabrication and installation of custom netting for backstops, batting cages, dugouts, bp screens and ball carts. They also design and install digital graphic wall padding windscreen, turf, turf protectors, dugout benches, dugout cubbies and more.

Next up on the ABCA Podcast is Div. I NJCAA national champion McLennan Community College head coach, Mitch Thompson. This finishes our series of ABCA coaches that were national champions this year. Thompson was honored with the ABCA/ATEC Coach of the Year Award. The Highlanders were 47-16 winning their last 23 games and running the table in Grand Junction. They had a .961 OPS and 4.12 ERA as a team. This was McLennan’s second national championship in program history. Thompson has 30 plus seasons as a baseball coach. He spent time as a Div. I assistant at Mississippi State, Auburn, Radford and Baylor. He has created a culture of winning at McLennan with three World Series appearances and six straight Region V appearances since he took over in 2015. Not surprising that this is a great conversation with Coach Thompson’s wealth of experience in the game. We cover their championship run, his assistants, what he has learned over the course of his career, his fail forward moment and how he handled McLennan’s 4 game losing streak in the middle of the season. The ABCA Podcast is presented by Netting Pros. Netting Professionals are improving programs one facility at a time, specializing in the design, fabrication and installation of custom netting for backstops, batting cages, dugouts, bp screens and ball carts. They also design and install digital graphic wall padding windscreen, turf, turf protectors, dugout benches, dugout cubbies and more.

Mitch Thompson, McLennan CC head coach

In this episode we cover all things high school baseball with Patrick Robey, Madison Central High School head baseball coach. Madison Central went 34-2 and won the class 6A Mississippi state championship ending the season ranked #1 in the Baseball America poll. Robey was honored with the NHSBCA Coach of the Year Award. Robey competed collegiately at Jones County Junior College and Delta State. After playing professionally Robey started his coaching career at Delta State and East Central Community College. From there Robey moved onto head coach at South Panola and Lafayette High School. He just finished his fifth season with the Madison Central program. In this episode we cover a wide range of topics with Robey’s mentors, practice planning, field work, travel baseball and how to handle coaching elite players. The ABCA Podcast is presented by Netting Pros. Netting Professionals are improving programs one facility at a time, specializing in the design, fabrication and installation of custom netting for backstops, batting cages, dugouts, bp screens and ball carts. They also design and install digital graphic wall padding windscreen, turf, turf protectors, dugout benches, dugout cubbies and more.

Patrick Robey, Madison Central HS head coach

Next up on the ABCA Podcast is Div. I national champion Mississippi State University head coach, Chris Lemonis. This continues our series of ABCA coaches that were national champions this year. Lemonis was honored with the ABCA/ATEC coach of the year award. Lemonis just finished his 26th season as a collegiate coach with stops at the Citadel, Louisville, Indiana and Mississippi State. In that time span he has a national championship, five college world series appearances, 16 NCAA tournament appearances and four 50 win seasons. It is hard to believe that this is Mississippi State’s first national championship. It just shows how difficult it is to win the last game of the year. This is a great discussion on Division I baseball, his fail forward moment, handling the pressure of coaching at an elite program and what it takes to climb the ladder at that level. Lemonis has made many sacrifices to get to the position he is in. 

Chris Lemonis, Mississippi State University head coach

This week on the ABCA Podcast is Richard Kent. Kent did his undergrad work at Rutgers and got his law degree from Boston College. He represents basketball and lacrosse coaches. He currently is a sports law professor at Manhattanville and is the author of 11 books. In this episode we dive into the current topic of name, image and likeness. NLI is a new frontier. Kent came on to give us a deep dive into what is going on currently and what the future might look like. Kent’s 11 books cover a wide range of topics including a couple on Roger Federer. Kent coached tennis at Manhattanville so we weaved in a little coaching, elite mindsets and professional development. The ABCA Podcast is presented by Netting Pros. Netting Professionals are improving programs one facility at a time, specializing in the design, fabrication and installation of custom netting for backstops, batting cages, dugouts, bp screens and ball carts. They also design and install digital graphic wall padding windscreen, turf, turf protectors, dugout benches, dugout cubbies and more.

Richard Kent, Sports Agent & Sports Law Professor at Manhattanville College

Next up on the ABCA Podcast is Jeff Willis, NJCAA Div. II national champion LSU-Eunice head coach. Willis has done remarkable things with the LSU-Eunice program. They are now tied for most national titles in one sport at the junior college level with seven. Eunice had a phenomenal year, going 51-17 and scoring almost 400 more runs than their opponents. In this episode we break down Eunice’s national championship run, their coaching staff, people development, practice planning, wreaking havoc on offense, ideas to keep pushing junior college baseball forward and his biggest key to keeping the edge to his program. The ABCA Podcast is presented by Netting Pros. Netting Professionals are improving programs one facility at a time, specializing in the design, fabrication and installation of custom netting for backstops, batting cages, dugouts, bp screens and ball carts. They also design and install digital graphic wall padding windscreen, turf, turf protectors, dugout benches, dugout cubbies and more.

Jeff Willis, LSU-Eunice head coach

Up next on the ABCA Podcast is Doug Wren, head coach of NJCAA Div. III national champion Tyler Junior College. Wren is entering his 13th season as head coach at Tyler and has won five national championships and posted a 459-194 record. The Apaches have made eight World Series appearances in the last 11 years. He is very active with the NJCAA, serving on the Executive and International Committees. In this episode we break down Tyler’s national championship run, coaching staff, player development, practice planning, developing hitters and his "why" of still focusing on what is best for the player. The ABCA Podcast is presented by Netting Pros. Netting Professionals are improving programs one facility at a time, specializing in the design, fabrication and installation of custom netting for backstops, batting cages, dugouts, bp screens and ball carts. They also design and install digital graphic wall padding windscreen, turf, turf protectors, dugout benches, dugout cubbies and more.

Doug Wren, Tyler JC head coach

This week on the ABCA Podcast, we hear from NCAA Div. II national champion coach Jeff Gregory of Wingate University. This continues our series of ABCA members who won national championships this year. Gregory just finished his 11th season as head coach at Wingate, going 39-13 this year, after time as an assistant coach and player. He has led Wingate to the NCAA Tournament four times. The Bulldogs got hot down the stretch, going 13-2 in the playoffs. Gregory takes us through how a team that hit .289, fielded .960 and had an ERA of 4.23 won the national title. Get your pad and pen ready because Coach Gregory gives us a ton of great nuggets on developing a program! His pride and love for Wingate University comes through in this episode. You can tell he is pouring his blood, sweat and tears into Wingate baseball. The ABCA Podcast is presented by Netting Pros. Netting Professionals are improving programs one facility at a time, specializing in the design, fabrication and installation of custom netting for backstops, batting cages, dugouts, bp screens and ball carts. They also design and install digital graphic wall padding windscreen, turf, turf protectors, dugout benches, dugout cubbies and more.

Jeff Gregory, Wingate University head coach

The ABCA Podcast runs the gamut of baseball coaching topics, from pitching, to hitting, to the mental game, practice planning, recruiting and more. It's hosted by Ryan Brownlee, longtime coach and current Assistant Executive Director of the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA). The ABCA is the primary professional organization for baseball coaches at the amateur level, with more than 12,000 members representing all 50 U.S. states and 23 countries. Since 1945, Association membership has broadened to include: NCAA Division I, II and III, NAIA, Junior College, Pacific Association Division, High School, Youth and Travel Ball. Each January, the ABCA hosts the largest baseball convention in the world. Over 7,000 coaches attend the convention, which is held at various locations around the country. The ABCA's official website is http://www.ABCA.org.

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ABCA Podcast

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