Adam Frey

God, Family,Friends! Donegal Varsity baseball Coach⚾️

[Adam Frey @Adam2Frey14]

@mattk9dc Odds they blow this one 2?

[Philadelphia Phillies @Phillies]

The BryCYCLE.

[Jermaine Curtis @JermaineCurtis]

When I was with the St. Louis Cardinals, we had a team meeting about hitting with two strikes.

Albert Pujols was leading it.

At the time, he was hitting something ridiculous with two strikes.

I want to say it was around .265.

Naturally, everyone wanted to know how.

So somebody asked:

"What's your two-strike approach?"

Albert's answer surprised me.

He said:

"I think fastball inside and hit it back through the middle."

That was it.

No complicated mechanics.

No secret formula.

Just:

Fastball inside.

Back through the middle.

I remember sitting there thinking:

"Why would you think fastball inside with two strikes?"

So somebody asked him.

And Albert said something I'll never forget.

He said:

"If I can hit a fastball inside back through the middle..."

"I can hit the fastball away."

"I can stay on the changeup."

"I can stay on the slider."

"I can stay on the curveball."

Then he paused.

And said:

"The ball gets deeper."

That's when it clicked for me.

He wasn't trying to pull the inside fastball.

He was using one thought to cover everything.

The more I thought about it...

The more it made sense.

So I started trying it.

And it changed the way I thought about hitting with two strikes.

Instead of worrying about every pitch...

I focused on one.

Fastball inside.

Back through the middle.

See it DEEP.

If you're struggling with two strikes, here's what I'd do tonight:

Round 1: Short Box

(Set the distance somewhere between front toss and batting practice.)

Have a coach throw only fastballs inside.

Your only thought:

"Fastball inside."

Drive the ball back through the middle.

10 swings.

Round 2: Mix Speeds

Now the coach mixes:

- Fastballs
- Changeups
- Breaking balls
- Sliders

But your thought never changes.

You're still looking:

"Fastball inside."

10 swings.

Round 3: Two-Strike BP

Every pitch starts 0-2.

Compete.

Battle.

Use the same approach.

"Fastball inside."

Back through the middle.

10 swings.

That's it.

30 focused swings.

One thought.

One approach.

One goal.

Drive the baseball back through the middle.

One thing I've learned:

Most hitters get worse with two strikes because they add thoughts.

Albert got better because he removed them.

With two strikes, simplicity is a weapon.

Thank you for reading,
Jermaine Curtis

P.S. - If you enjoyed this and thought it was helpful, please share it.

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[Donegal Athletics @godonegalsports]

Congrats to the following players on being named as LL League Section 3 All Stars. 1st Team: Caleb Rupp, Nathan Baker, Andrew Fabian, Brady & Chase Cornelius, Tommy Hairhoger, & Tristan Albert. Evan Niehaus was a 2nd Team Selection. #OneTribe @DonegalBaseball @DonegalSchools

[Donegal HS Baseball @DonegalBaseball]

Another great accomplishment for this group!
Congratulations to our players selected to the Lancaster-Lebanon League Section 3 All-Star Team.
⭐ 7 First Team selections
⭐ 1 Second Team selection
Proud of this group and everything they accomplished this year. ⚾👏

[Donegal HS Baseball @DonegalBaseball]

⚾️✍️ NEXT STOP: COLLEGE BASEBALL ✍️⚾️

Congrats to our three seniors continuing their baseball careers at the next level!

🟦 Ethan Laubach → Penn State Scranton
🟨 Evan Niehaus → Frederick CC
🟪 Caleb Rupp → West Chester University

Once an Indian, ALWAYS an Indian. 🌪️💚⚾️

[Donegal Athletics @godonegalsports]

Come out and support the 3x LL Section 3 Baseball Champs as they host a 1st Round LL League Playoff Game at Melhorn Field. All Tickets are $7.00 CASH ONLY!

[Donegal HS Baseball @DonegalBaseball]

Indians take down Manheim Central, 4-1

Section 3 Champs for the 3rd straight year!

@CalebJRupp goes 2-3 with 3 RBIs, including a go-ahead HR in the 7th to break a 1-1 tie. Nate Baker shut it down in relief (4.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 8 SO).

#DonegalBaseball

[Donegal HS Baseball @DonegalBaseball]

⚾️ GAME DAY
📍 MANHEIM CENTRAL HS
⏰ 4:15
☀️ Final game of the regular season and the biggest one yet. Rivalry matchup with the Section title on the line—don’t miss it. ⚾🔥
#prideinthetribe #DonegalBaseball

[SportsCenter @SportsCenter]

JOEL EMBIID CARRIES THE SIXERS INTO THE SECOND ROUND! 🤯

THE PROCESS COMES BACK DOWN 3-1 💯

[Donegal HS Baseball @DonegalBaseball]

Indians take down Manheim Township, 8-5.

@ethan_laubach earns the Win 5 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 5 K. Donegal tallied 7 hits from 6 players, led by @_evanniehaua9 with 2.

Final regular season game Monday.

#DonegalBaseball #Prideinthetribe

[Donegal HS Baseball @DonegalBaseball]

⚾️ GAME DAY
📍 MELHORN FIELD
⏰ 12:00
🌭 Concessions will be open!
⛅️ Finally a game with no rain in the forecast! The yard work can wait! Come out to cheer on your Indians in their final home game before the postseason.

#Donegalindians #Prideinthetribe

[Donegal HS Baseball @DonegalBaseball]

Indians get another W on Senior Night, 7-2 over Garden Spot.

Dominant pitching with 12 Ks from @CalebJRupp & Logan Stough—Rupp with 6 Ks in 2 IP (0 H, 0 R).

Seniors led the way with 5 of the 7 hits (@_evanniehaua9, Rupp, @AndrewF30861686, Christian Miller & Hudson Fenicle).

[Donegal HS Baseball @DonegalBaseball]

Today’s Senior Spotlight is #1 Hudson Fenicle

[Donegal HS Baseball @DonegalBaseball]

Indians roll past Cocalico, 11-1.

@Tommyhairhoger & @BradyC_2029 each collected multiple hits, including Cornelius with 2 2B. Fabian drove in 3 with a 3B, and Hairhoger added a 3B as well. Nate Baker earns the win (5 H, 1 ER, 4 SO).

#DonegalBaseball #TeacherAppreciation

[Donegal HS Baseball @DonegalBaseball]

It took amazing teachers to shape the INDIANS we are today.
Tonight our seniors honored those who made a lasting impact—on and off the field.
More than the game.
THANK YOU…for always being the ones we can count on!
#DonegalBaseball #teacherappreciation

[Donegal HS Baseball @DonegalBaseball]

Today’s Senior Spotlight is #34 Dylan Johnson