Pat Kelsey’s recruiting pitch to any point guard is clear.
“You look at Mikel. Mikel is hooping. You talk about some of those other guards that decides to go somewhere else…fine.”
“You come to Louisville, we’re gon’ hoop.”
Game 7. World Series. Aroldis Chapman on the mound — 100+ mph coming right at me. Biggest at-bat of my life.
The truth is, I wasn’t thinking about the noise, the crowd, or what was at stake.
I was locked in on one thing: my routine.
My breath. My self-talk. My present-moment focus.
In that moment, I wasn’t reacting to the pressure — I was controlling what I could control.
That’s the power of a pre-pitch routine. It keeps you calm when the world speeds up. It gives you control when everything feels out of control.
And it’s not just baseball. It’s life. When the moment gets loud — return to your breath, your routine, your mindset.
That’s how you win the biggest at-bats of your life.
"We're going to tell this story when we make it."
Back in July, Austin Hedges led a players-only team meeting after the Guardians lost ten straight games.
Fast forward to today, and they're headed to the postseason with a chance to win the AL Central tomorrow.