Craig Castello

Head Baseball Coach at Denham Springs High School

[Jonathan Lucroy @JLucroy20]

The hitter’s swings, foul balls, and takes give you a good idea of his approach. What do I mean?

Fastballs:

Is he late on the FB? Where are his foul balls? Pulled foul? Or over the opposite dugout? Or, is he taking them?

So, if late, this means that we pitch FB in, up, and expand down. If he’s taking them, he might be sitting strike offspeed.

Also, if he’s late on FB, be careful throwing a get me over strike offspeed pitch. You will be doing him a favor.

A good question to ask is, where can we go where his barrel can’t square the ball up?

Offspeed: is he pulling them foul? Are his takes good or bad? Does his swing look comfortable on the offspeed? Where does he chase?

A good tidbit to follow is that we should chase bad swings.

The best hitters in the world can make the adjustment pitch to pitch.

Most players, especially at the HS and below level, can’t do that. So if he takes a bad swing on a pitch, throw it again. If he takes it, throw a different pitch, then go back to bad swing pitch.

Another tidbit is that if the hitter fouls a ball straight back to the backstop, be very careful repeating that, because he just missed it.

Many more nuances to this but this is basic food for thought.

[D1Baseball @d1baseball]

Perhaps the most successful freshman pitcher in college baseball so far this season, Sawyer Pruitt (@SawyerPruitt) has been dealing for @RaginCajunsBSB 💪

19.2 IP
1 R
0 ER
25 K (31.6 K%)
6 BB (7.6 BB%)

🔗 https://t.co/ihcB3w29ip

[Baseball’s Greatest Moments @BBGreatMoments]

Every parent, coach and player should listen to this. Maybe listen twice just to let it sink in.

[Jamarcus Fitzpatrick @JFitzTV]

.@RaginCajunsBSB freshman pitcher Sawyer Pruitt is feeling it #GeauxCajuns

[Craig Castello @CraigCastello]

@JesseCassard @SawyerPruitt that guy ain’t too shabby!

[Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns® Baseball @RaginCajunsBSB]

M6 | MoState 2, UL 7

Sawyer Pruitt with 3Ks in his first collegiate appearance; 14 pitches with 12 for strikes

📻 https://t.co/hz1uU6wbBr
📊 https://t.co/eEx1dEheHA

#GeauxCajuns | #WaterHoseBoys

[The Advocate @theadvocatebr]

Check out the 2025 All-Metro baseball team for the Baton Rouge area https://t.co/yr4hbI9I7G

[14-0 Productions @14_0productions]

LSWA CLASS AAAAA ALL-STATE BASEBALL ⚾️ TEAM

P Will Andrade - Holy Cross
P Bradyn Cupit - West Monroe
P Drew Ferguson - West Monroe
P Jarius Miller - Barbe
C Andrew Clapinski - Catholic BR
IF Ryan Darrah - Brother Martin
IF Casey McCoy - Dutchtown
IF Dom Pellegrin - Holy Cross
IF Jack Ruckert - Catholic BR
OF Jackson Lee - Ruston
OF Cole Snell - Benton
OF Christian Turner - Haughton
UT Brayden Calamari - Slidell
UT Cole Flanagan - Sam Houston
UT Cole Navarro - Brother Martin
UT Sawyer Pruitt - Live Oak
UT Cooper Smith - Live Oak

OUTSTANDING PLAYER: SAWYER PRUITT - LIVE OAK

COACH OF THE YEAR: CHAD HEBERT - SAM HOUSTON

Honorable Mention:
Nate Alario, John Curtis
Thomas Allen, Benton
Lytton Arledge, West Monroe
Lenny Cline, Rummel
Tanner Conley, Fontainebleau
Trey Davis, Higgins
Tristan Dehart, Terrebonne
Connor Donnelly, Jesuit
Davis Emonet, Catholic BR
Parker Franks, Neville
Troy Green, Slidell
Owen Galley, Sam Houston
Kanyon Griffin, Acadiana
Hunter Guillot, Thibodaux
Mason Hickman, Mandeville
David Griep, Ruston
Brock Laird, Natchitoches Central
Lucas Lawrence, Catholic BR
Noah Lewis, Catholic BR
Lawton Littleton, Barbe
Carson Malasovich, Northshore
Chase Marcotte, Destrehan
JP Moak, Ruston
Wes Oats, Pineville
Gavin Panks, Covington
Brayden Rachal, Alexandria
Tyler Roark, West Monroe
Tyler Roach, Ruston
Logan Rogers, H.L. Bourgeois
Koa Romero, Hahnville
Aidan Ryan, Covington
Andrew Sharp, Captain Shreve
Slade Shove-Knox, Sulphur
Connor Smith, Northshore
Austyn Taylor, Pineville
Abel Thetford, Parkway
Brody Trosclair, Thibodaux
Bryce Wilson, Chalmette
Zach Wilburn, Byrd

[14-0 Productions @14_0productions]

2025 Louisiana Baseball Coaches Association All-State Baseball ⚾️ Teams

[Prep Baseball Louisiana @PrepBaseballLA]

💎 𝕎𝕖𝕓 𝔾𝕖𝕞 𝔸𝕝𝕖𝕣𝕥

Check out this play by 2026 LHP Zant Gurney (Live Oak HS)

The @PB_Uncommitted junior southpaw fields this bunt down the first base line barehanded and makes an accurate off-balanced throw for the 1-3 putout.

Live Oak and Benton remain tied at 1-1 heading to the 4th inning. #BeSeen

@AlexArmandPBR | @davisj_9

[Craig Castello @CraigCastello]

@PrepBaseballLA @PB_Uncommitted @LiveOakBsB1 LBCA talk about making athletic throws comes in handy.

[Sawyer Pruitt @SawyerPruitt]

I want to thank all the coaches that reached out to me in the past two weeks. I’m staying home. 🌶️🤟🏽@RaginCajuns @RaginCajunsBSB @RaginReview @CoachDeggs28 @GunnerLeger @Coach_Thib @JesseCassard @CoachCaryMyers @AlexArmandPBR @2D_sports

[Coach Vint @coachvint]

🚨Every coach should listen to Nick Saban talk about transformational coaching.

⁉️Do you care about your players for your benefit or their benefit?

[Craig Castello @CraigCastello]

@CordlessCole @CoachCaryMyers @JesseCassard Seems like a good idea to me. Especially when you hit like the A’s

[Cal Cassard @CalCassard8]

I’m grateful to be able to announce that I have committed to play baseball at Bossier Parish CC. I want to thank God, my coaches, and my teammates for supporting me through this journey to the next level. @LiveOakBsB1 @BPCC_BASEBALL @knightknation4L

[2D Sports Louisiana @2DsportsbsbLA]

🔒 Cal Cassard 🔒

2025 | OF | Live Oak
Bossier Parish Community College

Congrats to 2025 OF @CalCassard8 on his commitment to @BPCC_BASEBALL

Cassard was 1st Team @lbcaupdates All State this past Spring and looks to have a big senior year for the Eagles.

[John Peabody @PeabodyHitDev]

Trevor Bauer talking about how the eyes set up your direction. I have this conversation all the time with hitters. So many hitters over close off their shoulders causing them to pull off.

[The Winning Difference @thewinningdiff1]

'Earn the right to do more.'

"People work to do less. This is the big fight we have with success.
Failure is easy.
Success is way harder than managing failure.
People believe when you do good, you have earned the right to do less.
With success, you earn the right to do more."

[Craig Castello @CraigCastello]

@JesseCassard @cary_myers5 @lbcaupdates It would be nice if we started next week and had 2/3 all the way through in 2024!

[Pitching Coach "U" @PitchingCoachU]

A simple advantage every pitcher can have:

When facing same sided hitters, stand on arm side of the rubber.

When facing opposite handed hitters, stand on glove side of the rubber.

The horizontal approach angle plays up for every single pitch.