Brooks McDowell

Husband/Father - Emerson Teacher of the Year - KCC Strength & Conditioning Coach - Still Chuck Baseballs for Fun - Tougest Team Wins #BeCool #BrooksWallace

[Brooks McDowell @Bmac2507]

Great stuff.

[Corey Twine @CoreyTwine]

I am not a psychologist, but I came across an interesting paper by Grijalva, Maynes, Badura, and Whiting titled Examining the “I” in Team, and it hit on something very practical for anyone who has coached, led, or worked inside a team. The paper looks at narcissism in NBA teams and how it can affect coordination and performance. One line that stood out was the idea that narcissists may “trade interdependence and closeness for individual status and esteem.” That is a powerful way to describe something many coaches have seen, especially with young athletes who are pushing for a starting role or trying to prove themselves.

The practical piece is what matters most to me. The paper describes how “egocentric behaviors will evoke reciprocal selfishness from exchange partners,” and that is where teams can start to break down. When one person starts highlighting themselves, chasing credit, or moving off the collective mission, others often shift into protection mode. They start guarding their own effort, their own role, their own recognition, and their own standing. The paper says this creates “a shift toward emphasizing personal interests over those of the collective,” which can hinder team coordination and performance. In coaching terms, that is when the team stops playing connected and starts playing guarded.

I wish I had this language when I was coaching athletics, because I saw versions of this all the time. Not in a bad way. These were young athletes trying to earn opportunities, prove they belonged, or fight for playing time. But many did not yet understand that when the collective team gets better, everyone’s individual opportunity also improves. Effective teams have to address these vulnerabilities because all of us are capable of drifting toward the personal train for our own glory. The goal is not to shame ambition. The goal is to mature it, so individual drive strengthens the team instead of pulling people away from it.

Team needs to be coached and nurtured!

[Kankakee CC Athletics @KCC_Cavaliers]

🚨 Breaking News🚨

KCC Baseball and Softball are bringing WIN SmartPark technology to campus.

Read full article here: https://t.co/JWwZM2UxW8

@WinReality @CavaliersBSB #KCCsoftball @NJCAABaseball #humcavs @Coach_Shafer19 @_alexlagesse @NJCAASoftball

[Brooks McDowell @Bmac2507]

Earned. Not Given. Kids a stud.

Going to miss him and the other canadians around in the weight room. True lead by example guys.

[IronbacksBaseball @ironbacks]

A season to remember. 👏⚾

Congratulations to Connor Gaitens (@connorgaitens34) on an outstanding 2026 JUCO season, earning:

🏆 Region 4 Catcher Gold Glove Award
⭐ 2nd Team All-Region Designated Hitter

These honors are a testament to the hard work, dedication, and impact made both behind the plate and in the batter's box all season long.

The future is bright, and we're proud to have you representing the Ironbacks this summer. 💪

#IronbacksBaseball #GoldGlove #AllRegion #JUCOBaseball #RoadToTheNextLevel

[Kankakee CC Baseball @CavaliersBSB]

Congratulations to our All-Region 4 players!

[Brooks McDowell @Bmac2507]

Congrats Hayden #Blazierboys

[Toronto Blue Jays @BlueJays]

Hayden’s here‼️

OFFICIALLY a Big Leaguer 📝

[Podcast Doesn't Exist @PodcastDoesnt]

The Tampa Bay Rays' newest analytical strategy is breaking Baseball again

[Brooks McDowell @Bmac2507]

@codyfick27 Don’t forget recruiting aspect either…. JUCO guys showcase/ window is the fall now - You have to prepare correctly. MLB guys are beat up come playoff time…. now we ask JUCO arms to go through full college season, summer ball and then produce a number in fall showcase. No bueno

[Brooks McDowell @Bmac2507]

GW got themselves an NABF national champion! Absolute stud. Congrats TO

[Thomas Offill @OffillThomas]

Next stop @GWUBaseball

[Jeff Passan @JeffPassan]

The landscape in college baseball is changing. With the 34-player limit, Division I schools are turning more to junior college players for immediate impact. And no school embodies that more than Kansas. Free at ESPN: How juco turned KU into a powerhouse. https://t.co/lT0Kdy7OmR

[Brooks McDowell @Bmac2507]

Best play-by-play guy in college baseball

[Joe Pott @JoePottOnAir]

The OVC Champs, @SIUEBaseball continues its series with UT Martin tonight. @RandymoVoice will have you covered. Here's how it ended last night, thanks as always to our entire @ESPNPlus crew!

[Corey Twine @CoreyTwine]

It is also important to say that human performance is not simply strength and conditioning either. Strength and conditioning is a critical asset within the system, but it is not the whole system.

Human performance is the process that enables preparation. It is the structure that organizes rehabilitation, training, recovery, testing, education, and performance support around the actual demands of the job, mission, or sport. It gives each discipline a purpose, connects each intervention to the larger outcome, and keeps the focus on readiness rather than isolated outputs.

In that sense, human performance is not defined by a single profession, method, or training room. It is the integrated process that develops, restores, and sustains the person’s ability to meet the demands placed in front of them.

[SIUE Baseball @SIUEBaseball]

DO IT?? DID IT.
2026 REGULAR SEASON OVC CHAMPIONS 🏆🏆
#RollCougs | #TogetherWeWill

[Brooks McDowell @Bmac2507]

“Secrets in the dirt” - Earned everything he’s gotten this spring. Hardwork pays off. Best is yet to come

[Gabe Mchugh @gabeMchugh24]

Freshman Kankakee CC SS
GS-41
AB-145
Hits-58
XBH-15
AVG-.400
OBP-525
OPS-1.064
Runs-53
RBI-39
SB-17
@Coach_Shafer19 @Coach_Ulrey @CavaliersBSB

[Brooks McDowell @Bmac2507]

Sponsored by @greatapegrips haha

Kids becoming a stud. Some really good days ahead.

[Dominic Panozzo @DominicPanozzo]

First round playoffs. Onto the next.
2ip, 5Ks, 0 ER
Fb: 92-95 T96
@CavaliersBSB

[SIUE Baseball @SIUEBaseball]

First. Place.
#RollCougs | #TogetherWeWill

[Brooks McDowell @Bmac2507]

Gamer.

[Lucas Rink @LucasRink12]

Freshman JUCO 2 Way Utility KCC
Regular Season Stats
6’3 200

50GP / .381 AVG / .466 OBP / .546 SLG
72 Hits / 19 XBH / 4 HR / 45 RBI / 51 R

7 GS / 4-2 W-L / 46.0 IP / 37-11 K-BB
2.54 ERA / 1.46 WHIP

.962 FPCT
Positions Played:
C/P/1B/2B/SS/LF/CF/RF

@Coach_Shafer19

[Brooks McDowell @Bmac2507]

@ZacGoodman_ Are we talking standing vert with or without arm swing? Vert with arm swing is worthless when it comes to throwing velocity…. testing Standing vert with no arm swing…. maybe

[Brooks McDowell @Bmac2507]

@ZacGoodman_ Huge jump guy for baseball players…. We use OVRjump in every warm up…. but vertical jump increase does not correlate to velocity. I would argue it drastically helps durability. But not overall velocity…. That’s just not true.

[Trent Mongero @CoachMongero]

Been coaching baseball for 35 years. I can confidently say …
The same fundamentals that won baseball games in my year #1 still wins them today. Even more so now, because others are neglecting the basics at an alarming rate. So many are mistakenly seeking a magic potion. When doing simple better than everyone else is the key. On offense, defense, team play, etc.

[Brooks McDowell @Bmac2507]

Sat 92-93…. Starting to become a really good PITCHER and not just a thrower. Can be a P5 guy imo….. @TTU_Baseball #BrooksWallace

[Dominic Panozzo @DominicPanozzo]

First college spot start!
4IP, 7Ks, 3H, 2R, 1BB
@CavaliersBSB