Grateful for these coaches & players I get to be around every day. @NEPSAC@AthleticsEIL Champs! First time in 8 years! Still work to be done! Hosting EIL playoffs Saturday followed by the New England Small School Tournament Monday.🏆🏆
All six starting pitchers that have been used by the teams in the College World Series Finals were recruited out of high school to their respective programs.
"I've always believed with my pitching background that if you're 17 or 18 years old, and you got command, and you know 90-92 with three pitches, that usually doesn't go backwards."
In fact, out of the last six teams to play in the CWS Finals (UNC, OU, LSU, Coastal Carolina, Tennessee, and Texas A&M) 15 of the 17 (88%) starting pitchers used on their first three gamedays in Omaha were recruited to their institutions out of H.S.
"It's good recruiting by both sides and I think that's why we're both in the finals,” Forbes added.
There’s always a “story” as you unwind the background of players…
Coaches fault…
Didn’t get the right opportunity…
Had older guys in front of me…
Unfortunately, things didn’t go my way…
Coaching staff change…
Etc - the list is long…
Hardly ever does anyone just say…
“I didn’t perform and that’s on me”
ACCOUNTABILITY FOR YOUR PERFORMANCE…IS PARAMOUNT FOR ANYONE TO BELIEVE YOU MAY BE WORTH A SHOT…
It goes a long way to the decision makers
Ben McDonald with a great story on failing on the biggest stage and bouncing back.
“I never failed at anything in my life…”
Then came the College World Series, a walk-off, an opposing coach talking trash and a punch in the gut he needed.
Vanderbilt Head Football Coach Clark Lea (@Coach_Lea) epitomizes the meaning of ownership.
I love this clip because it's a masterclass in refusing to play the victim, escaping the echo chamber that imprisons so many people, and understanding that the internal agreement you make to chase excellence comes with immense pain and a hard truth: Nobody is coming to save you.
🔥 We are not victims in this process. The joy we experience is often equal and opposite to the pain we endure. Growth isn't found by avoiding adversity, it's found by carrying it with pride. The struggle you're facing today may be the very thing preparing you for the opportunities you're praying for tomorrow.
🧭 You don't control every circumstance, but you do control your response. This is the ground you stand on. This is where you're supposed to be. There are no mistakes. Every challenge, setback, and obstacle has the potential to drive you forward if you're willing to accept it as part of your journey rather than evidence that you've been treated unfairly.
🪞 Ownership requires honesty. Be proud of where you are, but be honest about where you've fallen short. The objective is never to wait for someone else to rescue you. The objective is always to perform better. To improve. To adapt. To grow. Excellence begins the moment you stop asking who will save you and start asking how you can become better.
The moment you stop seeing your circumstances as something happening to you and start seeing them as something shaping you, adversity transforms from a burden into a blueprint.
@VandyFootball is leaning into this idea for the 2026 season. #AnchorDown
Talking to a Division I college baseball coach this week, he said:
“I don’t trust anybody’s radar gun but my own. That includes some of the biggest showcase programs.”
Velocity is important, but so is credibility. Thought’s?