115 - Drew Briese; Center College/USA Baseball

BIO

 

• Centre College HC
• 15U USA Baseball National Team Manager
• Most recent 2022 USA Baseball Developmental Coach of the Year
• Centre College record for wins in a season 
• Center college record for season winning percentage
• Former AC with Birmingham Southern
  • 10 conference titles 
  • 4 straight regional appearances
• Has worked with USA baseball task force, AC on 15U national team in 2016 before getting promoted to manager in 2021

Notes

• Some of the best coaches are HC coaches based on the experience at the task force (ground level)
• “The gold standard” - how you go about your business
• Performing at a high level no matter what you do
• Trickle down from director to veteran coach to new coaches to set the standard
  • Same formula in business and team
  • Doesn’t happen without a clear vision
• First meeting go over the 10 standards of Center
• Individual decisions we make each day that build the vision or deviate from the vision.
• Motivating young people to make decision for the greater good
• Vision called “1 mission” - USA Baseball - “quick bake”
• College/School level - vision bigger and crossover into academic and personal realm
• We have to establish a relationship to see what makes them tick 
• Talk about things other than baseball 
  • How is your body? 
  • Understand their thought process to help steer them in the right direction
    • What do you like here?
    • What are you most comfortable
  • Grab them during down times or transitions
• Collaborative communication - ask a lot of questions about themselves and different situations
• Talk to kids and they earn that trust
• Have ownership and intentionality with their own game
• They work their game and work who they are
• Number 1 job as parents
• Coach pitch scrimmage
• Live at bats for guys who did not play so much over the weekend
• Machine pitch league - 3 teams and played twice a week and simulate velo
• Classroom before drilling it
• Intangibles are definitely something that has to be evaluated
• Checking in with kids about the lineup and how the game is going
• Top 2 hitters will hit top 3 to get most at bats
• Low strikeout guy in the 5 hole (12%)
• Play to strengths of the lineup 
• Feed them (my staff) information to help them during the game
• Allow assistant coaches to be assistant coaches
• AC Be ready to show up and get to work!
• AC realize the power you have being the conduit between HC and players
• HC set clear vision of what we are going to do. Here is what is going to happen and how it will happen
• The foundation and what the team is about starts and ends right with me (HC)
• We have to set the hook and then make the choice to show up and work
• The game will continue…
• We allow the wins and losses to effect our relationships with our players
• Make sure the relationships are solid, and be sure