65 - Mark "Pudge" Gjormand - James Madison HS (VA)

Bio

• Current head coach at James Madison High School
  • 26th season at Madison (31st overall)
    • Langley HS (1 year)
    • Marshall HS (8 years)
  • 2 VA state championships
  • 1 perfect season, which was recognized as one of the best high school teams of ALL time
  • 14 Liberty Conference Championships
  • 1 Concorde Conference Championships 
  • In 2018 Gjormand was named Conference Coach of the year for the 7th time 
  • Region 6 Coach of the year for the 4th time.  
  • Home Plate Club’s high school coach of the year
  • National Baseball Coaches Association (BCA) East Coast coach of the year
  • finalist for the BCA’s national coach of the year award
  • Founder of MVP International where multiple sports are played all throughout the world
  • Incredible clinician speaker
  • Leader of men!  
  • Mental game master!!

 

Notes

• Learning how to lose is just as important as learning how to win
• Take the reigns early and then loosen it up as you go
• Unload christmas trees for lions club in the community
• Phases of the season
  • Phase 1 - pre season and off season, friday life lessons
  • Phase 2 - spring break - tournament and compete for something
  • Phase 3 - conference play - win as much as we can, we only count wins, we lose and we get back up
  • Phase 4 - conference tournament
  • Phase 5 - regional tournament
  • Phase 6 - state tournament
• You always need to overachieve no matter how good you are
• You are not a 9 hitter, you are 1 of 9 hitters!
• Post goals at the beginning of the season in the locker room
• I have been there, but I have not been there with this team!
• Glue guys - do the things no one sees and keeps us all together
• In baseball we can’t ride the emotional rollercoaster
• We need to stay at a level and feel where it needs to be
• My captains are my seniors, because as a senior you deserve to be a leader and it gives you the opportunity to put it on a resume. 
  • If they are not ready for that leadership then it is on me!
• Players win games, coaches lose games
• Winning can be the bridge to misery
• Rise and shine or rise and wine, be careful
• Follow on twitter @coachpudge8
• email at James Madison High School