94 - Clay Cox: Paris Junior College

Bio

• Current HC of Paris Junior CC (TX) (2016 - present)
  • Former assistant of the Dragons where in his 1st year as an assistant the Dragons doubled their win total and improved in every offensive category, including leading the conference in stolen bases.
  • Whie at the helm his team has been:
    • Teams rank in the top 10 for stolen bases multiple years
    • Teams continue to be ranked nationally in offensive and defensive categories each year
    • Played for regional championship 2021, longest streak in 30+ years
    • Won nearly 70% of his games
    • Sent over 50 guys D1
    • 2021 2nd in the nation with team GPA
  • Founder of Infield U - https://www.infieldu.com/
  • Former Texas Collegiate League with Brazos Valley Bombers
    • 4 straight TCL championships and broke several team records during his time as Skipper
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• Former AC of West Alabama University
  • Gulf South Conference regular season title and GSC tournament championship
  • School record for winning percentage in a year and win record
• Multiple national known podcast guest, ABCA hot stove presenter
• 2021 USA Baseball 17U task force, USA Baseball coaches clinician

Notes

 

• Number 1 thing in our stolen base system is MINDSET!
  • Break the mindset in the fall
    • Have to go in the first 3 pitches
• Same lead
• What do you see off the pitcher
• Sheet in the dugout that keeps home to plate, catcher pop times
• Steal start times (78 ft), and then post what your numbers are, and then see the pitcher/catcher number
• 3.35 + = automatic greenlight
• DBR - dirt ball reads 
  • Read the angle of the ball, not just at contact
• Pressure bursts pipes!!
• Be careful when players make mistakes, allow them to fail forward
• Coaches own mistakes and get out in front of it
• This is a family, and we need to be in this together. 
• OKG - Our Kind of Guys - if you are 99% then don’t come, you need to be 100% bought in
• If you expect it from the kids, you will get it!! When you are upfront about these expectations, you are either get it or get out
• 388 jucos in the country, 2nd in the nation with team GPA
• We want to WIN at everything
• Class attendance policy - if you miss you better let me know, if you do not whole team gets in trouble, if you tell me, you get in trouble
• Leave phones on the bus when we go on the road to eat!
• Take care of the little things, and the big things take care of themself
• Team get togethers with family, cooking for the players
• Gave the team more freedom to what they need to work on later in the year. Getting feedback to get ownership in their work
• Weights, nutrition, and sleep to perform at the optimum level
• 3 days a week year round in the weightroom
• Listening to players to see what they need
• Some teams can handle dyas off, and some teams cannot
• Yoga 3 days a week from august to May have decreased naggin injuries
• Post stretch just as important as pre stretch
• You grind because you love it!
• Work with each pitcher based on the innings/pitches to manage workload
• FB/CU only for 1st 3 weeks of fall, and then work up through the fall
• November active rest, put the ball down and just recover and work out
• Break up pitchers on charts, and rotate people doing them so everyone knows how to do the chart
• Give it to someone and say do the chart, not just say it, give it!
• Hell week - welcome to JUCO!
  • First meeting classroom to walk through throwing program, prep step, and positioning, and then error analysis chart
• Like to show video of the move before explaining it
• Infeld group me! - send video to talk and get ready to work 
• Offensive freedom with in your swing
• We discuss mentality and approach, and decision making
• In the fall I do not give them ABs to see who is coming in to watch film
• Be the best version of YOU!! If you are a speed guy, don’t try to be a big Bomber!
• 2 strike approach - we just will not go down. I am just as good with 2 strikes, that I am with 1
  • Everybody needs to choke up some
  • Expanding in and out, not up and down
  • MENTALITY
    • Step out of the box, pat chest, and coach gives it back
  • 2 strike war
    • Always a station, daily
    • Each rep focus on 2 strike approach
    • Lightening round
    • Weekly 2 strike war winner
    • 70% for year
    • We have to win 70% - anything that puts us on base, or throw another 2K pitch
    • Offensive find is when we do things that stand out (+ or -) 
    • % of gotta piece with 2K
  • Pass the stick - next man up
  • Refuse to lose (R2F)
• Notecard on game points for next day game recap, and if player can’t see coach then he goes to player to give him the touch
• Taking notes during the game and during recap it can go 20 minutes or it can go an hour 
• I am here to develop the player
• If we put it on a recap, we do not want to see it on another recap
• The only thing that is forced on the infield is the hop on the prep step
• Things are repped and so in depth that they end up doing things the way they should
• Out of high school infielders are not getting through balls and pre pitch is bad
• multi-million dollar house needs a great foundation. That prep pitch is your foundation
• Infield report card
  • drills/groups based on where guys are struggling
• Throwing program, ozzie and picks, drill work
• Infielders can run itself if I cannot be there.
• Try to relate things to the world so much, they will help off the field just as much on the field
• We are truly a family
• Put the person first!
• 99% of them
• Twitter @coachcox, or @infieldu 
• Email on Paris JC website