Better Men Better Ballplayers Podcast with 

Ben Jones, HC of The Apprentice School.

Sponsored By: 

• Netting Professionals
  • 844-620-2707 
  • info@nettingpros.com
  • www.nettingpros.com

BIO

• HC of the Apprentice School since 2021 and won Small College World Series in 2022 (1st year)
  • Pitching coach for the Builders since 2007
  • Part of the Small College World Series teams in 2007, 2015
  • Former pitcher for the Builders 
    • Winningest pitcher in modern era of The Apprentice School
    • The Apprentice School HOF class of 2020
  • USCAA Hall of Fame in 2018

NOTES

• • The Apprentice school 19 trade selections (blue collar), and 8 advanced trades (white collar)
    • 20% of enrollment get selected into advancement
  • ALL FREE
  • Start at $22/hr and finish over $30/hr
  • 6AM on the shipyard
  • Classroom 16 hours a week
  • Other 24 hours they are on the job training
  • Every 6 months rotated to different shipyards to learn
  • All year long
  • Annual leave (40 hours of vacation)
  • full benefits with company match
  • 6AM pull in, get out at 330, practice 430 for couple hours based on part of year
  • 3 time Small College World Series champion
  • NSCAA schools must have a low enrollment (max 4000)
  • Follow all NCAA rules and regulations (eligibility, etc)
  • 80% home games
  • Play D3, D2, JUCO, along with NSCAA teams
  • Manage workload based on their job and baseball - light on weights and off season conditioning unlike the traditional college student
  • Start 11/12 months - every monday with new starts
  • 250-300 people brought in a year

• ****This program will turn a high school graduate into a mature man or woman!

• Grades and attendance not satisfactory you can be dropped from the program
• Its not for everyone, but it is very rewarding
• Athletics contribute to teamwork, teamwork contributes to leadership
• AS.edu general admission website
• Gobuilders.com athletics website
• Guys that aren’t scared to work!!
• 1 other trade school that offers athletics
• 25% acceptance rate
• Team GPA 3.6!
• SAT not requirement for admission
• Required classes (minimum 4, like to see 6-8)
• Focus on math and science 
• Any higher math classes?
• How many days you were late and/or absent
• We are investing into you to be successful!
• To see the guys graduate is the ultimate goal! 
• Team grade policy - not getting the grades you will not practice and be part of team
• Tutors available - do our best to make the program work!
• Company first, school second, baseball team third and priorities need to stay that way
• We help them keep them priorities straight

Better Men Better Ballplayers Podcast 

with Justin Hanley - William Penn Charter

Sponsored By: 

• Netting Professionals
  • 844-620-2707 
  • info@nettingpros.com
  • www.nettingpros.com

BIO

• HC of William Penn Charter 
  • Associate HC/PC 2012-2017
  • Inter AC Champions 2014, 2017, and 2021
  • 4 players have gone to play pro ball during his time at Penn Charter
• He has help guide several players to college between Penn Charter and his time in travel baseball
• Former Director of Baseball Operations and Player development at Elite Sports Factory
• North American Baseball Account Executive at Silicon Valley FinTech startup, Pando, that uses predictive analytics to help professional baseball players mitigate their career risk.

NOTES

• Win loss and ERA are going out the window and looking more at whip, qab, and other processes
• Track bullpens and chart opposing hitters
• Do it on your own, and coach it up in between the inning
• There is nothing you can tell him that is goin to put him in a better position
• Be a voice of positive encouragement
• Strong up the middle
• Good relationships
• Tell me about mom and dad
• Analytical and due diligence mindset
• Big on self advocacy 
• Summer camps to bring in the community
• Big on communication 
  • Kid first, no parents
• Pillars
  • Self advocacy
  • Don’t care what grade you are
  • accountability
• Expect problems and use it has opportunity to teach leadership
• It more than just about the wins. 
• We need to prove to them that we care more about them as people
• For every school that has their dream school, there is 10 kids at the wrong school
• Spend a saturday doing manual labor to build team
• School does great job bringing all types of kids together
• Video message to the team from alumni
• Players this is your program and your responsibility
• Representing your family at the same time
• Understand the common goal
  • You can’t do it on your own
  • Failure is going to find you
  • Lean on your teammates, your coaches
  • How are you going to play on a friday night if you can’t handle this chirping
  • You can tell who the last years state champion was not the PG 16U championship
  •  

Better Men Better Ballplayers Podcast with Anthony Renz Concordia College

Sponsored By: 

• Netting Professionals
  • 844-620-2707 
  • info@nettingpros.com
  • www.nettingpros.com

BIO

• HC at Concordia College (MN)
  • AC since 2018
  • Acting HC 2022 
  • 2022 Conference tournament
  • 2023 Conference tournament and win
  • Most hits
  • Most conference players
• Bench Coach & Hitting Coach with Fargo-Moorhead
  • MLB Partner league (Pioneer, Frontier, American Assoc, Atlantic)
  • American Association champions (1st A.A title since merging)
• Former AC and GA Shippensburg University (2016-2018) 
  • Regional 2017
  • PSAC tournament 2018
  • 4 guys played pro ball during time at Ship
• Indy ball grinder!
  • Las Vegas Train Robbers
  • Evansville Otters
  • Fargo-Moorhead

NOTES

• Powerful tool of Twitter
• Recruiting world at your fingertips
• Form good relationships 
• Show I was a good coach and gain trust
• Work youth baseball camps to grind and learn
• Off season was CAMPS!
• The grind makes you better!
• Make sure the players know it is there program
• Player driven. Coaches put up guard rails
• Players win game, coaches lose them
• The guys after college are set up for success
• For 4 years we want you to feel like you are involved in the world series
• Our togetherness is second to none
  • Town ball, playing more together
  • Cobber baseball family
  • Be with a group of guys you can lose with**
• Team building days
  • Community events
  • Supporting other athletic events
  • Bus rides - Florida trips
• They should want to come to practice as long as the environment is good
• Winning helps the experience
• What can you do to make practice fun?
• Pick teams - compete more
• Balance of fun and intensity
• Conditioning mix of games
• Practice matters
• Everyday is a tryout
• You got to perform - playing hard is given and at end of day you need to perform
• Elimination in the cage - one pitch, in or out
• Create competition with the skills set in mind
• Reward BP “Dinger club”
• Hit the ball hard determines who you are
  • Line drives - right above the L screen
  • Gaps/HR - knock down the batter eye
• Group BP based on skill set or lineup
• Technology helps make live AB more realistic results, provide clarity
• Technology turns up the focus
• Train for higher EV
  • Hit a ton of machine
  • Weighted bat work
  • Hit plyo
• Barrel control
  • Throw two balls and always hit low ball
  • Reward batting practice or out of cage if you don’t accomplish task (put a value on each swing)
• 2 strikes
  • Unpredictable of 2K pitch needs to be trained with working on getting your barrel to the ball
• Manage your work - know your body
• Those who hit often, often hit
• Stick to what you believe in and stay consistent. Don’t over react with small sample size.
• Be where your feet are
• All in right here