The Red Dragon Way SUNY Oneonta Baseball

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1 1 The Red Dragon Way SUNY Oneonta Baseball

2 2 Table of Contents The Red Dragon Way 1 Letter from Coach Grimm 3 Program Culture 4 Core Values (W.R.A.T.H.) 4 What s your Why? 4 What s your Purpose 5 Success and the DO mentality 5 Program Goals 6 Academics 7 On the field 8 Pitching Approach 9 Defensive Approach 11 Offensive Approach 15 Strength and Conditioning 17 Community Service 17 Dr. Joe Heissan Leadership Academy 17 What makes a SUNY Oneonta Baseball Player? 18

3 3 To all of Red Dragon Country, It is a great privilege to lead the Baseball Program at SUNY Oneonta. It is one I do not take lightly and am truly grateful for. It is my primary aim to develop the SUNY Oneonta Baseball Program into one that is well respected on the field, prioritizes our players academic success, values the student athlete experience, and helps the young men in our program develop not only as players, but as students, people, and leaders. I know that this is all possible at SUNY Oneonta. By filling our program with people who share our core values and believe in our culture, and have the ability and drive to perform at a high level, this can all be accomplished. What follows is not intended to be the authority on how to run a collegiate baseball program. It is simply how we run our program at SUNY Oneonta and what we believe in. There are multiple types, but we believe the ultimate goal will always be to win championships. In order for our program to reach this goal it will take full commitment and 100% buy in from everyone associated with our program. With complete focus and a consistent work ethic, goals can be met, teams can come together, and people can stay on track. Everything you are about to read is what is important to SUNY ONEONTA BASEBALL. Being a part of this program means that you know the following inside and out. Lastly, I would like to thank everyone in advance for your effort and support in helping the SUNY Oneonta Baseball Program reach for its goals. With gratitude, Ben Grimm Ben Grimm Head Baseball Coach SUNY Oneonta

4 4 Program Culture Our culture at Oneonta is the foundation of our program. The following values are at the absolute center of everything we do and believe in. Core Values (W.R.A.T.H.) Work ethic o The ability to show up every day and punch your time card, what we call a blue collar work ethic. Respect o Treating people the right way and the way you would like to be treated. Accountability o Holding yourself and your teammates accountable to the standards set forth in our culture both on and off the field. Trust o Knowing that your teammates are doing the right thing on and off the field and are as prepared as you are. Honesty o Being yourself at all times, being truthful about who you are and your actions. What s your why? Perhaps the most difficult question to answer but this is a must answer. Defining this question can become the guiding light and allow for complete buy in. Why do you want to play baseball at Oneonta? Why do you show up every day? Why do you make the sacrifices to be here? You MUST have a clear answer to this question otherwise full buy-in and commitment become impossible to reach. This extends beyond the field and into the classroom. Why are you are SUNY Oneonta? Why are you in your major?

5 5 Understanding that success in the classroom is a big part of our culture brings into play who you want to be when you graduate from SUNY Oneonta. What s your purpose? Your purpose is different than the goals you may set. Your purpose is WHO YOU ARE not what you do. We want all of the members of our program to be passionate about the game of baseball and strive for excellence on the field. Yet, players must understand it is something that they do and not who they are as people. Separating the two can help to keep the game and most importantly life in perspective. Success and the DO mentality Success can be defined many different ways. We define success as DOING OUR BEST every day. We call this having a DO mentality. There is a difference between DOING our best and TRYING to do our best. We want each member of our program to DO their best every day. We understand that may mean different results day to day, but by DOING our best we leave no room for excuses and it will lead to the most consistent positive results possible. TRYING our best leaves room for excuses, well I tried. We want each member to be able to look in the mirror after each day and say with a clear mind I DID my best today, no excuse. People with a DO mentality attack problems and expect to be successful because they are functioning at their highest level. They have a problem solving mindset and are mentally strong when facing challenges. They persevere when others will mentally crumble because of the elite effort and expectations they have of themselves. Success is peace of mind which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you DID your best to become the best you are capable of becoming. John Wooden

6 6 Program Goals Milestone Goals Our goals do not simply lie with on the field results, but also off the field. Our milestone goals are the Big Boys, this is reaching the top of the mountain. They are as follows: Win Championships - SUNYAC, Regional, and National Championship Team GPA over 3.0 each semester Represent the program in a positive light in the community Performance Goals Our performance or tangible goals, are outlined within each aspect of the on field approach section These measurable performance goals are those that if we can reach them in each individual game we will be in the best position to win Process Goals Our process goals are defined each year by each team These are measurable and non-measurable goals that the team will strive to reach and be held accountable to each day. The sum of the process goals will be the best preparation the team can have heading into game day and also build on our culture. If you want to turn vision into reality, you have to give 100% and never stop believing in your dream. Arnold Schwarzenegger

7 7 Academics Our goal for our program each semester is to achieve a GPA of 3.0 or higher as a team. This begins with a personal choice to make academics a priority. SUNY Oneonta provides the necessary academic support to allow each member of our program to be successful in the classroom. Within our team we also have access to study halls in the library for all players under a 3.0 cum GPA, a team academic advisor, and CADE tutoring services. We also believe that walk out songs are a privilege earned by the team having GPA of 3.0 or higher in the fall semester. The biggest keys to success academically are Go to class and communicate with your professors Prioritize your time If you need help, ask for it The desire for all of our players to achieve a high level of success in the classroom, comes from the desire for all of our players to have success in life after their time at SUNY Oneonta and as a part of our program. The greatest reward our coaching staff gets is when former players come back as Alumni and are successful in all aspects of their lives. We're all told at some point in time that we can no longer play the children's game, we just don't... don't know when that's gonna be. Some of us are told at eighteen, some of us are told at forty, but we're all told. Moneyball

8 8 ON THE FIELD Success on the field is determined by how we approach the game as a whole before we focus on how we approach each section of the game. The things we value in how we approach the game are Dominate the routine aspects of the game o We want to dominate the routine parts of the game first. We want all of our players to make the diving play, hit the big home run, or get the big strike out. Before that happens, however, we need to be able to be able to dominate the routine parts of the games such as fielding ground balls, making quality throws, commanding pitches, executing sacrifice bunts, and making hard contact. We do like and want the flashy plays, but dominating the routine plays is what WINS. Attack and play without fear o We want our players to play the game to win and without fear of failure. We understand that mistakes will happen, but we want an attacking mindset that is unafraid to make mistakes. Prepare and be in the moment o Preparation is the key to success. We want our players to be in the moment in their preparation so that when the game comes, they can be confident in knowing they are fully prepared. Play together and for one another o This is a team game and no one person will win or lose us a ball game. We will win or lose as a team. Individual commitment to a group effort that is what makes a team work, a company work, a society work, a civilization work. Vince Lombardi

9 9 Pitching Approach Philosophy The philosophy on the mound is to attack the bottom third of the strike zone with multiple pitches. We want to create weak contact early in counts and allow our defense to make plays. Our objective is to collect outs as quickly as possible, get our defense off the field, and allow our hitters to score runs for us. We want to make opposing lineups earn every run they score and every 90 feet. Once the pitch leaves our hand we must understand that we become the ninth defender and by fielding our position effectively, we can help to collect outs as quick as possible. Along with that, we want to work to control the running game. Physical (Tangible) Goals Have a strike to ball ratio of 2:1 Throw 65% first pitch strikes Get the lead-off hitter of each inning out 65% of the time Work to long toss 300 feet or more : Action in first three pitches of each at bat, Each at bat over in five pitches or less, Each Inning over in 15 pitches or less Keep a quick pace (strive for seconds between pitches) Mental (Intangible) Goals Control the controllable o Control the controllable is something we say a lot. Be focusing on the things that are solely within your control, your behavior, your emotions, and your execution, you allow yourself to eliminate the distractions of the things we cannot control and put yourself in the best position for success. It s a mentality of perseverance and understanding how mental toughness relates to success. Compete with every pitch o Never give up and never let down. Do your best with every pitch. WINNERS want the ball, be a bulldog on the mound

10 10 Have a strong physical presence on the mound o Stand tall, head up, shoulders back on strong legs. A strong presence can and will set the tone for each at bat and how the team plays behind you, a weak presence will give hitters confidence and will decrease your teammates confidence behind you Be completely committed to each pitch that you throw o Believe in what pitch you are throwing. The wrong pitch thrown with full commitment is better than the right pitch thrown halfheartedly Always be aware of each situation o Understand why we want to throw a certain pitch or where to be once the ball is put in play. Your job goes beyond delivering a pitch. Where will you go with the ball hit back to you? Where do you need to be when the ball is put in play? What is the count? How many outs? Etc. Take a king of the hill attitude, that no matter who steps in the box you are going to get him out. o Be confident in your abilities and the fact that your coaches and teammates trust you on the mound. Yet, understand, realistically you cannot possibly get everyone out all of the time. Learn to read the swing. o If a hitter takes a bad swing at a pitch throw it again, if he takes a good swing try something else. Develop confidence and the ability to pitch backwards. o Be able to throw fastballs in off-speed counts 0-1, 0-2, 1-2, 2-2 and off-speed pitches in fastball counts 0-0, 1-0, 2-0, 2-1, 3-1. Nobody likes to hear it, because it s dull, but the reason you win or lose is darn near always the same-pitching Earl Weaver "I try to do two things: locate my fastball and change speeds. That's it. I try to keep as simple as possible. I just throw my fastball to both sides of the plate and change speed every now and then. There is no special food or anything like that, I just try to make quality pitches and try to be prepared each time I go out there." - Greg Maddux

11 11 Defensive Approach Philosophy The philosophy on defense is to dominate the routine play, while giving the effort for the spectacular play. We want opposing lineups to earn every run they score and every 90 feet. Executing the routine plays defensively will minimize opponent s opportunities, and keep pitchers pitch counts down, allowing them to be more effective later in games. Physical (Tangible) Goals Field.960 or higher on routine plays Make 2 diving catches per game Back up every base Throw out 30% of all stolen base attempts Mental (Intangible) Goals Control the controllable o Control the controllable is something we say a lot. Be focusing on the things that are solely within your control, your behavior, your emotions, and your execution, you allow yourself to eliminate the distractions of the things we cannot control and put yourself in the best position for success. It s a mentality of perseverance and understanding how mental toughness relates to success. Expect the ball to be hit at you every pitch o When you are prepared for the ball to be hit at you every pitch you are ready to make the plays necessary for success. WINNERS want to make the play in the big spot. Have a strong physical presence at your position o Stand tall, head up, shoulders back on strong legs. A strong presence will give your pitchers and teammates confidence in you, be CONFIDENT and let the whole park know it by your body language. Always be aware of each situation o Be completely focused on every pitch and know where to be or what to do with the ball, think ahead and be prepared.

12 12 Be confident in your abilities and the fact that you are out there. o You re in the game because the coaching staff and your teammates trust you out there. They are confident in you, let it show in your play. Take great pride in consistently making the boring play o Great defenders not only take hits away with diving plays, but dominate the routine play, be great at being boring. Top priorities for catchers Receive the baseball o We do not want to frame pitches, we want to receive them and present them to the umpire with the best possible view, CATCH THE BALL. Blocking o Blocking is about effort and being selfless, give 100% effort to block every pitch in the dirt and work to find the ball and recover quickly. Throwing o Strong, accurate throws throw out base runners, not pop times. A throw on the bag will get more outs than high throws or throws to the left or right of the base. Run the show o Be the leader on the field. Understand every situation and how we react. Your confidence and effort set the tone on the entire team. Be vocal, take charge. You see the whole field, communicate, and BE LOUD Top priorities for infielders Catch the ball o Always catch the ball first whether a ground ball, throw, or pop up. Dominate the routine play o Errors on routine plays are rally starters; take great pride in making the routine or boring play. Get dirty

13 13 o Give the effort to keep every ball possible on the infield, even if you don t get the out, it can save bases and also gives confidence to your pitchers and teammates. Throwing o Make accurate throws; we would rather a runner beat out an infield single than that single turn into two bases because of a throwing error. Make sure every base is covered o Be mentally prepared, understand situations and responsibilities. Shortstop o RUN THE SHOW, be the leader on the infield. Understand every situation and how we react. Your confidence and effort set the tone on the infield. Top priorities for outfielders Catch the ball o Always catch the ball first whether a ground ball or fly ball. Dominate the routine play o Errors on routine plays are rally starters; take great pride in making the routine or boring play. Get dirty o Give the effort catch every ball in the gap and to keep every ball possible in front of you, even if you don t get the out, it can save bases and also gives confidence to your pitchers and teammates. Throwing o Make accurate throws through the cutoff man, we would rather you hit the cutoff and a runner be safe on the relay than cowboy a throw and pull the infielder off the bag. Throws through cutoff men will be let go if LOW AND ACCURATE. Back up bases if the ball is not hit to you o Being mentally prepared and understanding situations can be the difference between competing for championships and winning championships. We attack the baseball and are aggressive defensively, you being involved in every play allows us to make great plays.

14 14 Centerfield o RUN THE SHOW, be the leader of the outfield. Understand every situation and how we react. Your effort sets the tone. Top priorities for pitchers Catch the ball o Always catch the ball first whether a ground ball or fly ball. Dominate the routine play o Errors on routine plays are rally starters; take great pride in making the routine or boring play. Throwing o Make accurate throws; we would rather a runner beat out an infield single than that single turn into two bases because of a throwing error. Be sub 1.3 seconds to the plate with runners on base. o This give the catcher a shot to throw out base stealers and keeps runs off the board. Controlling the running game starts on the mound. Make sure to back up bases and or cover unoccupied bases, you are not a spectator o Be involved, the play just starts when the ball leaves your hand. You being in the right spot allows our defensive to be attacking and aggressive. Actively go after pop ups until called off o Give effort to make a play. Defense usually doesn t make many headlines, but it goes a long way towards winning baseball games. There are a number of ways to make an impact during the course of a game, and playing solid, sound defense is one of them. Derek Jeter Defense to me is the key to playing baseball. Willie Mays

15 15 Offensive Approach Philosophy The philosophy on offense is to score at least 1 run an inning. We want to be an attacking offense that puts pressure on the opposing pitcher and defense. We want to attack fastballs in the zone with our best swing. We will sacrifice bunt, steal bases, and go 1st to 3rd, among other things. The goals stated in this section will give us the best opportunity to make this goal a reality. Physical (Tangible) Goals 65% of all Plate Appearances meet our definition of a Quality At Bat Execute 75% of all sacrifice bunt attempts Successfully steal 75% on stolen base attempts Take 3 bases per game via stolen base, dirt ball reads, or hustle plays Get into the bullpen before the 6th inning Have a Walk to Strike Out ratio of 1:1 Score 6 runs or more per 9 innings Mental (Intangible) Goals Control the controllable o Control the controllable is something we say a lot. Be focusing on the things that are solely within your control, your behavior, your emotions, and your execution, you allow yourself to eliminate the distractions of the things we cannot control and put yourself in the best position for success. It s a mentality of perseverance and understanding how mental toughness relates to success. Be a Warrior in the box o WINNERS want to be in the box in the big spot, compete with every pitch. Have a strong physical presence in the box o Stand tall, head up, shoulders back on strong legs. A strong presence can and will set the tone for each at bat and how a pitcher pitches you, a strong physical presence can intimidate an opposing pitcher and catcher, be CONFIDENT and let the whole park know it by your body language.

16 16 Be completely committed to each swing you take o You are up to hit to hammer baseballs. Early in counts look to drive a gap and learn to swing through off speed pitches you ve committed to early. With two strikes, shorten up and look to just HIT IT HARD. Execute as a part of the team o Your GOAL is to pound a baseball, although your JOB may dictate otherwise. You may be asked to sacrifice bunt, hit a ground ball behind a runner, lift a fly ball to the outfield, etc. Be confident in your abilities and the fact that your coaches and teammates trust you in the box. o Yet, understand, realistically you cannot possibly get a hit every time. Hall of Famers make outs 70% of the time, stay level headed and control the controllable. Step in the box prepared and having an idea of what the pitcher has and how he has been working your teammates. o Watch the pitcher from the dugout and talk with your teammates, have a plan and look to attack. This is part of staying involved for the game, developing a plan to be successful. Look to attack the inside part of the baseball and make contact out front o We are aggressive in all aspects of the game. Attacking the inside half of the baseball allows us to create consistent solid contact to all fields. I feel like I can attack the ball in any count, and I m on the offensive at all times and I m not going up there to the plate to fight for my life. Jose Bautista Never let the fear of striking out get in your way. Babe Ruth

17 17 Strength and Conditioning We put a premium on strength and conditioning in our program. We want each player to be in the best physical condition he can be in to play the sport of baseball. This will allow the team to play at its best level and reduce injuries. With our full weight room, multiple fitness centers, and access to Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialists on campus, our team has everything at their disposal to maximize their strength and conditioning levels specific to the game of baseball. Community Service Each year our team participates in multiple community service projects including but not limited to: Community leaf raking, Kids in Sports Day, The Migrant Workers Giving Tree, visits to Children s Hospitals, and more. We feel it is important to give back to the community to help keep the good fortune to be a part of Oneonta Baseball in perspective. Dr. Joe Heissan Leadership Academy Once a month each member of our team gets to attend the Dr. Joe Heissan Leadership Academy. This academy is broken down by school class year and helps teach and foster strong leadership and followership skills, along with various life skills as well. As we are constantly working for a player led team where players help to hold each other accountable, and we want our players to develop leadership skills they can take to the real world with them after graduation, this academy is invaluable. If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together. African Proverb

18 18 What makes a SUNY Oneonta Baseball Player?? We show respect to get respect. We respects others time, opinions, and beliefs. We understand our actions have an impact on others and the way they perceive us and we are accountable to those actions. Will it be positive or negative? We work hard on the field, in the weight room, and in the class room. We are honest. We are trust worthy. We have a DO mentality in every aspect of our lives. We Control the Controllable. We understand we are a part of something bigger than ourselves. We understand that it is a great privilege to play college baseball and to play for SUNY Oneonta. Think big and don t listen to people who tell you it can t be done. Life s too short to think small. Tim Ferris Action is the most important key to any success. Tony Robbins