We’re excited to welcome Auburn University head coach Butch Thompson to this week’s podcast for a multi-faceted discussion that covers rising through the college coaching ranks; transitioning from a pitching to head coach; managing submarine/sidearm pitchers; analyzing fear; building a winning culture; assisting families through the recruiting process; and reflecting on the unprecedented times in the current baseball world.

This week, in lieu of a sponsor, I just wanted to pass along a friendly reminder that Cressey Sports Performance is now offering online consultations for baseball players who can’t make it to our facilities. For more information, click here.

Show Outline

• How Butch transitioned from player to coach and begin his coaching career
• How the idea of range – being a generalist before a specialist – applies to becoming a baseball coach
• What Butch’s biggest mistake was in his early years of coaching
• How Butch managed the transition from pitching coach to head coach
• What non-negotiable characteristics make a great pitcher great
• How spin has always been a noticeable quality in a pitcher’s arsenal, but how advances in science and technology have allowed numerical values to help guide player development
• How Butch defines a coach’s role
• What Butch has done to have success with submarine and sidearm pitchers and how coaches can recruit a different look to add an edge to their team
• How the business of college baseball has changed since Butch first started as a college coach
• What differentiates Butch’s baseball program, Auburn, from other college programs
• What the challenges facing college recruiting coordinators are today
• Where parents and athletes are falling short in their pursuit to get recruited by SEC-caliber schools
• What Butch’s ideal prospect email includes
• How Butch creates unity and manages attitudes in an SEC locker room and why he instills the idea of responsibility over pride
• Why Butch’s work as a head coach now involves more managing than skill development
• Why Butch has been intrigued by fear and what five principles he recommends for minimizing and managing it
• How players can find comfort with the current uncertainty in college baseball currently
• How individuals can look past their fear and find opportunities to advance in tough times

You can follow Butch on Twitter at @3Strikes_AU.

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