Winning the National Championship (Using Small Ball as a Weapon)

Pat Casey Head Coach, Oregon St. University

Key points to our season:

1. Have high expectations!

2. Promote excellence v. success

3. Do not allow complacency: hard work and laser beam focus

4. Everything a player does on and off the field has an impact on our team.

5. Mental preparation: the willingness to give of yourself for the good of the team.

6. Do not allow excuses and teach accountability.

Team Offensive Evaluation:

1. What are the strengths of this team for this year?

2. What are the offensive goals of this team?

3. What is going to be our offensive focus during our practices?

4. How can we utilize our time wisely by creating multiple drills during practice time?

5. How can this team generate runs?

Incorporating our Small Ball Offensive Evaluation into Daily Practices

Keys:

• Being able to manufacture runs is a belief in and the execution of the team game and the short game.

• You must create practice simulations that are more difficult than game situation (competitions – go shopping). Short Pressure Game: (Put down cones in areas where you can put pressure on your opponent. to those areas.)

1. Sacrifice-

2. Drag-

3. Push-

4. Slap-

Drills:

1. Groups of 4—bunt (one-one-one, three-three-three)

2. Groups of 4—drag and push

3. Groups of 4—30 foot drag game for drag bunter only

4. 1st Round of BP—2 down 1st, 2 down 3rd, drag, push, slap

5. Short Game Scrimmage

• Make this game-like for both the offense and defense

• A , coach, or can be used for throwing.

• We juice the machine up for some type of nasty (we really improved our pressure game when we used the machine on a regular basis).

• Consequences should be in place for not executing the offensive task.

Team Game: & , Runner at 2nd – No Outs, Runner at 3rd – 1

Keys:

• Understand early preparation.

• Put pressure on both the offense and defense.

• Overall theme: “to give of yourself”.

1. We hit to location on hit and runs.

2. We look for a pitch that is middle to away with a runner on 2nd.

3. We look for a pitch that is out over the plate and up with the in.

4. We look for a pitch that is out over the plate with the infield back.

Drills:

1. 2nd Round of BP—2 hit & run, 2 runner at 2nd, 2 runner at 3rd infield in, 2 runner at 3rd infield back

2. Cages: 10—20 minutes of team game. Call out the situation. Each hitter gets one swing; rotate (enthusiasm and high intensity drill)

3. Inside using JUGS Lite-Flite (set up an infield using bases)

• Two coaches throwing

• Five minute rounds

• Players are hitting and running the bases

Round one: hit & run game

Round two: runner at 2nd no outs, move the runner

Round three: runner at 3rd 1 out, infield in

Round four: runner at 3rd 1 out, infield back

Putting Everything Together

Scripted Hustle Scrimmage: You need two teams (coach, pitcher, machine)

This a highly focused drill and we expect execution—both offense and defense. Situation

1-2 Runner at 1st, bunt

3-4 Drag/push/slap game

5 Runners at 1st and 2nd, bunt

6-7 Hit & run

8 Runner at 2nd, no outs, move-em

9 Runner at 3rd, infield in/runner at 3rd, infield back (vary)

Rules:

1. Each team gets three outs. For innings 1-2-5-8 as long as the offense executes, they get to keep hitting all the way through the line-up one time.

2. Each team has 8-9 hitters (up to you).

3. When rotating in and out, they have 30 seconds—then pitch is thrown.

The Last Two Innings of a Game Scrimmage: Preparing to beat the top teams in the country.

1. Create scenarios that happen in the last two innings of a close game and execute according to those scenarios.

2. Create a “skins” game and have rewards for the winning and consequences for the losing team.

Conclusion:

1. Players find out right away what is important by how the head coach operates during these situations. The head coach has to be involved.

2. This portion of baseball is just like special teams in football. You find out right away by how a team executes as to whether this is important to the head coach.

3. Ultimately the head coach is responsible for the execution of the short game. When players don’t execute, look in the mirror.