Showcase & College Baseball Podcast, powered by College Recruit Prep

Brad Hill, Head Coach, Emporia State University Baseball (NCAA Division II) joins us for this episode. Topics include typical recruiting activities this time of year, his thoughts on the transfer portal, how grades impact the recruiting process, his advice to parents and much more.   Follow Brad Hill and the Emporia State Hornets baseball team on X @ESUBaseball.   Podcast Highlights: 01:40 Video Starts.03:40 How Coach Hill found his way to Emporia State.10:00 Why Emporia State.14:00 What recruits should expect this time of year?15:35 How the transfer portal is impacting recruiting.21:50 What will make a student-athlete happy.24:55 Coach Hill discusses his coaching tree.33:35 Red flags in recruiting.38:30 How a recruit can get your attention.43:05 Advice for parents.

Benny Castillo, owner of Cool Breeze Baseball Academy, joins us on this episode. His fire for life is unmatched and his impact on the game of baseball has been enormous. From growing up in the Bronx, to his playing and coaching days, the story of Benny’s life is a must listen. Follow Benny Castillo on Facebook and look him up if you’re ever in Lakeland, FL. Benny is a friend to everyone! Podcast Highlights: 01:30 Video Starts04:15 Benny and I reminisce.06:45 You’re not that good.09:15 Benny talks about his upbringing. My life is like a good movie.13:30 Officer Joe introduces Benny to organized baseball.19:30 Benny talks about his college experience.29:45 Why Benny fell in love with baseball.34:00 Benny talks about his fire and passion. Growing up in the Bronx.37:55 Benny talks about his first meeting with the legendary Gary Ward of Oklahoma State.46:00 The impact Benny has as a coach.54:00 Playing the game the right way. The process.57:40 As long as you’re playing, you have a chance.1:03:51 Entitlement is a career killer.

CJ Beatty, The Baseball Motivator, joins us on this episode. Owner of The Motivator Brands & Beatty Enterprises, CJ is one of the most sought after motivational speakers around. In this episode, CJ and I discuss his baseball background, what motivates him, advice for players and much more. Follow CJ Beatty on Instagram @cjbeatty44 and Change Your Life!   Podcast Highlights: 01:25 Video Starts05:10 CJ discusses his baseball background and upbringing.11:02 The importance of mental toughness.13:45 Advice CJ would have given to his younger self.17:18 What motivates CJ.21:40 The role faith plays in CJ’s life.24:30 CJ talks about advice he received from Willie McGee and Mike Shildt.30:45 What happens in life when your ego goes away?35:50 CJ’s advice for aspiring college players.39:00 Advice for parents of aspiring college players.42:15 CJ’s final thoughts for the audience.

Jensen Elliott, RHP for the Baltimore Orioles joins us on this episode. Jensen is entering his 5th season of professional baseball and is a call away from the big leagues. Jensen joins us to discuss what it’s like to play professionally, why he chose Oklahoma State in recruiting, his advice to young players and much more. Follow Jensen Elliott on Instagram @jensenelliott34 and on X @jensenelliott. Podcast Highlights: 01:50 Video starts.03:20 Jensen’s experience on being drafted and playing professionally.05:40 Outlook for the 2024 season and expectations.07:30 What Oklahoma State meant for his development.13:32 A day in the life of a professional baseball player.20:30 The evolution of analytics in baseball.27:15 The mental preparation needed to play baseball.37:00 How it feels being called into a game as a relief pitcher.43:45 Best baseball advice ever received.46:15 The support of the Elliott family.

Todd Coburn, The Catching Guy,  joins us for this episode. Topics include how Todd became known and started a business as The Catching Guy, his thoughts on the evolution of catching, mental preparation and much more.   Follow The Catching Guy on X, Instagram and YouTube or visit thecatchingguy.com for information on upcoming camps and digital offerings.   Podcast Highlights: 02:30 How he became The Catching Guy.08:00 The qualities it takes to be a catcher.14:05 The evolution of the catching position.19:20 When should you start teaching the new style of catching to kids?22:50 The importance of mental preparation.28:00 The guys that just get it.35:50 Best baseball advice you’ve ever received.38:30 What’s coming and ways to learn from The Catching Guy.

Sean McKinney, Associate Head Coach, Colorado Mesa University Baseball (NCAA Division II) joins us for this episode. Topics include a season outlook for the Mavericks, his thoughts on the transfer portal, qualities CMU looks for in players, his recruiting advice and much more. Follow Sean McKinney on X @wyomkc1 and the Colorado Mesa baseball team @CMUMavsBaseball.   Podcast Highlights 01:58 Video starts.04:30 Season expectations for CMU Baseball.08:35 Typical recruiting activities for the CMU staff this time of year.10:45 Thoughts on the transfer portal.13:30 Qualities CMU looks for in players.20:40 Red flags in the recruiting process.27:16 Remembering Tony Lopez.30:45 How to land on the CMU staff radar in recruiting.34:00 Grand Junction, CO and what it offers.37:30 Best baseball advice Coach McKinney ever received.40:00 Advice for parents.45:00 The importance of camps in the recruiting process.

Dusty Hart, Head Coach, Blinn College(NJCAA) Baseball joins us for this episode. Topics include a season outlook for the Buccaneers, what it takes to win, how important body language is, his advice for players wanting to be recruited and much more. Follow Dusty Hart on X @DustyHart and the Blinn College baseball team @BlinnBaseball. Podcast Highlights: 02:20 2024 Season expectations for Blinn.04:30 Winning pedigree.08:45 What Coach Hart is looking for in a recruit.12:30 Red flags in the recruiting process.15:55 Body language is everything.25:40 Spring typical recruiting activities for Blinn.31:30 Helping players is a goal in the recruiting process.36:03 How to get the attention of Coach Hart in recruiting.45:30 Advice for parents in the recruiting process.

Steven Trout, Head Coach, Texas State Baseball joins us for this episode. Topics include a season outlook for the Bobcats, what it takes to catch the attention of Coach Trout when he’s out recruiting, red flags he pays attention to and much more. Follow Steven Trout on X @Trouty16 and the Texas State baseball team @TxStateBaseball. Visit https://txst.com/sports/baseball for more on Texas State baseball.   Podcast Highlights: 03:50 Season expectations for Texas State.07:29 Typical recruiting activities for Coach Trout and his staff during the spring.11:45 Sequence of events when recruiting a player.15:15 Qualities of the type of guy Texas State recruits. Physical and intangible.23:30 Red flags Coach Trout pays attention when recruiting a player.30:50 Advice for recruits trying to get the attention of a coach.37:10 Advice for parents of recruits.

Jake Rogers, Catcher for the Detroit Tigers joins us on this episode. The 2024 MLB season will be Jake's 4th year in the big leagues, following up a 21 HR campaign in 2023. Jake joins us to discuss the offseason, embracing failure, life at the Major League level and much more. Follow Jake Rogers on X an Instagram @_JROG_    Podcast Highlights: 03:25 Jake discusses a typical day in the offseason.10:12 Jake’s realization that baseball was going to be his sport and a huge part of his life.16:00 Jake discusses how he was offered by the Tampa Bay Rays after a Connie Mack World Series game.24:00 Jake talks about how the recruiting process went for him.39:00 Jake gives his recruiting advice to high school baseball players. 42:10 Jake talks about how important embracing failure is as a baseball player.46:20 Jake talks about being a good teammate and being one of the most liked guys in the room and his daily approach.49:25 Jake gives some love to Detroit Tigers teammate Riley Greene.51:00 Jake talks about being a Big Leaguer.

Brandon Hunt, Recruiting Coordinator and Assistant Coach, North Dakota State Baseball joins us for this episode. Topics include what it takes to be recruited at NCAA DI NDSU, a season outlook for the 2024 Bison, his recruiting advice for student-athletes, parents and much more.   Follow Brandon Hunt on X @CoachB_Hunt and the NDSU baseball team @NDSUBaseball. Visit gobison.com for more on NDSU baseball. Podcast Highlights: 03:10 Coach Hunt talks NDSU 2024 season preview.07:45 Coach Hunt discusses what NDSU looks for in a recruit.18:40 Coach Hunt discusses red flags he pays attention to in recruiting a player.23:45 Coach Hunt talks recruiting activities this time of year.28:15 Coach Hunt gives advice for recruits looking to get his attention.35:00 Coach Hunt talks about being logical and your own best advocate in recruiting.38:40 Coach Hunt gives parents some recruiting advice.

Dr. Christopher Parker, President and CEO of the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) joins us to discuss the in's and out's of the NJCAA, the major benefits in choosing a junior college versus a 4-year school and his recruiting advice for high school athletes.  Follow Dr. Parker on X @NJCAA_Exec -AND- for more on NJCAA opportunities, visit njcaa.org. Podcast Highlights: 03:05 Dr. Parker introduces us to the NJCAA08:50 Dr. Parker discussed the major differences between 2-year vs. 4-year options.15:05 Dr. Parker addresses the key factors to consider when deciding on a college home.18:30 Dr. Parker talks about available scholarships and financial assistance at the NJCAA level.21:45 Dr. Parker discusses who junior college is ideal for.27:05 Dr. Parker talks transfer portal and his advice to navigate.30:00 Dr. Parker gives advice to hopeful recruits.33:30 Dr. Parker gives advice to parents of recruits.

Tim Huber, Head Baseball Coach of Augustana University (Sioux Falls, SD) joins us to discuss the upcoming 2024 season, college recruiting advice and much more. Huber is a two-time National Coach of the Year and lead his Augustana Vikings to the 2018 NCAA Division II National Championship.