Snow Day? How about a Pro Day - Part II

Cold weather and a little snow could not stop the first ever Northwest Ohio Baseball Day with the Pros from going off without a hitch. This past Thursday (12/27) the Defiance College and Defiance HS baseball teams paired up with Defiance, OH native and New York Mets LHP, Jonathon Niese - all in order to benefit the NW OH Christmas for Kids charity.

Defiance HS HC Tom Held introduces Jon Niese and company.

With a little over two-hundred (200) in attendance, people from all over the Northwest Ohio area received instruction, question & answer, autograph and picture opportunities with ten (10) different professional baseball players (who all hail from NW OH). The Diamond has put together some video footage featuring each player in attendance and an overall highlight of the event. Enjoy!

*Special thanks to all the players who lent their time to benefit the Northwest OH youth and to all of the event's sponsors!

Stay up to date with all things Defiance Baseball here.

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Yardwork

"I think a baseball field must be the most beautiful thing in the world. It's so honest and precise. And we play on it. Every star gets humbled. Every mediocre player has a great moment." - Lowell Cohn

Every yard is unique in its own way, and the one that sits off of Weber Street, right across the way from Justin F. Corresel Stadium is no different. Rutter Field is home to the Defiance College Baseball Yellow Jackets, coined after former Head Coach and current College Professor/Head Women's Golf Coach-Craig A. Rutter, who manned the Jackets' dugout for nineteen seasons (1983-2001) and accumulated a .447 winning percentage.

Rutter Field

The Rutt, as I so affectionately have come to call it, underwent some fairly major cosmetic procedures this summer. Including fresh paint for the dugout benches and press box, new warning track and backstop rock, ivy slits for the outfield fence (which also has earned it the nickname Wrigley Jr. or Little Wrig), and a plan of new railing for the front of the dugouts-to be completed this fall.

After daily efforts to ready The Rutt for fall action, players have begun to make their way down to the ballpark for voluntary workouts or "captain's practices" and will continue to do so until our first organized team practice-I think it's safe to say that I'm not the only one on campus excited for this fall and the Yellow Jacket Cup to be played for!

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Half Way Point

Three weeks down, three weeks to go. Bradenton, FL and the IMG Baseball Academy has in sorts, become a home away from home for me. My time here has been special, and the staff I work with-excellent. And that's not even mentioning the facilities and the players I've had a chance to work with since June 30th.

My first two weeks at the Academy were spent working camps, players from all over the country, even from across the globe come to spend 1-2 weeks here in an attempt to gain knowledge of the game and improve their all around skills. This includes four training sessions per week with IMG's Performance Institute, which houses a staff who is at the tier of their respected profession-training not only high school aged kids but Olympians and Professional Athletes as well.

I now find myself in the thick of the 14 & under Wood Bat League (WBL), playing four games a week filtered in with numerous Defensive Days (D-Days), offensive team workouts, and team practices. The WBL is an interesting beast, the players compete fiercely both on the field and off of it, as all six 14&U teams compete for a WBL Championship. 

As fast as these past three weeks have flown by, I'm sure I'll be packing my things and making the trek back to the Buckeye State in no time. Of course at which time, I'll be immediately settling in on campus at Defiance College. Needless to say, I am immensely enjoying my time here but I know it will be short lived. 

I am also keeping a watchful eye on the horizon, as I count down the days to arriving in Defiance and beginning my journey with the DC Baseball Program. The Hive awaits, and the Sting will undoubtedly be fierce!

Go Jackets, Go!

A Picture Set in Motion

This past week, Defiance Head Coach Derek Woodley put together a little video montage of the DC Baseball program. Being that I'm kind of a social media junkie, I loved it! And there is undoubtedly more things like this on the horizon, once I settle in permanently on campus. Keep an eye out for more videos to come, on the DC Baseball YouTube page. And also stay up to speed with my Twitter Feed as I update the status of my stay in Bradenton, FL and also any updates per the Defiance College Baseball program!

Full Time

The next step, eventually there is always a next step. And for me the time has come to make it. On Saturday (6/9) I accepted a position as an Assistant Baseball Coach at Defiance College (Defiance, OH). Meaning I will be leaving Norte Dame Cathedral Latin after just one season. I would like to thank Head Coach Jim Clark and everyone involved in the NDCL Community for allowing me to become a member of their Lion Baseball Family! Although my tenure with the NDCL Baseball Program was short in time, it was lengthy in experience. And that experience is something I will carry with me into my next venture in the coaching realm.

I would also like to thank everyone who helped to make this a reality. To anyone that lent any sort of advice, lent a listening ear, made a reference call, or provided me with the tools to take my coaching career to the next level, THANK YOU!

Upon my return from the IMG Baseball Academy in August, baseball will officially be my full time job!