Latest / From the Coach's Mouth / Episode 43: Roman Foore

Transcript

Episode 43: Roman Foore · From the Coach's Mouth

0:00
I think these kids really work their butts off and then had
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really, really good questions and that I got the guide along
0:06
the way and, and I've never swung for those kids.
0:09
I've never won in a game and hit for those kids.
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Those kids are doing it. I, I try not to take credit
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because then I have to take credit.
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I have to give credit back when I mess them up.
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Yeah, we only talk about the good things.
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We can't talk about the kids that we we don't want to talk
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about the kids that we messed up.
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At the field, in your car or on the couch, get your passage and
0:34
roll from the coach's mouth. Welcome to the From the Coaches
0:51
Mouth podcast with your host Jay Bolden and Ken Krause.
1:10
Greetings everyone. This is Ken Kraus here with my
1:13
buddy Jay Bolden on another episode of the From the Coach's
1:17
Mouth podcast. Jay, how are you doing this
1:20
morning? Doing pretty good, Ken, getting
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back to some lessons. It's always good to get going
1:24
here. I'm super excited for our season
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at Saint Xavier to kick off. Here we go.
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We're we're back and we've got basically, you know, 4 weeks
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till our till our first game, a second week of February there.
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We're playing up in the in the Rosemont Dome, excited to get
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the season going and I'm also excited for other Division One
1:42
and all the other levels of kick off too.
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This is I call this like my second Christmas, man, like just
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getting all the gifts from Christmas, you know, with the
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kids and stuff, you know, now we get into the softball season,
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which is like the the second second Christmas also reminds me
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too. I got AI have to reactivate my
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Sling TV accounts with ESPN bundle so I can make sure I tape
2:03
and see all my games that I want to watch this year.
2:05
So how about you? How are lessons going for you?
2:08
Lessons are going pretty well. There's been, I don't know about
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in your part of the area, but in my area there's been a lot of
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illness. There's been a lot of, you know,
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kids calling out with flu or, or just, you know, they come home,
2:21
they've got headaches, they're sick to their stomach, a lot of
2:23
things going on with it. So it's been what I would call
2:27
kind of an easy schedule, kind of easing back into the, the
2:31
full schedule on any given day. I'm not exactly sure how many
2:35
lessons I'm going to have, but you know, it's, I think the
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lessons have been going on have been doing pretty well.
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So I've been happy with where we are.
2:44
Yeah, it's good. That's awesome.
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I'm yeah, my wife had walking pneumonia and my daughter's just
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got over flu too, so it's definitely going around here as
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well too. So but.
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Yeah, I but yeah, I had it as well, so.
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Well, I'm. Glad it was a little kids
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Christmas gift. Normally we don't exchange gifts
3:01
with my wife's side of the family, but my sister-in-law
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decided to give me the flu for Christmas this year so.
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Yeah, well, that's because you went to Hawaii.
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That's just karma, you know what I mean?
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Yeah, yeah, I guess. Enough of our babbling, man, can
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you? I'm super excited for this guest
3:15
today and give give people some information and some background
3:19
on this awesome guest. I'm super excited to talk
3:21
softball with this guy. Today's guest has an impressive
3:24
background in fast pitch softball, both as a player and a
3:26
coach. As an athlete, this Minnesota
3:29
native was a two time Second team All American Minnesota AS
3:33
A/B MVP and ASAB State Champion, and he was a participant in the
3:38
2013 WBSC Men's World Championship in 2013.
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His coaching background is equally impressive.
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He was an assistant coach for the WBS CS Men's World
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Championship in 2022 and 2025, bringing home a bronze medal in
3:56
each tournament. By the way, the 2022 teams
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bronze snapped an 18 year streak for the Men's U.S.
4:02
National Team, coming home without a medal.
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On the women's side, he was the associate head coach for the
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Chicago Bandits team that took home 2 Cowell Cup Championships
4:13
in the National Professional Fast Pitch League and later was
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named the head coach for the Scrap Yard Dogs and the Texas
4:19
Charge. Prior to that he spent three
4:22
seasons as an assistant coach with the Arizona State, Sun
4:25
Devils and Appalachian State, mostly as a hitting coach.
4:29
He also spent two years as an assistant coach at the
4:31
University of Saint Thomas where he helped the Tommies earn a
4:35
pair of MIAC Championships and NCAA Regional runner up finish
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and the third place finish in the Division Three Woman's
4:43
College World Series. He started his coaching career
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at the high school level with Eagan High School in Minnesota
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and went on to earn Coach of the Year honors as an assistant
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coach where he helped lead the team to A state championship.
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He is definitely a coach who has seen it all and done it all.
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Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Roman 4 to the Farm the
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Coaches Mouth podcast. Good.
5:09
Morning, everyone. Good morning, Roman.
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Thanks for joining us today, Roman.
5:12
We're excited to to pick your brain a little bit about yellow
5:15
ball softball here. So yeah, yeah, we've been around
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a long time too. And I wanted to get somebody
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here before we dig into these questions.
5:23
I, I have one question. You're still involved in the on
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the men's fast pitch side, right?
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I am what, what, what's your role currently with on the men's
5:30
fast pitch? Are you, what team do you
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basically what team are you working with in the summer?
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Well, the current team I'm working with is the United
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States Men's national team. Whatever they need.
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I've worked with the junior team.
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I've worked with the men's team and I've done some travel ball
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or men's travel ball over the last couple years to stay
5:52
active. So we had those goals in mind
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with the WBSC of winning a gold medal.
5:58
So I thought I'd be a little bit more relevant and be around and
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get to be with the guys and see what's going on so we could put
6:05
the best team out there possible.
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So that's my current role with the men's team and I couldn't be
6:11
more excited for where this program has been.
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As someone being that has played on the team in 2013, as
6:18
mentioned, who did not play very well, who did not have the best
6:23
experience and who did not in many ways I say is that's about
6:27
when rock bottom hit. And then getting to be part of
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the the growth and being a part of it.
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And to see men's fast pitch back in the United States, I, I
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couldn't be more proud to be around that.
6:39
So do you work with a club team as well too?
6:40
Like are like, you know, Dolan Murphy, which one?
6:43
Like which team are you with in the summer?
6:45
Well, currently I'm not with a team.
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My, my team just seems to fold. It's that kind of kind of
6:52
business. I was with the AWP Lumberjacks
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out of Illinois. I I enjoyed my time and, and
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sometimes life comes in between play and the sponsor was
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wonderful and hopefully someday he comes back into it in some
7:07
form or fashion. But I couldn't me more grateful
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for what what Danny has done for me and allowing me to be in that
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role. But sometimes life takes a
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different different chances and different turns.
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Last year the world tournament was in Mankato, which was an
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hour drive. So I didn't feel I needed to be
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part of a team when I could be there for everybody.
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And then soon as the world tournament left, we flew to
7:31
China the very next morning. So it was a very busy summer
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last year and that's why I'm not kind of currently into a team
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and we'll see what happens though.
7:44
Yeah. Nice.
7:45
That's awesome. I, I was looking you up a little
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bit and saw you with the lumberjacks out of Illinois and
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I was just wondering if that was if they were still around.
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I know, you know, they come and go, sponsors come and go and all
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that stuff too. I totally get that.
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So I was just wondering, did you have a good experience all that
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summer with those with the guys out there?
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I did. I did.
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I still am am in very close contact with a lot of those
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guys. It's the unique part of being a
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player, a former player and then calling it a men's coach.
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You're, you're not a coach, you're a buddy who has
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conversations, who takes the blame when you screw up.
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And there's a lot of times where their players are the coaches at
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the same time. So I just got to be with the
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guys. I've learned so much from the
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conversations over the years with anybody who's willing to
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have that conversation back. They've taught me so much.
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And it's also reminded me as a player that you don't always
8:40
have to fix everything right then and there.
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Sometimes the kids need to work through it and you don't always
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need a comment to them because it reminds you of like, what if
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that coach said don't swing at the rise ball to you after you
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just swung at three of them? That probably wouldn't have been
8:55
a very good conversation on the way back.
8:58
Yeah, yeah, for sure. Yes.
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So let's get into your background a little bit.
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We like we start this off with just about all of our guests
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like, you know, tell us your journey and and where it began.
9:08
Men's fast, fast fishes in general and coaching in general
9:10
just began for you. Where did this all start for for
9:13
Roman? It's a it's a wild journey.
9:16
Your questions and and you reaching out has definitely
9:19
opened up a lot of memories. My journey is probably no
9:24
different than a lot of other people who have been in this
9:27
game. My dad played.
9:28
I grew up thinking everybody played men's fast pitch.
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I didn't know any different. I learned how to pitch when I
9:35
was young. Sometimes I could throw it back
9:38
to him in the air, sometimes it went over his head.
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But my dad brought me everywhere.
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My dad was a coach in Europe, and I remember him picking me up
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and taking me out of school for lunch.
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I would sit in the bleachers while the team would practice
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and I'd eat my lunch and walk back to class.
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That was being in Germany. My dad was a military, 23 years
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or so born in Thailand. So I've been all over the world
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and I just thought people played because that's what my dad did
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in the in the military. And when I was trying to come up
10:12
playing, my dad's like, no, you're playing baseball.
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When that dream is done, you can come play fast pitch.
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And I graduated from Texas Lutheran playing baseball and
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they found out, the softball team found out that I was aware
10:26
of what softball was and that I could throw a little bit
10:30
underneath. And they asked me to be a
10:33
student assistant my super senior year.
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And I had some school to finish up.
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So what better way to what else to do?
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So I took that role and it kind of just opened up the world to
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me. My dad was a pitching coach at
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the time. He teaches lessons.
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We are mound in my room is is become a mound.
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He played it up and we had an indoor mound and I didn't have a
11:00
room anymore and he had a business.
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And so I just, I just kind of got into learning about it and
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then then playing and I started playing, I started enjoying it.
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And then my dad was pitching and doing lessons and he's like,
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hey, you should maybe look into getting in this business on this
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side. And baseball ended town ball.
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I was having fun and I just wanted to try something new.
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And fast pitch was taking me in in places and direction that I,
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I just didn't know. I couldn't do both anymore.
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I couldn't play every day and people kept calling, do you want
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to play? Do you want to play?
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And I, I committed to fast pitch.
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And then not only was I like learning how to miss the rise
11:48
ball like everybody else, I started teaching it at the same
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time. So not only was like Tuesday, I
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would miss the rise ball four times.
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Wednesday, I was learning how to get on top of it and make these
12:03
adjustments. And then I'm I'm teaching
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lessons to these kids while I'm I'm physically going through the
12:09
same mistakes and making the same mistakes as they are.
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So it's just kind of been a who I know or in the right time at
12:18
the right spot. But the whole playing thing LED
12:21
into the coaching thing. And it's been a wonderful
12:25
journey. I currently get to do it
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alongside my wife. If you're going to make somebody
12:30
look good, who who would who better to make your wife look
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good and enjoy life with? And what an awesome game and the
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people that has come into my life and so thankful for for the
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journey through my family. My mother played in the second
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and third College World Series before Title 9.
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My father-in-law was an umpire. My mother or my mother-in-law,
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like I said, played and then my father's a pitching coach.
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There's nothing like keeping it in the family if you let when
13:02
you look at that. Yeah, for sure.
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I mean, you started to sound like the the girl and my cousin
13:09
Vinny. My father was a mechanic, my
13:11
brothers were mechanics, my uncle was a mechanic.
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You know, it's like you're all fast pitch people.
13:17
You sounds like you could have just about put together A-Team
13:19
just with the four family. We would have we got a pretty
13:22
good staff. We had a lot of good
13:24
conversation. But in the four family, we're
13:27
always right. It doesn't matter if it's me, my
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dad, my wife, my aunt, my my sister-in-law, like we're always
13:34
right. So just ask us.
13:36
Yeah. Awesome.
13:39
What was it like as a student there?
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Are you coaching your classmates when you were in Texas?
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You know, what was that like to to kind of take on that first
13:50
coaching role? Did you feel confident going
13:52
into it because you're playing background and you know things
13:55
with your dad? Or did you have more of a
13:58
feeling of, well, this is kind of weird.
14:00
I hope nobody figures out that I don't know what I'm doing.
14:03
I think all the above, yes you are correct.
14:06
I was super nervous, but I was really thankful as like the my
14:11
team, my Co students, they were the ones that advocated for me.
14:19
It wasn't me advocating to be in this position.
14:23
They needed somebody. I was able to fill the role, but
14:27
then my peers were the ones going to bat for me.
14:30
So that made that part a little bit easier.
14:32
But like you said, letting them know that you don't know.
14:36
Yeah, that wasn't about. That's not who I am and what I
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am. I'm.
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I'm going to make it work whether it's right or wrong.
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And we'll figure it out after that and we'll fix it.
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And I've kind of taken that philosophy through my whole
14:51
life. Doubt me and and we'll figure it
14:53
out and I'm going to come back harder and I'm going to work
14:56
harder. So having that unknowing made me
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work harder. The doubt made me work harder.
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And then I was really nice that I, I had a, a head coach who let
15:10
me do things, but yet I'm, I'm a military child, so I believe in
15:14
discipline and structure. And she allowed me to stay
15:18
within her rules and allowed me to kind of get on both sides,
15:23
but when she needed to tell me when this is the role, this is
15:26
the role, this is what you do, this is what you do.
15:28
So I was very thankful for those instructions and that leadership
15:32
as well. I want to Fast forward a little
15:34
bit after that and talk a little bit about Team USA.
15:37
You played for Team USA as a player.
15:39
What are some of your memories during your playing career like,
15:42
especially at that international level, you guys?
15:44
But you know, what were some of the memories that just stick
15:47
with you when you think back on those on that time?
15:50
Like, man, that was just this or that.
15:52
What was that? Like some core memories from
15:54
you. Some core memories.
15:55
It's a pretty awesome memory being in a hotel room with Josh
15:59
Johnson, who is currently the pitching coach at Virginia Tech,
16:03
being in the same room with Eddie Kettle Hut, who is
16:07
formerly the hitting defensive guy at Auburn.
16:12
Chase Turner was in that same conversation.
16:16
It's just having those conversations outside of
16:19
softball in the dorm room or the hotel room and just talking
16:24
softball with not know thinking. We knew everything, but we
16:28
didn't know anything. Just those quality human beings
16:33
and to see what they've done in coaching and where they've gone
16:37
in their lives and then just being able to do that myself
16:41
along the way. Those are some real core
16:43
memories. And then getting to play
16:45
softball almost as close to professionally as you can call
16:49
it. We don't get the whole that
16:51
opportunity a whole lot. But when you go on an
16:53
international, they take care of you very, very well.
16:56
So that's as close to Olympics or as professional as we're we
17:02
were going to get. So being taken care of, that was
17:04
really special. It sure would have been nice to
17:07
perform a little bit better individually and as a team, but
17:12
those failures have led to some really, really cool growth after
17:16
the fact. It's easy to say as you get
17:19
older, right? Like, oh, that memory was really
17:22
what made me. Yeah.
17:23
Well, in the time it really sucked, it was not fun.
17:27
I did not enjoy any part of failing.
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But that failure has led to who we are today and and what I am
17:33
today. So why?
17:35
Why has the US kind of struggled in the men's area or why had
17:39
they been? I guess it gotten better over
17:41
the last few years. What?
17:43
What was holding it back? We needed pitching and at the
17:48
time we had older gentlemen. I don't want to disrespect, but
17:54
they were past their prime from other countries and now that we
18:00
have youth, the staff, the current staff and the previous
18:04
staff work really, really hard together and they still do.
18:07
And we've identified at least 5 pitchers all under 23 years old.
18:13
We have a gentleman currently once the pitching coach at
18:17
Washington, Brad Kilpatrick from Australia, but he's 20, he's the
18:23
oldest. And then we have Cody Gibbons
18:26
who is 1920 pitch for me with AWP, played with his dad from
18:32
here locally in Minneapolis. And then we have Marco Diaz from
18:35
Mexico who is 6/6, just a man child throwing 88 mile an hour
18:41
drop walls, crow hopping. The future is super, super
18:45
bright. And in United States men's fast
18:48
pitch, we can hit, we can play defense, but we can't get nobody
18:52
out. So the time and effort that the
18:55
last two and 2 1/2 Staffs have put together to develop this
18:59
pitching, I couldn't be more happy and more excited for what
19:03
the future holds of men's fast pitch here in the United States
19:06
again. Yeah, all three of those are
19:08
awesome. Diaz is just a beast.
19:09
That guy is amazing. What a wonderful human being as
19:13
well. He he is such he is a super
19:17
tough competitor. I look up to him.
19:19
Cody ain't no joke. Cody.
19:21
Cody is 6665 a 135 lbs throwing gas.
19:28
He's just he's he's learning and he's turning the game over for
19:34
him. It was never about talent.
19:35
It was about the mindset and he's starting to make those
19:39
changes and boys, he's about to take off and then Brad.
19:44
Brad just needs the opportunity to play with this job taking off
19:49
and live taking off. He has to make some decisions of
19:52
what's next, but we are super happy with where he is and what
19:56
he's doing. So we'll see what the future
19:58
holds for him as well. Hey, you talked about Josh and
20:01
Eddie. Do you?
20:02
Do you still talk to those two? I do, I do I Eddie was my
20:06
confidant when I was at ASUI, would call him weekly just to
20:11
talk the game, just talk the mental side, just talk about
20:15
life also and what that looks like.
20:18
And then I'm actually currently talking to Darren Miller, who is
20:22
now an assistant at Rutgers and with Kristen Butler, who I coach
20:27
with the Bandits. So just talking to those guys
20:30
about what they're seeing. Yes, I'm at the D3 level and I
20:34
and I super love being at this level, but yet the conversations
20:39
are still elite. That's great.
20:40
It's about making the kids the best that they can be.
20:43
So yes, I, I contact those guys. Eddie's, Eddie's daughter was
20:48
just here in town for a camp in Minnesota.
20:50
Wife came, he didn't come. But yeah, I talked to those guys
20:54
quite a bit. So I, I work with two kids off
20:56
Eddie's team that are pitchers. So I, I left here, I work with
20:59
her and her right. He's coming for actually for a
21:01
lesson tonight. The righty and then Josh has
21:04
been on this podcast already. We you know Doctor Johnson now
21:07
where he's gender? Yeah, he was.
21:10
Great. Smarter.
21:11
Just ask him. Yeah, yeah, exactly.
21:14
So he was kind of like my mentor when I was at Loyola as an
21:17
assistant or a volunteer there. So good guy.
21:19
So that you're, you're again, like you said, you surround
21:22
yourself with some really good softball people at Roman.
21:24
That's pretty awesome, man. I'm not going to say I actively,
21:28
Josh and I, Josh being from Wisconsin and out Minnesota,
21:33
we're kind of like the same kind of player coming up.
21:36
We both wanted to pitch. I was a better hitter and
21:39
believe it or not, Josh is a great hitter.
21:41
I know his his reputation is on pitching, but he ended up
21:46
putting more time into it. I would rather hit the balls
21:49
back at the pitchers then getting them hit back at me.
21:53
And I, I never continued to put in the effort to be elite like
21:58
Josh did. But I like pitching league.
22:01
I, I equate league just like high school.
22:03
If you can pitch, you're going to pitch.
22:05
And then when we went to travel on the weekends, I, I ran by
22:09
that. Now I couldn't get by fast
22:10
enough to get the first base, those guys and miss hitting
22:16
balls by my head. And I'm like, this is probably
22:19
not, this is not for me. And but I do like pitching.
22:23
I wish I could have been a pitcher growing up.
22:25
I would pitch some league. I'd throw all the batting
22:28
practice to our girls. And that's kind of what's taken
22:31
me into my coaching role is everybody asked me, it's like,
22:34
hey, how'd you get into being a hitting coach?
22:38
I throw good BP and you want to be a good BP pitcher or a good
22:44
hitting coach, hit the kids bat, see how far they can hit it.
22:50
And that's kind of like the combo that has taken me into to
22:54
be in some of the things I've done.
22:56
So do you throw full distance to them or are you behind the
22:59
screen? I'm behind the screen at about
23:01
35 the leg muscles and then in the back.
23:07
Back in the day when I first started, I didn't know how to
23:10
throw behind a screen so I would go farther back.
23:13
Now I'm at about 35 and I can go till I'm done to whenever that.
23:18
But back in the day, three warm up pitches and two hours later
23:22
and and here we are not turning 5051.
23:27
I'm I'm limited of how long I can go, but there's no better
23:33
feeling than it just getting a full batting practice session in
23:36
and the the men this so crazy to me.
23:40
When I coach the pro women and the Olympic team and all that
23:43
they're used to getting live BP. They they get it all the time,
23:48
whether it's their coaches and the high levels they bring in
23:51
all these people to do it. But when I'm with the men, they
23:54
don't get it enough. But when they do, they could hit
23:57
for days and my body feels it. But there's, I tell them though,
24:02
my arm hurts only when I throw a ball.
24:05
When they hit it, it's great. My arms great.
24:07
So yeah, I throw quite a bit and I enjoy it and it's it's so much
24:13
fun. Yeah, there's nothing like that
24:15
feeling I also throw from behind the screen.
24:17
I do a lot of hitting lessons. And when you have that kid and
24:20
you're you're kind of you're trying to watch and trying to
24:23
say, OK, what is she doing? What she doing?
24:25
And all of a sudden she gets it together and comes back and just
24:28
hits one off your arm or off your rib cage or something.
24:31
And you're like, and they're like, Oh my God.
24:33
And you're like, no, no, no, don't apologize for that.
24:36
That was great. I'm OK.
24:37
I'm, I'm always all right. But just, you know, when you see
24:40
it come together, it's worth the pain.
24:42
Yeah, it is definitely worth the pain.
24:44
And I always tell them, look, I got a screen.
24:46
I've been doing this for about 20 years now.
24:49
If I get hit, that's my fault. Exactly.
24:52
I tell them the same thing. I will say this, I much get
24:55
rather get hit by some of them high school girls than the pros
24:59
when I was doing it and some of them balls going by my ear and I
25:04
had Alo, I had Amanda Lorenz and these two always pop up in my
25:09
mind because they never took a half swing.
25:13
If it was moving at them. They are swinging as hard as
25:16
they can and I am ducking and I can't duck fast.
25:20
Although hit one at me. I ducked it went over right
25:22
field. I was like, wait, what?
25:25
And then all of a sudden you get these guys in there and they can
25:29
the the bats and what they're using and I'm using armor and
25:33
chin guards and the back control and like they don't have a clue.
25:39
Like they're not live BP. I'm kill somebody.
25:42
Oh, he's buying a screen. We're fine.
25:45
And then all of a sudden they're hitting it 8 miles.
25:48
But man, it is. But there's no better feeling,
25:51
as you said, is like watching the success and then going into
25:55
the game. I tell him like I like, look,
25:57
I'm not done throwing. If we're not going to hit in the
25:59
games, like you guys better figure it out.
26:02
Giving them a hard time because they know I'll do whatever they
26:04
need. And and that's what kind of my
26:07
career has been built on. Whatever I can do, whatever I
26:10
need to do, whatever you need me to do, I'll figure it out.
26:14
Yeah, well, I'm, I'm a little bit older than you and I never
26:16
pitched in men's fast, but I never played fast pitch myself,
26:20
Played slow pitch, but you know when I do it.
26:23
So my screens probably about 20 feet away and I've used the
26:26
pocket radar equivalents to things.
26:29
So I'll say, OK, Said I don't really throw very hard, but you
26:33
know, when I get myself cranking up from this distance.
26:35
I'm Monica Abbott. Yeah, and, and good old money 65
26:42
coming at you elbows and legs and and then all of a sudden 74
26:48
pops off and you're like lookout girls, are you going to hit it
26:52
today or are we going to compete today?
26:55
Unless I'm able to throw pitches, I'm all or nothing.
26:58
I can if I'm pitching all in, I'm all in.
27:01
If I'm front tossing, I'm I'm front tossing.
27:05
I can't do moderation. I can't do half and half.
27:08
I'm all in or I'm all out. So the kids, our team knows
27:12
that. And usually when I'm pitching, I
27:15
talk smack because I want our kids to compete a little bit and
27:18
I want them to give a back. And then when they hit it hit
27:22
them too hard, I'll I'll introduce them to the change up
27:26
or something off screen a little bit myself.
27:29
Keep them honest. I keep them honest, so I tell
27:31
them all time. I keep you honest.
27:32
And then I laugh and then they get mad and it's great.
27:36
And that's the competitive spirit that I'm looking for.
27:39
So Roman, I want to talk about a little bit about your, your
27:41
coaching because you've coached everywhere, man.
27:43
You've been high school, you've been D3D2D1 professional men's
27:48
USA team. How did you adapt your coaching
27:51
style? Or did you at those at those
27:53
different levels, like where you just, hey, this is who I am,
27:56
this is what I'm bringing? Or did you have to adjust some
27:58
things per level per kind of you know?
28:01
Situation. It came to stages of my own
28:05
personal life. At the beginning, I was just
28:07
happy to be there. I was happy to throw a bat and
28:10
practice whatever you need, like let's go.
28:13
Whatever I can learn from you, whatever you can learn from me.
28:16
The higher levels is about managing and I have expectations
28:23
and I didn't really change a whole lot in my philosophies.
28:27
Maybe how I said it, if I start repeating myself, I get a little
28:32
bit annoyed. But then I looked at myself and
28:34
I say, is it you? Are you saying the same thing at
28:39
the same words and they're not getting the answers?
28:41
That's on you. So having different expectations
28:46
at different levels. So I really enjoy coaching the
28:50
D3 level. As you can see, we've been here
28:52
a long time. Or I can actually coach the game
28:55
of softball and the kids will learn.
28:57
But when I go to the weekend and then I'm coaching in the summer
29:01
and I'm coaching pro or whatever it is, I don't have to worry
29:04
about the fundamentals. They already have those coming
29:07
in. Then it becomes about a
29:09
conversation or it becomes about what is this kids philosophy?
29:14
What are they trying to do? What did their college coaches
29:17
teach them? And then have those
29:19
conversations and try to make it their idea.
29:21
Even though it's your idea. It becomes about managing and
29:25
then not coaching. So I like both and that's why I
29:28
did professional league for 10 plus years and trying to be at
29:32
that elite level. But I also want to be at this
29:35
level because it's like you guys were talking about is when those
29:38
kids get it, How cool? How cool is it when those kids
29:43
get that moment, they're just not able to do it in three
29:46
swings like those other kids are.
29:48
It might take three weeks, it might take 4 sessions it but
29:53
when they do, how cool and my, my big thing is just play the
29:57
game, right? So that doesn't matter what
30:00
level I'm coaching at. I have high expectations.
30:03
You're going to know what those expectations are.
30:06
And if you go outside of that, you're going to hear about it.
30:08
And that doesn't matter what level.
30:10
So that's why I say is like, in many ways, the game of softball,
30:15
I didn't change the X's and O's. I just changed probably the way
30:19
I handled it. And then as I got older, I
30:22
thought, you know, I probably thought I knew too much.
30:25
And then conflict and then conversation and then the
30:30
entitlements coming from my Bethel kids that are super happy
30:34
with a T-shirt and then they're mad that they didn't get a
30:37
matching shirt with a ball and a bat.
30:40
And like all this other stuff is just like, well, that's when I,
30:44
it started becoming a job and, and, and I needed to find
30:47
something else to do. So I was I was wondering about
30:51
coaching between men and women. Did you find that you had to
30:54
make any adaptations there, or was it pretty much the same for
30:59
you? That's a that's a great
31:01
question. And I try to be consistent of
31:04
who I am in the women's game. We try to control probably too
31:10
much coaches. I I'm more talking even about
31:15
myself. It's like we want to make these
31:17
adjustments for them. We want to them to do this right
31:21
then and there. So kind of like when to speak to
31:25
the guys and what to say to them, like probably the same
31:30
conversation is not going to work.
31:32
The guys usually know don't swing at the rise ball.
31:35
So when I say don't swing at the rise ball, a couple language,
31:38
different barriers are going to come out where the women are
31:42
going to in in many ways, they're they're perfectionist
31:45
and they want to do so well for you and for everything that
31:50
they're going to take it at heart.
31:52
I think coaching the men has actually helped me more converse
31:57
with the women instead of vice versa.
32:00
We can't hold the same kind of practices.
32:02
We can't work on the same fundamentals.
32:05
The guys are 20 something 25 coming out of pro baseball
32:09
playing for 1020 years. Like we're not going to have the
32:13
same conversations. Just being there for them
32:16
though. Like if they want to talk, they
32:17
only want to talk when they're struggling.
32:20
Let let's be real, if things are going good, you just kind of
32:22
pick their brain and said, hey, now I got to know, I got to have
32:26
these words to get this guy there if it ever goes bad.
32:30
But they, either of them women will talk to you anytime.
32:34
They will just want to talk softball.
32:35
And that's kind of a really cool differential thing for me.
32:39
You made a great point there, Roman, too.
32:40
Ken and I talk about this all the time.
32:42
Like the hand holding at, you know, for the women's game.
32:45
Like there's none of that in the men's game.
32:47
No one's holding your hand. You're figuring out kind of
32:49
yourself, you know, and, and I think we do too much of that.
32:53
I forgot who it was that we had. I think it was Darren actually
32:57
that was on Ken that talked about that.
32:59
Every 1st and 3rd there's a time out and the girls run down to
33:02
the coach and the men's league. You don't see any of that.
33:05
There's Hey, you, you should know what to do there And and
33:07
that, you know, that was great. I think when Darren said that,
33:09
and again, he's, you know, another former men's guy like
33:12
the hand holding. I think we do a little too much.
33:14
They should we should have, you know, like your expectations are
33:16
great. So I I was a great point that
33:18
you made. And that's a that's learned,
33:21
right? Because what are our jobs as
33:23
coaches, right? These girls, I'm their
33:27
protector, right? Like if they fail, I blame
33:33
myself. And but then in their own
33:35
defenses, like when Whitey's making all that money and the
33:40
expectations, the world championship, and then you're
33:42
making a decision in an 18 to 23 year old.
33:47
I understand both sides. But if we're doing our job,
33:50
these kids should be able to understand what's going on also.
33:55
Yeah. Well, you know, and again, Jay
33:58
and I talked about that too, that, you know, the idea being
34:01
we're going to, I don't want to give you answers.
34:03
I want to teach you how to get the answers because when you're
34:07
out there playing, you don't want anybody telling you what to
34:10
do. You got to be your own pitching
34:12
coach. You know, you have to be your
34:13
own hitting coach or your own fielding coach.
34:16
You have to know how to make that adjustment.
34:19
And if you know how to make it, nobody has to tell you that
34:22
you're going to feel a lot better about what you're doing,
34:24
don't you think? Think about this theory right
34:27
here. We have coaches calling games.
34:31
Well, catchers don't know how to call a game.
34:33
Well, what are we doing? Coaches, Who's going to coach
34:37
the kid like you? You don't want to take the time.
34:41
And because it's not an easy little gift to do teach them
34:46
there's going to be failure, but yet they're going to end up
34:49
calling their own games. And you want to wonder why the
34:51
games take so long? Because you guys want to control
34:54
everything at D3. I'm like, let's go like we're
34:58
you. You want me to call like my
35:00
pitcher has to ask me to call. I don't, I don't want to call a
35:03
game. I will call the game, but I want
35:06
you guys to do it and then let's talk about it.
35:09
But some kids can't handle that, and that's OK.
35:13
And that comes from going back to travel ball, though like
35:15
that. When they're 12, they should be
35:18
calling a game and then the coach should be asking them why
35:21
they called something and then that's how you teach.
35:25
I hear all the time too. Like, I'm sorry, Ken, I hear all
35:27
the time too during lessons. Yeah, the hey, I tell them all
35:31
the time, it's OK. Even if your coach is calling
35:33
the game, it's OK to shake it off, right?
35:36
And and what I'm scared, I don't want to do.
35:37
Why? Right, like you know, at Saint
35:40
Xavier, we have that rule. You are free to shake off the
35:42
call anytime if you see something better and go with it,
35:45
you know, and then we'll talk about like, Hey, you shook that
35:47
off. What did you guys call?
35:48
Oh, great, that was great call, you know, and so giving them the
35:52
freedom to do that and and them not be concerned.
35:54
I hear all the time, unless it's all no, I'm afraid I can't
35:57
shake. I can't shake them off like like
35:59
they may I tell them all the time.
36:01
You guys probably see more of what's going on in the game than
36:04
I do from where I'm sitting. So I would rather you call shake
36:07
me off and call something different that you think is
36:09
going to work regardless of the outcome.
36:11
Like we're OK with it, right? Like got to give them that
36:14
freedom to do that. So, you know, that's great that
36:16
you say that I. Yeah, more.
36:19
I say the same thing, but I don't know if I've ever had a
36:21
kid shake me off and that's OK because that just tells me that
36:27
they have trust in what I'm doing.
36:28
But I'm also the same person said I messed up.
36:33
You tell me many coaches, there's not a whole lot of
36:35
coaches that are going to say I messed up.
36:38
That's on me. Well, because they're going to
36:40
say, well, you should have hit your spot better.
36:43
Yeah, well, yeah, the the ultimate excuse, you're not
36:47
hitting your spot. Right.
36:48
It's the easy fix. No I And then you go back and
36:51
like the kid actually hit her spot.
36:53
You just made a bad call. There it is, yeah.
36:56
That's the truth, like, and that's what you said, Jay, like
36:59
these kids just want to do whatever's right and they want
37:02
to do the best that they can. And that's why I love fast fish
37:06
softball. Yep.
37:07
Yep. So I want to I want to move on a
37:10
little bit here and I want to talk both about your your time
37:13
at Arizona State and your time at at App State.
37:16
So your hitters earned, you know, all pack honors and the
37:19
team advanced NCA regional. What were your key strategies
37:22
for developing those hitting or developing hitting that at both
37:25
of those levels? App state you saw, you know, you
37:27
had multiple program records there you had your the school's
37:30
first all American like what what's the secret sauce, man?
37:34
What? What can we coaches take away
37:35
from all that? The hitting knowledge you're
37:37
going to spew right now, buddy? Simplify, be simple.
37:41
I don't try to get too deep into too much because every kid can't
37:47
handle that. I teach every kid individually.
37:50
I try not to have a cookie cutter concept how I would teach
37:54
a six foot hitter and a 5 foot, 3 hitter.
37:58
It's not going to be the same. But that's not saying that a 53
38:01
hitter don't have some bat speed and can get a little pop.
38:05
And honestly, it comes down to having some mindset and having
38:09
some heart. You're going to get a lot of
38:11
success if you can get a little bit of both of those and just
38:15
compete your butt off. I know these are not the XS and
38:18
OS that everybody wants to talk about.
38:20
And I think those things are great.
38:23
I really enjoy those those things in part of hitting.
38:26
There's a time and a place as you guys are.
38:29
You said you're getting ready for February.
38:32
February is a good time. And once those games start, it's
38:35
time to get just to compete your butts off and be the toughest
38:38
out you can be. And I had a lot of time with
38:42
those teams, right? Like I had every day almost in
38:46
the in a year with these kids. And you can see how their swing
38:50
evolves or progresses or regresses and where they're at.
38:55
At Appalachia State, obviously we did not have the elite
38:58
athlete, but we had some really tough kids that wanted to learn
39:02
and that that they listened and they committed and bought in.
39:06
That's what took that team the little bit of different heights,
39:09
but then you get to the Asus where you you come, you already
39:13
have a lot of elite athletes and they can make those adjustments
39:17
in about 3 swings just guiding them and keeping a clear mindset
39:22
and just be on time. That's easy as a coach to say
39:26
that's not easy as a coach to teach.
39:28
You guys both know that I'm, I'm willing to bet it's easy to say,
39:32
but if these kids are competing their butts off and making
39:35
adjustments every swing, good things are going to happen.
39:39
And I, I've been very fortunate to work with very special
39:42
hitters. I wouldn't say it's just me.
39:45
I think these kids really work their butts off and then had
39:48
really, really good questions and that I got the guide along
39:52
the way and and I've never swung for those kids.
39:55
I've never won in a game and hit for those kids.
39:57
Those kids are doing it. I, I try not to take credit
40:00
because then I have to take credit.
40:02
I have to give credit back when I mess them up.
40:05
We only talk about the good things.
40:07
We can't talk about the kids that we we don't want to talk
40:10
about the kids that we messed up.
40:12
For example, I. I was working with pitchers all
40:16
year last year and I found a drill the last week and I was
40:20
just like, this is the dumbest drill.
40:22
How did you not remember it? But I found it the last week of
40:25
the season and I've been and I knew what it was and that's on
40:30
me. Like I should have found this
40:32
for that kid a long time ago. So taking those personal
40:36
responsibilities and and getting what these kids needs the
40:39
answers. I don't take credit for it.
40:41
Those kids, those kids were pretty amazing.
40:44
I've been in a good spot. Lot of BP, lot of rise balls,
40:48
shortening the swing on the rise ball because it was my favorite
40:52
pitch to hit, my favorite pitch to miss, and I missed it a lot.
40:57
But I caught one a couple times and that's what people remember.
41:01
But it didn't. They didn't see me doing all the
41:02
work to learn how to get your hands in red spots and your
41:06
backside not collapse and all that good stuff in the growth of
41:09
the years. So I just been super lucky with
41:12
super good kids. Well, and that's one of the
41:15
things that I always will say too, is that I don't take credit
41:18
for my best players because if it was me, all my kids would be
41:22
at that level and they're not there.
41:25
I teach all the same basic things to everybody.
41:27
I try to adjust for each kid and what they need, but I get
41:31
varying results. So it can't just be that I'm
41:33
such a magical coach. I've learned it.
41:37
People are like, oh, that's a great drill you got.
41:39
Yeah, I stole it from someone else.
41:40
I made it my own. I made one tweak different than
41:44
whatever. But also take every drill that I
41:47
find. I I do memory bank it.
41:50
And if I can do it, I might teach it.
41:53
But if that one kids just not getting in and you have that one
41:56
weird drill that I can't do and I'm like, you know what?
41:59
Maybe it's time to bring out squish the bug.
42:01
And we all know squish the bug ain't a thing.
42:04
But if that term gets that kid to rotate that hip properly,
42:08
squish the bug all you want. Call it whatever you want it
42:15
just sometimes you got to bring out the weird stuff and and you
42:18
just never know when to bring that out and sometimes you get
42:21
lucky and sometimes you don't. Working with your wife, I want
42:24
to change topics a little bit. That's an interesting concept.
42:28
I think anybody who's married, whether they're the wife or the
42:31
husband or, you know, they know that it can be a challenge at
42:36
times. I mean, how do you balance that
42:38
partnership and professionalism in your coaching dynamics?
42:42
Yeah, probably not very well, but we've done it for a long
42:47
time now going back to Appalachia state.
42:50
We started before we before I went out there, we were doing a
42:54
couple lessons and stuff. Honestly, it's taken some time
42:58
for just Roman 4 to mature it the conversation, the always not
43:04
having to be right, the going home and supposedly not talking
43:09
about your job, but then all of a sudden you're talking about
43:12
your job sitting on the couch. So it's been a great experience.
43:18
I'm, I know I'm one of the few people that can do it, but like
43:22
when she gets to watch me and, and come and do the men's stuff,
43:26
I'm, she's the first one I ask when I have questions.
43:29
What she thinks Like we need to do a better job in our lives of
43:34
turning it off. But everything we do and
43:37
everybody we know is through softball in some form or
43:40
fashion. When we go on vacation, it is
43:42
built around softball. Oh, I'm going to New Zealand
43:45
with the men's team. Paddy, you want to go?
43:47
Yeah, I'm going to vacation in New Zealand with my family.
43:52
You want to go to China? We went to Canada last summer.
43:55
You want to come? But those conversations is like
43:58
at home, it's taken a lot to grow and to get where we are.
44:03
And it's taken a lot of me just growing up and understanding I'm
44:08
going to really, really good assistant coach and probably not
44:12
a very good head coach. Penny is more politically
44:16
correct. She knows how to talk to people.
44:18
She can sell. I want to just coach softball.
44:21
I don't want to play the games and everything else.
44:24
So us making the perfect team is in many ways.
44:28
And her allowing me to just do softball, whether that's
44:33
recruiting, I love going to games.
44:34
She doesn't like if she's got time off, she wants to go and
44:38
get her nails done and her hair done.
44:40
And that's great. And that's that's the time to do
44:42
it because when we're in season, she's you don't have those
44:46
opportunities. So and that's the stuff that I
44:49
want to do. I need to just continue to do
44:51
better. And I don't always have the last
44:54
half, the last word. All men in the world, yeah, you
44:59
know, we do have to. But agreeing to disagree
45:04
sometimes learning what that means, It's it's just.
45:08
But again, like I said, if anybody's going to look good,
45:11
why would I want to look make anybody else in this world look
45:14
good besides my wife? So why am I going to go above
45:18
and beyond to make this team best?
45:20
Because it makes my wife look good.
45:22
That's what I want to do. I know by title it says
45:25
assistant head coach, associate head coach, but I really like
45:29
being an assistant coach so. Roman home, what, what was the
45:33
draw there for you guys? Was it just like, hey, this is
45:36
something back home, we're close to family.
45:38
It's it's a good opportunity for us.
45:40
Is, is that what drove brought you guys back to Bethel, that
45:43
opportunity there? The opportunity in itself we
45:46
had, I had just left Appalachia State, we were coaching the
45:50
Chicago Band, I was coaching the Chicago Bandits and we were
45:53
moving home to Minnesota to see what's next.
45:57
And it was a great story is one of Penny's former travel ball
46:02
kids played here, called her and said, hey, this job's opening.
46:06
I think this would be a good role for you.
46:08
And again, me learning that I'm probably a better assistant than
46:15
a head where like Penny, you need to do this.
46:18
You're hireable. You're you're a strong, smart,
46:20
beautiful woman and you know how to handle the room of anybody.
46:26
And she got the she got the interview.
46:28
And the very first question is, who's Jesus to you?
46:32
Like, yeah, that's the right person.
46:36
And So what keeps us here and what's here is like we get to do
46:41
softball with the Bible. We get to do it with really,
46:45
really good kids and really, really good people.
46:48
And we get to be the best that we can be in and we get to do it
46:52
through Christ. And that's kind of the draw that
46:56
keeps us here. And you guys both know coaching
46:59
with your wife is not an easy hire.
47:02
Being with the neptotism laws and all the good stuff.
47:05
And just with that, it's just not easy to up and move because
47:10
there's two people, not just one person.
47:13
So it's just been really nice to, like I said, for them to
47:17
change the rule here at Bethel for me because throughout the
47:21
years they, they said take the name off the resume, would you
47:25
hire this person? And yeah, so then they changed
47:29
the nepotism laws and, and, and we're just super blessed and and
47:33
very thankful for what the Bethel has done for us.
47:36
That's awesome for you and your wife and your family.
47:38
So congratulations you guys and you're doing a great job out.
47:40
There, thank you. I appreciate it.
47:42
It's just sometimes it's just like you got these strong
47:45
independent women and you want them to be so damn successful
47:49
and they're going to change the world.
47:51
They're going to be nurses, doctors, there's going to be
47:54
those. And then the real getting old is
47:58
that the real question is what is winning?
48:00
Is it a scoreboard or is it in life?
48:02
And we've been able to be very successful up here.
48:06
I had the National Pitcher of the year 2 years ago,
48:10
back-to-back Supers regional championship, and all I can
48:16
think is like, next, now what? But with what we're given and
48:20
what we're doing here and up here is just like, wow, we did
48:24
that, what a cool experience. And then we got to do it
48:26
together. Wow, like really realizing that
48:31
those things are what winning is.
48:34
Yeah. And on top of that too, you like
48:35
I said, you guys have been super successful.
48:37
So I just want to ask you a question like what's the next
48:40
goal for you guys up there? Because you've been super
48:42
successful, you made the regionals.
48:44
What's the next? What's the next softball step
48:47
for for Bethel up there? For Bethel, get in a new field
48:54
and that always is being very careful also of like what's next
49:00
and what God's provided, right? Like I don't want to come out
49:04
and then get all these kids because they know like, oh,
49:07
you're going to get a new field. We got all the glitz and
49:09
glamour. Where were you guys when we
49:11
weren't? We didn't have anything when we
49:12
were sharing the field with the soccer team in the fall and
49:17
getting to practice one time on just the infield, one time a
49:20
week in the infield. And I don't want to say that
49:24
we've been very successful with those things, but I don't allow
49:28
mediocrity in my life or in our program.
49:31
So why, why wouldn't we want to change and do different things
49:35
and and grow all that winning has not done a whole lot for us
49:39
here at Bethel. It it's just, it's been really
49:42
cool. It's been really fun, but it
49:44
didn't make us more money. It didn't make us get more money
49:47
in our budget and it didn't give us a new field.
49:51
So just trying to be thankful for what you have, but still
49:54
wanting to grow all at the same time.
49:56
We get that new field. Who knows what we can do in our
50:00
fall and where we could go in the future.
50:03
We have a really tough conference.
50:04
We have Cheetah over at Saint Mary's who's been wonderful and
50:08
done wonderful things in three years.
50:10
We have St. Ben's has been amazing with
50:13
their field and their facilities and resources.
50:17
We have Saint Olaf, who has a wonderful coach that is working
50:21
her butt off and we're just trying to keep up with them.
50:24
Winning conference is the goal every single year.
50:27
That may or may not happen, but excellence is biblical.
50:31
It doesn't say go be average and the Bible doesn't say go be OK,
50:36
just do do OK. So we're just searching what
50:40
that looks like and trying to be the best that we can be.
50:43
And if it's not good enough, what can Penny and I do and
50:47
where can we fix and what can we do to make us better the next
50:51
year? We're we're very thankful for
50:52
what we got though. So don't don't take this as as
50:56
that also. Yeah.
50:58
But you know, I think it's natural to always want to be
51:00
able to upgrade, you say, and especially if you're being
51:02
successful, you want to reward the players that are there, you
51:06
know, and and have some kind of recognition for all of that.
51:09
So I think that that makes sense.
51:11
And that kind of takes me to another question of, so that's
51:15
kind of developing the overall program.
51:17
What do you do with individuals when they come in and maybe
51:20
they're not quite the finished product you hope that they might
51:23
have been? How do you approach developing
51:25
those athletes? That's great.
51:26
I love when those kids come in because I start thinking about
51:33
the ones that turned me down and then I start putting that effort
51:37
into these kids that want to be here.
51:40
I want to be wanted just like those kids want to be wanted.
51:44
I want Bethel to be wanted. So those those fringe kids that
51:47
you just don't know, I pour into them because you never know what
51:52
the work that those kids that are going to put in when you're
51:54
not looking. So if I give them plenty of
51:57
things to do, if I give them the right resources, you never know
52:01
what that kid can turn into. But I also don't have the same
52:05
expectation for every single kid.
52:07
That also is great is because maybe that kids going to start
52:10
her junior year. Maybe that kid comes back and
52:13
puts all the time in and starts that senior year or hits that
52:17
one big hit that in her four years.
52:20
And and those are the moments when I'm working with those kids
52:24
that I'm trying to trying to get to.
52:26
So I I like those ones. I like those ones that are
52:30
tough. Doubt me and find out those ones
52:34
with the heart. Those are the best man and and
52:36
they might give up. We might give up a little talent
52:39
here at Bethel, but we're going to be the best that we can be
52:43
and we're never going to give up.
52:44
And that's why I like those kids And, and man, let's let's coach
52:49
the crap out of those kids and give them, if they want to be
52:52
here, I want them to be here. I want to give them everything
52:55
that I can give. And and that's that's kind of
52:58
what we believe in here. So just a few more questions.
53:02
Ron, we've had you here for almost an hour and we again, I
53:04
can't can't thank you enough for the time you spent with Ken and
53:06
I talking softball. We could do this all day, be on
53:09
here for four hours. But I just what kind of what
53:12
tournaments do you attend in the summer when you're looking for a
53:15
recruits? Are you, is it more local and
53:17
regional? Are you guys getting out to
53:19
those national big time tournaments as well too?
53:21
Like what's that look for recruiting wise for Bethel?
53:24
Well, it depends on the season. When I was coaching
53:26
professional, we were all at the big ones looking at the local
53:30
kids. So that was kind of a really
53:32
cool experience and then I could be the cool guy with that new,
53:36
all the pros that were there trying to sell that a little
53:39
bit. We're mostly regional right now.
53:42
We do have a couple out of state kids coming in and we're really
53:45
excited. But those came through the
53:47
connections on the Pro League and are some other conversation
53:51
that knew who we were and what we're about.
53:54
We're pretty lucky to get out of state, kids here and there
53:58
trying to get a kid from the South to come N to play softball
54:01
that if you guys got any tricks, let me know.
54:05
Gladly. I'll gladly use those tricks.
54:08
But mostly it's local. Like I mentioned those other
54:11
schools. It's about all of us trying for
54:14
the same 30 kids roughly. So when I'm watching them, I'm
54:18
also when they turn me down. I'm also trying to figure out,
54:21
oh man, hopefully they don't beat me that really.
54:25
And how do I stop them all at the same time?
54:28
Yeah, we, we've tried both routes.
54:31
When we were in pro, we would go a little bit, travel a little
54:34
bit wider and throw a little bit bigger Nets.
54:37
But it seems our sweet spot are more local.
54:39
Certain organizations, sometimes the big organizations, but
54:43
sometimes the middle organization because we feel
54:47
like, oh, if this kid can make this adjustment, this is going
54:50
to be the kid that everybody's like, where'd this kid come
54:53
from? I want, I want a lot of those
54:55
kids. I learned that philosophy from
54:57
John Cheetah when I worked with them.
54:59
These kids have the talent. We just got to maybe we make
55:02
that adjustment and work with that kid a little bit more and
55:06
then all of a sudden and you're third player of the year and
55:09
you're like, oh, why didn't I recruit that kid?
55:11
Well, that kid put a lot of time in also.
55:15
So it's more local these days and I, I wish we could go more,
55:20
but it's what we have and what we are.
55:23
When you're out recruiting, I mean, this is kind of one of
55:26
those things that, you know, if even if you're walking by a
55:28
field somewhere, you're always kind of got those recruiting
55:31
eyes out there. Have you ever come across
55:34
someone where you went out to say look at one kid and somebody
55:39
else just popped up on your radar?
55:41
Always, always. Actually, I had that experience
55:44
at Arizona State. I went to watch a middle
55:46
infielder and ended up signing the second baseman.
55:50
Also, I love softball. I will spend time and sometimes
55:55
I like, I wish I knew what I was looking for, but when I see it,
55:59
I know that's not trying to sound cocky or nothing because
56:03
sometimes I'm like why what, what were you seeing?
56:06
Or I don't know. I just get lucky sometimes
56:10
because I want to do it more right.
56:12
I want to go. A lot of times we'll go to games
56:16
and know the reputation of the the travel ball teams and being
56:22
at the next level at the D ones and stuff.
56:26
I know the reputations a little bit more because we've worked
56:29
with a lot of different, not just the locals.
56:32
So if you hear that name or that that that team, you're willing
56:36
to watch both teams instead of just one team.
56:40
And then when it comes down to recruiting for us, I want to be
56:44
wanted just like you want to be wanted.
56:47
If I know that you return my e-mail or you return my phone
56:52
call, I already know that you know what Bethel stands for.
56:56
You know that Christianity and the Bible is the first and
57:01
foremost thing and most important thing that we are
57:03
about. So you know about us.
57:06
I never, I, I'm actually odd. I watch all the videos I get, I,
57:11
I have FOMO. I'd never want to miss on
57:15
anything because I'm lazy and I didn't read the e-mail or I
57:19
didn't watch the video. I never want that to happen.
57:23
So I'm willing to watch that and put the time in and if the kids
57:27
willing to put the time in, I'm I'm going to reciprocate that.
57:32
I also am at Bethel where we don't really cut.
57:37
We don't like you come in here and you make your own experience
57:41
and if you're going to be a good person and you're going to be a
57:44
great teammate, we need those players too.
57:47
And if you're going to come in and you're going to make some
57:50
adjustments and then all of a sudden you're starting, we need
57:54
those kids too. We need those kids that when
57:57
they're juniors and seniors that start taking off and getting
58:00
that opportunity because they put in the work in their first
58:02
two years, We need those kids too, because at our level we
58:06
have a lot more middle ground players then we do high and low.
58:11
We, we, we got to live in the middle and we got to get the
58:13
best out of it we can get. Last question for me, Ken may
58:17
have another one for you, but this is, this is the last one I
58:19
have based on coaching here. You've, you've seen it all,
58:22
you've done it all. You've been around the men's
58:24
side, you know, and, and coaching girls college softball.
58:28
What's the best advice you could give to up and coming coaches,
58:31
maybe young coaches or even some young 11-U12U travel ball
58:35
coaches out there? Roman what?
58:36
What's, what advice could you give to them?
58:38
I read this question when you sent me the list and today I
58:44
would just say you're never going to make everybody happy.
58:47
I'm a pleaser or I was a pleaser.
58:50
It's kind of shaped me into being a little harder now
58:53
throughout the years because you get taken advantage of.
58:57
You try to please the wrong people, you try to please the
59:00
right people and you're never going to be right and be OK with
59:05
that. Being confident in who you are
59:08
and what you're teaching. Are you teaching the right
59:10
things? And, and if you are staying true
59:13
to that and staying true to your character, being a military
59:16
child is just like, did you do what you say you were going to
59:20
do? That is a one question that I
59:22
always ask myself as a coach. Did you, I said I was going to
59:27
do this. Did you do it and try to be true
59:29
to your word and being honest and knowing that some people
59:33
aren't going to like it because you were honest and that's OK
59:37
because your character doesn't change no matter what your
59:40
circumstances are. As I get older, it's really,
59:43
really easy for me to say, but I've been through that and I'm
59:47
very confident and comfortable in who I am now, but maybe not
59:52
so much back then also, and I don't as I've gotten older.
59:56
I don't care what other people think.
59:59
So. Where that was never the case
1:00:02
when I was growing up. Yeah, I think as we get older
1:00:05
we'd start to realize I don't have the time to worry about
1:00:08
what other people think. I need to get things done.
1:00:10
I need to accomplish what I want to accomplish.
1:00:13
So true. And, and I looked at my team, I
1:00:18
go home and I'm like, gosh darn it, I got some really good kids.
1:00:24
I hope they call me and need something.
1:00:26
I where at some of the other schools I was at.
1:00:28
I'm like, man, I hope I don't get no calls tonight.
1:00:31
I don't, I don't know what they're out doing Where I just
1:00:36
like right now for me is the hardest time because I don't get
1:00:39
to see our kids. And they're the what drives me.
1:00:44
And they're, they're so they're the only people in my life that
1:00:48
I care about and what they think I heard a quote the other day is
1:00:53
like, I might not be their everything, but they're my
1:00:57
everything. And that's OK.
1:00:59
And I might not be their cup of tea, but they also know if they
1:01:03
ever need anything and then they want, they need some loud old
1:01:07
man to make some noise and get things done that they can call
1:01:11
Penny and I. And they know that we got their
1:01:14
back as long as they've taken the steps also to handle it
1:01:18
themselves first. But they always know would they
1:01:21
have a good safety net. So that's kind of changed my
1:01:24
perspective. And then people are like, I
1:01:27
heard another quote the other day.
1:01:28
I've been really working in my mind is it's like I'm not, I'm
1:01:32
people call me fierce. I'm not fierce.
1:01:35
I'm protective. Yeah, I'm very protective.
1:01:38
I'm an only military child. I work with my wife.
1:01:42
These kids are my everything, so I'm very protective.
1:01:47
All right. I do have one other question.
1:01:48
This one's kind of out of left field, but it just as you were
1:01:51
talking, came to my mind. What do you think is the biggest
1:01:55
myth about college softball you know, or the college softball
1:01:59
experience? Everybody doesn't get to play.
1:02:02
We're really working through this up in Minnesota.
1:02:06
What is D1 if the goal D1 or bust, is it going D1 and playing
1:02:14
or is it going just to be on the roster?
1:02:17
I think it's a myth that just because you're D1 that you
1:02:20
actually play and and it's OK. It's OK to have those goals and
1:02:24
I chase the goals to the big, but sometimes it's actually OK
1:02:28
to play at a lower level and get to play every single day and
1:02:31
having a great experience. Also, I've never understood the
1:02:35
D1 or bust. I was never that way.
1:02:37
I just wanted to play ball. You told me it's D8 and I got an
1:02:41
opportunity to play every day, come find me at AD 8 ball field.
1:02:46
So I, I think it's just kind of like D1 or bust is needs to,
1:02:51
needs to kind of like dissipate a little bit more.
1:02:55
Not to brag or anything, but we just talked about that, the
1:02:58
opportunities that have been presented to me in my life.
1:03:00
But you're not good enough to play for me at D3.
1:03:04
I think had some pretty cool experiences coming out of D3 in
1:03:09
spite of you just read the room. Yeah, yeah.
1:03:15
Yeah, that's awesome. Well, you've, yeah, you've
1:03:17
coached at every level, including the professional
1:03:19
level. So, you know, I think that you
1:03:21
certainly know what you're talking about when you're
1:03:24
talking about, you know, the D3 experience being just as valid
1:03:27
and valuable as any of the others.
1:03:30
And that's not a shot at that. That chasing that D1 I tell all
1:03:34
our kids is chase that as long as you can.
1:03:36
And then when you're ready to talk, I'll be there for you.
1:03:39
Yeah, that's great. Now, I'm a firm believer if you
1:03:44
want to play softball and you want to play collegiate
1:03:46
softball, there's a place for you.
1:03:48
But it always can't be at the power Fives or the Power Fours
1:03:52
any like there is going to be a junior college and there there's
1:03:56
all these other opportunities. But if you really want to play,
1:03:59
there's a place for you. Awesome again, Roman, thank you
1:04:02
so much, man for coming out here today.
1:04:05
We could do this all day. I'd love to have you on again
1:04:07
maybe a year from now, see what see where you're at, what's
1:04:09
going on, but can't thank you enough for just giving us all
1:04:12
the all the that, you know, the memories of the men's side and
1:04:15
and then coaching up at Bethel. We are super happy to have you
1:04:18
on here today and thanks man. We really appreciate this.
1:04:21
Time, whatever you guys need. Thank you so much and, and if I
1:04:24
can help in any way, anybody out there and it needs help?
1:04:27
My, my information is easy to find.
1:04:30
Come to a practice. We have open practices.
1:04:32
We're we just want the game to grow and be the best it could
1:04:35
be. And we thank you guys for what
1:04:36
you're doing for it. Well, thank you, Roman.
1:04:38
We really appreciate it. Thank you.
1:04:40
Have a great weekend. Thanks.
1:04:41
You too. All right, all righty, that's it
1:04:45
for us this week. Thanks to all of you for
1:04:47
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1:04:50
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1:05:11
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