Coaches Corner Podcast

Host Walter Beede sits down with newly named Merrimack College head baseball coach Jeff Mejia on this edition of Coach's Corner, presented by Corvive — use code BLUEBOOK at checkout for 30% off your first order. Coach Mejia looks back on 13 years building Northern Essex into a Division III JUCO powerhouse — more than ten trips to the JUCO World Series and a national runner-up finish — and shares the honest, sometimes hard conversations he had with players and families about where they truly fit in college baseball. He also opens up as a father, reflecting on his own son Jeffrey's path from a Division I commitment to a bump in the road, a reset at Northern Essex, and ultimately a standout career at UMaine — a real-world look at how the JUCO route can reshape a player's trajectory rather than end it. Coach Mejia dives into what he's building now at Merrimack: a staff of proven evaluators and honest communicators, why he'd rather see recruiting dollars go toward a strength coach than another hitting lesson, and why surrounding yourself with people who tell you the truth — not what you want to hear — is the single best piece of advice for any student-athlete. He closes with details on Merrimack's September 6th prospect camp and why families from outside the Northeast should make the trip to see the campus for themselves. A must-listen for any baseball family navigating the JUCO decision, weighing Division I fit, or looking for a coach who will always give it to them straight. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host Walter Beede sits down with Ben Fairchild, founder of Fairchild Sports Performance in Greater Houston and one of the country's top strength coaches for youth, high school, college, and professional athletes, on this edition of Coach's Corner, presented by Corvive — use code BLUEBOOK at checkout for 30% off your first order — and brought to you by Bluebook Media Group and Bluebook Sports. Ben pulls back the curtain on what actually happens when a thirteen or fourteen-year-old walks into Fairchild Sports Performance — and why what the parent thinks their kid needs and what the athlete actually needs are almost never the same thing. He breaks down why posture and mobility always come before velocity and exit velocity, why piling fitness on top of dysfunction cements long-term problems rather than solving them, and why the twelve-to-sixteen window is one of the last truly malleable stages of neurological development an athlete will ever have. Ben and Walter also dig into the danger of over-competing at young ages, the underrated mentoring dynamic of training alongside older athletes, and why the most important question Ben ever asks a parent isn't "are they working hard?" — it's "do they love coming back?" A must-listen for any baseball or softball family with a young athlete and a strength training decision to make. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host Walter Beede sits down with two extraordinary baseball dads and coaches for a special Father's Day edition of Coach's Corner, presented by Corvive — use code BLUEBOOK at checkout for 30% off your first order — and brought to you by Bluebook Media Group and Bluebook Sports. Andy Bednar, head coach at Mars High School in Pennsylvania and father of Pittsburgh Pirates pitcher David Bednar and minor leaguer Will Bednar, joins Kevin Griffin, Division III head coach at Belhaven University and father of Pirates shortstop Konnor Griffin, for one of the most candid and practical conversations for baseball families you'll ever hear. All three men share what it was really like coaching and raising sons who made it to professional baseball — the dual roles, the grumblings in the stands, the injuries, the draft, the minor league grind, and the moments that made it all worth it. They tackle the myths head-on: why baseball doesn't need to be a twelve-month sport, why multi-sport athletes develop better, why turning down Team USA events and early college offers was the right call, and why the underbelly of the youth baseball business too often sells parents the ceiling instead of protecting the floor. A must-listen for any baseball or softball parent who wants a blueprint straight from three men who lived it — and got it right. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host Walter Beede welcomes Stetson University assistant coach and recruiting coordinator Greg Lovelady to this edition of Coach's Corner, presented by Corvive — use code BLUEBOOK at checkout for 30% off your first order — and brought to you by Bluebook Media Group and Bluebook Sports. Coach Lovelady brings a unique perspective to the table — a former All-American at the University of Miami, former Division I head coach, and a coach who has helped develop over 55 MLB Draft selections. He breaks down why the "mid-major" label no longer tells the full story, how the ASUN Conference and a gauntlet out-of-conference schedule against programs like Arkansas, Virginia, Florida, and Florida State prepare Stetson for postseason play, and why the Hatters have earned back-to-back regional appearances — including wins over Power Four programs. He also digs into how the transfer portal and the new five-year eligibility window are reshaping recruiting timelines, what coaches are really looking for from high school athletes in today's landscape, and how to contact a college coach the right way — directly, personally, and with your video accessible. A must-listen for any family exploring Division I baseball beyond the Power Four. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Host Walter Beede sits down with Fordham University recruiting coordinator and pitching coach Elliot Glynn on this edition of Coach's Corner, brought to you by Bluebook Media Group and Bluebook Sports, and presented by Corvive — use code BLUEBOOK at checkout for 30% off your first order. Coach Glynn brings a rare perspective to the show — a three-time MLB draft selection and member of the elite 2011 UConn baseball program who has built his coaching career from Hartford to Siena to Fordham in the highly competitive Atlantic Ten Conference. He breaks down exactly what D1 pitching coaches are looking for in a recruit, why velocity alone won't get you there, and how foundational skills like glove-side command and pitch development in catch play separate the good from the great. He also covers what a proper recruiting email looks like, why your transcript matters as much as your video, and how to use platforms like X and the Bluebook app to get on a college coach's radar. A must-listen for any pitcher or baseball family with D1 aspirations. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices