Consistency is 🔑 in the gym‼️I loved challenging myself with some hard deadlifts this week‼️I can’t wait to get back out there with my 🐆🐆🐆’s this weekend‼️ @CheetahsBaer @joshbaer24 @gab5377 @SIWolfpackSFBL @coach_ruechel @_DeltaPerform (in alphabetical order) @BelmontSoftball @LauraMatthews12 @CoachKnerem @Bucknell_SB @CoachBradPosner @coach_jooo @ButlerSoftball @BUsoftballcoach @CoachMalWinters @DePaulSB @lizjagielski @coacherica9 @kuchta_sabrina @Lehighsoftball @frantroyan @CoachDaniG @Penn_Softball @ChristieNovatin @TerrierSoftball @ashley3waters @Bcard22 @VUSoftball @bridgetorchard @GLuety @billie_kerwood @YaleSoftball @CoachLauraRicc @Coach_Debrosse @coachkendallw

Russell Hengels (‘27,IL) was on point in a relief appearance working 3 innings running the FB to 92 mph. Struck out 6 on 76 pitches. Mixed in a slider at 77 mph. Committed to @UIC_Baseball. 6’4/215 projectable frame. @PGMidwestBB #WWBAWorlds

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🔥PR‼️240 lbs for 3 reps with control on the way down‼️ I’ve went up 50 lbs on trap bar deadlifts this past month! Can’t wait to keep getting stronger with BSF! @coach_ruechel @jamesyoungbsf

Beast.

COMMITTED!!! See ya in Queens! @MCCheetahs @Coach__MKC @jamesyoungbsf @coach_ruechel @ChampionCraftIL @CoachCrowell8 @coachrizz5 @ydsoftball #GoRedStorm

Smell ya.

I just got off the phone with the mother of a 2027 player. Zero offers. She told me her son is a D1 player. I told her the truth. Power 4 and Power 5 D1 programs want older, more physically mature players. That is not an opinion. That is how college baseball works in 2026. I told her his path may need to start at a D3 program. She was insulted. So I explained something that most families do not understand. D3 is not little league. Because of roster reductions, NIL, and the transfer portal — genuinely elite players are now choosing D3 programs to develop, get playing time, build a college baseball resume, and transfer to a Power 4 or Power 5 program. Some of them are getting paid to do it. That is not a consolation prize. That is a strategy. And it is the most realistic path for a 2027 player with D1 ability who is not yet physically where Power 4 coaches need him to be. She hung up on me. I have been doing this for 28 years. I will tell you the truth even when you do not want to hear it. The parents who listen are the ones whose sons play college baseball. The parents who hang up find out in March there is nothing left. — Coach Drew | 315-440-9755 phase2recruiting.netlify.app

Let’s go kid!

🚨 COMMITTED! 🚨 BSF Fastpitch is proud to announce that ‘28 RHP @sofia_kateeb, from Melrose Park, Illinois, is headed to DePaul University! 👀 I’ve had the opportunity to work with Sofia for the past year, and her work ethic, consistency, and commitment to getting better have stood out from day one. She has put in the work, trusted the process, and continued to grow as both an athlete and a pitcher. I’m so proud of everything she has accomplished so far. This is just the beginning. So excited to watch Sofia continue to develop and chase what’s next at DePaul! Can’t wait to be out at that first home start in the city 🔥 Go Blue Demons! 💙❤️

Lots of upside here! Dude knows how to pitch and can manipulate the baseball very well when it comes it developing pitch shapes. Lots of velo yet to come as well!

‘28 Jack Postma (IL) flooded the zone w/ a high-ceiling mix: FB: 90-92+ (19 IVB avg, 4.9’ rel. 7.3’ ext‼️) CB/SL: mid-70s (sweepy w/ upside‼️) CH: above-avg (82-84 +pot) Long-limbed 6’6” 210 frame w/ room to add. FB is analytics ᗪᗩᖇᒪIᑎG w/ whippy AA. Ceiling is exceptionally high. 👍👍 #PBAAG26

B.S.F ➡️ Train with intent. Fuel with purpose. No random results. @coach_ruechel @jamesyoungbsf @gatorjack72 @DfwSho @TopPreps @BoDomeBville #Uncommitted #ClassOf2028 #Catcher #TrustTheProcess

Stop comparing your youth pitcher’s workload to a D1 ace. The top arms in the country are grown women who have spent years building the physical capacity to handle high-level pitching. Some college arms throw 100–200+ innings in a season. That does NOT mean your 12U, 14U or even high-school pitcher should be training or throwing like a college pitcher. You don’t earn a college workload by pretending you already have a college athlete’s capacity. You build the capacity over time so that when the workload comes, the athlete is prepared for it.

Next stop: DePaul 😈💙 I am so excited to announce that I have verbally committed to continue my academic and athletic career at DePaul University. @DePaulSB @FriarSoftball @ChiProspects16u @DiamondAddicts @ExtraInningSB @LineDsoftball @PrepSoftball #BlueDemons #Commited #BigEast #DreamBig

Hit a new PR on flying tens but still sitting at second place in fastest softball players at BSF, hunting that number one! 1.14 ->1.11 seconds (17.9m mph->18.4 mph) @jamesyoungbsf @coach_ruechel @MCCheetahs @ChampionCraftIL

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I’ve found that putting athletes who are new to tracking their food on maintenance calories to start works well for two reasons: 1. Most are chronically under-eating so they’ll gain some weight just being at maintenance. 2. Adherence. Eating at an aggressive surplus is a skill. Giving them massive calorie goals upfront is setting them up for failure. Lean mass is the goal. Creep the calories up slowly after that initial phase. A 200-500 calorie surplus is a good place to start.

➡️Peak Force This is your ceiling, the absolute most force you can produce when time isn’t a constraint. Relative numbers don’t mean much if you have a low ceiling. ➡️Relative Force Raw force will always favor the heavier athletes. Dividing that number by your body weight shows us your true force output. ➡️Force at 100-150ms If it takes you 400 milliseconds to hit your peak strength you’re never actually tapping into it in a game. It’s about how fast you can access force. ➡️ Lean Mass vs. Scale Mass This isn’t a testing metric but it’s important to understand. When an athlete puts on weight we need that tissue to be lean useable muscle mass and not just weight for the sake of changing the number on the scale. These individual metrics have meaning in isolation, but it’s how they move in proportion to one another that makes them useful.

What's the best predictor of world-class performance in runners? Volume of Training. You've got to spend a lot of time doing the thing if you want to get good at just about anything.