Self-Toss Short Hop Drill One of the best ways to develop game-ready hands in a small space. Work ground balls at you, declared backhands, and glove-side picks with both 1-hop and 2-hop variations. Keys: 1. Start low, stay low, move low. 2. Be on time to the short hop. 3. Let your feet create the hop you want. If you’re late, you’ll get an in-between hop. Really late? A big hop. Neither is the goal. Elite defenders hunt the short hop. Simple setup. Tons of reps. Big-time transfer to the game.

Can’t agree with this statement more from a coach I respect very much in @SkylarTMeade If you go to JUCO that means you love baseball JUCO also develops toughness better than any other level It’s a PRIVILEGE to play college baseball at ANY level!

Talent is important at the highest level - but so does strength. Do not forget to continue making gains in the weight room this summer.

2027 C/3B Keaton McClain @OhioBison Keaton smashed a ball for a ground rule double! #glsumopen26 #pb34

2026 RHP Myles Drake @OhioBison | @MottCollege commit Legit 3 pitch mix from Myles here, pounding the zone early and often! FB:85-88 T89🔥🔥 CB:74-77 CH:78-79 #glsumopen26 #pb34

2027 1B/LHP Alex Zarins @OhioBison Alex slaps one to the right center gap for an rbi! #glsumopen26 #pb34

🦬⚾ 11U Zuspan Starts the Ohio Bison Classic with a BANG! ⚾🦬 The boys came out swinging and opened tournament play with a big 15-8 victory over the Dirtbags! 🔥💪 Keep it rolling, boys! 🦬⚾🔥 #JoinTheHerd #BeTheThunder

🥎🦬 12U Turner Takes Care of Business! 🦬🥎 The girls put together an outstanding day at the ballpark, going 2-0 in pool play while allowing just 2 runs total! 🔥💪 Good luck tomorrow, ladies! Keep battling, keep having fun, and keep representing the Herd the right way! 🦬🥎🤘🏻

🦬⚾ 14U Brewer Claims the #1 Seed! ⚾🦬 What a start to the 7th Annual Ohio Bison Classic for 14U Brewer! 🔥💪 The boys went a perfect 2-0 in pool play, defeating: ✅ Midwest Marlins – 14-8 ✅ Crusaders – 8-0 #JoinTheHerd #BeTheThunder

🦬⚾ 14U BARBER GETS IT DONE AT MIAMI UNIVERSITY! ⚾🦬 14U Barber just put together a gem, knocking off the #7 ranked Cincinnati Galaxy by a score of 9-4! 🔥💪 Let’s go win this thing and bring it back home! 🤘🦬⚾ #JoinTheHerd #BeTheThunder #RoadToTheChampionship

🦬⚾ 15U Bison Grinds Out a Big Win! ⚾🦬 The boys picked up a hard-fought 3-2 victory over the Legends in what was an outstanding baseball game by both teams! 🔥💪 Tomorrow morning the boys look to secure another win with hopes of earning the #1 seed in the 15U Division!

When I was with the St. Louis Cardinals, I saw Matt Carpenter do one of the strangest things. He always had a bat in his hand. Before the game. In the clubhouse. In the tunnel. Walking around the stadium. And he was constantly taking swings. No baseball. No tee. No pitcher. Just swing after swing after swing. We call them dry hacks or dry swings. One day I finally asked him about it. I said, "Carp, why do you take so many dry swings?" His answer surprised me. He said: "I'm visualizing success." That was it. I remember standing there thinking about that for a second. Because I had always viewed dry hacks as physical work. Matt viewed them differently. Every swing was a confidence rep. He wasn't just moving a bat. He was seeing himself drive a fastball into the gap. He was seeing himself stay on an off-speed pitch. He was seeing himself compete and succeed before the game ever started. That's when a light bulb went off for me. Think about it. Every player wants confidence. But most players wait for a hit before they allow themselves to feel confident. Matt was doing the opposite. He was building confidence before he ever stepped into the batter's box. By the time the game started... He had already seen himself succeed hundreds of times. So I decided to try it myself. When nobody was around, I'd grab a bat and take dry hacks. But this time, I wasn't just swinging. I was visualizing. I saw myself driving balls into the gaps. I saw myself competing with two strikes. I saw myself getting big hits in big situations. And over time, I noticed something. I felt different on the field. More confident. More relaxed. More prepared. And the results started improving too. Not because I magically became a better hitter overnight. But because I stopped waiting for confidence to show up. I started building it before the game ever started. So if youre struggling with confidence... Here's my "Confidence Booster Plan" I'd Do Tonight: 1. Dry Hacks (10 Swings) Visualize yourself driving a line drive into the gap. 2. Dry Hacks (10 Swings) Visualize yourself battling with two strikes and winning the at-bat. 3. Dry Hacks (10 Swings) Visualize your next game. See yourself stepping into the box confident, aggressive, and ready to compete. 30 swings. 30 confidence reps. One thing I've learned from Matt Carpenter: Most players practice their swing. Elite players practice confidence. Thank you for reading, Jermaine Curtis P.S. - If you enjoyed this and thought it was helpful, please share it. (When you share it, it tells me you want more content like this.)

2027 RHP TJ Connors @TJ_Connors1 | @OhioBison FB: 82-84 SL: 72 CH: 77 #glsumopen26 #pb49

2027 3B Landon Larason @Landon0816 | @OhioBison Larson with a single and good base running to get to second #glsumopen26 #pb49

2027 OF Connor Sullivan @OhioBison Sullivan with a double down the line #glsumopen26 #pb49

When I was with the St. Louis Cardinals, we had a team meeting about hitting with two strikes. Albert Pujols was leading it. At the time, he was hitting something ridiculous with two strikes. I want to say it was around .265. Naturally, everyone wanted to know how. So somebody asked: "What's your two-strike approach?" Albert's answer surprised me. He said: "I think fastball inside and hit it back through the middle." That was it. No complicated mechanics. No secret formula. Just: Fastball inside. Back through the middle. I remember sitting there thinking: "Why would you think fastball inside with two strikes?" So somebody asked him. And Albert said something I'll never forget. He said: "If I can hit a fastball inside back through the middle..." "I can hit the fastball away." "I can stay on the changeup." "I can stay on the slider." "I can stay on the curveball." Then he paused. And said: "The ball gets deeper." That's when it clicked for me. He wasn't trying to pull the inside fastball. He was using one thought to cover everything. The more I thought about it... The more it made sense. So I started trying it. And it changed the way I thought about hitting with two strikes. Instead of worrying about every pitch... I focused on one. Fastball inside. Back through the middle. See it DEEP. If you're struggling with two strikes, here's what I'd do tonight: Round 1: Short Box (Set the distance somewhere between front toss and batting practice.) Have a coach throw only fastballs inside. Your only thought: "Fastball inside." Drive the ball back through the middle. 10 swings. Round 2: Mix Speeds Now the coach mixes: - Fastballs - Changeups - Breaking balls - Sliders But your thought never changes. You're still looking: "Fastball inside." 10 swings. Round 3: Two-Strike BP Every pitch starts 0-2. Compete. Battle. Use the same approach. "Fastball inside." Back through the middle. 10 swings. That's it. 30 focused swings. One thought. One approach. One goal. Drive the baseball back through the middle. One thing I've learned: Most hitters get worse with two strikes because they add thoughts. Albert got better because he removed them. With two strikes, simplicity is a weapon. Thank you for reading, Jermaine Curtis P.S. - If you enjoyed this and thought it was helpful, please share it. (When you share it, it tells me you want more content like this.)

Check it out! Our boy Miles Drake is throwing smoke! 🔥⚾️

2026 RHP Miles Drake @Miles_drake_7 | @OhioBison Has been lighting up the radar with his fastball and keeping hitter guessing with the hard offspeed FA: 86-88 T90 🔥 CB: 76-79 CH: 77-79 #glsumopen26 #pb26

2027 OF/1B James Solomon @OhioBison Great job of taking this offspeed pitch the the opposite field for a base knock #glsumopen26 #pb26

Big weekend ahead in Columbus for the PB Great Lakes Summer Open‼️ Check out the battle in the 18U Pools: @2026Mid @WalkOffBSBL Dugout Baseball Club @TCR_Baseball Wow Factor Nation - OH 17u @TBCthunder18u @OBC_baseball @MidlandBasebal Central Ohio Athletics @UABearsBaseball @OhioBison Next Level Ohio 2027 @WalkOffBSBL Pauer Sports Summer 2026 18U Bruins @P413Recruiting @HitmenOhio @ohio_aces @ncbruins @PunchingTickets @PBCbus | @prepbaseball | @pbtscouting