D-BAT Lakeside

The high-speed summer of select baseball is right around the corner. When the summer ends and the dust settles, a lot of families will be frustrated. They’ll have spent thousands on fees, travel, hotels, and missed family time, only to realize nothing came from it on the recruiting front. Every year, parents I don’t even coach reach out asking how to get their son recruited. When I ask what their coach did all summer to help the process, the answer is usually “I’m not sure” or “We played in all the big events.” Most families miss the single most important question in recruiting: Is your son actually recruitable? For a player to be recruitable, he has to possess the skills and physical tools that match the level of college baseball the coaches in the stands are evaluating for. Power 4, D1, D2, D3, NAIA, or JUCO, doesn’t matter, if he doesn’t check the boxes for that level, the coaches simply move on. At any given tournament, you’ll see coaches from every level in the stands. Some players will check boxes for multiple levels. Some will check all of them. Many will check none. If your son isn’t checking any boxes right now, treat this summer as an opportunity to improve, not as a recruiting showcase. If your team is only focused on “getting in front of the right coaches,” you’re better off praying your kid already has the tools they’re looking for. Here’s the hard truth: nearly every high school player, regardless of how talented he looks now, is not physically ready for college baseball. The weight room has to be the #1 priority. Period. It’s non-negotiable. Getting stronger directly improves the exact tools college coaches evaluate. After that comes skill development. If you’re not getting noticeably stronger and more skilled, you will be overlooked. College programs want big, physical players who can step on campus and compete with guys who are 2–4 years older. Being “good for your high school” doesn’t mean much once you get to college. The bottom line is don’t expect scholarship offers this summer if you don’t currently possess what those schools need. Don’t be shocked when the phone doesn’t ring. Get in the weight room, get in the cage, and get to work! Find honest coaches or evaluators who will tell you exactly where you stand today and what it will actually take to reach the next level. And if a coach is blowing smoke up your butt, separate from them and find someone else to help in the journey.

6.3 60 by the way. Absolutely ridiculous that this dude isn’t committed yet. Keep tearing it up @BHubbardJr24

Gonna’ drop this thread from @rlbonesio from a few years back and what goes on at @DBAT_Lakeside #DRIVE hitting. The best hitters in the area are built there because their limits are pushed. Failure happens every week. Compete and overcome. x.com/rlbonesio/stat…

Here’s a little secret and PSA for DFW high school kids. If you want to become a better hitter in all ways, get to #DRIVE hitting over at @DBAT_Lakeside The best hit there in the most challenging environment to make games easy! @rlbonesio

He can run, hit, & play all over the field. No idea how he is uncommitted, but he is. Below were his numbers last summer for me⬇️ 30 Games/73 PA/56 AB AVG .411 OBP .534 SLG .696 BB/SO 14/4 He is going to impact a program somewhere next year. Feel free to reach out.

Proud to announce that I have committed to Blinn College to further my academic and athletic career!! Wanna thank everyone who was apart of my journey and helped me get to where I am! Wanna also thank the coaches at Blinn for believing in me!! @DustyHart @chasevandyk

💣Home run to left field

ZV-Tee 5A State Semifinal Slugger MVP @zackary_g19 @nateeveler @Kevin_Rios2025 @luke_esquivel @ParkerMoeller @bbtxt_justinF4 @luketrager9

HIS THIRD OF THE DAY 🫨 @3aston_11

Out of town, but keeping up with #MyGuys @CrosbyMartin12 with a 💣tonight for @ReedyBaseball and @JoshuaViars with a matching 💣tonight for @Baseball_WGHS Just a couple of @DBatUNITED2026 and @DBAT_Lakeside #Drive hitting guys getting it done! Big shoutout to @PWRLabTX as well!

Barrels from another @DBAT_Lakeside #DRIVE hitting guy! @UnitedBC_USA guy who combines hitting work with @PWRLabTX strength. #ThisIsTheWay @Baseball_WGHS #uncommitted

3-4 tonight with 2 2b, 1 rbi, and 2 runs

Threw 2 innings yesterday. 0 H 0 R 4 Ks 18 strikes/26 pitches FB- 87-89 🔥 CB - 72-74 🔨 (only radared in 2nd inning) Combined perfect game for @BaseballBoswell. @CoachStone09 @DBatUNITED2026 @BViars3 @rlbonesio

Leadership Misconceptions: The word leadership gets thrown around a lot. Most get it wrong. What does it look like and what are the traps? 🧵

@DBAT_Lakeside #DRIVE hitting crew strikes again! Going to be a ton more of this in the future. Go get it, Brayden!!!

🚨The Real Cost of Fall Baseball🚨 99% of all pre-college baseball players would be better off skipping tournaments in the fall. Here is the real alpha: the money you would spend for team fees, hotels, flights, rental cars, gas, uniform fees, etc. - use that money to get your kid in the weight room and in the cages to develop their skill. I realize this isn’t what you’re normally told or even used to, but it’s the truth. I also realize that organizations - whether team or tournament - simply cannot allow for this to be said as it affects the bottom line. But again, it is the truth. Most players that struggle once they get to college (regardless of level), struggle because they either lack the skill or physicality to play at that level - oftentimes, it’s both. The secret is this, if you possess the strength and skill when you show up on campus, the timeframe in which the game slows down for you to allow you to play at that level shrinks exponentially. Most players show up to campus and the game is too fast for them. The reason isn’t because they haven’t played high level baseball before, it’s because they don’t possess what is necessary to slow the game down. And fwiw, 99% of the games a kid plays simply can’t replicate the college stage. It is just a different world and it isn’t even neighboring planets - we are talking galaxies away from each other in difference. That doesn't mean you shouldn't ever play tournaments, after all, you have to learn the game as well. But when you are presented an off-season to get stronger and more skilled, take advantage of it. The 1% playing in our local scout league against collegiate guys in the fall…heck yea, do it. It is awesome work and an incredible opportunity to get personal attention from decision makers. But that roster consists of the absolute best of the best and even they need to get much more physical and improve their skills to play at their next stop in the game. Ditch the money grab and get your kid better. If someone chimes in trying to argue against this premise that is tried, tested, and proven, maybe see what their incentive is.

This is what happens when you ignore the noise, continue to work, and trust the process. Elite bat going to make a lot of noise! Congrats, Ryan, and keep punching the clock! Excited for you!

Field currently being renovated? No problem for The VIEW Boys! Glad to be partnering with @DBAT_Lakeside to get our work in! #WelcomeToTheVIEW #WeAreLC

This video is a lightning rod right now. First, this player is probably very good, an absolute bulldog on the mound, and a dude that his teammates will fight to the death for. I Love it. So absolutely no shade at the kid, he looks like a good player loved by his teammates. With that said, we have to do our job as mentors to explain the difference between competitiveness and competitiveness to a fault. Because optics matter and they absolutely matter a TON. We are looking at a 90+ mph LHP committed to Tennessee. So he clearly has eyes on him, and he will this Spring leading into the draft in July. So he has the spotlight and with that spotlight comes scrutiny. I would be willing to bet his mentors and coaches are working with him on harnessing that bulldog inside him without stripping the bulldog from him. That attitude will make him great, as long as he learns to control it. Kids need to learn that stoicism = power. The ability to not react is oftentimes soul crushing to the person looking for the reaction. Clearly the other team was hunting for a reaction and was talking some serious noise. Now imagine if he didn’t react at all, mowed them down as he did, and acted like they were beneath him to even entertain the idea that they could have an effect on his performance. If a person feels they can’t get to you, they feel helpless. You have now completely taken the power dynamic away, you now control it, and they are left with having to compete with you straight up. Honestly, this is how you teach kids to deal with a bully. What this pitcher will realize as he moves up in the game, and by all indications he will, is that as the competition gets more difficult, it takes a deeper concentration than ever imagined to win on a daily basis. At Tennessee or pro ball he won’t be able to have these reactions and maintain consistent success because when you react in this way you momentarily stop thinking about the task at hand, you are now concentrating on you anger, your emotions, about revenge, and not about execution. Against HS kids he can probably coast and dominate because he is really good. As soon as he gets to a level in which EVERYONE is good, these moments of coasting turn into larger moments of failure. So there is a deeper conversation to be had about this. This shouldn’t be a conversation about the “let the kids play” vs the “back in my day” sides that have been taken. This is a conversation about taking a player’s strengths and teaching them how to harness them, control them, and use them for empowerment. I see a kid like this in a video and immediately think two things: 1. This is a terrible look and it will turn off many of the people watching that will ultimately have control of his future. 2. This kid is a competitor and I love that! He doesn’t take crap from anyone, heck yea! Now let’s get him to learn how to turn the dial down and control that fire burning inside him. This is the real conversation. This kid is clearly very good, and instead of drawing a line in the sand and demanding we all take a side, why not have a real conversation that will help his growth as well as anyone else paying attention?