Ryan Brookman

PSA for high school baseball players: you can be a good baseball player and a good human at the same time.

First win feeling!

I wasn't planning on saying anything publicly about last night's game. But when a parent from Concordia walks up after the forfeit and calls one of my 16-year-old players "cheap," I feel the need to respond. First, to that parent: if you had a problem with the outcome, you should have been brave enough to bring it up with me instead of a teenager. Now, let me paint the picture for why I brought up the situation during the game, because I'm particularly sensitive to this topic. When I was 17, I pitched in every game of the 1999 5A KS State Tournament. The only reason I came out of the championship game was that I ran out of innings. That was the only rule back then. Throughout my high school career I regularly pitched twice in the same doubleheader and always at least twice a week. I don't put any blame on anybody. I wanted to do it. We just didn't understand back then, what happens to a young arm when velocity starts climbing into the upper 80s and 90s. When I was 19 years old, as a freshman, in my very first college appearance at Fort Hays State, on my 16th pitch, my elbow dislocated, tearing both my Ulnar Collateral Ligament and Radial Collateral Ligament. Tommy John Surgery followed. I pitched three more years at Fort Hays, but I never threw as hard again, and never without constant, sometimes agonizing, pain. To this day, when I throw batting practice my hand swells and goes numb the rest of the night. I drive home from practice and can't use my right arm to steer. I sleep with my arm elevated or my hand swells up like a ballon by morning. That is what these rules are trying to prevent. Last night's game ended because Concordia used a pitcher who had thrown 78 pitches on Friday. Under KSHSAA rules, that requires four days of rest. Yesterday was three. It is not a gray area. It is not a judgment call. The rule exists, we are all forced to follow the same limits, it was violated, and the penalty is a forfeit. (And in my opinion, pitching a very talented pitcher like that after just 50 pitches on 3 days rest is irresponsible). No, we did not want to win that way. We were winning at the time and we were going to win anyway. We had our two best arms left and they were out of arms. That's how this works at the 4A level. You run out of experienced arms and the flood gates open. Which brings me to something I find genuinely troubling in my first year as a head coach, after two years as Wamego's pitching coach: the clear majority of programs push pitch counts to their absolute limit. Pull a guy at 75 pitches, bring him back on the minimum rest to throw 105 more. Repeat. At velocities that are sky-rocketing. We have 16-year-olds throwing 90 mph, and the current pitch count limits are not even close to restrictive enough. We are trading young athletes' futures for wins. It's being done openly and very proudly. I'm sure my opinions will be laughed at or disagreed with by most, but I could not care less. When you have to go to inexperienced pitchers, walks stack up, scoreboards get ugly. The team loses confidence and things spiral. It's a gut punch that feels like it's never going to stop... and when you look at the board there's still just one out. But that's what we signed up for. To coach young kids. To develop players. To give young kids opportunities. Build depth the right way. Not to exploit the talent that showed up. It's not always pretty but it's better than winning at the cost of kid's futures. And yes, there's an ABSOLUTE systemic cost too. Last year we had two pitchers who deserved All-State consideration, but because we don't run them on short rest, their accumulated stats don't compete (IP and Ks). The sport media doesn't pay attention because there are jaw-dropping, accumulated stats all over the place that make for better headlines. When all-league and all-state accolades are built on accumulation, programs who are cautious about arms get penalized. That system needs to change (but it won't). There's a lot of nuance, but if a pitcher throws more than 50 pitches they should get at least 5 days off and coaches should be allowed to work with pitchers in the offseason so that there are more developed arms ready for the season. There are all kinds of flaws in this system. We will keep doing this the right way. It costs us wins and it's not fun sometimes, but I have a permanent reminder of what happens when you don't.

Baseball no-hitters thru the first 2 days: - Kyler Bleck, Gavin Wiese, & Quinn Crawford in Xavier's 10-0 win over Green Bay East - Colton Koss & Jacob Thesing in Melrose-Mindoro's 6-0 win over Eleva-Strum - Breckin Sheldon & Quinn Gerke in Tomah's 13-1 win over Black River Falls - Connor Meverden, Oliver Fraaza, & Carson Meronk in Wittenberg-Birnamwood's 9-0 win over Wautoma

𝔼𝕒𝕦 ℂ𝕝𝕒𝕚𝕣𝕖 ℙ𝕣𝕖𝕤𝕖𝕒𝕤𝕠𝕟 𝕀𝔻 𝕊𝕡𝕠𝕥𝕝𝕚𝕘𝕙𝕥🔎 SS/RHP Nathan Hendricks (Tomah, 2027) 5-11 | 169 lbs 🔺93.3 mph max EV, 89 mph avg. 🔺71 mph bat speed avg. 🔺83 mph INF velocity 🔺FB 83-85 T86 mph, 14" avg. IVB @PB_Uncommitted | @NathanH_32 👤: bit.ly/4sKTKgk

If you coach early youth baseball, and you tell kids: DON'T hit the ball in the air because they're automatic outs DON'T try to hit homeruns. DO hit balls on the ground to 3B because you'll get to 1B more often. You are legit crushing the sport. Getting kids to "want to come back tomorrow" is YOUR ONLY ROLE. My 7 year old doesn't want to go back tomorrow. I don't blame him. You failed.

Wow, two guys break their schools all-time scoring records on the same night. Played together since they were 8 years old! Great accoplishment by these young men. Congrats @GraysenBecker & @Quinn_Gerke2!

Reading This will be the best 3-5 minute use of your time all week. Unfortunately every single person that NEEDS to read this won’t read it.

I’m ready for every opportunity this year puts in front of me. No limits. Take me places. #dreambig #HighLevelBaseball #PreseasonMindset #Opportunity #prepbaseball #prepbaseballwi #Recruiting #outsiders #outsidersbaseball #dawgball #nostalemate #noceiling

There is no greater illusion than thinking the accomplishment of some goal will change your life. What will change your life is who you become in the process of going for it.

From Wildcat to World Champion. Fresh off a World Series title, RF’s Alex Call returns Home to share his Faith Journey from his River Falls, WI roots to his recent Los Angeles @Dodgers World Championship. Event is FREE, open to all, and will also be live steamed. 💙 @ACAD_27

Final score. 51-19. Praying for all athletes to stay healthy and have a full recovery.

Gerke connects with Abbas for 6 yard passing TD. Reedsburg leads 51-19 Q4 5:26

#wisfb @eeevrrrrrson @NBGX3Media @ScottEmerich19 @WKBTJacob @news8Ken @SChornobroff @SDavis_PDR Tomah hosts Reedsburg. This the final home game for our Tomah seniors.