Christian Smith

𝗕𝗮𝗱 𝗧𝗲𝗮𝗺𝘀 ... NOBODY reminds anyone of the standards. 𝗔𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗧𝗲𝗮𝗺𝘀 ... COACHES remind the team of the standards. 𝗚𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗧𝗲𝗮𝗺𝘀 ... PLAYERS remind the team of the standards. 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗧𝗲𝗮𝗺𝘀 ... EVERYONE reminds each other of the standards

How to Stop Flying Open. One of the biggest realizations I had was when I was watching Roki Sasaki. What I saw was that his glove side comes through in front and slightly inside his front leg. He’s not trying to pull it hard and make the upper half more rotational. He’s trying to stay as linear to the plate as possible. The glove side relaxes down, and now everything can go straight through the target. This is where a big problem comes in that I hear all the time. “I have a hard time staying closed,” or “I keep flying open.” A lot of the time, this comes from how you’re using your glove side. If you’re ripping it open, you’re going to fly open. But if you use it more like a block, you can stay closed longer and transfer that energy through the target.

This is what championship level coaches sound like when their teams win 12-0 and don’t play up to expectations.

Most pitchers think they evaluate outings well. They don’t. If your entire review starts and ends with your stat line, you’re missing the point. Here’s a better way to do it:

𝗕𝗮𝗱 𝗧𝗲𝗮𝗺𝘀 ... NOBODY reminds anyone of the standards 𝗔𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗧𝗲𝗮𝗺𝘀 ... COACHES remind team of the standards 𝗚𝗼𝗼𝗱 𝗧𝗲𝗮𝗺𝘀 ... CAPTAINS remind team of the standards 𝗖𝗵𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽 𝗧𝗲𝗮𝗺𝘀 ... EVERYONE reminds each other of the standards

Transactional vs. Transformational Coaching… Dan Hurley shared a story about asking Geno Auriemma for advice after a rough start last season. Geno didn’t mince words: “Listen, if the only gratification and the only part of coaching that excites you is winning the national championship, then you’ve lost your way, buddy! Where’s the joy in the things that you’ve always been about as a coach before you went on the championship run, like relationships with your players, like helping people get better, like making your team the best it can be. Be a coach, man. This is when you really need to be a leader. This team isn’t as good as last year’s, so what the hell are you going to do about it? Are you going home? Are you going to let this thing unravel?” That’s the tension every coach feels: Transactional vs. Transformational. Transactional coaching is outcome-obsessed. It’s about the wins, the losses, the trophies. The problem? When results don’t come, your purpose crumbles with them. Transformational coaching is different. It’s about people. It’s about growth. It’s about building something that lasts, whether the scoreboard agrees with you or not. And this is why mentorship matters so much in coaching. Left on our own, it’s easy to drift into a transactional mode without even realizing it. A trusted mentor can pull us back to center and remind us why we started coaching in the first place. To build relationships. To develop players as people. To make teams the best they can be. Wins matter. But they’re not the why. The why is impact. The why is growth. The why is leaving your players better than you found them. The process is the prize. Stay grounded. Stay on the path. Always remember your why.

The story of Jesus Christ with the Two Fish and Five Loaves that he used to feed 5000 Men ,I hope someone can get this . There is a mystery many believers overlook, yet Jesus Christ demonstrated it so clearly. When there were two fish and five loaves, it looked insignificant in the hands of men… but in the hands of Jesus, it became more than enough to feed thousands. The disciples were worried. They were calculating lack. They were seeing impossibility. But Jesus asked a powerful question: “What do you have?” Not what is missing. Not what is insufficient. But what is available. This is where many of us miss it. We wake up thinking: “I don’t have enough money…” “I don’t have rent…” “I don’t have connections…” “I don’t have opportunities…” But heaven is not moved by what you lack. Heaven responds to what you present. God will never ask you for what you don’t have. He will always ask, “What is in your hand?” That small business… That skill… That little income… That connection… That idea… That strength you still have… That is your starting point. The mistake is this: we keep complaining about the little, instead of committing the little. And here is the deeper mystery— Before multiplication happened, Jesus did something powerful: He gave thanks. Not after the miracle. Not after abundance came. But in the middle of insufficiency. This is the formula of the Kingdom: Gratitude before multiplication. Many people pray like this: “God, I don’t have rent… I don’t have money… I don’t have this…” But in this Kingdom, we don’t approach God from a place of lack—we approach Him from a place of thanksgiving. The Bible says: “Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise.” Thanksgiving is not just a reaction. It is a spiritual key. It is your access code. It is your alignment. It is your declaration that God is still faithful even when things don’t look like it. When you give thanks, you are saying: “Lord, I may not have everything I want, but I recognize that what I have came from You… and it is enough for You to work with.” And that is when multiplication begins. Because God does not multiply complaints. He multiplies what is surrendered with gratitude. So instead of worrying today… Pause and ask yourself: What do I have? Then lift it up to God with a grateful heart. Thank Him for the food you have. Thank Him for the roof you have. Thank Him for the strength you have. Thank Him for the life you have. Because when gratitude rises, lack loses its voice. You may have little—but with God, little is never small. And just like Jesus showed us, what you place in His hands with thanksgiving… He will multiply beyond your imagination.

THIS IS ONE OF THE GREATEST QUOTES OF ALL-TIME BY #NFL LEGEND BILL BELICHICK: “You experience the Pain of Preparation or the Pain of Failure. It's pain either way. You have to decide if you want pain at the beginning or pain at the end.” 🐐🐐🐐

A Coach Cignetti jewel: “Good players want coached. Great players you can’t coach them enough, they want more, more, more. Inconsistent players want to be coached on their terms.” …(and always have a response or excuse)

The comparison trap is killing your progress ‼️ There's a million things you could fix, but in reality, there are only 3-4 things you actually need to get right. @TrainingDubZ breaks it down 🗣️

My dad used to say: "You should never be outworked or out-prepared." There will always be people smarter than you and more talented than you. But you control the effort and the prep.

Before your game starts today: Sit down & write down 2-3 things you are a grateful for right now.

UVA Wise Baseball is at HOME for a SAC series against the Cobras of Coker University. The first pitch is slated for 5:00PM. Get out to Burchell Stallard Baseball Field for an evening of Highland Cavalier Baseball! #GameDay | U.S. Army Cadet Command (ROTC) | UVA-Wise Army ROTC

This is one of my favorite strikeouts from this past week... Use your misses!!!

DH SWEEP!!! 2️⃣Ws @uvawisebaseball gets the DH sweep against the Wasps on Cavalier Community Fan Day! 📊 Game 1 - Jake Smith 2-5 3-Run HR 🔥 Jaden Ruehling 3-5 Josh Morgan 3-5 2 RBIs Game 2 - Jake Smith 2-4 HR 🔥 Jaden Ruehling 1-3 2-Run HR Carter Babb 1-3 HR Eli Reece CG⚾️

The bats were 🔥 Cavs take the win and improve to 2-1. Come out this weekend to Cavalier Fan Day as the Baseball team opens up SAC play welcoming Emory & Henry to town for a weekend series. 🏟️ 📊 Jake Smith : 3-5 2HRs and 4RBIs Josh Morgan : 3-4 3RBIs Carter Babb : 2-4 Solo HR

Officials announced today that UVA Wise was picked 8th in the preseason coaches poll. RP Ryan Whitson has been named preseason All-SAC; Josh Morgan, Jacob Boyle and Houston Sarvis have been named as Players to Watch. For the full story: uvawisecavs.com/news/2026/1/26…

Congratulations to Senior Relief Pitcher Ryan Whitson, who was named to the SAC Preseason All-Conference Team!! Josh Morgan, Houston Sarvis and Jacob Boyle were named Players to Watch!

I am extremely blessed to announce my commitment to UVA Wise to continue my athletic and academic career. First I want to thank God because without him none of this would be possible. I want to thank my coaches, family, and teammates for pushing me to be better everyday.