Looking for more information about Central City Baseball? Contact Head Coach Brandon Detlefsen today! bdetlefsen(at)centralcityps.org.
What is your team outlook for 2024?
We are returning 7 players who played key roles in last year’s state tournament run. We also have several young players who could step up this year to do some solid things for our program.
Players to watch in 2024?
The 7 that played key roles in last year’s state run and will be solid this year are Jakob Ruhl, Blake Jensen, Barrett Fries, Colter Lueders, Mason Gorecki, Conner Erickson, and Riley Lavene.
How long have you been coaching high school baseball?
5 years of HS ball and 11 years of Legion ball
What inspired you to become a high school baseball coach?
I enjoy watching the progression of each player throughout their careers. Baseball is such and intriguing sport, both mental and physically.
What is your coaching philosophy when it comes to developing high school baseball players?
Every player develops at a different pace and at a different level. I believe in finding what each player does well and encourage them to build on their strengths.
Can you share some key principles you instill in your players regarding sportsmanship?
We believe it’s important to respect our opponents and the umpires. It’s important in our program to do the little things correctly and to demonstrate respect.
What is your approach to balancing academics and athletics for your players?
Our players are on the road a lot during the spring season due to our geographic locations. We encourage all players to stay on top of their academics. We have “homework hours” available for players who need some extra time to complete academic tasks.
How do you address the varying skill levels and experience within the team?
We really push to have a lot of JV games so our younger players can gain valuable experience in game like situations. Everyone on the team is an important part of the programs success as a whole.
Can you describe your strategy for preparing the team for important games or tournaments?
We like to get as much information on our opponents as we can leading up to big games. However, we don’t overemphasis the importance of the tournament games. The players know it’s a big game so, as coaches we try to calm them down and approach those games just as we would any regular season game.
How do you encourage players to set and work towards both individual and team goals?
Each of our players know what our program’s expectations are for state tournament runs. If each player focuses on doing their job in games then we have the team success that we are going for.
What emphasis do you place on mental preparation?
The mental aspect of baseball is huge as everyone knows. We emphasis the “flush it’ approach and try to have players move on past their mistakes as fast as possible. “Don’t turn one error, into two, etc.”
What role do statistics and analytics play in your coaching decisions?
The analytics are important in making decisions, however, having those “gut” feelings are just as important. At the end of the day, the coaching staff has to live with the decisions made during a course of a game.
How do you manage playing time and ensure fair opportunities for all team members?
The 9 guys who deserve to play on that particular day will earn that opportunity. We tell our guys who do not start in varsity action to prove to us in the JV games that you can earn the opportunity at the varsity level.
What role do leadership and captaincy play within your team, and how are leaders selected?
As a coop team, we lean on player leadership a lot. Having players from two schools playing together for 2 months out of the year is a unique situation. Every year it seems to work out great and the players get along due to solid upperclassmen leadership.
What resources or facilities are available to the baseball team for practice and games?
We are very fortunate at a small school to have 2 different indoor cage areas. We also, are able to use gym space and our football field turf during wet days.
What qualities do you look for in assistant coaches to ensure a cohesive coaching staff?
We have a solid coaching staff with guys from various backgrounds. Each coach brings a little different approach to working with our players. I enjoy having dynamic coaches on staff who can step up to help in any way needed.
What advice do you give to players aspiring to pursue baseball beyond high school?
The players who are pursuing baseball after HS should keep working hard every day on the little things. They should go into every game with a great attitude and just know that what they do with their body language, etc is also important. They never know who or when someone is going to be watching.
How do you engage with parents to ensure a collaborative and supportive environment for the team?
Communication is the biggest factor in gaining support from the parents. We are fortunate to have an outstanding parent support group in our area.
What else should we know about your baseball program?
Our goal this year is to make a 4th straight trip to the state tournament. (2 years in Class B and 1 in Class C) We have been competitive while at the state tournament, but we would like to ultimately win it all.
