FFP91: The High School to College Transition: What No One Tells Baseball Players

⏱️ TIMESTAMPS

00:00 – Introduction 

01:15 – How Dan and Trevor met — high school teammates to business partners 

03:30 – How Backside Groundballs Media started during COVID 

06:00 – Their experience as college coaches and why they left 

09:00 – Transitioning from coaching to media 

12:00 – What they've learned traveling to college programs 

18:30 – The analytics vs. old-school baseball debate 

22:30 – Why compete and baseball IQ are coming back 

26:00 – Leadership lessons from the best college coaches 

30:00 – What great programs are actually teaching 

36:30 – The biggest challenges freshmen face on campus 

40:00 – The weight room, durability, and the physical demands of college baseball 

42:00 – Adjusting to college life — freedom, stress, and identity 

46:00 – Coach-player communication and how players can advocate for themselves 

51:00 – The "de-recruiting" effect and managing expectations 

54:00 – The transfer portal — what it's doing well and what it's costing players 

59:00 – Do freshmen have unrealistic expectations about playing time? 

01:03:00 – What it actually takes to have a chance at professional baseball 

01:10:00 – Final takeaways: being tough and vulnerable, and leading with humility

🧠 SHOW NOTES

In Episode 91, I sit down with Dan Galati and Trevor Powers — former college coaches and co-founders of Backside Groundballs Media — to talk about what the high school-to-college transition in baseball actually looks like for the players living it.

Dan and Trevor have done something unique. They've traveled to college programs across the country, sat in film sessions, watched practices, and had real conversations with the coaches building these programs from the inside. What they've seen has shaped how they think about player development — and what they believe young athletes are missing.

We discuss:

Why compete and baseball IQ have become the great differentiators at the college level.

What the best college coaches are actually teaching — and how they build culture.

The biggest physical and mental challenges freshmen face when they arrive on campus.

Why the transition from "recruited athlete" to "one of the guys" is harder than players expect.

How the transfer portal is changing the landscape — and what it might be costing players developmentally.

What it truly takes to have a shot at playing beyond college.

Dan and Trevor also share what they've taken away from conversations with some of the top coaches in college baseball — including a lesson from Penn State's Mike Gambino that Dan says changed how he thinks about what it means to be both tough and vulnerable at the same time.

If you've ever wondered what separates the players who thrive at the college level from the ones who struggle — or how young athletes can put themselves in the best position to succeed — this episode gives you a clear, honest, and experienced perspective.

🤝 CONNECT WITH DAN GALATI & TREVOR POWERS

🌐 Backside Groundballs Media: https://backsidegbmedia.beehiiv.com/

📷 Instagram: @backsidegroundballsmedia

X: @BacksideGB

🤝 CONNECT WITH MICHAEL HUBER

⚾ Spring Training for the Mind

👉 https://tinyurl.com/HuberSpringTraining

📩 Free mental performance insights for athletes, parents, and coaches:
👉 https://michaelvhuber.com/newsletter

🌐 Website:
👉 https://www.michaelvhuber.com

📷 Instagram:

@michaelvhuber