Whenever you go to Woodland’s baseball field, the expectation is excellence. Big hits, big throws, and even bigger wins. But before they step on the dirt, the real work is put in. In the offseason, the team is preparing to be their best, doing strength and conditioning training that will apply to their game in the spring.

“It’s a great time to get around the team and get work in, ” said starting infielder for the Hawks, Michael Landrigan.

Head Baseball Coach Steve Bainer is running the strength and conditioning training after school. Their lifting schedule is three days a week.

 “We focus on physically preparing for the season, baseball is a different sport where it works a lot of different muscles,” Bainer said. “For example, if you’re looking at a pitcher, it’s about building a good routine for shoulder maintenance, so they can recover faster. “

 The lifts they do will carry on into the season, where they will cut back from three days a week to two days. Players also go to batting practice to knock off the rust before the season and get their swings in shape. 

“Some kids don’t have the opportunity to swing with travel teams. This is a great opportunity to get their work in and get ready for the season,” Landrigan added.

According to Gene Coleman (MLB strength and conditioning coach) and Jose Vazquez ( college baseball coach), if you’re not strength training in the offseason, you’re not fulfilling your full potential. Their studies from the article Professional Baseball Strength by Matthew Krause show that strength training improves athletic ability on every level, from high schoolers to MLB players. Training improves strength, speed, balance, joint health, stability, and mobility. This leads to better play and lowers the chance of a non-contact injury. Although lifting improves all of these, it translates to the field through  practicing the mechanics of hitting, throwing, and pitching. Then, apply your new strength, speed, and mobility to your mechanics. That will max out your performance.

Bainer stressed how important off-season training is and how it has positively affected his players.

Bainer also noted that the seasons his teams complete strength training vs. his seasons not. “I notice a huge difference when other teams are starting to get tired or sore and kind of slow down,” Bainer said. “Our players are in shape; that’s when we start to really get better, and play our best ball.” 

With all the lifting, running, and batting practice, Landrigan says he has seen the results.

 “For myself and the whole team, we’ve seen a lot of improvement in the weight room with form and weights,” said Landrigan. He said it’s nice to see small results like this to keep himself motivated during the hard workouts.  

Besides the physical effects of off-season training, there are also mental effects. The team chemistry and relationships built in the weight room will carry on into the season.

“We get to know each other better, especially the freshmen. Teach them what we do here at Woodland; we’re here to win, and it starts early,” said Landrigan. Team chemistry is a big reason Bainer has these lifts, but it’s also building a winning mindset. 

 “A culture where everyone knows we’re going to work hard. Nothing that is worth working for doesn’t come easy.” Bainer said. “Yes, we need to get to know the new guys and the younger players. But one of the biggest things is that older guys need to hold each other accountable.” 

Building this mentality early is important to get everyone on the same page and build the culture they’re striving for.

Landrigan ended by saying that even though it’s hard work, they keep their goals in mind. 

“We need to put in the work to be where we want to be. We want to win that state championship, so this is where we start.” 

Finally, Bainer related the off-season lift to a bank account. 

” It’s like a bank account; off season lifting is like putting deposits in your account for later in the season in those big games. You can make withdrawals when you need them.”