North Central College Media 200 Class

  Bradley Novak Professor Paul Santucci 11/28/2021 Blog Ten      The Game                It’s game time, you are fully stretched and ready to go. You’re watching the opposing pitcher warm up and getting mentally ready. You’re looking at your cleats, looking at your mitt, and possible putting gum or seeds in before you go hit the field. The coach comes back from the coin toss and has this big smile on his face. It’s game time! All your hard work has paid off and you’re ready to go. All those times you had to sacrifice with friends, family, and having fun so this moment you can be ready to show your best. Forget about everything going on and just play the game. You’re playing the best game on earth, show your energy and no matter what happens have a smile on your face.           T hank you for reading all ten of my blogs and hopefully you can take away some skills and me...

  Bradley Novak   Professor Paul Santucci   11 / 1 5 /2021   Blog  Nine      Pregame Rituals     Playing baseball is one of the hardest if not the hardest game on  E arth. So, players ,  coaches ,  and even fans like to have pregame rituals. We all have our mojos that we like to have to ensure our success. Personally, my pregame ritual is to listen to music, stretch, drink lots  of  water, and warm up. I also treat my glove with respect and always set it down lightly when not needing it. Some players like to talk with their bats  or  even batting gloves to get something going.  At  NCC ,  some players like to yell at their bats  so  we have a bench guy who is ready to step in. “Wake up,   Wake  up, Wake up!”       At the end of the day baseball is just a game, you need to learn to have fun and enjoy every moment because you never know when your last game...

  Bradley Novak Professor Paul Santucci 11/11/2021 Blog Eight    Taking the Day Off               No matter how long you train, how long you study, or how long you practice, time off is needed. There is nothing more important than taking time off. There’s nothing worse than working your ass off and injuring yourself right before the season. While practicing every day and working on your craft is important, it has its negatives. Too much overtraining can reduce endurance, slow reaction time, and create poor agility. For some athletes, this can lead to decreased motivation.  Taking a day or more off can really help especially when you return to working out you really want to shock the muscles. Taking time off will force your body and mind to rest. Taking time off can improve your overall performance and be motivating so you can be the best you can be. No matter how hard you train, taking the time off when...

  Bradley Novak Professor Paul Santucci 10/5/2021 Blog Seven   Watching the Game                If you have been keeping up with Major League Baseball you would have been watching the World Series. The World Series is a best of seven games where two of the best teams play each other on national TV. These two teams have played and have been successful throughout the season and especially through the playoffs. This is the best of the best baseball someone can watch.  Learning from and watching the game from pros can elevate your game to the top. Even the pros are learning new skills and learning the game in general every day. The biggest take away from watching the World Series as a ball player is mistakes matter! Not making the easy plays can cost you runs and the game. As you get older and become more successful, good teams will take advantage of errors and will end up kicking your ass. In the sixth Wor...

  Bradley Novak Professor Paul Santucci 10/26/2021 Blog Six   Knowing Your Opponent             Studying your opponent’s habits and tendencies can give you an edge like no other. Knowing your opponent takes your defense to the next level. Watching film, looking over playbooks, and just watching them play can give you the competitive edge that you may need to win the game.              My favorite part about being an infielder is playing someone on a shift. For example, when our baseball team plays each other in the fall, there are some players who can only hit one way. So, the entire infield shifts to one side anticipating a ball hit in that direction. My favorite example of one of the best anticipators is Dennis Rodman. He would watch film of his teammates and other teams that they were playing to study how balls jumped off the rim so he could give hims...

  Bradley Novak Professor Paul Santucci 10/22/2021 Blog Five   Having a Practice Plan   Having a practice plan and a work ethic going into the off-season can either help you or hurt you. The off-season is the most important part of a baseball player’s journey to great success. Practice with a purpose or don’t practice at all is what my dad likes to tell me. Come to think of it, he is right in so many ways. There is fielding, throwing, hitting, and running that are involved. And you can’t forget about lifting weights.      The key to the off-season is really looking back at your season and looking at what went well vs what didn’t go so well. If I hit for a batting average of .250 with baserunners on base, I might go watch game film and see how I handled pitches in certain batting counts. Evaluating ground ball fielding is crucial. It’s a great strategy to focus on during the off-season, getting my fielding percentage up and being equally dangerous on both si...

  Bradley Novak Professor Paul Santucci 10/12/2021 Blog Four     Learning the Game               Becoming the best baseball player that you can be is as simple as learning the game of baseball. Learning how to play the game and not let the game play you can be your ticket into the MLB. Players must have a solid offensive strategy such as learning the proper way to bunt. Players need a hitting approach when runners are in scoring position or even as a baserunner knowing when to steal a base. Situational hitting is skill that can get you looked at the next level. Having the ability to hit the ball to the right side when a baserunner is on third base can win your team ball games. On the defensive side regarding third base, players must able to sense situations and having proper alignment is so important. Positioning is so important because there are many different ways of fielding groundballs and there are some...

  Bradley Novak Professor Paul Santucci 9/ 6/2021  Blog Three       Being a Competitor   Being “hungry” is something I like to refer to when being on the baseball field. You must want it. You have to want to win and beat the other team. Being a competitor was taught to me at a young age and that’s how I live my life today. Baseball is a sport of failure and if you don’t have a competitive drive you won’t make it very far. When playing there are three obstacles that can get in your way. The game, your opponent, and your mind can all have an effect on your playing abilities during a game. You must not let the other team get inside your head and “chirp” while playing or if you make an error. The game itself is hard enough, but you can’t let the ball play you. As a player, you must play the ball and attack everything once you get the chance. Lastly, you must control the mental side. It’s super easy for your mind to overthink an at bat or an error you made in th...

  Bradley Novak Professor Paul Santucci 9/4/2021 Blog Two   Staying Positive               Staying positive is one of the first tactics that separates you from others. Staying positive leads to focusing on the good things rather than the negative. The first lesson baseball teaches you is when life knocks you down, are you willing to get back up and work harder to overcome that obstacle. Baseball is a game of failure and once you realize going 3 for 10 when batting is and average of 300 . Batting 300 gets you into the Hall of Fame . The positive mindset helps build finishers not quitters. At NCC, we like to say it here as #W2W. This #W2W stands for work to win which is a model we as NCC baseball players stand by. Again, staying positive helps in so many situations such as being ready for the next play or at bat. The mind is a powerful thing, you must visualize your success to win and be a better you on the field. ...

  Bradley Novak Professor Paul Santucci 9/27/2021 Blog One   What Does It Take to Be a College Baseball Player             Hello everybody, my name is Bradley Novak. I attend North Central College in Naperville Illinois . I am a student athlete at a nationally ranked Division III baseball program coached by Ed Mathey. I am an infielder, specifically 3B and love the game of baseball. I’ve grown up playing baseball starting at 4 years old. Baseball will always be a part of my life.              Over the next 9 weeks, I will be publishing an article every week focusing on “What Does It Take to Be a College Baseball Player”. Becoming a college athlete is hard enough, so I will cover what it take to become a successful college baseball player at a high level. Playing college baseball is something I am most proud of and playing any college sport will teach yo...