Episode 11 features four very impressive high school baseball players that discuss their respective journeys through the college recruiting process. Each had unique experiences, but all shared the support of player management company College Sports Advisors throughout their recruitment.
Chase Barley is a senior at Clarkstown North HS in Rockland County, NY. A left-handed pitcher, Chase is committed to pitch at Lafayette College in Pennsylvania.
Brendan Bussiere is a senior at Ramsay HS in Bergen County, NJ. Brendan is an outfielder that has committed to playing at Muhlenberg College in Pennsylvania.
Brian Finn is a senior at Springside Chestnut Hill Academy in Philadelphia, PA. A middle infielder, Brian has committed to playing at Kutztown University in Pennsylvania.
Andrew Fischer is a junior at Wall Township HS in Monmouth County, NJ. Andrew is committed to Duke University’s Class of 2026 baseball class.
Schedule a free 30-minute strategy session to learn more about how The Freshman Foundation can help your family nail the transition from HS to college athletics: https://calendly.com/michaelvhuber/the-freshman-foundation-exploratory-discussion
Thank you again for listening!
00:00 Intro: Welcome to the freshmen foundation podcast, helping you make the jump from high school athletics to the collegiate level and beyond with your host, Michael Huber.
00:19 Mike: Hey everyone. It's Mike Huber, founder and CEO of the freshmen foundation. Welcome to the freshmen foundation podcast. A podcast specifically geared toward the challenges associated with the transition from high school to college athletics. My episode today is a special one. I have multiple high school baseball players who talk about their process of being recruited and then ultimately committing to their respective colleges. So the podcast runs a little less than an hour. I spend about 10 to 15 minutes with each of the guys asking them about their recruiting process, some of the challenges they faced and ultimately how they came to the decision to select the colleges that they selected.
I didn't do a very good job introducing my guest. So I wanted to make it clear who they were in this interest that you knew exactly who I was talking to. The first of my four guests is Chase Barley, a left-handed senior pitcher at Clarkstown North high school in Rockland County New York. Chase is committed to Lafayette College in Pennsylvania as a member of the class of 2025. My second guest is Brendon Boosier a high school outfielder at Ramsey high school in New Jersey, and he's committed to Muhlenberg College and also in the class of 2025. My third guest is Brian Finn, who is currently a senior at Springside Chestnut Hill high school in Pennsylvania. And he's committed to Kutztown University in the class of 2025. And then my final guest is Andrew Fisher who's a junior who is committed to Duke University in the class of 2026. He's currently a baseball player at Wall Township high school here near my home in Fair Haven, New Jersey.
So the four guests were great. They all have different stories. They will have different processes. The common link between all four guys is that they are represented by college sports advisors or CSA, which is a New Jersey based company that helps high school athletes with the recruiting process and helps athletes to get placed in a desirable college situation. I had the co-founders of CSA, Mark Salvo and Sam Sharf on my sixth episode. They're great guys. They do a great service for their athletes, and I know all four of the athletes that I talked to for this episode are extremely happy with the service they've gotten from the CSA. And, you know, it was just a pleasure to talk to them. I love talking to athletes and hearing their story firsthand. So hopefully you'll enjoy this episode. So, like I said you're going to be hearing from chase Farley, Brendan Bossier, Brian Finn, and then Andrew Fisher. So, hope you enjoy the podcast and I look
forward to hearing your feedback. Thanks so much. First of all, thanks for joining me. It's great to have you here today.
03:02 Chase: Of course.
03:02 Mike: You know, I work with athletes like a lot of high school kids, baseball, soccer, different sports, specifically helping them with the transition from high school to college. So when I got hooked up with Sam and Mark, I just thought it'd be really cool to have a chance to talk to, you know, some of the guys who are represented by CSA, college sport advisors to kind of hear their story, you know, about the recruiting process and what they're looking forward to next year sound good?
03:28 Chase: Of course.
03:28 Mike: All right Well, I did a little bit of homework. It sounds like your recruiting process was a little bit challenging at points. So why don't you just tell me a little bit about how that went for you?
03:37 Chase: So basically, I mean, I started working with Sam in the middle of Corona. I think we started in probably early spring. Corona had just happened. Everybody was out of school. No one knew what was going on. And we kind of just panicked because we didn't know, we saw the dead period started and NCAA was making all these rules. So we thought Sam and Mark were really the way to go, especially cause I had no idea my parents had no idea either.
04:02 Mike: So up to that point, you know, before you had signed on to work with CSA, what were some of the things that you were doing on your own? How was the process different before they got involved?
04:15 Chase: I mean, I was playing with my summer team. We were doing showcases and tournaments, like traveling around the Northeast, but I wasn't really doing any like
personal individual showcases and like I was on the radar of some schools, but not to the point where CSA got me.
[04:31] Mike: Gotcha Okay So they really helped you get organized it sounds like.
04:35 Chase: Yeah. I mean the one thing I brought to them was I knew that I wanted a high academic school and then I wanted engineering that was pretty much it.
04:42 Mike: congratulations on your commitment to Lafayette great school, great school Yeah. And I know of people who are currently there in the program playing baseball, so strong connection to this area in New York, and New Jersey. So it sounds like it's a good fit for you.
05:00 Chase: Yeah, I think so, too. All right.
05:01 Mike: So I'm just curious, like, you know, whether it was with the CSA, you know, help or even before, like what did you find to be the biggest challenges in the recruiting process?
05:12 Chase: I feel like getting noticed was the hardest, because even, even before CSA, I tried sending out like video bullpens and like in-game film and I was just getting like, thanks for sending that along we'll keep in touch from coaches, which doesn't really say much. I mean, I thought I was struggling to gain serious interest. I feel like I was just kind of bothering them almost.
05:31 Mike: What would you say, CSA brought to the table in that respect? What did they do to help you get noticed in the process?
05:38 Chase: I feel like they brought legitimacy because like my talent didn't change, I'm still the same player I was, but having them reaching out kind of like showed that I'm serious and I really actually want this school as opposed to just like whatever.
05:50 Mike: Yeah. It's great. And you know it's funny I was reading, I think it was one of the blogs and the press releases that they put out. And you had said that something like to the effect of, you had to convince your parents. So tell me about that.
06:03 Chase: It was kind of weird cause I'm at home one day playing Xbox and all of a sudden I see on my phone, I got a direct message on Instagram from Sam Sharf. I'm like, okay, I'll bite what is this? So I opened it up and he says, hi, my name's Sam. I got your name from Aqua peak performance. And I wanted to know if you were interested in getting help in recruiting. And I'm like, okay. So I asked him for more info and then, then he gave us a price and I told my parents, and they're like, you want me to pay this guy to come and help you go to college? And I'm like, yeah. It's like, I kind of had to convince them that this is really what I needed and what I wanted to go to college and play.
06:39 Mike: How long did it take to convince them?
06:41 Chase: Probably a week it wasn't terrible, it took quite a bit of talking.
06:47 Mike: Good job. Good sell job Listen, I mean, looking back clearly, you know, you got the result that it sounds like you wanted, so it sounds like that investment was worth it for everybody. I would guess.
06:58 Chase: Absolutely. No doubt. I would do it 10 times out of 10.
07:02 Mike: Nice. That's good stuff. So tell me, what did you learn about yourself in the recruiting process?
07:07 Chase: I just had to stay super organized and made sure that like all the emails were perfectly written and there were no errors and grammatical stuff. And then, like I said it was really the organization part that I would say it was probably the most important
07:19 Mike: What I've heard. And what I've learned a lot about the recruiting process is exactly that right. Being motivated, having the athlete be motivated, knowing what to send, how to send it when to send it, you know, knowing the rules. And I think that I would guess that that's probably a big benefit of being with, you know, representatives like CSA, like Sam and Mark like they know the rules in the recruiting process. They know the people that have relationships, somebody like yourself, like you could probably put yourself in the right spots to where you want to go, but maybe it doesn't get noticed like you said.
07:53 Chase: Yeah, exactly. Like, like either way, I had to perform on the field. But besides just me playing and doing what I do, like there was a whole different side of just, I don't even know how to, what to say. Like behind the scenes, like I'm doing all, they helped me with emails and I have to figure out what I really want in a college. But during the scene,
08:13 Mike: I mean, that's important, right? Like that speaks to your motivation, right? It like forces you to think about like, what's important to me. What are the reasons I want to be at this place? You want it to be at a high academic, you wanted an engineering program. Like those are big things, right? If you sacrifice those things, just to play baseball, like long-term, it's probably not going to work out exactly the way you want it.
08:34 Chase: That was the biggest thing with my parents like, they, they didn't want me sacrificing academics for baseball.
08:39 Mike: Well, it sounds like you got the best of both worlds now, now that you're committed. So is there anything in particular that you're focused on or working on as you get ready for next year?
08:49 Chase: I mean Right now, I'm just ramping up to get ready for spring, and pretty much it's just velocity right now. I mean, my off-speed, I worked on that pretty much in the spring using the rep Soto to tuned, on my off-speed pitches. And then right now I'm using the winter Just to get the velocity up.
09:06 Mike: Do you have a specific goal in mind?
09:08 Chase: I'm trying to hit 90 by spring.
09:10 Mike: Yeah, you know, it's interesting. I worked with a player who's now a freshman at Duke he is a pitcher. We were very close through COVID shut down. And you know, he would kind of update me on his programming through the spring and he would talk to me about his long toss and all this stuff. And he says, I hit this on the radar gun. And I saw him go from like low nineties to mid-nineties. He was able to add like three or four miles an hour within a two or three-month period. Like it's totally possible it’s just a matter of having a good plan and then putting into work.
09:40 Chase: Absolutely. Absolutely I mean, right now my gym just got shut down because of Corona, but it's going to be back up next week and I'm working out five days a week and then I'm throwing twice a week.
09:51 Mike: Yeah. You got a lot on your plate, a lot to, a lot to work on before you get to college. So what are you looking forward to the most about going to college next year?
10:01 Chase: I mean, meeting the team and just get new brothers for the next four years and hopefully for the rest of my life.
10:07 Mike: It's interesting, right? Like you're young and you're still going through it, but I think that that's something that as you get older, you realize it's probably the biggest
thing, right? You look back 10, 20, 30 years and you go, like, these guys are still my buddies from high school. You know, we played ball together. We went out and did stupid stuff together. You know, all those things they ultimately go to weddings and christenings and all this other stuff that goes on in your life. So like being a part of a team, there's nothing better. What would you say are some of the things that may be, you see as being challenges or things that you think you might have to overcome when you move on to college next year?
10:41 Chase: I mean, I think I'm just gonna have to compete for playing time. That's the biggest thing. Being a freshman in a D1 program I'm gonna have to compete If I want to play, I'm gonna have to show myself on the field.
10:50 Mike: I think that's one of the biggest things that I see as a challenge, right, is going from, especially when you're probably one of the two, three best players on your high school team, your club team, and then you go to a college team where everybody's probably just as good coming in as you, and then you've got, you know, 19, 20, 21-year-old guys, who've got more experience under their belt. Like how do you put yourself in a position to compete right away, right. And deal with some of those ups and downs that might be a little bit different than high school. Last question, I guess. And it might be one, that's a little hard to answer. So take your time. But if you had to kind of paint a picture of what the perfect freshman year looks like for you Baseball, academic, social, all that? Like what would you say it looks like?
11:31 Chase: That was a loaded question wow.
11:33 Mike: That's a big one. I know,
11:35 Chase: Basically. I mean, I hope I do well in all my classes. I hope I like my schedule. I hope I like my teachers and I hope I'm able to maintain my grades while playing baseball. And then on an athletic standpoint, I want to play, I mean, I'm hoping to get innings out of the pen . I'm not hoping to start I am not unrealistic. But I'm hoping to at least get some innings out of the pen and be at least helped to contribute this year to get some wins for the team.
11:59 Mike: Awesome. So this'll be the last question. So what do you think that you need to do to get those innings? Like what are you focused on? What actions are you taking or what do you think the things you need to do to be able to achieve that goal?
12:13 Chase: This summer I'm planning on driving out to Washington DC and playing in an independent league there with some other college guys, and some other Lafayette guys I'm going to face some big college hitters there. And I'm hoping that if I'm able to succeed, they're all able to succeed when it comes to spring.
12:28 Mike: Excellent. I love that answer. You're challenging yourself against better competition to put yourself in a position to succeed, even if it might mean maybe, you know, going through some bumps. And I think that that's a big part of the process of getting better. And so it sounds like you're, in a pretty good place. I can tell by the smile on your face that you're really happy. So I'd love to see that.
12:47 Chase: Yeah. I just can't wait to get there.
12:50 Mike: I can't wait to watch. I wish you the best of luck. Thanks for coming on here and happy holidays to you and your family.
12:57 Chase: You too. It's been a pleasure.
12:59 Mike: Thanks same here.
13:01 Chase: Bye.
13:02 Mike: Bye. Bye.
13:07 Brendan: Hi how are you doing?
13:07 Mike: Good, Brendan How are you?
13:08 Brendan: Good, How are you?
13:09 Mike: I'm Mike nice to meet you.
13:11 Brendan: Nice to meet you too.
13:12 Mike: Thanks for coming on here. I'm looking forward to talking with you.
13:14 Brendan: Yeah, sure.
13:15 Mike: So, you know, I got introduced to you by, by Sam and Mark over at CSA, college sports advisors. And what I do is I do a lot of mental performance coaching work with athletes, particularly in the high school, the college space. What I really wanted to hear about from you today is your experience in the recruiting process, how it went for you, like what was challenging, what wasn't, and what you're looking forward to for next year. So, why don't you go ahead and tell listeners a little bit about yourself?
13:45 Brendan: Yeah, so basically, I'm from Ramsey kind of a small, like public school. And basically from the start, I kind of wanted to play D 1 that was kind of my dream for a while. And then like, as I went on, I felt like maybe that wouldn't be the place for me. Like maybe I'm better off like going to a school where I'm going to play a lot, like over my four-year career. So I kind of started junior year I didn't have much traction. And then obviously with everything that happened with covid, it was kind of tough in the spring didn't really get to play at all. And then the summer I was struggling a little bit. I had some good video of me, like playing, like was talking to some coaches, but it was kind of really disheartening process because like, every time, like you seem like you're
getting somewhere with the coach, then it kind of seemed like they kind of like lost interest. So that was like really, I guess the tough part for me.
And then I kind of started like slumping a little bit. And then what I really needed to do was like, after the summer, I just like had like a two, three-week break where like, I didn't do anything baseball related because I was kind of like, just harden after the summer, I still definitely knew I wanted to play. And then I got back in the fall and I was able to, like, I had a really good fall season and was able to get some more video, like Sam and Mark at CSA really helped me out with that emailing more smart coaches. And then I got an offer from a school called Stevenson in Maryland, which really kind of helped kick start some other schools. And they kind of get it going like, look like I'm really interested in your school, but like, I have to leave the school now so like, are you interested like kind of like a, not like related to like use as leverage, but it's kinda like an ultimatum like where it kinda puts you in a good position. So then I ended up getting an offer from Muhlenberg too, which was one of my top schools from the beginning. So I was happy to accept that one.
15:11 Mike: Excellent so what, what was it about Muhlenberg that you like, what were the things about Muhlenberg that you were, what you were really looking to? What was the fit there? What was it about Muhlenberg that you liked?
15:21 Brendan: Yeah, sure. So I thought it was a good academic fit first of all, which is important for me. Because I knew if I wasn't going to like go to a D1 school, I definitely wanted to go to a school that felt like a good academic fit for me. So Muhlenberg is a good school. It kind of fit that build. And then it's kinda just like everything I saw that everything I read about it, some people that I knew that went there like said like, it's kind of like a nice like environment. It's like, not that big of a school. It's kind of like a nice community. One thing I really liked about my high school was kind of like a nice like community, like family aspect. Not like, people will say family, like kind of a cliché thing a lot, but that's like, it's kind of a nice thing. And that's what people said Muhlenberg was like. So I thought that could definitely be a place where I would like really enjoy myself.
15:58 Mike: I'm curious you mentioned some of the ups and downs right in the process for this year. I mean this year was a tough year for everybody, regardless of what it is you're trying to do. But I have to imagine as somebody who's, you know, a high school, senior looking to move on to college next year, you know, all the stress of COVID and all this kind of starts and stops really had to be really challenging. So like, what were some of the things you were able to do to kind of overcome those ups and downs?
16:24 Brendan: I think, the big thing for me was trying to like kind of like try to like disconnect myself from everything. Like when I was like playing baseball, just try to focus on baseball. And that's something that I really had struggled with in the beginning. Like it was really [Inaudible 16:34] worked really hard all winter. I was really excited for, like, I had like a pretty good sophomore season, like high school season. I was like really looking forward to like, we're going to have a really good team as we're looking forward to the high school season. And then like, it's kind of like that first week after I worked so hard and then it kinda like everything went down, like the gym's closed, it's not even Like you could really keep working. Like, you couldn't really hang out with your friends, like go to the field.
So like one thing I did, I got hit, I hit a lot, like off [Inaudible16:56] and stuff. That's all I really could do, like during the lockdown. And then I guess when it got to playing, like all the start stops ups and downs, I really just kind of had to try like disconnect myself from everything else, like when I was playing and like kind of just focused on playing when I was playing I guess.
17:10 Mike: That makes sense. So in the fall, right, you started that's when you really, I mean, and that's not too long ago, right? The last two, three months that’s when you started to see those offers, come in, I guess, what do you think happened in the fall? Like, what was CSA doing in the background to help you? Can you just talk about how things sort of shifted after the summer?
17:30 Brendan: Yeah, well, I think, it kind of helped when I got like my first offer. Cause then like, I wasn't really doing too good. I wasn't like in the summer, like playing-wise, I didn't feel like I was playing up to like my potential. And then like I, with some of the video that CSA got off my good at that. So I was able to get an offer from one of the schools. And I think that really boosts my confidence. So, and they kind of helped me like craft emails to other schools that I was still interested in and still wanted to pursue. And then ever since I got that offer, I just had more confidence than I think with other stuff starting up like school. And I was able to see friends more in the fall. I think my whole time my whole playing experience was like a lot better It was a lot easier. It was like a lot less outside stresses and worries. And kind of like your mental aspects, just like a lot,
Like baseball is not a game where like, it's like helps to be like angry and playing like football. Like maybe if you're like angry or like you want to like go out there and hit somebody, but baseball, you kinda just need to be in like that good mental state in order to really perform. So I think everything kind of fell into place for me. Like I was able to see my friends more, I got the offer, so I got some more confidence back. And I think overall that really just helped me like do better in the fall. And then Sam and Mark got some really good video of me, like in some really good at that. Helped me craft some really good emails to coaches, which really got the ball rolling.
18:38 Mike: That's awesome. I mean, you just did a very short commercial for what it is that I help athletes with on the mental side. It is. I mean, baseball is a very mental game, probably more so than most. And if you're, you know, anything that's stressing you out, regardless of whether it's on-field or off-field is gonna affect your play. And so the ability to kind of block that out as best you can or put yourself into a positive mental state, is going to help you perform right more naturally. And it sounds like you're able to do that once things started to go back to normal a little bit, right. When they weren't normal, you were isolated and things were a little bit more uncertain. It sounded like, you know, maybe it was a little bit more of a struggle
19:17 Brendan: Yeah. I feel like when I was like, when things weren't really back to normal, like my whole like kind of like state was like, based on like my baseball performance. So like when I like had other things like distracting me other than just baseball, like, it was like if I had a bad day, like, it was like, okay, like I still like got to my friends at school. Like I play soccer too so I still have like soccer practice. And I say, I was like all my friends. So it was really kind of just like, when everything like all like kind of like my happiness and like kind of like my mood, like didn't just depend on baseball. That's when I was really able to like start doing gigs. Like you have one bad day, you don't really have anything to distract you. Then you've had another game the next day, all you're thinking about is it's really just, it really helps to have distractions and have that not be the only thing you're thinking about.
19:54 Mike: I've heard that a lot recently from kids in college who say, you know, you have to have a social life, it can't be all baseball. I can't be all, whatever my sport is, because then it just becomes too consuming. Like it just becomes all-encompassing and then like you just put so much pressure on yourself. Whereas if you can step away, go have a good time, go out to get something, to eat, focus on your academics and not have to worry about the sport you're playing all the time. It's probably gonna make you a better performer in the long run.
20:22 Brendan: Yeah, exactly.
20:24 Mike: So I'm curious. So like, what would you say you learned about yourself in the recruiting process?
20:28 Brendan: I would say I learned that I need to be like, kinda more like, self-confident like really to be able to like sell myself. Cause like the recruiting process is one where it kind of really need to like sell yourself. So I felt like I kinda like sell myself short kind of in certain aspects. Like kinda like if like you're on a phone call to coach, like you kind of really have to sell yourself, not just be like, Oh yeah, like I'm like pretty good. Like you kind of really have to like sell yourself. And I feel like that's something that's also important in life. Like you can't kind of sell yourself short, like business meetings and stuff so I felt like that was an important lesson for me to learn. And something I learned about myself is that sometimes I might sell myself short. So I really have to be like confident in something that I feel like I am confident in.
21:04 Mike: That's awesome. I love that answer because you're right. Like, even as you get older, the idea that you have to promote yourself sometimes is really uncomfortable. I don't like to talk about myself. Like we short ourselves and like, that's skill that you can work on. Like you've got to challenge yourself and you know, I think having the guidance of, you know, Sam and Mark through the process has to help. You have, that gives you confidence when you have a mentor who says like, Hey, it's okay to do this as opposed to trying to do it on your own.
21:31 Brendan: Yeah. And like sometimes where I felt like I had nothing going with certain coaches and Sam would be like, no, like, don't worry. Like, it'll be good. So I kind of like had like the figure, like telling me like, Oh, it'll be good. Like, my parents didn't really like, not like they helped me as much as they could, but like, they don't have like a background in it. So like them telling me like, it's going to be okay. Like, you don't really know anything now. Like not to be disrespectful or anything. Like, like it's great that they're like trying to be supportive, but like at some point, like when you have a guy like Sam, who's done this so many times, like telling you that it like holds some weight, you're like, okay, like it's kind of like a weight off your shoulders.
22:02Mike: Sure. It's believable. It's another word I've heard is credible. And I think that does make a big difference. So what are you looking forward to about college? Like what's the number one thing that you are excited about?
22:13 Brendan: I guess kinda, that's a tough one. Cause I, I really did like my high school years, but I'm looking forward to like freedom and kind of just being able to like, choose what I want to do with my time. I feel like, like at home, just like, there's a lot of stuff like where you like, kinda just like fill up time with like natural things like you do. But I feel like at college, like I'll be able to find what I want to do out, like do during that time and kind of have more freedom. And I feel like truly just be nice to live with people and like live with like friends that I hopefully like make on the baseball team. I think that's going to be a really cool thing for me.
22:40 Mike: Yeah, for sure. Are there any things that you think about in that first year that you think might be a challenge for you when you move away from home and go to Muhlenberg?
22:48 Brendan: What's nice about Muhlenberg is I wouldn't mind going to a far school, but it's not that far. So I think that's one good thing. Like, I won't feel too disconnected from like other, like friends that like good friend group in like my high school. So I feel like that won't really be a struggle. I'm not sure. Maybe just like trying to get acclimated, like, since I've had like, such like kind of like close-knit group of friends, like trying to like branch out and find other people to like, kind of not like replace that, but like kind of be like an extra thing. Like I can rely on it'll be difficult for me. So like, I don't want to like compare, like, do you know what I mean? Like kind of like comparing like certain friends to another. So I think that might be tough, like to try to like trust, meet new people. But other than that, I feel like that shouldn't be that much of an issue,
23:26Mike: But I think that's real. I went through that, you know, when, especially when you have close friends from high school, that you're really really tight with, you know, when you go on and you would compare everybody, I think in college to those people, sometimes and sometimes it's hard to kind of accept that, you know, it's okay to have new friends or, you know, it's okay to have different friends and things like that. So I think that that's a very legitimate, the last question I'll ask you is if you had to paint a picture of next year your freshman year, like, what would you say? Like the perfect
freshman year it looks like, and it doesn't just have to be athletic. It could be socially, academically. Like what do you, what are you hoping it looks like?
24:02 Brendan: I'm hoping I'm really just able to manage, like, I'm hoping I really come like really close with like kids on the baseball team. I hope I'm able to like, manage like obviously work hard in school, but like be like, have it be manageable and like, not feel overwhelmed and like kind of create like a schedule for myself where I don't feel overwhelmed. I don't really able to try to like focus, like have the three separate parts, like have my academic, my social, and baseball. I kind of like keep it all like separate and like be able to really thrive in each and just like maintain that I guess, throughout the fall, winter and spring And then obviously have a successful season, like as a team and then like individually too, it was obviously this was an individual sport, but most importantly as a team would be like, I guess my ideal freshman year.
24:41 Mike: Yeah. I think what I took out of that is I think you're looking to achieve a balance, right? You're able to do a little bit of everything and have a good year and all those aspects. And you know, a lot of that has to do with the way you're managing your time and stuff. But you know, obviously you've got yourself to this point, so you're clearly, you know, you're motivated and you've got your head on straight. So I'm excited for you looking forward to maybe getting to know you a little bit better and you know, just good luck with everything and happy holidays. Thanks for coming on.
25:08 Brendan: Yeah, happy holidays Thank you so much. Thank you so much for having me on. It was a good time. Thank you.
25:11 Mike: Appreciate it, Brendan, take care.
25:12 Brendan: Awesome. Thank you so much. Have a good one.
25:18 Mike: Hey, Brian.
25:19 Brian: Hey, how's it going?
25:20 Mike: Good. How are you?
25:21 Brian: Doing all right.
25:22 Mike: Thanks for joining me here. I'm Mike,
25:23 Brian: Mike how's it going?
25:25Mike: It's going well. I see you are, representing your college choice Kutztown
25:30 Brian: Yup Kutztown.
25:31 Mike: excellent. Well, that's what I wanted to talk to you about. So, you know, I got connected to Sam and Mark at CSA, not too long ago, and I thought that it would be great to have the chance to talk to some of their athletes about their recruiting process. I typically work with high school and college athletes in the mental performance coaching space. But I'm really interested in the transition from high school to college. So I was hoping to hear a little bit more about your journey and your story and the recruiting process. So for the listeners out there, can you maybe talk a little bit about yourself and your recruiting process to this point?
26:03 Brian: Yeah, definitely. So my name is Brian Finn. I'm a senior at Springside Chestnut Hill Academy in Philadelphia. I've recently committed to play baseball at Kutztown University. I transferred into Chestnut Hill freshman year as a reclass freshmen. I did freshman year twice. Just that, I mean, for me, I had an advantage against the other freshmen and sophomores I was competing with at that time. So I really thought that was a good idea at that time. I mean, I was still a smaller for being a freshman second time around. So I realized I had to get bigger, stronger, and that's when I focused on myself and focused on, I mean, I was tracking what I was eating every day. I was tracking 3,300 calories a day trying to hit that every day. And, I mean, between the end of freshman year and the middle of sophomore year, I mean, I almost
gained nearly 60 pounds. So that was a big step for me. You could definitely tell that I got bigger and stronger and I mean, you saw it in my numbers and everything. So, I mean even doing that, put me aside from the other freshmen and the sophomores that aren't doing that -
26:59 Mike: putting in a lot of work, I mean, 3,300 calories is no joke.
27:03 Brian: Yeah. It's pretty crazy.
27:04 Mike: I assume you were lifting as well, trying to get muscle onto your frame.
27:09 Brian: Yeah. So it was all working together.
27:11 Mike: Can you tell me about what CSA has done for you in the process? Like how their help really shaped what your choice was?
27:18 Brian: Yeah, yeah, definitely with, my junior year being canceled, I mean, junior year is the year that you want to pop off and show everything you got. So that year being canceled was pretty detrimental to, recruiting. And then going into the summer after junior year, there wasn't any recruiting happening so we started late in the summer and we were just playing baseball. I mean, it was, we were just playing, but I mean, there's no one there to watch and I didn't really know what I was doing had no help until it was August 11th I met Sam, talked to him, we connected. And started figuring out where I wanted to be, where I wanted to go, where he thought was a good fit where I thought was a good fit. And I mean, we focused on PSAC schools, which is a league in Pennsylvania.
So I mean, we hooked up together and then he just started coming to every single one of my games pretty much it seemed like. Cause I play in diamond nation every weekend. He's there all the time. So it helped a lot. He would come take video, learn how I play and he'll pass along to other coaches that we wanted to focus on. Which, I mean, he got me talking to a lot of coaches. I went on, quite a bit of visits
28:20 Mike: I know alot of diamond Jack's guys from New Jersey. Cause I coached a bunch of them in high school. So I'm familiar with, diamond nation. So that's a great program and I mean, listen, with respect to Sam and CSA, it's gotta be great to have somebody that you feel like is got you're back in the process, right. Somebody who's knowledgeable And really taking you through the process to feel like, okay, like I'm making some progress.
28:43 Brian: Yeah, definitely. I was looking through our texts the other day preparing for this video chat and I mean, looking back, I mean we were texting pretty much every day, every other day, setting up calls. I mean it was a lot, so that was awesome.
28:55 Mike: Yeah. I mean, I'm sure there's a lot of work that went into it for everybody to get where you're at, but it sounds like you made a choice that you are really happy with.
29:00 Brian: Yeah, definitely. Definitely really happy with it
29:03 Mike: What was it about Kutztown specifically that you're most attracted to as a school.
29:08 Brian: I got on the phone with coach Fulmar. He’s the head coach there. And after that call, I just felt there was a good connection between coach and player. So after the call, I pretty much knew I wanted to go there. He set up a visit, went on the tour super nice. But overall I think it's just, I mean, it's a PSAC school. It's a great league. I think I'll improve as a player the most there. And I think there are a lot of opportunities for the future.
29:28 Mike: So now that you're committed, so, what are you focused on now? Or what are you working on now as you know, you sort of, you know, not as you look forward to going off to Kutztown eventually?
29:38 Brian: Yeah. So, right now I'm preparing right now, I'm just working hard. It's just the time to get bigger, stronger. I'm just in the gym, whether it's hitting, throwing, fielding lifting, but I have a trainer I'm working with Steve Mellie. He's a, I've known him forever.
29:52 Mike: Once somebody commits and they've got that commitment locked up, like, is it like, Oh, good as a relief? Or is it like, Oh no, I got to keep grinding. So when I get there, I'm ready to play.
30:00 Brian: Yeah, no, definitely it was a relief that was off my shoulders. It was a very stressful time. I don't want to go there and fall behind and become stressed about that. So I mean, I'm trying to get on top of it now get prepared.
30:12 Mike: It sound like a good plan. So, I guess this will be my last question for you. So if you had to kind of paint a picture of what that, you know, first year of college looks like when you get on campus, like what would you say like would be a good result for your freshman year? What would be a perfect freshman year for you?
30:29 Brian: I'm trying to prepare myself. So, I earn a spot day one. So just gotta keep on working hard, get bigger, stronger.
30:36 Mike: Yeah. I mean, I think that that's, you know, for a lot of players, that's it, man. You want to go and you want to play, right? You just don't want to be a part of it. You want to go there and contribute right away. And that's, it's a tough transition sometimes, man, but you know, if you're doing the work, you'll put yourself in the best position possible. And it sounds like you've got a lot of good people who have your back. So, I'm excited to see what the future brings for you.
30:55 Brian: Yep. Thank you. Appreciate it.
30:57 Mike: Yeah. Thanks for joining me here today. I appreciate it.
30:58 Brian: Yeah, no problem.
30:59Mike: All right. Good luck with everything. Happy holidays.
31:01 Brian: Thank you, you too I'll see you.
31:03 Mike: You got It. Thanks Brian. Hey Andrew,
31:05 Andrew: how you doing? Can you hear me?
31:08 Mike: I can hear you loud and clear.
31:09 Andrew: Awesome.
31:11 Mike: I'm Mike nice to meet you.
31:10 Andrew: Nice to meet you.
31:15 Mike: Yeah. I've heard a lot about you from Sam and Mark and you know, I got connected with them not too long ago. We’ve been talking a lot and I thought it would be a great idea to have some of the CSA guys on, talk about recruiting experience. Just as background I don't know how much they told you, but, I'm a mental performance coach. I'm based here in New Jersey. And I think we actually have some links in common. So I was really looking forward to talking with you today. So for the listeners, why don't you
go in and tell everybody, you know, who you are and kind of tell us a little bit about your recruiting process?
31:45 Andrew: I guess I should start my name's Andrew Fisher, 6 foot 2 190 pounds I'm verbally committed to Duke. I'm a junior 2022 and I played shortstop third base, bat from the left side. And, that's pretty, much it. I go to wall township high school.
32:00 Mike: So it's interesting because the connections are many, so I don't live too far from Wall. So that's number one. Number two is one of my former clients or one of my players is at Duke now as a freshmen, Adam Boucher. I don't know if you know, Adam, Adam is from St. Joe's up in Batoche and I coached them there for a couple of years and, he's actually been on my podcast. So, another Duke guy who, seems to be loving life there so I think you've got something to look forward to. And my, son who's 12 is now a Niners, travel player. So I got a lot in common there. So just, you know what I was hoping to hear a little bit about from you is your recruiting process, right? Like, what's it been like for you? You're obviously a junior committed for 2023-22. Tell me about that. Like, what's it been like for you?
32:46 Andrew: I would say it really picked up for me, after COVID. So I guess that start COVID happened. And then, our team was supposed to go down to like the bigger tournament's, like, you know, the Georgia and Florida, like national tournaments, the WWBA and, I guess Niners didn't end up going down. So I'm very fortunate and thankful enough, my family took me down to, the junior national showcase and, you know I went down there played my best and, had a good outing and thankful for that opportunity? And it just, everything worked out [Inaudible 33:15] still that I'm having the chance to go play baseball at Duke That's awesome I can't wait. I'm so excited.
33:19 Mike: It's very awesome. And I mean, I think based on name and reputation alone, academically athletically, the baseball program is, obviously growing, but what I've seen or heard a little bit from the inside is, you know, it's, it's just as good as it's advertised, you know, which I think, you know, it's really exciting. I'm excited for you. So how did you choose Duke? Like what was it that attracted you, maybe, you know, kind of, how did you select over other offers? You don't have to name other schools, but like, just tell me about that process a little bit in terms of the fit.
33:54 Andrew: So actually my mom works at Princeton University, like growing up she definitely her and my father both expressed to me, the value of academics, I guess, just growing up, even from when I was really young, they, they pushed me to work hard in school and, I guess that definitely paid off. I think that definitely played a part in the decision knowing that they, whatever happens, happens, but say baseball was not to work out like walking out of a college with a Duke degree would be amazing. And, I think both parents, agreed that that would be something to consider when making the decision, not just saying like, all right, this is an ACC school I want to go play baseball there. Or this is an SEC school I want to go play baseball there. I also think that you know, their campus was beautiful.
The second I, talked to coach, I just felt like an instant connection. I was intrigued to learn more about their program and their staff and, you know, the way they think, the way they approach the game. And, just talking to them, I was very interested in learning their philosophies and, I think it just a perfect fit. I walked on campus and I said to my dad, I was like, wow, I could totally see myself going here. Like this, this place is safe. This is like, this seems like it could be a home. So I said to my dad, I was like, this could be a home for me. Like, this is awesome. And, I looked at him and, my grandpa and like, we were like, wow, this is really cool. And then that was, we didn't even see the baseball field yet like we didn't see anything. And then we were just looking around and it was like, this looks like Hogwarts. Like, this is awesome. So I don't know. It was just cool. The whole atmosphere I loved it I guess it just fell the right pieces in the right spot.
35:21 Mike: Yeah. So tell me about how, Sam and CSA, how they helped you through the process?
35:28 Andrew: So I would say, I was one of their first, people that they worked with. So I think my process was a little bit different than the rest of the kids that we're working with. I want to say I might've been a step or two already into it. I think I had an offer too going into working with them, but they, they definitely helped me, you know, talk, knowing how to talk with the coaches and like kind of, I expressed to them what was important to me. And they gave me feedback on like, all right, you know, maybe we should go this route instead of this way, because like, I know maybe, you know, you're hitting style is this way you believe in this, and this is what's important to you. Maybe we're going to talk to these people instead of these people, or, you know, maybe you should go to this showcase instead of this one.
And I think that was very important to me because say, say I talked to Sam and he was like, Hey, you know, like maybe you shouldn't go to the junior national or Mark said to me, you know, maybe you shouldn't go to this showcase or you maybe you shouldn't or should have went to this one and maybe that opportunity wouldn't have been there. But, at the end of the day, I think they helped me tremendously. whether it was getting more reps in the cage, even sometimes they'll help me work on my swing or, you know, fielding mechanics, strong motion, anything even it comes down to like, if I say to them, Hey, I'm looking to gain a few pounds they are like what do you suggest put a few extra calories on the meal plan or whatever it is. And even nutritionally they're there for me, I would say, throughout the process are definitely feel like they're like the big brother right there. Like they're, they're right there. I feel like if someone like, you know, it's 10 o'clock, I just got off two or three phone calls in a row with coaches and I could still give Sam a ring and he's right there ready to answer. And, it was awesome. They definitely were very, very helpful.
36:55 Mike: Yeah. And what I think I hear you saying is, is that you really truly trust them, you know, you trust their counsel and their advice and, you know, not just in terms of the recruiting process itself, but all of the things that surround it, you know, you're looking to them for guidance or resources to get to where you want to go.
37:14 Andrew: 100% I have full trust in them and, I feel like they look out for me. They have my, my best interests at heart, and they're very important.
37:21 Mike: It's really cool. So what would you say was the biggest challenge in the process for you? Like what was the hardest thing you had to deal with going through the recruiting process?
37:30 Andrew: The hardest part for me was, actually when I was making the decision having to give those other coaches a ring saying, coach, like, I'm sorry, unfortunately, it's not gonna work out. Like, I'm not going to be able to make it work out with you guys, but, I'm very thankful for that opportunity given, but I would say there were some schools that like I was talking to for a year plus there. And it's kind of tough to be like, all right. I talked to this guy every Tuesday, Wednesday throughout the entire process. Like, again, I'm not going to name school, but I talked to a school twice a week consistently for close to a year every week. And that having to make that phone call saying, sorry, coach, like, you know, best of luck in the future, like best of luck, you know, hope I could see you in the field someday. Like that was a tough phone call for me.
38:10 Mike: Listen, I think that that's an incredible lesson to have learned and an experience to go through. Because that's just something you're going to have to do, you know, in life, you know, as you go forward. And I think the lesson I take out of that, you know, what I hear is, hey, you gotta do what's best for you. And you know, maybe you're going to have to have those kinds of hard conversations, but it doesn't hurt to practice them, it doesn't hurt to stand up and say, Hey, like, listen, this is the choice I made for myself and I appreciate everything you've done, but I have to go in a different direction. I think that says a lot about you as a young man, but it also, I think it gives you a lot of life experience to take with you.
38:43 Andrew: One of the things I actually was very thankful for it. It's like, I guess, going through the process, I think I learned that like actually doing the job of what some of these coaches do, like talking to kids. I think in the future, I think that's something that I might want to pursue. Like maybe becoming like a recruiting coordinator, some sort of organization, obviously, you know, coach Meda, he's very detailed person. He gets right to the point sometimes. And, but just being with him throughout this whole process, I've learned a lot, whether it's through hitting or even just learning about the game learning, like everything just in general, whether it's on a daily basis, like within my life, not including baseball or on my swing, but every day we're at it. And I feel like I learned a lot and I feel like sometimes even with the kids that aren't working with, coach Meda I can see something and be like, wow, like I wish, you know, I wish I could just say to this kid, you know, fix this and we can make this work or something.
But I feel like I kind of have like an eye for like, oh, that kid's got a great swing. Like he could be [Inauudible39:32] sometime like just working through this, I've seen some other kids, older kids in the program. Might've been like a grade above me or two when I first joined and I see where they were and now where they're at. And it's like, kind of cool. I think that's something I'd be interested in. And I think I learned like got a little bit experienced with that and that's pretty cool.
39:50 Mike: That's very cool. I mean, you're gonna have, you're gonna have so many of those opportunities as you get older, whether it's, you know, to help mentor younger players and your last year of school in high school, or as you get older and get more experienced in college, but it's also your thinking to the future, right? Like, would you want to be a coach or something like that? Which to me, I mean, that's I do for a living. I like to help other people. I like to help other people be better. There's no shame in that.
I endorse it. So now that you're committed, right? Like, is there anything specific that you are working towards or you're working on in your game?
40:19 Andrew: So actually prior to me committing, you know, a lot of people said to me like, right, you got to get faster. Like the size is there. Like, whatever, whatever it is, you, the power is there, but you got to get faster. The arm strength might be there, but that's not really what matters. You got to get faster. And not the magic number everyone always talks about is under seven 60 yard dash under 7. So, and I worked every, I feel like I've been working every day since I heard the first person say something to me, even prior to me committing that's something that I was like, determined. Like, you know, the next time I ran it, like I trained like I don't I can't even explain it in words. It was, it was blood, sweat, and tears. Every ounce of energy I had was going towards that.
You know, I'm going to wake up today, I'm getting this under seven. And then when it came to the day I'm running again, it was like, am I'm focused on that? Like, yeah, the rest of the showcase is there, but I'm going in and saying, all right, today's goal is the 60-yard dash. I'm getting under seven. And even now, like once I'm committed, that's still something that I think is important to me. So I'm working every day trying to get faster. I feel like it's working, I'm working with a guy named Val out of a tin falls and he's great. He's a lot of the kids on my team work with them. And, he's definitely out in the hall.
41:24 Mike: I know Val's name and I've been in contact with him because a couple of my soccer players that I work with, up in the area here use Val as their trainers. So it's kind of a small world here. But that's great. I'm curious so like specifically, like what are some of the things that you were doing every day to achieve that goal, right. To get that number under 7 seconds?
41:46 Andrew: Whether it's like, you know, you're going through a ladder or you're going over hurdles, or you got weight around your waist and you're running sprints or, you know, I remember during the summertime I committed in June, June 2nd of 2020 and a whole summer prior to that spring. Obviously, you have COVID going on. Val took me outside. I want to say it was three, four days a week with me and him twice a week where they're testing, you know, seeing if I was getting, seeing progress, getting faster, but every day, like I was out there with some football teams, soccer teams, whatever it was. And I was the only the baseball player there, but it was helping me we're out there on, on the turf, just running sprints, going through cones, whatever it was, but it
was, good, very, very helpful. You know, I wrestled when I was younger, my dad's the head wrestling coach at wall high school.
I wrestled from, I guess the summer of fifth grade going into sixth to freshman year, I wrestled and, his workouts are very comparable to a resting workout. Those are very tough and that Val pushes juice if I could wrestle, I'd definitely would right now, but focus on baseball.
42:48 Mike: I understand wrestling is a, is a different animal altogether too. So not the easiest thing in the world I have tons of respect for wrestlers for a lot of reasons. But when I think I hear you saying too is, I mean, you sound like somebody who's willing to do the work, right. And I think that that's, you know, ultimately we can always get better at the things that we're doing in our game. And, you know, you identified your speed as one aspect of your game that you wanted to get better at, but you can apply that process right. As you go forward and say like, oh, I want to hit for more power. I want to do this. I can do, it's all a matter of identifying what you want to do as a goal, and then figuring out what you need to do to get there. And it sounds like you're willing to do that. So that's really cool.
43:25 Andrew: I love working on it, especially, when you have kids who have the same dream and passion for the game that you do, like I can probably name you 10 kids right now that if I give a call up on the phone and say, even, I guess what time is it now almost six o'clock I can probably call them up and be like, Hey, yo, let's hit the gym let's go for a run. I mean, it's snowing outside and they'll find a way. I'm sure we can call up a coach and be like, Hey, let's, can we get a cage going here? We got three or four kids going, I'm sure these kids are willing to work. And I love it. And getting those calls from those kids as well is awesome. Cause I love getting in there and getting pushed by them, especially the older kids. Cause I love to see what they did to get better and where they're at. And, it's pretty cool.
44:02 Mike: So a couple more questions here. So I know you've got one more year of baseball at Wall, so you're not exactly on the cusp of college yet, but as you look ahead, if you, had to look ahead, what would you say you're looking forward to the most about college?
44:18 Andrew: What I'm looking forward to most? I guess just meeting my teammates, honestly, I think that's going to be something pretty cool. They're going to be kids I'm going to be spending, I guess, the rest of my life with. So I guess being part of a team, in college is something unique that not everyone gets the opportunity to like everyone goes to college and you're in a sorority or whatever you want to call it. And they, they get, they get a chance to, to meet their lifelong friends. And I think baseball, you know, you're with those kids every single day, you're in the classroom together. You’re on the field together. You're in the dugout together. You're, you're walking around campus together, getting food together, everything. So I think those, I mean, I'm excited to meet them and, I've touched base with them through social media, but obviously, you can't get a great read on everyone on social media. So I can't wait to just shake their hands for the first time said my name's Andrew. Where are you from?
45:06 Mike: Lot of Jersey guys in that program.
45:06 Andrew: Definitely.
45:08 Mike: Yes. That's awesome. All right so again I might ask, might be asking a question. That's hard to answer at this point in your life, but if you had to paint a picture of what the perfect freshman year at Duke looks like for you, what would it, what would you say? How would you describe it?
45:22 Andrew: Perfect freshman year. I mean, obviously, I want to play, I want to get on the field. I want to get an opportunity. I hope that's something that's given to me. Obviously you got to work for it nothing is just going to be handed to you, but like you said, I'm willing to put the work in, tell me what you need me to do and I'll do it. But I'm hoping I get the opportunity to get on the field, show him what I can do, and hopefully getting starting line. But at some point, whether even obviously I know it's hard for a lot of freshmen to the starting lineup. That's the goal at the end of the day just get on the field, play baseball, play the game I love and just keep rolling.
45:49 Mike: Exactly You control what you can control. And that means, hey, this is my goal for day one. I want to get there. What do I need to do? Tell me what I need to do and you do it. And then when you get there, you know, you'll let the chips fall, but you know, you've done the work you can say that I did everything I could to put myself in the best position to succeed. So it's been great spending a little bit of time with you getting to know you clearly. You're really excited and enthusiastic about your baseball career to
come, and it's been great hearing about it. So I appreciate you, taking some time to talk to me here.
46:20 Andrew: Thank you. Thank you. I appreciate it.
46:21 Mike: You're welcoming and I wish you and your family, you know, a great holiday. Hope you have a great holiday season.
46:27 Andrew: Yeah, you too. Merry Christmas.
46:29 Mike: Yep. Same. Thanks Andrew.
46:31 Outro: Mike Huber is the founder and owner of follow the ball coaching located in Fairhaven, New Jersey. He is a mental performance coach and business advisor dedicated to serving athletes just like you reach their full potential on and off the court. The freshmen foundation is all about helping you get to the next level. For more information, follow along on Instagram at the freshmen foundation. Please subscribe. Give us a like on iTunes, Spotify, leave a review, tell a friend most importantly come back in two weeks ready to get better.