Coach Rodney Hennon

Georgia Southern University

We have been very fortunate over the years to have some quality offensive clubs at Georgia Southern. Our 2008 team set numerous school hitting records and finished ranked among the best nationally in many offensive categories, finishing the season with a .345 batting average that included 751 hits, 114 home runs and a .584 slugging percentage. Although these numbers are staggering, we did not do anything differently in terms of our hitting philosophy or our practice routine compared with years past. We were very fortunate to have some strong veteran hitters on our club who developed from hard work and experience throughout their careers. The majority of our 2008 lineup consisted of players who have been in our program and bought into our philosophy. We try to be consistent with our approach and our routine. Like many, I believe that hitting is the toughest thing to do in sports. Therefore, we believe it is important to keep it simple and for our players to be in a consistent routine. I truly believe this helps our players to become more comfortable and confident in their approach to hitting.

Batting practice is certainly an area in which we strive for continuity. Although we may tweak our routine from time to time, we try to maintain consistency as a whole with our daily batting practice format. Many players come into our program with the idea that batting practice is simply about hitting as many balls over the fence as possible. This kind of approach can lead to some bad habits and a player can tend to forget about the little things that are so important to team success. We emphasize a proper approach on the little things in our preparation leads to big results for our team. Therefore, during batting practice, it is critical for a hitter to lock in mentally and also physically get himself prepared for the game. We want our players to get into a comfort zone during batting practice. It is important for a hitter to “see the baseball” and get their body in rhythm. They must be focused on taking the correct approach when stepping into the batting tunnel. A good, consistent approach will lead to more consistent execution. Confidence grows in hitters when they are comfortable and they experience success as happened with a talented, veteran group of hitters we had on our 2008 club.

Round 1: The Short Game (2 Sacrifice Bunts, 1 Squeeze Bunt, 1 Base Hit Bunt)

We stress the importance of bunting on a daily basis. This round allows our hitters to see the baseball and track the speed of the ball and helps them get into a rhythm before taking swings. However, this is not the sole purpose as any player may be asked at any given time to bunt. It is critical they concentrate here, because a failure to do so will lead to a shortened hitting round. We want all of our hitters to take pride in the bunt game, as it can be an added weapon for any hitter and make both individuals and teams more complete and difficult to defend.

Round 2: Hit & Runs

We typically take four hit & run swings to begin the actual hitting phase of B.P. This takes away any indecision, since we are swinging at any pitch not thrown in the dirt and it forces our hitters to begin by working on top of the baseball. We want our hitters to be aggressive with their hands and drive the ball hard on the ground. Our hitters focus on staying back and staying inside the baseball. This is a good way to help them get into an early rhythm and prepare them for a game-like situation.

For the rest of Coach Rodney Hennon’s breakdown of batting practice routine, be sure to look in next month’s issue of Baseball the Magazine.