Building Champions: Long Beach State Head Coach Tj Bruce on College Baseball, Recruiting, and Leadership

The world of college baseball has turned into a complete business. Today’s guest is my good friend and newly appointed head baseball coach at Long Beach State, TJ Bruce. He’s here to share his thoughts on the similarities between college baseball and professional baseball. We also dive into the most important thing to make sure your athlete develops and what separates players that make it to the pros. Tj also shares the challenges posed by the transfer portal and an inside look at his recruiting process so you know what colleges are looking for in your athlete. Tune in to learn more about the "Dirtbag” culture that fosters growth, both on and off the field. HIGHLIGHTS 00:00 Meet the new head coach of the Long Beach State baseball program, Tj Bruce. 04:45 TJ Bruce's background and journey as a player. 11:15 Challenges of starting as a volunteer coach. 17:15 How do you know when is the right time to retire? 22:00 Why did you choose to step down as the Head Coach of Nevada? 26:45 What happened before and after you had your best offense at TCU? 32:45 The role of coaches in a player's development. 37:30 Advice to player's parents who are preparing for college baseball. 45:15 The culture that is bigger than the result of your game. 50:15 The biggest misconception players have about the transition from college to making it to the pros. 53:00 What characteristics are you looking for to determine if a player is a good fit for your program? 01:00:30 How do you deal with the transfer portal? 01:07:45 Advice to players in handling communication about the draft process. 01:13:30 What does Long Beach’s nickname “dirtbags” really represent? 01:18:30 Questions that players should reflect on. RESOURCES + LINKS Learn more at aligndsports.com Book a 1:1 Consultation HERE FOLLOW Tj Bruce: @tjbruce02 Matt Hannaford: @mfhannaford