Todd Fitz-Gerald - Stoneman Douglas High School
Bio
- Current HC Stoneman Douglas HS (FL)
- Stoneman Douglas ended a historic 2021 season being ranked the #1 HS team in the nation by Perfect Game (#2 Baseball America)
- 2021 National Head Coach of the Year (his 3rd time, 2016 & 2008)
- 2021 Florida State Coach of the Year (2nd time)
- 2021 Florida state champion
- 2nd state championship in 6 years
- 3rd FL state championship
- #1 in the country
- Former HC at American Heritage
- Florida state champion (2008)
- 2008 All USA COY
- Overall record of 446-119, .789 winning percentage
- His teams have been in the top 50 in the country 12 years in his 20 years as HC
- 32 players have been drafted into professional baseball
- Man of integrity, high character, and teaches life lessons
Notes
- More interactions with kids, more patience since the school shooting
- Let assistant coaches coach, so he can float around and talk to each position
- Don’t ever feel like you have to call me to come back to practice. You are always welcome
- Open door policy - promote guys as much as possible
- Sports are the best thing to bring people together
- Tragedy to triumph
- You need to have luck
- Baseball is a game that teaches you perseverance, failure, tough, level headed
- So many life lessons
- Toy drive for Joe Dimaggio hospital
- Rizzo walk for cancer
- Hang lights for foster kids
- Far major things in life than winning and losing games
- Want players to be the best version of yourself and don’t be anything different
- My resume is because of the players who have played for me
- INAM - Its Not About Me
- QAB - write down their at bat and grade it
- A or F
- Result
- Pitch, count, tendency chart
- Won’t tolerate after striking out and not giving love to other teammates. Being a bad teammate
- 20 minute meeting prior to practice to go over game night before
- Just because it is not D1 does not mean you are not a Dude!
- What is the best fit for you??!
- Decisions needs to be made on more than just baseball - school, baseball, academics, social, distance, etc
- Do you have a list of questions to ask coaches when recruiting?
- Chart and intersquad to be competitive
- Not just result - hard 90? You getting out of the box? You standing on 2 when you pop up?
- 4.3 seconds or less on the infield to make a play
- Intense at practice, relax at games - don’t make me coach you today!!! You have competed all week.
- The only team that can beat us is us!
- Competitive Pitchers
- Get outs!
- Control the running game
- There is a lot more than throwing the ball 60’6”
- Control emotion, stay in the moment, know you are the best guy on the mound
- Challenge period - all hitters around turtle, guy on the mound, runner at 2B, defense, 1 out
- Guys who have not done well in certain things well
- Pitching and defense win championships, offense wins games
- We will eliminate the inner third and look outside and over the plate and take advantage of mistakes
- Some years we bunt, some years we don’t!
- Try not to coach the first 4-5 innings
- I don’t want to coach on game days
- In the fall everyone has the green light
- How are you going to know if you don’t go??
- I don’t want them to rely on coaches to make decisions and then we will talk about it
- Its the only thing in life you can fail and be considered great
- Allow yourself to be successful, stop pouting
- Its not about you!
- Athletics roll the school system, and starts with the football team to have a good year
- Good AD
- Administration support
- Booster club - all fundraising is ran through own booster club
- Banners, hit a thon, dinner with a pro
- Bring excitement to the program
- Wall of fame
- Facility upgrade - fences and windscreen
- Cover the batting cages
- Clubhouse
- I want them to go off to college and BE READY!!! They are college ready is the best compliment I can get!
- 954-295-6878
- fitzyt17@gmail.com
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