In this episode we have trainer and Coach of the Phillies Scout Team CJ Lauriello discussing his early playing days, life after baseball and they High School coaches aren’t doing their jobs. CJ also shares the keys to being a great coach, why it’s important to connect with his players and creating his own gym CJ Turn 2 Fitness to help players excel in sports.

00:50 Playing for Miami Dade

01:50 Playing Division 1 baseball.

02:48 Dealing with PTSD after getting hurt and not being able to play baseball.

03:23 Baseball once being a major part of CJ’s life.

04:00 Melendez being the only Latino coaching division one baseball.

05:40 Feeling like baseball turned its back on him once CJ got hurt.

07:04 Being thankful for baseball taking CJ all over the world.

08:31 A coach’s job is to make you better than he ever was.

09:13 The keys to being a great coach and connecting with players.

10:01 Moving to New York and getting an opportunity to become a trainer.

11:48 How Nelly and CJ met.

12:40 Returning to Florida to coach baseball.

14:30 Running into coaches that recruited CJ and realizing he had to coach again.

15:30 Why young players are more advanced but lack baseball IQ.

16:08 Are high school coaches not doing their job?

17:09 The mindset of a baseball player.

18:06 Understanding situational baseball.

18:44 The importance of studying film as a player.

20:15 How does CJ become Turn 2 Fitness.

22:48 CJ talks the importance of having a family.

23:09 CJ discusses his goals now that he’s in Florida.

25:00 Young players only focusing on one sport.

25:49 Mastering the craft of baseball.

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Produced by Home Team Sports, The Step Up & Perfect Game

In this episode, former Division 1 player, trainer, and coach Darnell Maisonet discusses the importance of fundamentals, working with Pottstown, and understanding that dreams can change.

00:48 How did Coach Darnell get involved in travel ball?

01:57 Collaborating with the CS99TV team.

02:33 Becoming a content creator as a coach.

03:33 The transition into becoming a trainer.

04:23 Favorite age group to coach.

05:31 Is little league a dying sport?

06:17 How do you teach focus to younger players?

07:42 Helping to mold younger players.

09:55 Growing as a trainer.

11:04 Specializing in teaching players how to hit.

11:55 Working with Pottstown.

13:37 What is life like behind the camera?

14:30 Thoughts on coaching college baseball.

15:44 Learning the fundamentals of baseball.

17:16 What advice would you give Squez from CS99TV?

19:20 Greatest baseball memory.

20:50 Giving up on the dream of being a big leaguer.

22:21 Nelly shares giving up baseball as a teen.

24:21 Understanding that dreams can change.

25:10 Playing Division 1 baseball.

27:15 Best advice you can give players coming up.

28:58 Watching the Pottstown team play.

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Follow Coach Darnell

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In this episode, the CS99TV guys discuss how they met, some favorite moments on the road, and why enjoying the little things in baseball is important. The guys also discuss why it’s important to help young players on and off the field and give advice on navigating social media.

00:41 What do they call you?

01:33 When did you meet and start creating content?

03:00 Who is the mastermind behind CS99?

03:49 The story behind tennis baseball?

04:30 Squez talks about playing D3 baseball.

05:00 Squez talks about losing a foot race.

06:32 Adam talks about playing tennis.

08:07 Robs talks about playing travel ball.

09:30 CS99 talks about how young players can succeed on and off the field.

10:05 Mohan talks about playing soccer.

11:50 Is baseball harder than it looks?

12:32 Enjoying the little things about baseball.

14:00 The brotherhood of baseball.

14:43 Squez playing hide and seek while on the road.

18:30 Rob talks about his favorite travel stories.

19:41 Mohan talks about traveling to Vegas.

21:20 The power of social media.

22:32 How did Pottstown start?

25:00 The origin of the CS99 name.

27:37 How tennis baseball blew up.

29:54 Advice for young players navigating social media.

32:45 The importance of the CS99 platform.

33:50 Keeping track of former players.

40:50 CS99 longterm plans.

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CS99TV

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Danny Vazquez aka Squez

https://www.instagram.com/dannyvazquez2/

Adam Yu

https://www.instagram.com/adam.yu10s/

Mohan Jay Suri

https://www.instagram.com/msuri_22/

Produced by Home Team Sports, The Step Up & Perfect Game

In this episode, we have right-hand pitcher for the Toronto Blue Jays organization Irv Carter discussing why being confident at an early age helped him in his career and how he learned from his failures. Irv also talks about the biggest differences between high school and professional baseball and working hard in the offseason to become a better player.

In this episode, we have former Phillies outfielder All-Star and FTB coach Dom Brown discussing why baseball needs to change, the reason he shares his big league knowledge with the kids and the keys to playing baseball stress free. Dom also shares how he met Nelly and what it’s like being a father with children who play baseball.

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In this episode, we have top prospects Jackson Roper and Jalen Foxx discussing how they maintain a positive mindset on and off the field and how a bean ball led to Jackson and Jalen becoming friends. The guys also discuss why they committed to the University of Florida and South Carolina and the importance of family support.

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00:48 Do you feel pressure to perform once you commit to a college?

04:46 What type of teammate are you?

05:30 College vs Pros.

08:11 Why I committed to the University of Florida and South Carolina.

09:51 How did Jalen and Jackson meet?

17:21 The right mindset for playing 100 games a year.

25:34 When did you start taking baseball seriously?

27:08 Importance of family support.

Produced by Home Team Sports, The Step Up & Perfect Game

In this episode of The Step Up, Manuel Beltre Jr discusses what life was like coming from the Dominican Republic to play baseball in the United States. Manuel also shares why he had to work harder than American players, how it felt getting drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays and how he learned to speak English by watching Kevin Hart.

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Produced by Home Team Sports, The Step Up & Perfect Game

On this episode of The Step Up, we have Baseball legend Mo Vaughn discussing what it was like playing in the Northeast and the reason stats are not important when you’re a young player. Mo also talks about his life after a storied baseball career, what led him to start Vaughn Sports Academy, and how he feels coaching his son’s baseball team.