The bats have been red hot for the North Scott baseball team this year, the Lancers one of top teams in the state of Iowa to get on base.
(Nat Pop)
But no matter if the Lancers get on base, or strike out, one thing remains the same — first-base coach/Head coach Travis Ralfs always has a positive attitude.
“Here’s the deal, mistakes happen, and we tell everybody in our program all the way from these seniors all the way down to eight year-olds, you know mistakes happen and you just stay positive and you get better the next time and that’s all you can ask for in the game of baseball,… so you just stay positive and keep moving.”
For the Lancers, they know how critical Coach Ralfs positive approach to the game is so they can bring their A game.
“His positivity feeds right into us, it kind of drives us and keeps us going on the right track, it never keeps us too low, it always keeps us right here in the middle.”
“He always calms us down, some of us are a little too excited, like me I always get too excited, so he’s able to calm us down and get us ready to base run and everything.”
For Coach Ralfs he knows his job at 1st Base is to be the calming voice for his players.
“Cuz when their at bat their grinding up there. Some are breathing pretty heavy, right, in big situations, and we’ve got some young guys at the plate, got some sophomores up there for the first time in an atmosphere like this. You know you just try to calm them down, and hey, tell them how many outs there are, talk about the situation, find the gaps, say where they’re going, where the balls going to be hit and we move on.”
When Coach Ralfs isn’t talking to a player on base, he’s getting the doug out pumped up for the team.
“Any coach will say that the doug out is our biggest fans, and thoughs guys are… the way I look at it, the only way you’re going to be successful is that those guys in the doug out are making these guys better that are out here playing.”
For the players they couldn’t imagine seeing anyone else at 1st Base, other than Coach Ralfs.
“It would be very different, it wouldn’t be normal, and it’s good to have him there.”
“Not there, you couldn’t ask for a better coach to be there.”
Coach Ralfs has certainly made positive impact on his players
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