Sports

GCU provides mental edge for MLB coaches

University of Miami pitching coach Laz Gutierrez (center) is one of several mental skills or performance directors who have earned doctorates from Grand Canyon University. (Photo by University of Miami) As a former major league baseball scout, Laz Gutierrez recognized that a player’s mental game is what separates most Division I college athletes. So when […]

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1 month ago

May 19, 2025

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University of Miami pitching coach Laz Gutierrez (center) is one of several mental skills or performance directors who have earned doctorates from Grand Canyon University. (Photo by University of Miami)

As a former major league baseball scout, Laz Gutierrez recognized that a player’s mental game is what separates most Division I college athletes.

So when he wanted to study why pitchers suffered from the yips – the sudden and unexplained loss of ability to execute certain skills, such as throwing the ball – he enrolled at Grand Canyon University.

Gutierrez, who spent five years as the mental skills coordinator for the Boston Red Sox and serves as the pitching coach and mental skills director at the University of Miami, is one of several current or former major league mental skills or performance directors who have earned doctorates from GCU.

St. Louis Cardinals performance coach Carl Kochan delivered a speech to his fellow online doctoral graduates in fall 2024. (Photo by Ralph Freso)

After being a part of five World Series championships with the San Francisco Giants and Los Angeles Dodgers, Carl Kochan was hired as director of performance for the St. Louis Cardinals in December, around the same time he graduated after successfully defending his doctorate, titled “The Longitudinal, Grounded Theory Study on Psychological Resilience and Professionals.”

Kellen Lee is in his third season as the mental skills coach for the Seattle Mariners, five years after earning his doctorate from GCU in 2020 and serving as a master resilience trainer/performance expert for the U.S. Army.

Chad Bohling, who is scheduled to earn his doctorate this year, is in his 21st season with the New York Yankees, currently serving as the senior director of organizational performance.

And Justin Su’a, who is on track to earn his doctorate from GCU next spring, was the head of mental performance for the Tampa Bay Rays for five years before starting the Performance Advisory Group, which assists coaches, players and executives in professional sports.

The groundswell of mental skills staffers in baseball over the last 20 years illustrates teams’ efforts to address their players’ well-being, as well as their physical tools.

Performance coach Carl Kochan was part of five World Series championship teams. (Photo by St. Louis Cardinals).

“Remember, this is a people-person industry,” Kochan said. “So before a player is ever an athlete, he’s a human being. So, really, making sure that we have that human connection is priority No.1.”

He added, “Ultimately, getting to know somebody and understanding what they value, versus balancing what the organization needs, both as a player and as a staff member – that’s the fine line that we get to walk every day. And then, oh, by the way, try to win baseball games, too.”

One of the biggest ingredients is trust, and it didn’t hurt that Gutierrez knew Chris Sale – the 2024 National League Cy Young Award winner with Atlanta – when Sale pitched at Florida Gulf Coast University and Gutierrez scouted the South Florida region for Boston.

Sale was drafted by the Chicago White Sox, but the two connected quickly after Sale was traded to Boston after the 2016 season, when Gutierrez already transitioned to the mental skills department.

“He’s an easy guy to talk to because he was in the game and knew both sides of the ball,” Sale said. “He knew how to get information out of people and make them feel comfortable, but he also knew the game and knew when was the right time to go about it.”

Cy Young Award winner Chris Sale credits Laz Gutierrez (pictured) as a mental skills coach with Boston. (Photo by University of Miami)

Before one of Boston’s off-days, Sale planned to fly to Naples, Florida, to visit his wife and three children and invited Gutierrez, who then could rent a car to drive about 100 miles to see his family.

“There might have been only 14 seconds of silence the entire time,” Sale recalled of the flight. “We spent the whole time talking about anything and everything. Laz is one of my guys.”

As a former strength and conditioning coach, Kochan sought ways to improve his craft and marveled at how mental skills coach and former major league pitcher Bob Tewksbury and sports psychologist/former minor league manager Derin McMains conveyed tough and easy conversations and getting players to view things in a different light while with the Giants.

That swayed Kochan to pursue his doctorate in hopes of understanding what makes players and coaches tick when faced with adversity on a daily basis.

Lee has worked with service members who were thinking about their family and with college student-athletes concerned about an examination, so he recognizes the importance of helping a player direct their focus toward the task at hand and remain fully present.

“Being able to control their focus and focus on essentially what they can control in the moment is a key skill, a key tool in their toolkit to be able to optimize performance in the moment,” said Lee, who played baseball at UC San Diego, served as director of baseball operations at Santa Clara University and taught mental skills and physical education at Presentation High School, an all-girls school in San Jose, California.

Seattle mental skills coach Kellen Lee worked with U.S. Army members.(Photo by Seattle Mariners)

Lee’s dissertation focuses on the mental component of injury rehabilitation.

“I just saw that particular subgroup of athletes could seriously benefit from just making sure that their mind is good, super confident going back into sport,” Lee said. “Because fear of injury is really common. Fear of like, ‘Oh no, like, am I going to be as good as I was before?’”

Lee’s sounding board includes wife Jaclyn, who is an athletic trainer in San Jose, and brother Korey, a catcher with the Chicago White Sox and his spring training roommate, thanks to the proximity of their spring facilities.

“I tell our players that I feel like I have the answers to the test, because my brother will tell me everything about what players are thinking about, what the pressure are at the high level, and I’m able to use some of those stories to connect what I spent years and years and years studying and understanding and being able to apply it in a very real way,” Lee said. “I’m using real-life examples coming directly from a player.”

Lee liked that GCU professors emphasized that he choose a topic he was passionate about, rather than be steered in a certain direction.

“I felt the power to be able to determine where I wanted to go and how I wanted to go about it,” he said.

GCU News senior writer Mark Gonzales can be reached at [email protected]

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Sports

Softball adds transfer Taylor Anderson from Oklahoma State

Story Links AUSTIN, Texas – Texas Softball has signed transfer utility player Taylor Anderson to the roster for the 2026 season, head coach Mike White announced Wednesday. Anderson, who played her freshman season at Oklahoma State in 2024, will be immediately eligible with three years of eligibility remaining. The Dripping Springs, Texas, […]

Published

16 minutes ago

June 26, 2025

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AUSTIN, Texas – Texas Softball has signed transfer utility player Taylor Anderson to the roster for the 2026 season, head coach Mike White announced Wednesday. Anderson, who played her freshman season at Oklahoma State in 2024, will be immediately eligible with three years of eligibility remaining.

The Dripping Springs, Texas, product appeared in 43 games with five starts at OSU in 2024. She hit .250 with a .438 slugging percentage and .368 on-base percentage in 16 at-bats, totaling four hits, 16 runs scored, one home run, two RBI and three walks. A top-option on the base path for the Cowgirls, she was successful on four of her six stolen base attempts. She earned her first career start in left field against BYU on March 22, 2024, and launched a solo home run – her first career home run. In the rubber match against the Cougars on March 23, 2024, she went 2-for-2 at the plate with two runs scored while drawing a walk, reaching base on all three plate appearances.

During high school, Anderson was a three-time all-state honoree, a District MVP (2022), a Texas Girls Coaches Association All-Star (2022) and a District Offensive Player of the Year (2021), leading Dripping Springs to multiple district championships. She also competed in track and field for Dripping Springs, winning bi-district titles as part of the 4×100 meter and 4×200 meter relay teams.

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Sports

Kingsford community funds track and field renovations

KINGSFORD, Mich. (WLUC) – Compactors and loaders carry gravel across what was grass only a few weeks ago. Right now, Flivver Field could pass for a parking lot, but soon, new turf will be placed as part of a renovation of the track and field. Breitung Township School District Superintendent Aaron Yonke says the field […]

Published

44 minutes ago

June 26, 2025

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KINGSFORD, Mich. (WLUC) – Compactors and loaders carry gravel across what was grass only a few weeks ago.

Right now, Flivver Field could pass for a parking lot, but soon, new turf will be placed as part of a renovation of the track and field.

Breitung Township School District Superintendent Aaron Yonke says the field will see more use afterward.

“This is like a prime piece of location in Dickinson County,” Yonke said. “Right now, with our football and track events, usually you’re going to see some event going on here 12-15 times a year. With the completion of this project, that’s going to be at the minimum doubled.”

The field could also be used for marching band or the school’s physical education program.

Yonke says the renovations will help the school host more events.

“We have the annual U.P. track final here,” Yonke said. “We hold a bunch of camps with soccer and football. That’s something that, with this new upgraded facility, we’ll be able to attract more of those events like that.”

The entire project cost almost $1.75 million, but the money came from community donations, not tax hikes.

Kingsford High School Athletic Director Chris Hartman says community support has been consistent.

“It started out really, really hot with a boatload of people coming in,” Hartman said. “Then, it kind of cooled off, but now, the people are walking by and driving by and seeing the project come to life and I’ve had some more calls here in the past couple weeks now that they are really seeing it.”

Donors get their names placed on the track or the field. There are still 15 spots available.

If you are interested in donating, contact the Kingsford High School office.

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Sports

Four Penguins Named CSC Academic All-District®

Story Links The Youngstown State men’s and women’s track and field teams had four student-athletes named to the 2025 Academic All-District® Men’s Track & Field teams, selected by College Sports Communicators, the organization announced on Tuesday. The four student-athletes recognized as some of the nation’s top individuals for their combined performances on […]

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2 hours ago

June 26, 2025

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The Youngstown State men’s and women’s track and field teams had four student-athletes named to the 2025 Academic All-District® Men’s Track & Field teams, selected by College Sports Communicators, the organization announced on Tuesday.

The four student-athletes recognized as some of the nation’s top individuals for their combined performances on the track, in the field, and in the classroom were Emily Bee, Nia Williams-Matthews, Ainsley Hamsher and Thomas Caputo.

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Field Hockey’s Siedem and Myklebust to Compete at USA Field Hockey Senior Nexus Championship

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Brown standouts Mia Karine Myklebust and Kate Siedem have been selected to compete in the 2025 USA Field Hockey Senior Nexus Championship. USA Field Hockey made the announcement on Monday (June 23). The Senior Nexus Championship begins on July 18 and continues through July 20 at the Virginia Beach Regional Training […]

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3 hours ago

June 26, 2025

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PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Brown standouts Mia Karine Myklebust and Kate Siedem have been selected to compete in the 2025 USA Field Hockey Senior Nexus Championship. USA Field Hockey made the announcement on Monday (June 23).

The Senior Nexus Championship begins on July 18 and continues through July 20 at the Virginia Beach Regional Training Center and features 145 collegiate and post-collegiate players.

A step along the Olympic Development Pathway program, the Senior NXC serves as a selection opportunity for the 2025-26 U.S. U-21 Women’s National Team Selection Camps, Junior USWNT Selection Camps, U.S. Women’s National Development Squad and U.S. Women’s National Team.

“As a program deeply committed to player development, I’m incredibly proud to see Kate Siedem selected to join MK Myklebust in the U.S. Olympic Development Pathway at the Senior Nexus Tournament this July,” said head coach Britt Broady. “This tournament will be an important final tune-up for MK ahead of the Junior Pan-American Games with the U-21 squad, and a tremendous opportunity for Kate as she positions herself for the next U-21 cycle as current players age out.”

Siedem started in all 17 games at Brown as a sophomore in 2024 and has played in every game in her collegiate career. It marks the first USA Field Hockey selection for the Madison, New Jersey native.

“I’m very honored and excited to play at the Senior Nexus Championship in July!” said Siedem. “I am looking forward to competing and continuing my development as a player in preparation for our season this fall.”

Myklebust was recently named to the United States Under-21 National Team to earn her spot at the Nexus Championship. The Los Gatos, California native was named First Team All-Ivy last fall after leading the Bears with nine goals.

There are 40 colleges represented among the 144 players named to the Championship. Brown is one of six Ivy League programs represented along with Princeton (5), Yale (2), Columbia (1), Harvard (1), and Penn (1). Brown is one of 24 programs with multiple selections.

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Sports

Women’s sport shows ‘unprecedented’ digital growth despite broadcast dip

While broadcast viewership is down 13%, women’s sport’s growth on social platforms such as TikTok and YouTube suggests a different trend is emerging. Ahead of a bumper summer of sport, the Women’s Sport Trust’s latest visibility report sheds light on what is happening among audiences, broadcasters and digital platforms. According to the analysis, in collaboration […]

Published

4 hours ago

June 26, 2025

Your Sports Nation

While broadcast viewership is down 13%, women’s sport’s growth on social platforms such as TikTok and YouTube suggests a different trend is emerging.

Ahead of a bumper summer of sport, the Women’s Sport Trust’s latest visibility report sheds light on what is happening among audiences, broadcasters and digital platforms.

According to the analysis, in collaboration with insights agency GSIQ, viewership is down year-on-year, with a 13% decline in three-minute UK broadcast reach between January and May 2025. This is the first decline since 2022. However, it doesn’t mean fans aren’t watching and brands shouldn’t be investing.

The drop in viewership coincides with a 15% reduction in coverage hours and a decline in Barclays Women’s Super League (BWSL) and Guinness Women’s Six Nations (W6N) average audiences.

Ahead of a bumper summer of sport, the Women’s Sport Trust’s latest visibility report sheds light on what is happening among audiences, broadcasters and digital platforms.

The drop in viewership coincides with a 15% reduction in coverage hours and a decline in Barclays Women’s Super League (BWSL) and Guinness Women’s Six Nations (W6N) average audiences.

BWSL’s broadcast audience fell by 35%, while W6N’s reach dropped from 8.1 million to 6.6 million.

“Progress isn’t linear,” says Women’s Sport Trust CEO Tammy Parlour. “There will be fluctuations and not all metrics will move in the same direction at the same time.”

However, she describes the broader picture for women’s sport as one of “momentum and opportunity”, noting that investment is continuing to rise.

Growth in digital

The “unprecedented” growth in digital channels suggests the media mix for women’s sport is evolving.

The first five months of 2025 saw a 105% increase in TikTok views for the eight most-viewed women’s sport accounts on the platform. On YouTube, this figure is 84%.

In the UK, BWSL’s digital engagement was the highest, with 56 million TikTok views, 20 million YouTube views and 6 million Instagram engagements. Globally, the Women’s National Basketball Association led the way with 131 million views and the Women’s Tennis Association came out on top on YouTube, with 75% growth to 63 million views.

“It’s hugely encouraging to see women’s sport thriving on digital platforms, with athletes, teams and leagues leveraging new ways to connect with fans. This ecosystem – built through collaboration between broadcasters, rights holders and platforms – is vital to continuing the sport’s growth,” says Parlour.

However, she cautions the decline in broadcast viewership is a reminder of the “fierce competition” for audience attention.

“We must ensure that investment in production and distribution keeps pace with fan demand and the quality of the sport on offer,” says Parlour.

She describes the report as sending a “strong signal” to brands that digital engagement in women’s sport is growing fast and the opportunity to connect with fans, particularly through player-led content, has “never been greater”.

“The upcoming UEFA Women’s EURO will bring a wave of attention, but the real value lies in showing up consistently – not just in the big moments,” Parlour adds. “The brands that invest now, with the right tone and timing, will be the ones that build lasting connections as the audience matures.”

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Sports

News – Water Polo Australia

Water Polo Australia is pleased to announce its team for the 2025 World Aquatics U20 Water Polo Championships. WPA has selected 14 athletes to compete at the event, which will be held in Salvador, Brazil from 10-16 August 2025. The team has been selected following a camp at the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra. […]

Published

4 hours ago

June 26, 2025

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