He was the first kid who called me “coach” when I stepped on to the field to serve with RBI Austin.

Meet Harold and Ian — These two kicked off their new mentoring relationship in September, after spending a summer together on the Coach Pitch Marlins. 

Harold shares a little bit about Ian, his mentee, and why he chose to become an RBI Austin Next Level Coach. 

Ian is really passionate. He is all over it in celebrating when our team does something good. 

Similarly, when he makes a mistake, he is really hard on himself. 

I thought that committing to being a Next Level Coach and stay in his life beyond the summer season was something that would provide consistency for Ian. And over time, I may be able to help him develop a little more composure and how to navigate his feelings as he grows. 

Whether it develops into a baseball career or something completely different, I hope that in our interactions he develops in his character — some composure and how to handle his emotions and feelings. 

Hopefully from our interactions and relationships, he will get a clearer perspective on how to handle those moments and feelings. And in those moments, pointing back to “what would Jesus do…” 

I hope he has that kind of a response to things.

Turning challenging things into learning opportunities.

Hopefully in our interactions, I am a role model to him and set an example for him. And that in turn helps him be more successful in whatever he ends up pursuing — on or off the field. 

As our baseball and softball program have been growing, we want to increase opportunities for coaches and players to build deep, consistent relationships even when the summer is over. 

One opportunity is through our new initiative Next Level Coaching — where a coach commits to walking alongside one of their players for the next 12 months.