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Meet Coach Hart

Hey there! I'm so glad you're here and I'm honored to share a bit of my story so you can know the man behind Building Better Baseball...
  • I was born and raised in Burtonsville, MD
  • I played youth baseball in the Montgomery County Baseball Association (MCBA)
  • I was a 3 sport varsity athlete at Paint Branch High School, class of 2008 - lettering in football, basketball, and baseball.
  • I pitched at the Division 2 and Junior College level before finishing my career at Division 3 - Salisbury University. 
  • I graduated with a BA in Physical Education Teaching, with minors in Exercise Science and Athletic Coaching.
  • I'm currently an elementary school physical education teacher and couldn't be happier!
  • After graduating, I spent 5 years as a youth baseball coach before stepping down and founding Building Better Baseball in January of 2021.

Keep scrolling to see my short story about my inspiration for BBB!

A short story about my inspiration for BBB

My first youth baseball tryout was when I was 9 years old - I remember it like it was yesterday.  It was for the Burtonsville Blaze (MCBA) in the gym of my future alma mater, Paint Branch high school.

I was shaking nervous because I had never tried out for a team before and I didn't think I would make it, so my confidence was nowhere to be found. Not only was I the LAST player picked - but I was picked for the taxi squad, not the full time team. 

I didn't have a position I was best at, but I knew I loved baseball and was interested in learning how to pitch.  One of the assistant coaches, Coach Graves, was a former college pitcher. During our 2nd practice, he pulled me aside and taught me the basic mechanics of the pitching motion. 

I FELL IN LOVE. I practiced those mechanics every single day.
By the end of the season, I transitioned off the taxi squad and became one of the best pitchers on the team. I went on to have a very successful pitching career through youth baseball, high school, and college.

I give thanks and credit to Coach Graves for taking his time to teach me the mechanics of pitching - which was the backbone and foundation that I built my pitching career on. 
Because Coach Graves provided me this foundation, it led me to experience success on the mound and encouraged me to practice basic fundamentals to improve in all areas of baseball. 

This ultimately led to an amazing baseball experience that I will carry with me forever.  I want to do my best to pay this forward to future generations.  

My goal is to be "Coach Graves" for your child. 

I want to give your child a foundation of fundamentals and mechanics in all areas of baseball, which they can build an incredible baseball career on. It's amazing what a child is capable of with proper guidance and a little encouragement.  
I'm a direct example of a player who started with little skill, but grew to love the game of baseball and had success because a coach put his time into teaching me fundamentals and mechanics.  This is the core vision of Building Better Baseball.