HIGHLAND HEIGHTS, Ky. — The late great Hall of Fame catcher Yogi Berra once said, “Baseball is 90% mental. The other half is physical." Northern Kentucky University head baseball coach Dizzy Peyton and his staff have found historic success following Berra's philosophy.
"We are willing to take time away from taking a ground ball to really hone in on our mental skills," Peyton said.
"I think it’s just as important as the physical side," assistant coach Steve Dintaman said.
"Our coaches, like I said, do a phenomenal job because they don’t ever talk about the wins," said Treyvin Moss, graduate student outfielder.
However, the Norse are winning — a lot, accomplishing their best start in program history and sitting atop the Horizon League. NKU uses the word "mindfulness" when describing their mental approach to the game.
"Breathing, visualization, kind of just taking the time or be present and be where your feet are," Moss said.
They've been using tools like concentration grids, spending two minutes counting jumbled numbers on a sheet of paper before every game.
"It’s something I didn’t really buy into until the last couple years, but every day I come to the field it just shows itself more and more," said infielder Liam McFadden-Ackman.
"Greg Maddux uses a sports psychologist. You don’t need one? Tiger Woods uses a guy. You don’t need one?" Dintaman said. "A lot of these guys it’s new to them. But they know other players have had success with it. They buy into it. They know it’s part of our program."
"In a game such as baseball where you fail so much you just have to focus one pitch at a time,” McFadden-Ackman said.
Buying in makes all the difference. Earlier this season, McFadden-Ackman was batting .176. Then he hit two grand slams in one inning. He now leads the team in batting average, RBI and home runs.
"The game of baseball is a roller coaster. And not to ride the roller coaster, you know you’re going to have ups and downs,” McFadden-Ackman said.
"We have already made the decision prior to anything happening to us that we are going to respond in a positive and enthusiastic way forward," Peyton said. "We are not going to look back, we are not going to worry about the future."
Visual aids, supporting mindfulness, can be found all over the Norse dugout.
"A big part of it is that release. That’s why the toilet is in our dugout. It's a release you can go to when the at-bat is over," Dintaman said.
Something to flush the past away.
"No matter if you’re 0-4 or whatever the case may be, something good is going to happen this at-bat," Moss said about a sign that reads, "Something good is about to happen."
McFadden-Ackman's favorite sign is the "Perspective Poster."
Peyton said he prefers a literal oar from a boat.
"PJ Fleck is a guy that coaches at Minnesota, he came up with the book and the mantra of ‘Row the Boat’ and to be honest with you it kind of changed my life … because it made it so much easier. I didn’t have to worry about what was in the past, I learned from the past. I don’t worry about what’s too much in the future, but what I can control right now is rowing," Peyton said.
It looks unconventional, but the results are proven beyond the time spent playing nine innings.
"If I have a bad day at the plate, that’s not who I am," McFadden-Ackman said. "I’m so much more than a baseball player. That’s something that has really helped me, just in the game and outside of baseball."
Peyton said he speaks to the team a lot about the importance of things off the plate — "that's where my interest level is the least."
"And that’s what he preaches all along, it’s not just preparing you for the best baseball player you can be, it’s preparing you for the next step of your life,” Dintaman said.
Being mentally prepared for life makes games easier to win.
"This is all fun, it’s a lot of fun. Enjoy it while you can," said Moss. "It’s much deeper than that. Life is much bigger than a game."
