Assistant Coach, FGCU

Florida, USA
Joined August 2023
Rusty McKee retweeted
I asked an MLB player what he wishes he knew earlier about hitting. “Feel-good BP is backwards. You’re wanting to feel good when it doesn’t matter and you have a false sense of 'being ready'" "Get your routine in. Then challenge yourself in the box every single day." "Nobody’s ever gotten a hit that counts in a cage." "All those barrels off a 47 mph fastball stay there. What comes with you is how you trained your eyes, your decisions, and your path at game speed.”
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Rusty McKee retweeted
The Brewers are the ultimate OUTLIER When I was diving in on the game and pitching matchup yesterday I found this. This is a statistic of the average degree of the barrel of the bat at contact point for each team. Everything to the left is pull side contact point. Everything to the right is opposite field contact point. 29 of the 30 teams are to the pull side. There’s just one to the opposite field. The Milwaukee Brewers. This is wild to me. And speaks volumes to their team approach. It means the ball is traveling deeper which has a ripple effect on everything else you’re trying to do as a hitter. It allows you to recognize off speed for a split second longer. Spit on pitches down and away. Keep pitches fair that you’re normally pulling foul. Foul line to foul line approach. The team with the best record in all of baseball is the ONLY team doing something. And they’re not even particularly close to any other teams. That’s pretty eye opening. Also shoutout Twins. Turn and burn, baby.
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Rusty McKee retweeted
One of baseball’s best base hit bunters Garrett Hampson. 1) Simple early turn. 2) Great bat angle out in front with barrel pointed to 1B coach. 3) Elbows point DOWN. 4) Sees the ball down off the bat before running.
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1987 Japan one-knee-down vs. 2026 U.S. one-knee-down.
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Delay pick 3B. Ideally you want to give the ball up a little sooner on the run down. The runner gets careless because he thinks you are going to your knees to return the ball to the pitcher. Timing is the key here. You have to be slow enough to set the runner up & fast enough to redirect your body angle before your knees hit the ground.
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Tony Gwynn shares what it took to become one of the greatest hitters of all time and how to master the mental game. "It took me a while to figure it out, but after about 4 or 5 years, I started to realize that this thing was more mental than it was physical." He didn't figure it out alone. "Those first 5 years, I had great conversations with a lot of great players. Pete Rose, Willie Stargell, Henry Aaron, Mike Schmidt. I had a chance to sit down and talk to 'em - pick their brain, find out how they do what they do." The greats learn from the greats. They never stop learning. They never stop wanting to get better. "After about 4 years, I started to realize that this is more mental than physical. So what I need to do is get an approach that I think will work and then just trust the approach. Trust what you practice on. Trust it." That's the key. Create the plan then work the plan. And when it's not working, you still trust yourself. "During the winter, I can hit in a cage and be mechanically sound. But the first time I hit live in spring training, I'll be lucky if I get a ball out of the cage." "For younger guys, that's a sign of, 'Oh, I'm not getting out of the cage,' so they try to speed things up, do things quicker." Trust your approach and stay under control. Don't let frustration change who you are. The game is mental. The greats know that and they learn how to build a process that works for them. They adapt as needed, but they learn the art of focus. Focusing on how to master and trust the process. (🎥Special Collections )
Tony Gwynn went to college on a basketball scholarship. He couldn't hit the ball out of the park. Scouts didn't see a star. But he hit .338 for his career. Won 8 batting titles. Made the Hall of Fame. His secret? A system he built from scratch: (📌Bookmark this)
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Transfer throw slo-mo. 1) Going out to get it. 2) Low exchange. 3) Ball down out of glove. 4) Open & supinated hand. 5) Power ‘V’ arm. 6) Glove in box formed by hips & shoulders. 7) Lead leg block. 8) Right foot down fast not gaining ground.
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Rusty McKee retweeted
Aaron Judge taking live BP at Yankee Stadium today. Via MLB Network
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Rusty McKee retweeted
J.D. Martinez has always been relentless about his PATH. Watch the top hand—tight turn, clean direction, barrel working through the middle. Elite hitters don’t get bored with the details. They OWN them. #CORE5 #HolisticHitting
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Rusty McKee retweeted
めちゃくちゃ理想的なスイング #西川史礁 #chibalotte
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Nick Pivetta today 4.1 IP, 0 ER, 7 Ks, 1 BB, 2 H, Got up to 64 pitches. 4S was at 92.6 mph which is down 1.5 mph from his avg. Command was good though. Thought he was cooked tbh so this was an encouraging outing.
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Rusty McKee retweeted
I always train multiple hitters at once. You see the difference between hitters quickly. Here's what shows up every time: Elite: Makes adjustments on their own, self corrects Average: Asks what's wrong with them Elite: Focuses on the next pitch Average: Changes intent and plan after every outcome Elite: Takes time between reps to process Average: Has no process or structure Elite: Focuses on their process and purpose Average: Acts like every pitch is the end of the world Similar talent. Opposite mindset and habits. Send this to a hitter who needs to see it. (Let me know which one you're trying to get better at.)
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Rusty McKee retweeted
"Try to preset instead of trying to force it." Hunter Possehl was just selected by the @Royals in the 8th Round of the MLB Draft. 👑⁠ ⁠ After a 7.32 ERA in 19.2 innings in 2025, he turned it around, posting a 3.21 ERA with 65 strikeouts across 67.1 innings at Florida Gulf Coast University this spring. 📈⁠ ⁠ #TreadFam
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FGCU continues to produce what MLB organizations want. #WingsUp
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Make it ✋ Eagles selected today as Javier Gorostola was chosen by the Athletics in the 17th round with the 501st overall pick in the @MLBDraft. #WingsUp
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FGCU pitcher @AshtonPocol is selected by the Chicago @Cubs in the 16th round with the 487th overall pick. This makes the 8th time that FGCU has had 4+ players chosen in a single @MLBDraft. #WingsUp
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With Chris Diaz's selection by the @Mariners, this marks the 3rd time in 4 years that FGCU has had at least 3 players drafted in the @MLBDraft. #WingsUp
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FGCU's Hunter Possehl becomes the 15th FGCU player to be selected in the first 10 rounds of the @MLBDraft. The All-ASUN pitcher was chosen by the Kansas City @Royals on Sunday. #WingsUp
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See what MLB Network analyst Carlos Collazo had to say about Evan Dempsey during the 2026 MLB Amateur Draft. #WingsUp
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Top-75 Draft Prospect @evandempsey24 shared his key to success on the eve of the MLB Amateur Draft. 🔗 brnw.ch/21x43qW #WingsUp
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