Coach Linder Finds Nemo!!! at Kent State’s Softball Showcase Camp!!!

Kent State University head softball coach Karen Linder has a simple coaching philosophy: strive for excellence each and every day. Coach Linder, the 2004 Mid American Conference Coach of the Year, just completed one her most successful seasons at KSU, leading the Golden Flashes to an eastern division championship, the second one in eight years. However, when you ask Coach Linder about the success of her team she gets more excited about their academic success than their athletic accomplishments. “My goal as a coach has always been to have teams that excel both academically and athletically. I want to be on top in both categories. I think it says a great deal about character, values, and work ethic when a team succeeds both on the field and in the classroom. Education should be an athlete’s number one priority at all levels. I want all of our players to work to get the best grades they possibly can. In today’s society it is easy for athletes to be satisfied with just getting by, but that does not cut it in our program. I expect our athletes to strive for academic success just as much as they do for athletic success.”

Coach Linder has a lot to be proud of because last spring two of her seniors, shortstop Marci Ridenbaugh and catcher Carrie Eneix, were named first team Verizon CoSida Academic All Americans. Kent State was the only program in the country to have two athletes make the first team. In addition, senior pitcher Kate Leary also made first team Academic All District.

Another one of Coach Linder’s accomplishments is the Kent State University Softball Showcase Camp that she directs annually. The camp is one of the largest and most attended recruiting camps in the mid west. Last year over 400 athletes and over 100 college coaches were in attendance. It is a great place for high school athletes to showcase their skills in front of college coaches from various parts of the country. Linder’s goal was to help bring coaches and athletes together in a setting that would benefit both.

The Showcase Camp is where Coach Linder was introduced to Nemo’s Speed Hitting Program. “When I talked to Coach Nemo about his training program, I knew it was exactly what I had been searching for to help make our hitters more powerful.” The Nemo program increases bat speed by using a light wooden bat to train the fast twitch muscle fibers used in the swing. Hitters can take hundreds of swings in various drills that emphasize bat speed without getting fatigued. Fatigue often leads to mechanical break downs in the swing creating bad habits. Linder has found by using the Nemo’s bats on a daily basis my athletes have become more consistent in their swing mechanics and have developed more power and confidence.

“We have used the Nemo bats religiously throughout our spring and fall seasons. There are all kinds of drills that can be done with the bats to create a faster, more powerful swing. We use them in dry swings, tee work, soft toss, front short toss and batting practice with our hitting streak and golf whiffle ball machines. Our players get hundreds of swings a day with emphasis on bat speed and I have really seen a huge improvement in power from all of our players, even our smaller ones. The Nemo bat has also helped us improve our bunting technique. The smaller bat surface has helped improve eye hand coordination as well as eye tracking abilities, especially when used with golf whiffle balls.”

Linder not only used the Nemo speed training bats with her college team but also with her son’s ten year old Little League All Star team. This team, finished third in the state of Ohio, loved playing home run derby with the speed training bats. “The boys found they had greater bat speed, which in turn provided more power. I saw a huge increase in power in their swings, just like I did with my college players. It is really exciting to see how the speed training bats have helped improve hitting confidence in both boys and girls, young and old.

I would recommend using the Nemo Speed Hitting Program in any baseball or softball program no matter what the experience level of the team. It certainly has helped both the Kent State softball team and the Tallmadge All Stars win championships.”