College Baseball Coaches: How to Develop Men, Not Just Athletes

In this episode, Matt sits down with Long Beach State Head Baseball Coach TJ Bruce for an honest and powerful conversation about coaching, parenting, and what true success really looks like. TJ shares his journey from playing and coaching at Long Beach, to UCLA, Nevada, TCU, and now leading the Dirtbags. But this conversation goes deeper than baseball—it's about raising men of integrity, balancing faith and career, and why player development is more than just wins and losses. We dive into the challenges of today's college baseball world—the transfer portal, NIL, year-round travel ball—and how parents and players can focus on what really matters. From instilling discipline and accountability, to building a culture rooted in toughness, brotherhood, and selflessness, Coach Bruce reveals the values that define Long Beach State Baseball. If you're a parent, athlete, coach, or fan of the game, this episode will inspire you to rethink success—on and off the field. What You'll Learn in This Episode: Why coaching is about developing men, not just players The challenges of NIL, the transfer portal & today's college baseball landscape Parenting lessons: multi-sport athletes, discipline, and accountability The "Dirtbag Way" and building culture at Long Beach State Balancing faith, family, and career in a results-driven world Why success goes beyond stats, rings, and draft picks 📌 Subscribe for more conversations with top coaches, players, and leaders in baseball. Alignd Sports: https://www.aligndsports.com/ 📷 Follow on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lbdirtbags https://www.instagram.com/mfhannaford/ #CollegeBaseball #LongBeachState #TJBruce #BaseballPodcast #PlayerDevelopment