In this episode of Coach Cut’s Corner, RS sophomore pitcher Oliver Raczysnki joins the show to talk about growth, patience, adversity, and the reality of development over time.

Oliver’s journey through Lansing Community College Baseball has not been built on shortcuts or overnight success. It has been built through consistency, failure, learning, and showing up through difficult moments. Over the last three years, he has developed into one of the program's most trusted arms while growing just as much off the field as on it.

This conversation goes far beyond baseball.

We dive into Oliver’s upbringing, the people who shaped him, and the mentors who helped guide him through challenges both inside and outside the game. He shares lessons learned from family, coaches, teammates, and the difficult moments that forced him to mature.

We also talk about the mental side of pitching, including how to handle pressure, build confidence, control emotions, and understand that development rarely happens as quickly as people want it to.

This episode is honest, reflective, and packed with perspective for players, coaches, and parents who are trying to understand what real development actually looks like.

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Related Podcast: Stars on Sports

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Registered dietitian and owner of RDKate Sports Nutrition.

As a member of the LCC STARS athletic department, I teach our athletes what to eat and when to eat it on training days, competition days and throughout the year.

For over a decade, I've been helping athletes of all sports and levels meet their goals.

RD Cate Sports Nutrition offers individual consulting team services, on demand courses and downloadable handouts.

For more information, visit RDKate.

Hello friends, and welcome to Coach Cuts Corner, Streaming bright from Michigan's capital city.

This podcast is dedicated to helping you.

Better understand the who, the what and.

The why of mental performance, personal growth and Lansing Stars baseball down on the fixing line.

Coach Cuts Corner brought to you by iwash in collaboration with Lansing Community to college.

And now, here's your host, Stephen Cutter.

Welcome to Coach Cut's Corner.

Today's guest is redshirt sophomore pitcher Oliver Rosinski.

Oliver's journey has been one built over time.

Nothing was handed to him, just steady growth, consistency, maturity, and learning how to handle the demands that come with college baseball and life.

Over the last three seasons, he has developed into one of the trusted arms in our program and somebody that our team knows can handle pressure, situations and moments.

What stands out most about Oliver is not just the pitcher he has become, but the person he has become throughout the process.

This episode dives into his upbringing, the people who shaped him, the adversity that helped mold him, and the lessons learned through failure, development and competition.

We're going to talk about family, mentors, baseball, leadership, confidence, and what it really takes to stick with something long enough to see growth happen.

Let's get into it.

Welcome to the studios.

Thank you for having me.

Absolutely.

Fired up that you're here.

First podcast for you it is.

Yeah.

Okay.

All right.

Well, it's going to be a great one.

Take us back to the beginning.

What was it like growing up for you in the.

The mean streets of Hudsonville?

Man, it was awesome.

We grew up.

Or I grew up.

You could call it Zealand.

We had school of choice.

Hudsonville had an elementary school very close to us, kind of the countryside.

Okay.

Yeah.

So it wasn't a ton of athletics growing up.

It was a lot of outdoorsy kind of stuff.

Not necessarily like the hunting and fishing.

That would be like the four wheelers.

And that kind of stuff.

I was on a dirt bike at the age of two, so that kind of tells you a lot.

I didn't start playing baseball, I guess travel.

I played T ball and Little League and whatnot.

And that was always great.

But travel ball started when I was like 12, 13.

Okay.

So would be considered today probably a little bit later than.

Than most.

I remember my parents told me the first season I started, they're like, yeah, they asked you to play last year, but we said no.

And they never told me about it.

And I remember being really upset because I was like, I missed out, but in hindsight, didn't matter.

So you probably spent a lot of your childhood outdoors for sure.

You know, things like that.

So that when you start looking back at things like that, that, that somewhat shapes you when, you know, spending that time outdoors and you learn how to do things that, you know, a lot of kids don't learn how to do when you.

When you're outdoors and, you know, doing that kind of stuff.

Yeah.

You mentioned that you were, you were on a dirt bike at 2.

Did you have any injuries when you were younger from that dirt bike?

Yeah, I did.

It was from a quad, actually.

Okay.

It was this little blue Yamaha quad.

I think I was in second grade.

I was wearing these Tony Hawk skate shoes riding around the front.

Legendary Tony Hawk.

Yeah, they were untied at the time.

Oh, even better.

Yeah.

Long story short, my shoelace got caught in the chain, pulled my ankle and.

And tore up my Achilles.

Send in.

Oh, my goodness.

It was a big ordeal.

I was in the cast for a while.

It was scary, but I would imagine.

I recovered just fine.

So you started playing baseball at around age 12 or so.

Did you play any other sports at that point?

No.

I tried soccer when I was really young and I took karate classes, but it was always just baseball.

Okay.

Were you pretty solid at baseball at 12 years old?

Yeah.

What was it, the swing or the arm or what was it?

Why, why are you smiling when I say swing?

I could swing it.

I really could.

I know we had a game recently.

I didn't show it very well, but.

Yeah, I mean, like, I don't want to jump that far forward.

But you do, you do have a college at bat at this point?

Yeah, when I was younger, I definitely stood out as a hitter and then I could also pitch in the mound, so it was really fun.

You're really tall or pretty tall.

Were you pretty large as a, you know, 12 year old too?

I'd assume so.

I was definitely taller.

Okay.

Okay.

So you started playing travel ball.

Were you playing like middle school baseball too?

Just Little League?

Yeah.

Okay.

All ball here and there too.

Were you a little league all star?

Yeah.

Yeah.

Home run derby, too.

Really?

Okay.

14 Home runs the first round.

Oh, my goodness.

That might be more than any star position players ever had.

That's.

That's incredible.

Was there people that helped kind of shape that sports journey early on?

Yeah, I think my parents just showed me, like, an unconditional amount of support.

They never really played sports a ton growing up, and, like, my siblings didn't really either, so they kind of just blindly supported me playing.

But it was never like, forced, like, we're going to the cage, we're going to the field, like, we're going to do this, this, this.

They just wanted to support what I wanted to do.

And so that really gave me a ton of freedom, but also, like, the ability to go as in as much as I wanted to.

And then when I got towards, like, Little league and like 15U, maybe 14U, I had a coach that was really impactful.

Coach Alkema.

He was a clubhouse at the time I played for.

He, like, really was, like, supportive, but also, like, really wanted me to dive in and, like, get.

He, like, he got me in the gym, like, pulled me out of, like, my house, like, wanted me to come do these things, like, I guess, like a mentor would do or something.

So that was kind of cool at the time.

Any lessons that you learned during those young years that you still carry with you?

I remember the same coach, he would bring, like, four of us to the YMCA to throw when most places were closed or I'm not sure what the case was, but that's what we were throwing.

Then afterwards, they would all go to the gym and lift, and I always would just go home.

Like, I didn't want anything to do with the gym.

And why?

I don't know.

I think it was kind of rooted in, like, maybe like an insecurity because I was always, like, really skinny and not strong by any means.

I'm just gonna avoid that.

So I think the lesson would be to.

I wish, like, I would have leaned into it a little bit more, but that's about it.

When did the college baseball start looking like it could be a possibility?

Not that it was a possibility, but when you did, you start thinking it could be possibility.

I think it would have to have been the summer going into my senior year of high school.

Okay.

And then.

So then that fall and that winter.

Mainly just the winter, because that's when I got a lot better.

I jumped from, like, random low 80s to.

I had a travel ball coach coach the K2 52 bananas.

And he saw that I could be a lot more than what I was and helped me get there and gave me some looks like, like college schools.

And I was like, wait, I'm kind of competitive right now.

Okay.

I'm kind of like standing out.

So, yeah, I guess my senior winter, then my junior summer, going into my senior year.

Your high school teams were pretty competitive.

Were you a two way?

No, no, I was a Pl.

For.

Okay, so that, that little league home run derby, was that kind of the, the pinnacle of the swing?

Well, there was travel ball too.

I played elite with Parker Vaughn.

One of our.

Yeah, I think you sent me a video at one point, trying to get in at bat and you hit a home run into the trees.

I was hanging over the field by a long way, but yeah, I could.

Swing it Then I think my, my school was just very competitive.

And then they just saw me as a pitcher and I didn't fight it.

And so that's kind of what happened.

I also took a.

An A tech ball off my.

Off my hat or my head during practice one day.

They probably scrapped me then, really.

So you start realizing, like, I make a jump in velo, I. I can do this.

And is that what you really wanted or were you like, if it happens, it happens.

Kind of just like, if it happens, it happens.

I mean, most of high school, I was never really focused on baseball.

I kind of just was solid at it.

I was always worried about like, like dirt biking or snowboarding or other things outside.

So then when I kind of realized, like, oh, I could do this, that's when I started leaning into it a lot more.

So then you go through that process and you obviously end up here.

It was three seasons ago.

You walk in as a freshman and what was that like?

It was odd, for sure.

I remember I came here on like, our student athlete orientation, I believe.

Yeah.

And I drove up with a few other freshmen, but it was a third year who was driving us and he was like, telling all these stories.

And we met with another who would be a third year at the time, at some place to get food.

And it was just kind of like.

It just kind of felt normal, I guess.

And then like, getting into practice and whatnot, meeting all these new faces and seeing all these new people, it was exciting.

I didn't really, like, think anything of it.

I just wanted to stand out, I guess, and I wanted to like, stand out on the mound and like, perform well.

But looking back, I don't remember feeling much of, like, stress or anything, I guess.

What was your freshman season here at LCC like?

It was interesting.

I remember I had a really Great winter season in bullpens and then live at bats.

And I was named our starter for our opening day, and that was really exciting.

And I didn't do very well.

And then I continued to get opportunities on the mountain, and some of them were great, some of them were not so great.

I remember in Florida, I pitched like, six innings with 12 strikeouts, and I felt like I was incredible.

And then one of my next starts were horrible.

And so I ended up having around 30 innings mixed in some starts and some reliefs, but it was just never very consistent.

Fair to say you kind of rode a roller coaster a little bit?

For sure.

Did frustration build in at any points during that freshman year?

Yeah, I think I.

In the back of my head, it was a lot of frustration, but I would mask it by, like, a sense of not caring or trying to tell myself that it doesn't matter.

That's something I used to tell my parents all the time.

Like, travel ball, high school.

Like, after a poor outing, it's like, I don't care.

Like, it doesn't matter.

Like, I try and rub it off.

And I definitely spent my time after those poor performances doing that instead of, like, allowing it to really sit in and, like, reflect on it.

When did that start changing for you?

This year, I would say.

I had a conversation with my dad where I kind of opened up to him about it for the first time ever.

And he was like, yeah, we kind of always assumed it was like a mask, but we didn't really want to pry too much.

And, like, yeah, it honestly was, even if I didn't realize it, but accepting that, like, my shortcomings, like, were what they were and, like, trying to build off them instead of.

Well, to rewind, I guess I had to admit that I did care a lot.

And that's when I started to kind of take those shortcomings into steps to more success.

Yeah, that's.

That's the Oliver that I saw in year one.

I know we had a lot of different conversations and stuff like that, and.

And for sure could see the care levels there.

It was just a little bit scary at times, you know, and you come into year two and nice, you know, fall winter season again, and then some injuries and some other things.

And so you end up red shirting last year, and you come into year three as a red shirt sophomore.

What were your thoughts on day one?

Because you got to experience two other day ones, you know, so there's some maturity there.

What were your thoughts?

I don't know.

I was just kind of happy to Be back.

And I felt like I really belonged.

Just happy to be back.

And let's hope that I can make the most of it because it wasn't like a big risk or a big step in deciding to come back for a third year.

Yeah.

Do you believe that failures played a big role in your development of who you are today?

Of course.

Yeah.

And is that because you've started leaning into that versus covering it up?

Yes.

Yeah, for sure.

Like leaning into the failures and accepting them instead of trying to push them away and cover them up?

Most definitely.

How much of pitching do you believe is mental?

If you asked me a year or two ago, I'd say, like, barely any.

But now it's like almost everything.

What's the difference?

I think it's just like truly believing in yourself.

And if you aren't mentally prepared when you get on the mound and when things aren't going your way, you're not going to be able to handle it well.

Yeah.

Preparation for anything in life is like, super important if you want to give yourself a best chance to do well with it.

I think a lot of young players expect instant success.

You know, what would you tell them now after living through this development process that you've been through?

I would say, especially those who want to go junior college, go juco.

You're going to come and you're going to think you're the best.

You're going to expect results without putting in any work prior.

But the true confidence and the real success comes to the preparation, the months prior.

And that's what's really going to build you to become the athlete that you think you are.

You mentioned confidence.

How much has your confidence changed from, say, your freshman year or sophomore year to this year?

I think it's changed immensely.

Not only in the amount that I have, but the kind of confidence I have.

I think my first two years it was a lot of false confidence or confidence in the results.

And now it's confidence to preparation.

It's something I tell myself every day.

I'm confident because I'm prepared.

Yeah, that's one of those things, too, where we circle it back to preparation.

Your preparation is really solid this year.

You take the mound and you have a different aura about you and it's a different look.

And you're a relief pitcher for us, at least right now.

And you come in and usually sometimes dirty innings, and what a dirty inning means is there's runners on base.

It's not a clean inning.

So there's.

There's that added layer of Pressure.

And if you're not mentally and physically prepared when you go in those types of innings, it's really hard to have any kind of success.

What about, like, leadership?

When we talk about leadership, what's leadership mean to you now and what's it look like?

I think it's just being a role model and it's being true to what you say, like your actions to reflect your voice.

Did you have any.

You mentioned some more mature players when you got here, meaning that they'd been here longer.

Did you have anybody that kind of mentored you along this journey, like what you're doing for others now?

I think so.

I had a teammate.

He was a 30 at the time, and definitely up and down kind of guy.

But when it mattered and in our season during, like, before every game, we would listen to a Brian Kane podcast.

Like, we'd go find a nice spot, sit on a bench.

And that really stands out to me because even though everything else aside, like, that's someone who wanted to kind of see, like, a young person and, like, build a good or a great routine in them, I guess.

Yeah.

What about now?

Who do you mentor?

I don't know if there's one name in specific.

I think it's just when I see it, I try and say it, but if I had to pick somebody, it'd be my roommate, Matt.

Matt Whiteman.

He's already, by himself.

A great guy, great leader, and we've been catch partners for a couple months now, and I think he's someone that we kind of just build off each other, pick each other up.

Yeah.

Sarge is a great, great person.

What kind of example do you want to set for the younger players in the program?

You know, I think you started leaning into processes and leaning into leadership and leaning into being vocal.

What kind of examples are you trying to set for, you know, some of the freshmen here who have matured a lot in a lot of different ways, of course, but setting that example is pretty important.

Just preparation, confidence through preparation and understanding that it's a lot bigger than yourself most days.

Yeah, very true.

While we're recording this, we're at a very unique part of our season.

We're in the postseason at this point, getting ready to host our regional series of three games.

Are you excited?

Very excited.

Playoff baseball is just different and it's super fun.

And it's very fortunate because that first year team missed the playoffs, even though they had an incredible record that year, by all numbers.

But so last year, you got to be a part of it.

You Got to see it.

You got to kind of see what went into it.

You weren't pitching, obviously, at that point.

So you're pretty excited to be able to pitch this year in games that matter.

Yeah, you don't even know.

Can't wait.

What are some of your goals moving forward after the stars?

I just want to, number one, to continue play and to compete and I don't want to give up on my craft, I guess.

Yeah, that's pretty cool.

If you could sit down with your younger self, what advice would you give them?

To be more intentional.

When did you learn that?

Within the past year?

Even though it was being taught to you for three?

Yeah.

What kind of.

We speak a lot about legacy.

Sometimes it's in season, a lot of times it's in the fall and stuff like that.

But man, there's a theme of legacy that runs through our program.

You can see the legacy in our social media too.

You can see the legacy on our walls.

You can hear the legacy in our stories.

What type of legacy do you want to leave here?

I think a legacy that I would like to be a part of is building a culture that is kind of just like a standard.

I know it's talked about a lot and I think on the pitching side this year, our P's is what we call them.

I think we've built a great, a great culture and I just hope to see that continue to carry on.

And I think that's a legacy I want to be a part of.

Yeah, it's a pretty solid legacy for sure.

You're a part of a team this year that's had to scratch and claw, you know, didn't start really hot.

Took almost sometime in April before we got above.500.

Had to really fight and have went through part of a team.

You didn't sign up for it, but you went through a lot of adversity this year, you know, some more than others.

And it's one of those things where it's kind of helped shape this team and made it somewhat resilient.

Even though it didn't feel like it was helping at all at the time, it just kind of sucked, you know.

But you've been a great.

You've done incredible on field and you've obviously done really incredible off the field.

And that's where like we spoke when CD was on here about everything affects everything and lo and behold it does.

It really makes a difference.

So I got some rapid fire questions for you.

You ready for them?

Yeah.

Favorite pre game music TV girl.

Best hitter.

You've ever faced in college could be a star.

Jack Bacus Most competitive teammate you've had could be high school college.

Parker Vaughn.

Favorite road trip memory on.

Our spring trip in high school we would go to Wawa and get smoothies after every practice.

One word to describe this season Built One word to describe Coach Radek Assistant thanks for being on the show.

You did awesome.

Thank you.

Winning fades habits Last week Growth, especially for everybody like Ali and others, takes time.

Ali's is a great example of that.

Reality development is rarely loud.

Most of it happens quietly behind the scenes, through hard days, uncomfortable moments, failure, some discipline and continuing to show up and stack bricks.

That is what this program is built on.

I appreciate Oliver coming on the show and sharing more than just baseball today.

The story behind the player matters and there's value in hearing the journey journey that shaped him into who he is becoming.

Thank you to everyone who continues to support Give more than you take.

We are all playing a game we cannot win, so why not go all in and go Stars.

Coach Cutscorner is recorded live in the WLMZ Studios with the Dalian Lowry providing engineering and production assistance.

Thanks for listening.

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