The Most Insane Baseball Performance You’ve Never Heard Of

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Some baseball stories transcend the game itself, becoming legends that remind us why we love this sport. Ryan Heath's April 23, 2007 performance is exactly that kind of story.

Imagine a quiet, hardworking kid from a small rural high school who had never hit a grand slam in his life. Then, in one magical doubleheader for Oakland University, he launches three grand slams, adds another home run, and drives in a staggering 14 RBIs. This isn't fiction – it's the incredible true story of a former Buckeye Valley player who made national headlines and found himself featured in Sports Illustrated after doing something that defies belief.

What makes Heath's story so powerful isn't just the eye-popping statistics, but the character behind them. Before becoming a Louisville Slugger National Player of the Week, he was a three-sport athlete who embodied everything coaches hope to develop: humility, grit, and a team-first mentality. His response after the historic performance? "I think I was just trying to hit a sac fly." That tells you everything about who he was as a player and person.

For coaches everywhere, this episode delivers a powerful reminder of why we invest countless hours in player development. The spectacular moments that make headlines are almost always built on a foundation of ordinary, consistent effort when nobody's watching. Ryan Heath's once-in-a-lifetime performance demonstrates what happens when preparation meets opportunity, and why character development matters just as much as physical skills. Listen now to this inspiring story that captures the very essence of what makes baseball so special and coaching so rewarding.

Join the Baseball Coaches Unplugged podcast where an experienced baseball coach delves into the world of high school and travel baseball, offering insights on high school baseball coaching, leadership skills, hitting skills, pitching strategy, defensive skills, and overall baseball strategy, while also covering high school and college baseball, recruiting tips, youth and travel baseball, and fostering a winning mentality and attitude in baseball players through strong baseball leadership and mentality.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
What if I told you one of the greatest offensive
performances in college baseballhistory came from a small-town
kid who never hit a grand slamin his life until he hit three
in one day On today's episode ofBaseball Coaches Unplugged, I'm
taking you back to April 23,2007, when a former Buckeye
Valley player of mine, ryanHeath, stepped on the field for

(00:22):
Oakland University and didsomething so unbelievable and
made national headlines Fourhome runs, three grand slams, 14
RBI and a doubleheader.
But this isn't just a storyabout stats.
It's about the kind of athleteevery coach hopes to develop
Humble, hardworking, preparedwhen the moment came.

(00:43):
Stick around as I share thisincredible story of a young man
who quietly made baseballhistory and the lessons we can
all learn from hisonce-in-a-lifetime performance.

Speaker 2 (00:57):
Welcome to Baseball Coaches Unplugged with Coach Ken
Carpenter, presented byAthleteOne.
Baseball Coaches Unplugged is apodcast for baseball coaches
With 27 years of high schoolbaseball coaching under his belt
, here to bring you the insidescoop on all things baseball,
from game-winning strategies andpitching secrets to hitting
drills and defensive drills.
We're covering it all.

(01:17):
Whether you're a high schoolcoach, college coach or just a
baseball enthusiast, we'll diveinto the tactics and techniques
that make the difference on andoff the field.
Discover how to build a winningmentality.
Inspire your players and getthem truly bought into your game
philosophy Plus, get the latestinsights on recruiting,
coaching, leadership andcrafting a team culture that

(01:37):
champions productivity andsuccess.
Join Coach every week as hebreaks down the game and shares
incredible behind-the-scenesstories.
Your competitive edge startshere, so check out the show
weekly and hear from the bestcoaches in the game.
On Baseball Coaches Unplugged.

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(03:01):
Now to one of the greatesthitting performances in college
baseball history.
Country.
Now to one of the greatesthitting performances in college
baseball history.
I want to tell you anincredible story, not just any
story, but one that reminds allof us why we coach While we put
in the long hours, the earlymornings, the tireless BP
sessions in the cage and theendless ground balls after
practice.
It's about one of my formerplayers at Buckeye Valley High

(03:24):
School, ryan Heath.
Now, back on April 23rd in 2007, something happened that still
doesn't feel real.
It was like one of those daysthat even when you tell it,
people look at you and go, no,there's no way that happened.
But I can tell you without adoubt it did, and I couldn't be

(03:45):
prouder to have played a solidplayer who played in the
all-Ohio series.
When he came through BuckeyeValley his senior year Quiet,
hardworking, coachable he wasn'tthe biggest player in our
lineup, but you didn't have toworry about his attitude and

(04:07):
effort and man, he had grit.
He bought into doing things theright way.
He was a student of the game,never wanted to make it about
himself, always about the team.
He was a coach on the field, atrue team leader, one of the
best I've ever had theopportunity to coach, and he had
the opportunity to sign aDivision I scholarship with

(04:28):
Oakland University.
Fast forward to his senior yearat Oakland University.
That's where this unbelievablechapter begins.
It was a doubleheader againstWestern Illinois A typical
college conference series, right?
Nothing too out of the ordinary.
Well, until Ryan Heath steppedinto the batter's box that day,

(04:50):
he went five for seven on theday.
But here's where it gets wild.
He hit four home runs, three ofthem grand slams, and drove in
14 runs 14.
That's video game stuff.
Before that day, ryden hadn'thit a single home run all season
not one and he had never hit agrand slam in his entire career.

(05:14):
That day alone he hit three Ingame one.
He was three for three with twogrand slams, a double and nine
RBI.
In the nightcap he addedanother grand slam, a solo shot
and five more RBI.
And when he was asked about itafterward, in true Ryan fashion,

(05:35):
he said I don't even know howto explain it, I think I was
just trying to hit a sack fly.
Now, that's the same kid Iremember at Buckeye Valley,
humble, focused, unshaken by themoment, just doing his job.
His performance earned himLouisville Slugger National
Player of the Week Award, makinghim only the sixth player in

(05:56):
the history of theMid-Conference to receive that
award, and rightfully so.
You don't double your seasonRBI total in one day without
turning some heads.
Sports Illustrated featured himand the Detroit Tigers had him
show up for a game and throw outa first pitch.
But here's the thing that hitshome for me.

(06:17):
For any coach listening, it'seasy to see the highlight, the
stat line, the awards.
But what people don't realizeis he's a three-sport athlete
football, basketball andbaseball.
He played at a rural school andcompeted the right way.
He had the ability to play morethan one position in college

(06:39):
and became a four-year starterand a team captain.
A quiet leader.
Ryan Heath didn't just show upat Oakland and become that guy.
He became that guy over yearsof hard work and dedication,
when the lights weren't on andthe crowds weren't watching.
Another highlight was when wewere groomsmen for another

(07:01):
teammate of Ryan at BuckeyeValley, matt Stegner.
We were in his wedding.
That's why we coach, becausesometimes a kid you've worked
with in high school goes outinto the world and has a day
that no one will ever forget andhe carries with him the lessons
he learned when no one waswatching.

(07:21):
To all the coaches out theregrinding right now trust the
process.
And to all the players chasingthe dream keep working, because
one day it will be your turnwhen the ball just keeps going.
Thanks for listening.
This has been Baseball CoachesUnplugged.
I'm Coach Ken Carpenter andI'll see you next time.

(07:41):
Baseball Coaches Unplugged isproud to be partnered with the
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(08:03):
a friend, and don't forget tohit that subscribe button.
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As always.
I'm Head Coach Ken Carpenter,and thanks for joining me on
Baseball Coaches Unplugged.
Thank you.