Coach’s Corner | Jake Valentine: Recruiting, Culture, and Competing at Michigan

On this episode of Coach’s Corner – powered by CorVive, host Walter Beede sits down with Jake Valentine, Associate Head Coach and Recruiting Coordinator at the University of Michigan, for an honest, in-depth conversation about recruiting, development, and what it really takes to compete at the highest level of college baseball.

Coach Valentine shares insight into Michigan’s national recruiting approach, the evolution of the Big Ten into an elite baseball conference, and why camps, relationships, and fit matter more than ever in today’s recruiting landscape.

Key topics include:

• How Michigan evaluates high school athletes in a portal-driven era

• Why camps have become critical for relationship building

• Skill sets coaches value beyond velocity and exit velo

• The importance of strength, speed, nutrition, and availability

• Preparing for the physical and mental jump to college baseball

• Why locker room culture and relationships still separate great teams

This episode delivers real clarity for families navigating recruiting and athletes who want to understand what elite programs are truly looking for — on and off the field.

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