Maximizing Your Baseball and Softball Offseason Performance with P.R.E.P. Strategies

Off-Season PREP: A Game Plan for Baseball Athletes

Kathy Ryan-Ceisel, PT MHS

Athletic Edge and Wellness - Overhead Throwing Expert

Looking ahead to the 2026 Baseball and Softball Season

Summer ball is done—but your baseball journey isn’t. The off-season is a powerful time to recharge, assess, and come back stronger. Use our P.R.E.P. Method to guide recovery, evaluation, and preparation for next season:

P – Preview the Next Season

R – Recover from the Grind

E – Evaluate Your Performance

P – Prepare for What’s Next

🧭 PREVIEW: Looking Ahead

The first month of the off-season is decision time.. Ask yourself:

🔍 Team Dynamics & Role

• Will you try out for a new team or return to your current one?

• Does the team’s vision align with your personal goals?

• Will you compete for a starting position or take on a new role?

• Will you have a new catcher?

• For pitchers, will you have a different role in the team?

🗓️ Off-Season Planning

• Will you play fall ball or another sport?

• What does your off-season training plan look like?

• Will you be looking for a different pitching or hitting coach

  
  

🛠️ RECOVER: Rest to Rebuild

August is for rest and recovery—physically and mentally. Between high school and travel season, the body needs time to rest and recover.

🩹 Address Lingering Issues

• Did you play through pain or injury?

• Are you experiencing any overuse injuries?

• Now’s the time for medical evaluation and proper rest.

Often after July 4^th, overuse can ramp up due to the cumulative effects of long weekend tournaments. Travel teams carry less players than high school and players are just throwing more frequently and maybe from different positions than their high school team. Other players may not have seen as much action in high school and then have a steep ramp up in travel ball.

Taking 3 months off from throwing allows the UCL and shoulder tissues to heal. Structured rest and reduced throwing volume support long-term ligament remodeling and resilience.

🧠 Prioritize Mental Recovery

• Enjoy family time, vacations, and non-baseball activities.

• Burnout is real: 50% of athletes quit sports by age 13 due to pressure.

• Take a break—ride a bike, go swimming, or just relax.

🍽️ Refocus on Nutrition

• Cut back on road-trip food: hot dogs, chips, fast food.

• Increase protein intake—most high school athletes fall short.

😴 Reset Your Sleep Schedule

Prioritize your sleep schedule; in between early-late games, long tournament weekends, and teenagers sleep habits can severely impact your athlete’s sleep schedule. Numerous studies show the correlation between poor sleep, performance, and injury risk:

• <7 hours/night → 1.7× higher injury risk

• ≤6 hours → 2× fatigue-related injury risk

• ≤5.8 hours → Nearly 2× concussion risk

Now’s the time to reestablish sleep routines before school starts.

📊 EVALUATE: Reflect with Purpose

Take a deep dive into your season:

⚾ Performance Metrics

• Batting average vs. slugging percentage

• Walk-to-strikeout ratio

⚙️ Pitcher-Specific Stats

• What is your strike % and first-pitch strike rate?

• What is you WHIP (walks + hits per inning pitched)?

• What was you command of each pitch?

🧠 Contextual Factors

• Were there illnesses or injuries that affected your play?

• Did coaching decisions impact your performance?

• Comparison of travel vs. high school season workloads

🔍 Get a Movement Screen

A movement screen assesses flexibility, mobility, balance, and mechanics. Even small changes—1" of height or 5 lbs of muscle—can affect how an athlete moves. By identifying and addressing flaws and weak links, athletes can gain the competitive edge during the off season. A movement screen provides athletes an ongoing tool to adjust their training.  This assessment help to connect the athlete’s capabilities to skill and peak performance. 

Why Get Screened?

• Identify physical constraints; mobility deficits, strength issues, and muscular imbalances.

• Customize your off-season training

• Prevent injury

• Track changes as your body develops

🕒 Timing matters: Evaluating physical constraints at the beginning of the off season is the optimal time to do it! By assessing physical constraints before the next season starts this leads to greater success going into next year. Identifying those issues not only allows you to perform better but protects you against future injury. When off-season muscle imbalances are not addressed, this can lead to a carry over to the next season.

Prioritizing physical impairments early on in the season opens the window for greater gains. By understanding those deficits in September, your window of opportunity is much greater than trying to take care of it after the holidays.  Early off-season evaluation leads to better planning. With ~20 weeks in the off-season, your gains depend on starting now.

Key Factors That Affect Progress

1. Consistency: 4–6x/week beats 1–2x.

2. Intensity: Resistance and deep-range work speed progress.

3. Body Area: Ankles/shoulders may improve faster than hips/T-spine.

4. Stiffness Level: Beginners often see faster gains.

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🎯 PREPARE: Train with Intention

Set clear, realistic goals for next season:

🎯 Define Your Goals

• Are you aiming to make a specific travel team?

• Are you transitioning to high school or prepping for college exposure?

• Are you training for a scholarship opportunity?

🧰 Identify Your Resources

• Gym or team training?

• Private coaching?

• Time availability for sport-specific work?

🧠 Plan with a Purpose

• Which fielding, hitting, or pitching skills need work?

• Are your priorities different for travel vs. high school?

• What support will your coaches provide?

• Are you lifting weights—and doing it smartly?

📆 If you’re doing the same workouts as two years ago, it’s time to evolve. Your body has changed—your training should too.

⚠️ Playing multiple sports? Coordinate with coaches to avoid overtraining.

🔚 Final Thought

Off-season isn’t time off—it’s time on purpose.

• Preview where you're headed.

• Recover fully.

• Evaluate your game honestly.

• Prepare like a pro.

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What you do from August to January determines how you perform next spring.

🎯 Need help? Set up a movement screen or custom off-season plan today: 224-505-EDGE

Athletic Edge and Wellness, Illinois Baseball Edge, and 1Top Prospect in Algonquin IL are your professional throwing partners in elite baseball/softball performance and arm care through the continuum of ages and competition levels.  We offer team and hyper-personalized private instruction to help players move better, maximize training progressions, and more efficiently navigate the college recruitment process.  Our services include player centric training on elements such as velocity, command, secondary pitch, arm care, recovery (including Normatec), physical therapy, performance therapy, strength and mobility, and consulting that provides personal attention to student-athletes on their collegiate recruiting journey.  These services are offered under one roof.  Come experience the difference with a professional staff that is world class, tightly aligned, and able to collaborate for superior results.

Located at 1213 S. Main St. Algonquin, IL @ 224-505-3343