Dr. Skip Flanagan
I was born deaf. I was told I wouldn't read past fourth grade, and my hometown wouldn't let me play baseball.
I played anyway: four years at RIT as a team co-captain, then a season of pro ball with the Old Orchard Beach Surge. I earned a doctorate in sport and performance psychology because I wanted to understand the work that got me there.
Now I coach baseball and softball players making the jump, from high school to college, college to pro, and pro to the next level, and the programs that develop them. In 2026 I spent the summer with the Vermont Lake Monsters, who went 42-16 and won the Futures League regular season title.
My mission is 24/7. I train athletes for every moment between competitions, so that when the lights come on, they shine brighter than the lights.
How I got here
- Ed.D., sport and performance psychology
- M.Ed., intercollegiate athletic leadership
- B.S., psychology, minor in exercise science
- Former professional baseball player, Old Orchard Beach Surge
- RIT baseball, team co-captain
Read the method
- Compete Every Pitch (baseball and softball editions)
- Out of the Slump: A 7-Day Reset
- Big League Brain
- The Ride Home: The Baseball Parent's Handbook
- The Game-Day Performance Playbook
- The Deaf Athlete Blueprint