This episode of The PBSCCS Podcast is a group discussion on the 2026 World Baseball Classic. This is Part One of the interview.Speakers:-Alexa Garcia (Houston Astros)-Jose Salas (Milwaukee Brewers)Topics covered in this episode:-All things related to working the World Baseball ClassicQuotes:-"I think they did a great job of supplying the players with what they needed" (26:02) - Jose Salas-"Sometimes when you go to a new organization you might have maybe, depends on the kind of person you are, maybe a week or two weeks to adapt. There, you probably had a day or two days to do all of that" (31:55) - Jose Salas-"We've all been in this game a long time, we know how variable it can be" (34:45) - Alexa Garcia-"Just knowing you can always get something done and being in that optimistic mindset the whole time helped a lot" (35:12) - Alexa GarciaIf you would like to learn more from the guests on this episode, you can follow them on social media:Instagram:@alexaa_garciaa - Alexa [email protected] - Jose Salas

Megan Pierro is in her 3rd year as a Strength & Conditioning Coach with the Tampa Bay Rays organization (seasonal in 2024, full-time in 2025 and 2026). She is originally from Lutz, FL and attended the University of South Florida, where she played 5 seasons as a D1 softball player (2019-2023). She graduated with a B.S. in Biomedical Health Science and a Minor in Nutrition. She is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) with the NSCA and will be playing professional softball this summer for the Florida Breeze in the Professional Softball League (PSL).Topics covered in this episode:-Her softball playing career-Finding success and advice for others-Continuing education resourcesQuotes:-"I think for me as a coach establishing relationships with my players is a very important piece" (0:41)-"Baseball you have to take into consideration that they're playing so many games, and we have to be able to optimize our players to go out there and perform to their greatest potential throughout the whole season" (5:21)-"The best thing I think we can do as coaches is to just be a sponge to the information around us and try to absorb it all" (14:38)If you would like to learn more from Megan, you can connect with her on social media:Instagram:@meganpierro

Megan Pierro is in her 3rd year as a Strength & Conditioning Coach with the Tampa Bay Rays organization (seasonal in 2024, full-time in 2025 and 2026). She is originally from Lutz, FL and attended the University of South Florida, where she played 5 seasons as a D1 softball player (2019-2023). She graduated with a B.S. in Biomedical Health Science and a Minor in Nutrition. She is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist (CSCS) with the NSCA and will be playing professional softball this summer for the Florida Breeze in the Professional Softball League (PSL).Topics covered in this episode:-Her journey to the Rays organization-Participating in the "Spanish Immersion Program"-The value of using the textbookQuotes:-"I learned very quickly that speaking Spanish is a huge part of working in baseball, especially at the complex level" (4:43)-"I think it's easy to get caught up in wanting to always try new and different things, but at the end of the day, especially at the level that I work at, I think sometimes simple can be better" (14:39)-"I started to realize that this was actually something that we might be able to make work, and turns out that we are, so I will be playing this summer" (18:49)If you would like to learn more from Megan, you can connect with her on social media:Instagram:@meganpierro

Blaine Taylor is a strength and conditioning coach currently working in Lake Tahoe, California. Prior to his current role, he has had stops with both the Cincinnati Reds and Philadelphia Phillies organizations, working in various roles throughout their Minor League systems.Topics covered in this episode:-Advice for others-Continuing education resources-Lightning RoundQuotes:-"I think as an athletic trainer or a physical therapist or what we do, you're sacrificing a lot of things for the job" (1:15)-"Sometimes you need a little bit more to lean on; you gotta lean more on someone else than yourself" (15:42)-"I think that's why I think social media is such a cool tool, you can use it almost as a journal or a resume in some sense" (19:55)If you would like to learn more from Blaine, you can connect with him on social media:Instagram:@blainepatricktaylor

Blaine Taylor is a strength and conditioning coach currently working in Lake Tahoe, California. Prior to his current role, he has had stops with both the Cincinnati Reds and Philadelphia Phillies organizations, working in various roles throughout their Minor League systems.Topics covered in this episode:-Life outside of professional baseball-Ikigai-Finding successQuotes:-"Some jobs don't always work out in certain phases of life" (3:09)-"We have free will, but there is this divine path we are supposed to walk. And we have the choice to not walk it" (11:14)-"You have to truly experience it yourself to speak the language and to know you're gonna deliver the right product to the right person" (21:38)If you would like to learn more from Blaine, you can connect with him on social media:Instagram:@blainepatricktaylor

Blaine Taylor is a strength and conditioning coach currently working in Lake Tahoe, California. Prior to his current role, he has had stops with both the Cincinnati Reds and Philadelphia Phillies organizations, working in various roles throughout their Minor League systems.Topics covered in this episode:-His journey to his current role-Firefighting, martial arts, gymnastics, and climbing-His best professional baseball storiesQuotes:-"I think our road is paved and you follow that road. And you know when you're on the right road" (7:17)-"Getting players through a season with zero injuries was always my goal as a strength coach every season" (14:44)-"Sometimes, you know, we don't always get it right. But when you do, it's super cool, super rewarding" (19:00)If you would like to learn more from Blaine, you can connect with him on social media:Instagram:@blainepatricktaylor

This episode of The PBSCCS Podcast is a group discussion on Spring Training. This is Part Three of the interview.Speakers:-Logan Jones (Chicago White Sox)-Grace Cullen (Tampa Bay Rays)Questions/topics covered in this episode:-Ways to stay sharp in the off-season-Collaboration amongst departments-Ways to improve Spring TrainingQuotes:-"I need to be coaching or doing something and working with athletes to get better" (10:38) - Grace Cullen-"The prep work needs to come from how the athlete is moving when they're throwing or hitting" (11:27) - Grace Cullen-"Whatever it is, how can we speak some of those common languages across disciplines to show the player we really are truly invested into their growth and development" (17:25) - Logan Jones-"I think, by nature, we're problem solvers" (22:09) - Logan JonesIf you would like to learn more from the guests on this episode, you can follow them on social media:Instagram:@logan_jones95 - Logan Jones@coachgracecullen - Grace Cullen

This episode of The PBSCCS Podcast is a group discussion on Spring Training. This is Part Two of the interview.Speakers:-Logan Jones (Chicago White Sox)-Grace Cullen (Tampa Bay Rays)Questions/topics covered in this episode:-Excitement for the upcoming season-Navigating the World Baseball Classic-Current stressors and how they are navigating themQuotes:-"Obviously, as a strength coach, you want to have an impact on the guys and their routine and how they can prepare" (1:23) - Grace Cullen-"I do believe that you could have all of the tactical knowledge and information in the world and if you can't communicate it to the player in a digestible and simplistic way it doesn't matter" (9:47) - Logan Jones-"Bowling Green is kind of on the outskirts of everywhere, so our shortest travel is to Rome and it's five hours, and then everywhere else we usually bus seven hours or we fly" (26:24) - Grace Cullen-"I think that Spring Training itself is always a form of a stressor and some years are better than others" (28:42) - Logan JonesIf you would like to learn more from the guests on this episode, you can follow them on social media:Instagram:@logan_jones95 - Logan Jones@coachgracecullen - Grace Cullen

This episode of The PBSCCS Podcast is a group discussion on Spring Training. This is Part One of the interview.Speakers:-Logan Jones (Chicago White Sox)-Grace Cullen (Tampa Bay Rays)Questions/topics covered in this episode:-Daily responsibilities during Spring Training for the strength and conditioning coach-Intake testing and assessment during Spring Training-Programming and individualization for players upon arrivalQuotes:-"Upon arrival, on the Major League or Minor League side doesn't matter, most organizations have some form of intake" (3:07) - Logan Jones-"I think the most important piece of this puzzle is closing the feedback loop with the player" (12:24) - Logan Jones-They're obviously here to play baseball. It's our job as strength and conditioning professionals to help them prior to going out and make them stay on the field" (15:10) - Grace Cullen-"I think the biggest thing we work on is the running progression. I feel like we do a really good job as a department in making sure we're not just having guys jump into really high yardage weeks or really high intensities" (17:06) - Grace CullenIf you would like to learn more from the guests on this episode, you can follow them on social media:Instagram:@logan_jones95 - Logan Jones@coachgracecullen - Grace Cullen

Alexa Garcia, the Lead Florida Complex Strength & Conditioning Coach for the Houston Astros. Now entering her fifth season in professional baseball, Alexa has specialized in elite athlete development, a touch of rehabilitation, and long-term performance optimization. Prior to her current role, she served two seasons as the Rehabilitation Strength & Conditioning Coordinator with the Astros, was the Director of Strength & Conditioning at Barry University, where she helped lead multiple programs to NCAA national championships, and also spent time as a strength coach in the Baltimore Orioles organization.Alexa holds a Master’s degree in Kinesiology with a concentration in Sports Performance from Louisiana Tech University, is a CSCS with RSCC distinction, and is a Colombian native, which allows her to bridge the communication gap with Spanish-speaking athletes.Recognized as the 2021 MiLB Strength Coach of the Year, and most recently named the Strength Coach for Team Colombia for the 2026 World Baseball Classic, Alexa is known for blending high-level strength & conditioning principles with traditional baseball “feel,” and for her passion in mentoring the next generation of coaches.Topics covered in this episode:-Collaboration and autonomy in programming-Working in rehab and her new role-Advice for others on how to find success-Continuing education resourcesQuotes:-"Rehab taught me a lot of patience" (7:12)-"I genuinely feel like you'll always love this job if you love the game of baseball" (15:48)-"I think in this profession network, network, network is number one" (17:24)If you would like to learn more from Alexa, you can connect with her on social media:Instagram:@alexaa_garciaa