Steve Holm, Head Coach Illinois State Baseball on Mentors of Baseball Live 1-16-22 - a podcast by Sammy & Bryan Eisenberg

Walter Beede, Bryan Eisenberg authors of "Committed The Guide to Developing College Ready Recruits from Middle School Through High School" and Butch Baccala host Twitter Spaces conversations. This week we were joined by Illinois State's head coach Steve Holm.

About Steve Holm

Holm and the Redbirds posted a 36-26 (14-7 MVC) record and earned a share of the Missouri Valley Conference regular season title in 2019, his debut season as head coach. The 36 wins was a 14-win improvement than the year prior and the most wins for an Illinois State team since winning 39 in 2013. It was also the most wins for a first-year Redbird baseball head coach in program history.

The 'Birds earned an at-large NCAA Tournament berth in 2019 and were placed in the Louisville regional, defeating both Big Ten regular season champions Indiana and No. 7 Louisville, before ultimately falling to Louisville in the Illinois State's first-ever appearance in a regional final. Louisville advanced to the Final Four of the College World Series where they were defeated by eventual champions No. 1 Vanderbilt, who ISU had also beaten earlier in the year in Nashville.

Holm was named MVC Coach of the Year for the 2019 season and the apparent turn-around of the Illinois State program. The Redbirds also collected the MVC Player of the Year (Joe Aeilts) and MVC Pitcher of the Year (Brent Headrick) awards.

At the conclusion of the 2019 season, five Redbirds heard their names called in the draft, including John Rave (Royals, 5th Round), Brent Headrick (Twins, 9th Round), Matt Walker (Tigers, 13th Round), Joe Aeilts (Rockies, 14th Round) and Jeff Lindgren (Marlins, 24th Round). Colton Johnson (Athletics, 16th Round) and Hayden Jones (Reds, Free Agent) received professional opportunities following the 2021 campaign.

The Sacramento native was selected by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the 1997 MLB First-Year Player Draft after his senior season at McClatchy High School, but passed on that opportunity to start his collegiate career at American River Junior College. After two seasons, Holm made his way to Oral Roberts and became an All-American at shortstop, winning Mid-Continent Conference Player and Newcomer of the Year honors in 2000 after batting a school-record .437. He was then drafted by the Giants in 2001 and made the transition to catcher in pro ball, where he played in over 700 games during his 12 pro seasons. He was part of the Giants' 2008 opening-day roster and also played in the big leagues in 2009 (Giants) and 2011 (Twins).

Holm graduated in 2001 with a bachelor's degree in recreation administration and was later inducted into the ORU Hall of Fame in 2014. In the fall of 2016, he was part of McClatchy High School's Hall of Fame class along with former teammate and longtime big leaguer Nick Johnson as well as their coach Brian Loforte. He and his wife, Lindsey, were married in the summer of 2013 and are the parents of two daughters, Annika and Hanna.

You can follow us on Twitter at:

Walter Beede: @baseballlifer11

Bryan Eisenberg: @TheGrok

Butch Baccala: @butchbaccala

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