Photo by: Ethan Mito/Texas A&M Athletics
Aggies Hire Kesel as Strength & Conditioning Coach
Sep 06, 2023 | Baseball
BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION, Texas – Texas A&M baseball head coach Jim Schlossnagle announced the hiring of Josh Kesel as the Aggies' strength and conditioning coach on Wednesday.
Kesel comes to Aggieland after serving as the Performance Director of Premier Pitching and Performance (aka P3) outside of St. Louis, which he co-founded in 2014. Under his direction, Premier Pitching and Performance turned into one of the most successful and trusted destinations for pitchers in the country. He took over as sole operator of the venture in 2018 when his co-founder, Brian DeLunas, was hired to become the bullpen coach for the Seattle Mariners.
"We are excited to welcome Josh and his family to Aggieland," Schlossnagle said upon Kesel's hiring. "Josh brings a wealth of experience and expertise to our baseball program in the areas of strength, movement, speed development, player resiliency and recovery. He has been one of the leaders in the industry and has lived on the cutting edge of player and pitcher development. Most importantly, we are aligned on the culture of our program and how to teach our players to become the CEOs of their body, nutrition, sleep and performance."
For the past five years, Kesel has overseen staffs of up to seven members per year with an additional two interns at P3. Four of those staff members have advanced to professional baseball and three have gone on to coach at the NCAA Division I level.
Since P3's opening, Kesel has worked with players from every MLB organization, including over 100 MiLB and MLB athletes. First-round picks Tanner Houck, Devin Williams, Jackson Rutledge, Riley Pint, Jonathan Harris and Joey Wentz all trained under Kesel. He has also worked with hundreds of athletes from over 100 colleges and universities, along with other professionals such as Ross Detwiler, Ryne Stanek, Andrew Benintendi, Josh Lindblom and Jake Odorizzi.
"I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to join the Texas A&M baseball staff," Kesel said. "This is an incredible place with special people, and I'm looking forward to continuing to build on the proud Aggie tradition of player development and on-field success that has been established with Coach Schlossnagle."
In 2019, he helped orchestrate the creation of the Premier Pitching Collegiate Partnership Program which includes over 20 university and coaching staff partners from schools such as Coastal Carolina, Southern Illinois, Central Michigan and Charlotte. Kesel has also used this program to write individualized mobility and corrective programs toward health and injury prevention for Duke, Notre Dame, Memphis, Purdue and Northwestern.
In 2021, the program expanded to MLB when the Baltimore Orioles hired Kesel's group to execute the same process for their organization and over the next year worked with multiple officials from the O's organization to help them build out their assessment process and pitching lab in Baltimore.
Along with his works at P3, Kesel has built additional coaching experience as the strength coach at Maryville University (NCAA Division II) and as the varsity pitching coach for Christian Brothers College High School, a large Class Five school in the St. Louis area.
Additionally, he founded and oversees Amplify Athletes, a non-profit charity created to build athletic scholarships for underprivileged athletes.
Kesel earned a bachelor's degree from Lindenwood University and holds recognition from the Postural Restoration Institute (PRT), USAW, NSCA, CSAC and a Level 1 certification from Precision Nutrition.
WHAT THEY ARE SAYING ABOUT JOSH KESEL
"Texas A&M has made the right hire with Josh Kesel. When I started working with Josh, my career in baseball took off to a level I wasn't sure was possible. His expertise of how the body works, along with his knowledge of the game of baseball, allows him to break down movement patterns and apply it. The Aggies are getting a great worker, communicator and person. I look forward to seeing Josh help take this program to the top."
John Means (Baltimore Orioles SP)
"Training at P3 with Josh taught me more than I ever thought I was going to receive. The individualized workouts I was given focused on my movements that benefited my overall athletic ability and opened my eyes to what I was truly capable of accomplishing. Every year, I knew when I left for the season my body would be more than ready to grind for the next eight months."
Andrew Benintendi (Chicago White Sox OF)
"I started working with Josh in 2016, and he has played a massive role in my development over the years. He assesses each player to understand how your body works so he can create an individualized program that best addresses your needs and make up. Josh has always put in the work to better himself as a coach to help every player he comes in contact with. He's approachable, adaptable, and always looking for feedback so he can take your game to the next level. I can confidently say I wouldn't be where I am today without his help."
Michael Plassmeyer (Philadelphia Phillies SP)
"The players and staff at Texas A&M got better immediately with the addition of Josh. He is truly one of the best in his field. His ability to leverage high level information, communicate, collaborate effectively and build actionable steps for player development is industry leading. Over my time getting to work with Josh, I have not found many others who provide this level of value to a team and individuals. I am excited to watch the Aggies take another leap forward towards their goals of Omaha and championships with Josh working alongside their staff and players."
Mitch Plassmeyer (Baltimore Orioles MiLB Pitching Coordinator)
"Josh's ability to connect with people and apply a high level of information is unmatched. At Premier Pitching and Performance, our high school, college and professional pitchers and position players were fortunate to have his expertise. He has an elite understanding of how the body functions and the demands of the game. He knows how to develop what matters for optimal performance and health at each position on the field. Josh will undoubtedly be an impact piece for the Texas A&M baseball program."
Forrest Herrmann (Baltimore Orioles AA Pitching Coach)
FOLLOW THE AGGIES
Visit 12thman.com for more information on Texas A&M baseball. Fans can keep up to date with the A&M baseball team on Facebook, Instagram, and on X by following @AggieBaseball.
Kesel comes to Aggieland after serving as the Performance Director of Premier Pitching and Performance (aka P3) outside of St. Louis, which he co-founded in 2014. Under his direction, Premier Pitching and Performance turned into one of the most successful and trusted destinations for pitchers in the country. He took over as sole operator of the venture in 2018 when his co-founder, Brian DeLunas, was hired to become the bullpen coach for the Seattle Mariners.
"We are excited to welcome Josh and his family to Aggieland," Schlossnagle said upon Kesel's hiring. "Josh brings a wealth of experience and expertise to our baseball program in the areas of strength, movement, speed development, player resiliency and recovery. He has been one of the leaders in the industry and has lived on the cutting edge of player and pitcher development. Most importantly, we are aligned on the culture of our program and how to teach our players to become the CEOs of their body, nutrition, sleep and performance."
For the past five years, Kesel has overseen staffs of up to seven members per year with an additional two interns at P3. Four of those staff members have advanced to professional baseball and three have gone on to coach at the NCAA Division I level.
Since P3's opening, Kesel has worked with players from every MLB organization, including over 100 MiLB and MLB athletes. First-round picks Tanner Houck, Devin Williams, Jackson Rutledge, Riley Pint, Jonathan Harris and Joey Wentz all trained under Kesel. He has also worked with hundreds of athletes from over 100 colleges and universities, along with other professionals such as Ross Detwiler, Ryne Stanek, Andrew Benintendi, Josh Lindblom and Jake Odorizzi.
"I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to join the Texas A&M baseball staff," Kesel said. "This is an incredible place with special people, and I'm looking forward to continuing to build on the proud Aggie tradition of player development and on-field success that has been established with Coach Schlossnagle."
In 2019, he helped orchestrate the creation of the Premier Pitching Collegiate Partnership Program which includes over 20 university and coaching staff partners from schools such as Coastal Carolina, Southern Illinois, Central Michigan and Charlotte. Kesel has also used this program to write individualized mobility and corrective programs toward health and injury prevention for Duke, Notre Dame, Memphis, Purdue and Northwestern.
In 2021, the program expanded to MLB when the Baltimore Orioles hired Kesel's group to execute the same process for their organization and over the next year worked with multiple officials from the O's organization to help them build out their assessment process and pitching lab in Baltimore.
Along with his works at P3, Kesel has built additional coaching experience as the strength coach at Maryville University (NCAA Division II) and as the varsity pitching coach for Christian Brothers College High School, a large Class Five school in the St. Louis area.
Additionally, he founded and oversees Amplify Athletes, a non-profit charity created to build athletic scholarships for underprivileged athletes.
Kesel earned a bachelor's degree from Lindenwood University and holds recognition from the Postural Restoration Institute (PRT), USAW, NSCA, CSAC and a Level 1 certification from Precision Nutrition.
WHAT THEY ARE SAYING ABOUT JOSH KESEL
"Texas A&M has made the right hire with Josh Kesel. When I started working with Josh, my career in baseball took off to a level I wasn't sure was possible. His expertise of how the body works, along with his knowledge of the game of baseball, allows him to break down movement patterns and apply it. The Aggies are getting a great worker, communicator and person. I look forward to seeing Josh help take this program to the top."
John Means (Baltimore Orioles SP)
"Training at P3 with Josh taught me more than I ever thought I was going to receive. The individualized workouts I was given focused on my movements that benefited my overall athletic ability and opened my eyes to what I was truly capable of accomplishing. Every year, I knew when I left for the season my body would be more than ready to grind for the next eight months."
Andrew Benintendi (Chicago White Sox OF)
"I started working with Josh in 2016, and he has played a massive role in my development over the years. He assesses each player to understand how your body works so he can create an individualized program that best addresses your needs and make up. Josh has always put in the work to better himself as a coach to help every player he comes in contact with. He's approachable, adaptable, and always looking for feedback so he can take your game to the next level. I can confidently say I wouldn't be where I am today without his help."
Michael Plassmeyer (Philadelphia Phillies SP)
"The players and staff at Texas A&M got better immediately with the addition of Josh. He is truly one of the best in his field. His ability to leverage high level information, communicate, collaborate effectively and build actionable steps for player development is industry leading. Over my time getting to work with Josh, I have not found many others who provide this level of value to a team and individuals. I am excited to watch the Aggies take another leap forward towards their goals of Omaha and championships with Josh working alongside their staff and players."
Mitch Plassmeyer (Baltimore Orioles MiLB Pitching Coordinator)
"Josh's ability to connect with people and apply a high level of information is unmatched. At Premier Pitching and Performance, our high school, college and professional pitchers and position players were fortunate to have his expertise. He has an elite understanding of how the body functions and the demands of the game. He knows how to develop what matters for optimal performance and health at each position on the field. Josh will undoubtedly be an impact piece for the Texas A&M baseball program."
Forrest Herrmann (Baltimore Orioles AA Pitching Coach)
FOLLOW THE AGGIES
Visit 12thman.com for more information on Texas A&M baseball. Fans can keep up to date with the A&M baseball team on Facebook, Instagram, and on X by following @AggieBaseball.