GOODYEAR, AZ – Jerod Burleson’s journey within baseball is one that started at birth.

He was born into a family that simply loved the game. As a kid, Burleson would watch the stars on television and would begin to play the game himself.

He grew up in Farmington, New Mexico, a town that annually hosts the Connie Mack World Series. Burleson grew up watching the event. It consists of 12 teams made up of highly-touted players aged 16-18 from the United States. Players such as Barry Bonds and Ken Griffey Jr. have taken part in it. It is arguably the biggest event of the biggest event of the year in Farmington.

Not only was Burleson born into a baseball family, he was born into a baseball town.

“Baseball is part of my culture and part of my upbringing,” said Burleson.

He played for Farmington High School and Dakota State in Madison, South Dakota. During his playing career, Burleson forged friendships with teammates who would begin to coach later in life, something that became an inspiration for Burleson.

“It was something that I saw them doing as a career and saw how much they enjoyed it and saw how good they were at it,” said Burleson. “It’s something that I fell in love with.”

Burleson coached his high school alma mater at Farmington, before relocating to Arizona to be closer with his family. This relocation led him to coach at Millennium High School.

“My family had made the move several years ago,” said Burleson. “I wanted to be around family and stay in baseball. I applied out here and was fortunate enough to get an opportunity to go coach.”

Burleson has used his experiences as a player and coach to hone his philosophies into what they are today. In Burleson’s mind, they revolve around the focus of putting in the work to get the most out of it.

“Play the game the right way,” said Burleson. “There’s a right and a wrong way to play baseball …The right way to play is sprinting on and off the field, controlling what you can control, and play with your heart. Play with passion.”

Burleson has earned success with this coaching style, along with the respect of the players under him.

“He expects so much out of every player," said Millennium player Trevor Baugh. “It does not matter who you are. Whether you are a starter or a pinch runner, he expects so much out of you and it really pushes you to play on a level you didn’t know you could play on.”

“He holds us accountable and wants us to make ourselves accountable to work as hard as we possibly can, produce, and make adjustments,” Millennium player Alex Figueroa said. “He is also a coach that bonds with his players. He isn’t a distant coach that only sees us on the field and is all business. He builds his bond with players and is like another father figure to us.”

While Burleson hopes to achieve on-field success as a coach, he also feels a duty to prepare his players for life after high school through respect.

“I want them to be good people,” said Burleson. “I want them to respect their wives when they get married. I want them to respect their parents. I want them to take everything that we preach here onto their life.”

The game of baseball has played a large role in Burleson’s life. From lessons learned to bonds made, the sport has shaped Burleson into not only the coach he is, but the person he is today.