The PBSCCS Podcast

Meagan Vota is a Strength and Conditioning Coach for the Wichita Wind Surge, the Double-A affiliate of the Minnesota Twins. She is currently in her second season in this role which happens to be her first experience in professional baseball. Previously, she spent 2.5 years at IMG Academy, specializing in long-term athletic development for their 11 baseball teams from middle school through post-graduate levels. Meagan holds both Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Exercise Physiology from the University of Louisville (2016 - 2022) and is certified through the NSCA (CSCS) and USA Weightlifting (L1). With experience ranging from youth and private sector to collegiate and professional sports, she is passionate about helping athletes maximize their performance while developing confidence, discipline, and leadership skills that extend into everyday life.Topics covered in this episode:-Her journey to professional baseball-Mastering the basics with athletes-Bodybuilding, powerlifting, and long-term athletic developmentQuotes:-"I am someone that loves experiences" (5:47)-"I absolutely love long-term athletic development, I love youth sports. But I wanted to find a version of myself that I didn't know, and that was working with professional athletes" (6:37)-"I think that there is a difference between modifying to personalize for performance and modifying to just make your programming seem snazzy and appealing" (15:38)If you would like to learn more from Meagan, you can connect with her on social media:Instagram:@meagan_vota

This episode of The PBSCCS Podcast is a group discussion on the 2026 World Baseball Classic. This is Part Two 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:-"It's kind of like a balance of having that feel and understanding where to push and pull" (1:27) - Alexa Garcia-"The best part was winning" (6:04) - Jose Salas-"It really, really put into perspective to me that this game is more than just a game, and it's more than just something that gives me a paycheck and health insurance" (11:02) - Alexa Garcia-"Everything is a learning experience" (14:22) - Jose SalasIf 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

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