BTOP
The seed was planted
When Josh Nichols hung up his glove after college, he never thought he would play this game again. Unaware of the adult baseball leagues in his state, Josh had spent the next 20 years finishing school, raising a family, and building a career. Then, as fate would have it, he caught the baseball bug once again. He hasn’t looked back since. Not long after rekindling his love of the game, BTOP was born.
After only playing half a season during his first year back in 2019, Josh was asked to join a special Oklahoma team. They would be going to the 2020 MSBL World Series to compete in the 35+ division. In conversation, Josh told me it was one of the best trips of his life.
Btop was born
Through the excitement of the up and coming trip to Phoenix and his long-standing desire to be competitive, Josh started the Facebook group and YouTube channel. Originally, it was known as Baseball Training for Old People. He would later change “Old” to “Older” in effort to not scare away adult ball players that were still relatively young.
The creation of BTOP was truly a whimsical effort to encourage his team to prepare and train for the 2020 MSBL World Series. Josh has always valued athleticism and the training that came with it. Unfortunately, due to the global coronavirus pandemic, most gyms had stop allowing access to their patrons.
influenced by a friend
Josh happened to remember a recent trip he had taken to Los Angeles to visit his best friend. He also happens to be an amateur baseball enthusiast that highly values training. Josh recalled how this friend would incorporate baseball drills as part of his workout routine. Josh thought this was a clever idea. Why not use baseball drills as a way to build strength and endurance all the while improving one’s skill of the game?
Upon his return to OKC, Josh would proceed to come up with the occasional BTOP drill. He put them on video to share with his teammates and the few other members that had joined the facebook group. BTOP drills can still be found on the BTOP YouTube channel. However, BTOP’s effort has evolved as more adult players caught wind and the group started to grow.
growth of an idea
Often times, an idea starts as one thing and grows into something bigger. That’s what happened with BTOP. As the group began to gain membership, so did the reach of it’s purpose. While it still has entries geared toward training, it’s become more than just a place to trade ways to improve on the field. The mission of BTOP is to facilitate H.E.A.R.T. within its members.
It has grown into a community of adult players and supporters. They share their stories on the field, thoughts on equipment and organizations, articles about baseball and more. You’ll find posts of players just finding their way back to the game and testaments of players that have been making adult baseball their home for decades.
a home for adult baseball players
BTOP has become a family of people that share a passion for playing the game. You will find many players networking to find teams to join and tournaments to play in. Often times, members will find they are playing in the same place as others in the group and will arrange to meet up in person. This is one of my favorite aspects of BTOP.
For the most part, members here care about each other on and off the field. Sometimes it goes beyond the game, such as when a member loses a family member or has suffered a bad injury. When that happens, folks in the group rally to help the member as best they can.
As the group continues to grow, new members find themselves welcomed into this community. Discussions and debate are encouraged, and the environment helps to keep discourse civil, unlike many other groups on social media. Josh’s background in mental health has helped him to create a healthy place for exchanging information and ideas related to baseball. If you are looking for a baseball home, BTOP is the place to find it.
BTOP expands
As BTOP has grown as a group. So has BTOP as a brand. While the main Facebook group remains private, those interested in being part of the community are encouraged to join. Josh has also added other social media avenues for you to follow. The Baseball Training for Older People HQ page offers a way for members to share content publicly if they wish. The BTOP Bargains page is a place for members to post about equipment, training or any other items they wish to sell or trade.
You can follow @baseballers4life on instagram or @hasbeenmyass on tiktok to see BTOP posts and videos.
You can also check out short videos, training segments and BTOP Live interviews over on the BTOP YouTube channel.
BTOP is the ultimate place for players to interact and expand on their adult baseball experiences. You are welcome to join and encouraged to contribute to this baseball family.
Check out the BTOP YouTube Channel
