What can business leaders learn from a Major League Baseball utility player? A lot.
On this episode of Rock Solid, Bryan Eisenberg sits down with former MLB player and Round Rock Express Hall of Famer Matt Kata to talk about the mindset that carried him from professional baseball into banking, coaching, and community leadership.
Matt shares what it meant to embrace being a “Swiss Army knife” on the baseball field, why versatility and putting ego aside can create opportunities, and how those same lessons apply in business today.
He also takes us inside one of baseball’s unforgettable moments: being on the field for Randy Johnson’s perfect game. Matt explains the mental battle happening as the innings passed, the mantra he used to stay present, and why controlling your self-talk matters when the pressure is at its highest.
The conversation also dives deep into youth sports and coaching. Matt discusses why a coach’s impact is never neutral, what parents should look for when choosing coaches, and his ACE philosophy:
Attitude. Concentration. Effort.
Those are the things you can control—whether you’re playing baseball, building a business, raising kids, or navigating everyday life.
Matt and Bryan also discuss relationships and character in banking, Matt’s transition into commercial lending, and the story of how baseball—and meeting his future wife—helped make Round Rock home.
In this episode:
• Lessons from being a professional utility player
• Matt’s memories of Randy Johnson’s perfect game
• Staying present and controlling negative self-talk
• Why “preparation is always in season”
• The ACE philosophy: Attitude, Concentration & Effort
• What youth sports coaches should really be teaching
• The problem with a win-at-all-costs mentality
• How sports lessons translate into business and banking
• Why character and relationships matter in lending
• Matt’s connection to the Round Rock Express and Round Rock community
Rock Solid is brought to you by host Bryan Eisenberg, a New York Times bestselling author, digital pioneer and co-owner of A Place At Home - North Austin, a Round Rock based home care agency.
Bill Combes, owner of a local Round Rock digital marketing agency, No Time for Social.
Brent Pierce, owner of Round Rock Studio, empowering local businesses to share their stories with his two podcast sets and state of the art photo studio.