Dugout Dish Baseball Recruiting Podcast powered by EMD Baseball

Andy Kiriakedes & Keith Glasser
  • 4.9 (49)
  • Baseball
  • Updated Weekly

With a combined 25 years of collegiate coaching experience at the Division I, II, and III levels we will bring you the latest insights, analysis, and interviews about the world of college baseball recruiting. Each week, we will break down topics relevant to the college baseball recruiting landscape. In addition to breaking down the latest recruiting news, we'll also be speaking with coaches and players around the country. Our guests will provide valuable insights into what it takes to make it as a college baseball player and share their experiences and knowledge of the recruiting process.Whether you're a high school player, parent, or coach looking to learn more about the recruiting process or gather insights from college coaches this podcast has something for everyone. So join us each week as we dive deep into the world of college baseball recruiting.

  1. 2d ago

    Fall 2026 Recruiting Hot Topics — 2028 Class Timeline, Slower Cycles & the 5-for-5 Reality Check | Ep. 187

    The college baseball recruiting landscape looks different in the fall of 2026 than it did just a few years ago — and the families who understand how and why it has changed are the ones who will navigate the next twelve months most successfully. In this episode of Dugout Dish, Andy and Keith break down two of the most important and most talked about topics in the college baseball recruiting world right now — the timeline for the 2028 class and what families actually need to know about the 5-for-5 eligibility rule now that it is in practice at the college level.   What we cover:   The current state of college baseball recruiting heading into the fall of 2026 and how the landscape has shifted under the new NCAA rules over the last few years The 2028 class timeline — why there are still a significant number of college baseball spots available and why that availability will continue well into the spring, summer, and fall of 2027 Why the recruiting cycle has slowed meaningfully under the new NCAA contact and evaluation rules and what that change means for players and families who feel behind in the process right now How a slower recruiting cycle actually benefits players by giving them more time to develop physically and be evaluated by coaches later in the process than was previously possible Why being recruited later in the cycle can lead to better program fits and better overall outcomes for both the player and the coaching staff doing the recruiting The 5-for-5 eligibility rule in real world practice — what it actually looks like now that it has been implemented at the college level and how programs are adapting to it Why having five years of eligibility available under the new rule does not mean five years of playing time is in any way guaranteed — and what that distinction means for how recruits should be thinking about their college decision What the 5-for-5 rule actually means for high school recruits who are making decisions right now about where to commit and why understanding the rule in practice is more important than understanding it on paper How 2028 families specifically should be thinking about both of these topics as they enter the fall recruiting season and what actions make the most sense right now based on where the market actually stands What Andy and Keith specifically recommend for every 2028 family who is either feeling the pressure to be further along or is unsure what to be doing between now and next spring   Whether your son is a 2028 recruit just getting started or a family that has been in the process for a while and is trying to make sense of a recruiting landscape that keeps changing — this episode gives you the honest, current, and practical perspective you need heading into the fall. New episodes of Dugout Dish drop every week. Subscribe so you never miss recruiting and development intel that could change your player's future. Gloves - www.kaligloves.com Diamond College Showcase Camps - www.diamondcollegeshowcase.com Chapters (00:00:02) - Intro & Sponsor: Cali Gloves(00:00:57) - Welcome to the Dugout Dish(00:02:08) - Don't Panic: Recruiting Timelines for 2028s(00:03:20) - Recruiting Trickle-Down & Why There's No Rush(00:07:02) - Sponsor: Diamond College Showcase Camps(00:08:04) - Social Media Comparison and Recruiting Anxiety(00:09:36) - Recruiting Never Really Stops(00:12:06) - Explaining the New 5-for-5 Eligibility Rule(00:14:13) - Fifth Year Isn't Guaranteed: Roster Realities(00:17:28) - Ivy League and Division 3 Restrictions(00:19:25) - Financial and Academic Angles of a Fifth Year(00:24:37) - Portal Impact and Coaches' Tough Conversations(00:27:25) - Playoff Baseball vs College Baseball Parallels(00:30:45) - Small Margins and Strategy in the Playoffs(00:33:54) - Replay Challenges and Umpiring in Playoffs(00:35:01) - Closing Thoughts and Outro

    Fall 2026 Recruiting Hot Topics — 2028 Class Timeline, Slower Cycles & the 5-for-5 Reality Check | Ep. 187

  2. 5d ago ·  Bonus

    SAT & ACT for Baseball Recruits — Test Scores, Merit Scholarships & Why Timing Is Everything | EMD Shorts

    The SAT and ACT are not just admissions requirements — for baseball recruits they are recruiting and financial aid tools that most families are not fully using to their advantage. In this episode of Dugout Dish, Andy and Keith break down how standardized test scores impact the admissions and recruiting process, why some schools are returning to test mandatory policies, and why getting a score on the books well before your spring baseball season is one of the most important and most overlooked steps in the entire recruiting process.   What we cover:   How the SAT and ACT actually function in the college admissions process for baseball recruits and why they matter beyond just satisfying an entry requirement Why a strong standardized test score can unlock meaningful merit scholarship money at schools on your son's list — and how families who skip the test or delay it are often leaving significant financial aid on the table without realizing it The difference between using a test score to satisfy an admissions requirement and using it strategically to maximize the financial aid package your family receives Why some colleges and universities are moving back toward test mandatory admissions policies and why that trend makes getting a score more important now than it has been in recent years How to find out which schools on your son's list are currently test mandatory, test optional, or test flexible so you can plan accordingly Why scheduling your SAT or ACT now — before the spring high school baseball season begins — is the single most important thing you can do to protect both your son's testing timeline and his baseball season How to use your first test attempt as a baseline score to honestly evaluate whether your son needs to retest and how to plan retesting around the baseball calendar The best times of year for baseball recruits to take the SAT or ACT and the windows to avoid entirely because of conflicts with the spring season and summer showcase circuit Why waiting too long to address standardized testing costs recruits admissions options, scholarship money, and recruiting leverage they did not know they were losing What Andy and Keith specifically recommend every baseball recruit do right now to get ahead of the testing calendar and make sure testing never becomes a problem in the recruiting process Whether your son has never taken a standardized test or has a score he is not sure is strong enough — this episode gives your family the complete picture of how to use the SAT and ACT as a recruiting and financial aid advantage rather than just another item on a checklist. New episodes of Dugout Dish drop every week. Subscribe so you never miss recruiting and development intel that could change your player's future. Gloves - www.kaligloves.com Diamond College Showcase Camps - www.diamondcollegeshowcase.com Chapters (00:00:02) - Intro & Cali Gloves Ad(00:01:18) - Test Mandatory Trends at Academic Schools(00:03:45) - Diamond College Showcase Ad(00:04:41) - Timing Your Testing Strategy(00:06:27) - Test Scores' Role in Admissions & Merit Aid(00:08:46) - Wrap Up & Outro

    SAT & ACT for Baseball Recruits — Test Scores, Merit Scholarships & Why Timing Is Everything | EMD Shorts

  3. Sep 24

    Non-Baseball Offseason Checklist for Baseball Recruits — School Lists, Grades, Nutrition & More | Ep. 186

    Most baseball recruits spend the fall and offseason focused entirely on what they are doing on the field — but the players who separate themselves between now and next spring are the ones who are also taking care of everything that happens off it. In this episode of Dugout Dish, Andy and Keith break down the non-baseball things every recruit should be prioritizing this fall and offseason to put themselves in the strongest possible academic, physical, and recruiting position heading into next spring and summer.   What we cover:   School list creation — why building a solid and well-researched list of target programs right now gives you a head start on outreach over the winter and into the spring recruiting season How to research schools and programs to make sure your list reflects the right academic and athletic fit for where you are in the process and what you are looking for in a college experience Nutrition and hydration — why what you eat and drink this offseason has a direct and measurable impact on your body composition and your performance by the time spring baseball starts Sleep and recovery — why prioritizing rest and recovery during the offseason is one of the highest leverage investments a player can make in his own development and why most players dramatically underestimate its importance Academics — why your grades this fall semester matter for your recruiting options, what coaches look for academically, and what to do right now if your GPA needs to improve SAT and ACT dates — why signing up for a test date this fall gives you the time to get a score, evaluate it, and retake if necessary before the spring baseball season consumes your schedule entirely Why the spring season and summer showcase circuit are the absolute worst times to be focused on standardized testing and how poor planning around test dates costs recruits options they do not even realize they are losing Staying in communication with the coaches you have already talked to — why going silent on programs that have shown interest in your son over the winter is one of the most damaging and most common mistakes recruits make during the offseason How to stay consistently on a coach's radar throughout the winter and early spring without being overwhelming or coming across as desperate What a productive and intentional fall and offseason looks like for a baseball recruit who wants to be in a significantly stronger recruiting position by the time next summer arrives   Whether your son has offers on the table or is still building his list — the work he does off the field this fall could be the difference between a strong spring recruiting season and one that starts from scratch. New episodes of Dugout Dish drop every week. Subscribe so you never miss recruiting and development intel that could change your player's future. Gloves - www.kaligloves.com Diamond College Showcase Camps - www.diamondcollegeshowcase.com Chapters (00:00:02) - Sponsor: Cali Gloves(00:00:57) - Intro and Episode Focus(00:01:19) - Why Non-Development Factors Matter(00:03:45) - Building a School List(00:08:15) - Key Questions for Curating Your List(00:11:35) - Visiting Campuses Proactively(00:15:03) - Sponsor: Diamond College Showcase(00:16:24) - Standardized Testing Strategy (SAT/ACT)(00:21:19) - Don't Delay Test Dates(00:22:45) - Watching College Fall Scrimmages(00:26:26) - Cardines Field and Baseball History Tangent(00:31:31) - Value of Expanded Fall Scrimmages(00:33:25) - Sleep, Nutrition, and Recovery Habits(00:38:10) - Academics and Classroom Effort(00:41:40) - Maintaining Coach Communication(00:44:31) - Closing Remarks and Outro

    Non-Baseball Offseason Checklist for Baseball Recruits — School Lists, Grades, Nutrition & More | Ep. 186

  4. Sep 21 ·  Bonus

    Baseball Recruits & Social Media — Should You Post Your Offers and Official Visits? Andy & Keith Debate | EMD Shorts

    Football and basketball recruits have been posting their offers, official visits, and commitment announcements on social media for years — and that culture is now making its way into college baseball recruiting in a significant way. In this episode of Dugout Dish, Andy and Keith take on one of the newest and most talked about trends among today's high school baseball players and offer their honest, candid, and sometimes differing opinions on what recruits should be sharing on social media during the recruiting process and what they should think twice about before posting.   What we cover:   How social media has fundamentally changed the way today's student athletes are able to share their accomplishments and broadcast their recruiting journey to a wider audience than ever before The growing trend of baseball recruits posting official visit schedules and offer announcements on social media platforms and how it mirrors the culture that has existed in football and basketball recruiting for years Why this trend is still relatively new and still somewhat divisive in the baseball recruiting world compared to other sports Andy's honest and personal take on the trend — what he thinks players gain from posting their recruiting journey publicly and where he sees potential pitfalls Keith's perspective and where he agrees and disagrees — the conversation between two people with different opinions on the same topic makes for one of the most genuinely useful episodes for families trying to form their own view How college coaches actually process and react to seeing recruits post offers and official visits on social media — and what it communicates about a player's character and priorities The legitimate upside of social media visibility during the recruiting process and how strategic posting can actually increase a recruit's exposure to programs that may not have known about him yet The potential downside that most players are not thinking about before they hit post — what can go wrong and how a post can create complications in the recruiting process Practical and specific advice for baseball recruits on what kinds of content to post, what to avoid entirely, and how to use social media as a tool that helps rather than hurts their recruitment How to think about social media during the recruiting process not just as a platform for sharing but as a representation of who you are to every coach who looks you up   Whether your son is posting his recruiting journey publicly or staying quiet and wondering if he should be doing more — this episode gives every player and family the perspective they need to make a smart and intentional decision about social media during the process. New episodes of Dugout Dish drop every week. Subscribe so you never miss recruiting and development intel that could change your player's future. Gloves - www.kaligloves.com Diamond College Showcase Camps - www.diamondcollegeshowcase.com Chapters (00:00:02) - Intro: Cali Gloves Sponsor(00:00:57) - Welcome to the Show(00:01:19) - Social Media Recruiting Trends: Setting Up the Topic(00:01:37) - Posting Visit Schedules and Offers - Initial Take(00:03:52) - Diamond College Showcase Sponsor(00:04:20) - Counterpoint: Understanding Why Kids Post(00:05:51) - Coach and Program Perspectives on Offers(00:07:12) - Consequences of Breaking Coach Trust(00:09:38) - Baseball Trending Like Football in Recruiting Culture(00:10:38) - Closing Thoughts and Sign-off

    Baseball Recruits & Social Media — Should You Post Your Offers and Official Visits? Andy & Keith Debate | EMD Shorts

  5. Sep 17

    Youth Baseball & Parenting — How to Support Your Son's Journey Without Making It Your Own | Ep. 185

    The youth baseball years are where the foundation of a player's relationship with the sport is built — and the decisions families make during those years, from travel teams and organizations to the conversations that happen after every game, have a lasting impact on whether a young player falls more in love with the game or slowly starts to pull away from it. In this episode of Dugout Dish, Andy and Keith have one of their most important and most personal conversations yet about youth baseball, parent mindset, and what it genuinely takes to help a young player develop a healthy, sustainable, and joyful relationship with baseball during the years that matter most.   What we cover:   When to get into travel baseball and what should actually be driving that decision for your family rather than what everyone else around you is doing How to evaluate travel teams and organizations during the development years and what qualities matter most when choosing the people you surround your son with at a young age The parent mindset — how to actively support and facilitate your son's baseball journey without consciously or unconsciously making it your own Why understanding that this journey belongs to your son and not to you is the single most important shift a baseball parent can make — and how to actually live that out in practice How to help your son build a healthy and genuine relationship with the sport so that he still loves showing up, loves competing, and loves the process as he gets older The car ride home — why the conversation that happens in the twenty minutes after a game is one of the most powerful and most underestimated moments in a young player's development What constant negative feedback and criticism after games does to a young player's relationship with baseball over time — and how it becomes one of the biggest reasons players walk away from the sport before they ever reach their potential Alternative approaches to the car ride home that actually strengthen your son's relationship with the game and help him process both success and failure in a healthy way How to guide and support your son toward his long term goals in baseball in a way that keeps the love of the game intact through the inevitable ups and downs of the development years What Andy and Keith wish more baseball parents understood about the youth years and what they have seen make the biggest difference in the players who go on to play college baseball   Whether your son is just starting out in travel baseball or is deep in his development years — this episode will make you think differently about your role in his journey and give you practical strategies to be the parent he needs you to be. New episodes of Dugout Dish drop every week. Subscribe so you never miss recruiting and development intel that could change your player's future. Gloves - www.kaligloves.com Diamond College Showcase Camps - www.diamondcollegeshowcase.com Chapters (00:00:02) - Intro & Cali Gloves Sponsor(00:01:18) - Setting the Stage: Recruiting Mindset for Young Players(00:04:09) - Letting the Kid Drive the Journey, Not the Parent(00:05:19) - Early Age Development Over Showcases and Fear-Based Programs(00:09:00) - Focus on Development, Not Every Tournament(00:10:32) - Finding the Right People and Keeping It Fun(00:13:11) - It Can't Mean More to You Than to Your Kid(00:14:04) - The Car Ride Home: Avoiding Post-Game Criticism(00:18:47) - Diamond College Showcase Sponsor Break(00:19:51) - Coaching vs Criticizing: Effort Over Outcome(00:22:08) - Timing Conversations and Managing Emotions After Games(00:25:39) - When Baseball Stops Being Fun: Burnout and Fading Careers(00:28:25) - Why Baseball Is Uniquely Hard to Stay Engaged With(00:29:45) - Nostalgia: Wall Ball, Wiffle Ball, and Backyard Games(00:31:48) - Creative Backyard Games and Building Athleticism(00:34:53) - Wrapping Up: Enjoyment as the Foundation for Recruiting(00:36:09) - Outro and Show Info

    Youth Baseball & Parenting — How to Support Your Son's Journey Without Making It Your Own | Ep. 185

  6. Sep 14

    Taking Your Facility Work Into the Game — Why In-Game Performance Is What College Coaches Recruit | EMD Shorts

    Private coaching, facility work, and off field development have never been more accessible or more popular in youth and high school baseball — and the results show up in the numbers. Velocity is up. Exit velocity is up. Metrics across the board are trending in the right direction for more players than ever before. But there is a gap that separates the players who get recruited from the ones who do not — and it has nothing to do with their facility numbers. It is whether or not all of that work actually shows up in games. In this episode of Dugout Dish, Andy and Keith tackle one of the most important transitions in the entire recruiting and development process — making the jump from performing in a facility to performing when the game is on the line.   What we cover:   Why private coaching and facility work are valuable investments in a player's development — and why they are only half of the equation when it comes to getting recruited How coaches evaluate the gap between a player's facility metrics and their actual in game performance — and what that gap tells them about a recruit's readiness for the college level Why velocity and spin rate in a bullpen session and exit velocity in a cage mean very little to a recruiting staff if those numbers do not translate to getting hitters out and making quality swing decisions in live game situations What college coaches are actually watching for when they evaluate a player at a showcase or game — and why the ability to compete and play the game still matters more than any metric on a radar gun or launch monitor How pitchers can make the transition from throwing well in practice to executing in games — what that jump looks like mechanically, mentally, and competitively How hitters can make the transition from impressive cage work to quality at bats and smart swing decisions in live game environments Why the ability to actually play the game — to compete, adjust, and execute under pressure — remains the single most important quality college coaches recruit regardless of what the numbers say What bridging the gap between facility performance and game performance looks like in practice and how players can start making that transition right now Why making this jump is the next evolution in your recruiting process and what it signals to college coaches about your readiness to compete at the next level   Whether your son has great facility numbers and has not yet figured out how to make them translate — or is just beginning to understand what college coaches actually evaluate — this episode gives you the complete picture of what it takes to get recruited in today's game. New episodes of Dugout Dish drop every week. Subscribe so you never miss recruiting and development intel that could change your player's future. Gloves - www.kaligloves.com Diamond College Showcase Camps - www.diamondcollegeshowcase.com Chapters (00:00:02) - Intro & Cali Gloves Sponsor(00:00:57) - Taking Training Into Game Performance(00:04:56) - Diamond College Showcase Sponsor(00:05:41) - Pressure and Production in Real Games(00:07:30) - Facility Metrics vs Recruiting Reality(00:10:28) - Chasing Metrics vs Complete Ballplayers(00:13:37) - Story: The Talented Kid Who Never Produced(00:16:01) - Closing Thoughts & Sign Off

    Taking Your Facility Work Into the Game — Why In-Game Performance Is What College Coaches Recruit | EMD Shorts

  7. Sep 11

    Meet Keith Glasser — EMD Baseball Co-Owner on 16 Years of Coaching, the Hard Lessons & What He Knows Now | Ep. 184

    Last week Andy told his story. This week it is Keith's turn. In this episode of Dugout Dish, Andy turns the tables on EMD Baseball Co-Owner Keith Glasser for one of the most personal and most honest conversations in the history of this podcast — his background in baseball, how he found his way into college coaching, what sixteen years on the sidelines taught him, and why every difficult moment along the way shaped him into exactly who he needed to become.   What we cover:   Keith's background in baseball and the experiences that set him on the path toward college coaching How he got his start in college baseball coaching and what those early years in the profession actually looked like What sixteen years of college coaching taught him about the game of baseball, about developing young men, and about navigating the real challenges of a life spent in college athletics Why he stepped away from coaching after sixteen years and the journey that led him to become co-owner of EMD Baseball What he appreciates now looking back on his college baseball experience with almost twenty years of hindsight and life experience that simply were not available to him at the time What matters more in the college baseball process than players and families think it does right now — the things that seem small at the time but turn out to be everything What matters far less than players and families think it does right now — and why it takes years away from the game to truly understand which things were worth worrying about An honest and unfiltered conversation about how genuinely difficult it is to play college baseball and build a career in college coaching — what nobody tells you before you start Why Keith would not change a single thing about his path despite how hard parts of it were and what that perspective means for every player navigating their own journey right now The relationships and the people he met along the way — through coaching, through baseball, through life — and how those connections shaped him through both the best and hardest moments of his career How the difficult things that happen to you in baseball and in life after baseball are not obstacles to your growth but the very things that prepare you to handle everything that gets thrown at you once you graduate   This episode is for every player who is in the middle of the hardest parts of their journey right now and needs to hear from someone who has been there — and come out the other side grateful for every bit of it. New episodes of Dugout Dish drop every week. Subscribe so you never miss recruiting and development intel that could change your player's future. Gloves - www.kaligloves.com Diamond College Showcase Camps - www.diamondcollegeshowcase.com Chapters (00:00:02) - Sponsor: Cali Gloves(00:00:57) - Intro and Flipping the Script(00:02:51) - Keith's Background: High School and Marist(00:05:59) - Coaching Journey: West Alabama, Siena, RPI(00:11:30) - Stepping Away from RPI and Starting EMD Baseball(00:13:18) - Sponsor: Diamond College Showcase(00:14:21) - The Small World of Coaching Connections(00:20:12) - Paying It Forward and Dues in Old-School Coaching(00:22:25) - Recruiting on a Budget: Motel Six Stories(00:26:11) - Appreciating How Hard the College Experience Was(00:32:16) - Advice to 18-Year-Old Self: Time Flies(00:38:10) - The Grueling Schedule of a College Season(00:39:47) - The Underappreciated Life of a Catcher(00:41:53) - Wishing for Trackman Data as a Catcher(00:45:28) - Trust Between Catchers and Pitchers(00:51:34) - Overrated: Playing Time in Recruiting(01:04:24) - What Matters More: People and Sacrifice(01:11:11) - Closing Thoughts and Outro

    Meet Keith Glasser — EMD Baseball Co-Owner on 16 Years of Coaching, the Hard Lessons & What He Knows Now | Ep. 184

  8. Sep 7 ·  Bonus

    College Baseball Financial Aid Explained — D1, D2 & D3 Scholarships and What Families Really Pay | EMD Shorts

    The financial side of college baseball recruiting is one of the most confusing and most consequential parts of the entire process — and most families do not fully understand it until it is too late to ask the right questions. In this episode of Dugout Dish, Andy and Keith break down what financial aid packages actually look like at every division level, with a focused deep dive into D3 baseball where the absence of athletic scholarships creates a financial aid landscape that is widely misunderstood but often surprisingly favorable for families who know how to navigate it.   What we cover:   What athletic scholarship packages actually look like at the D1 level and how families should think about the gap between a partial scholarship and the total cost of attendance How D2 financial aid works and what the combination of athletic scholarships and academic aid typically looks like for baseball families at that level Why D3 financial aid is the most misunderstood financial landscape in all of college baseball and why families who dismiss D3 programs because there are no athletic scholarships are often making a costly mistake How D3 schools put together financial aid packages without athletic scholarships and what those packages can actually look like for qualified student athletes What the process looks like from a coach's perspective — how D3 coaches work with their financial aid offices to help recruit players and what information programs need from families to start that process Where to find total cost of attendance information online for specific schools and how to use that number as your baseline for every financial comparison you make How to accurately compare financial aid packages across different schools and division levels to understand what your family is actually paying rather than what the sticker price says Why a D3 school with institutional aid can sometimes result in a lower out of pocket cost than a D1 school offering a partial athletic scholarship What every baseball family needs to understand about college finances before their son makes a commitment so there are no surprises when the bill arrives   If your family is trying to make sense of the financial side of college baseball — this episode gives you the framework to understand every offer on the table and make the most financially informed decision possible. New episodes of Dugout Dish drop every week. Subscribe so you never miss recruiting and development intel that could change your player's future. Gloves - www.kaligloves.com Diamond College Showcase Camps - www.diamondcollegeshowcase.com Chapters (00:00:02) - In the Clubhouse: College Finances(00:03:27) - College Is Expensive(00:14:29) - Dreams of Division 1 scholarships

    College Baseball Financial Aid Explained — D1, D2 & D3 Scholarships and What Families Really Pay | EMD Shorts
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About

With a combined 25 years of collegiate coaching experience at the Division I, II, and III levels we will bring you the latest insights, analysis, and interviews about the world of college baseball recruiting. Each week, we will break down topics relevant to the college baseball recruiting landscape. In addition to breaking down the latest recruiting news, we'll also be speaking with coaches and players around the country. Our guests will provide valuable insights into what it takes to make it as a college baseball player and share their experiences and knowledge of the recruiting process.Whether you're a high school player, parent, or coach looking to learn more about the recruiting process or gather insights from college coaches this podcast has something for everyone. So join us each week as we dive deep into the world of college baseball recruiting.

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