By CHAD BISHOP
Special To Collegiate Baseball

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — One of the greatest streaks in college baseball history just unfolded.

Vanderbilt RHP Jack Leiter went 20 2/3 consecutive innings without allowing a hit before it was stopped by Louisiana St.

The start of the streak took place as he registered his final 2 outs against Oklahoma St. without a hit.

One week later, Leiter threw a 9-inning no-hitter against South Carolina with 16 strikeouts.

He followed that up by throwing 7 more no-hit innings against Missouri with 10 strikeouts before he was pulled.

A week later, the streak was halted when Collier Cranford of LSU singled to lead off the bottom of the fifth.

The NCAA Div. I Baseball Record Book doesn’t have a category for consecutive innings by a pitcher without allowing a hit.

But it does have Fewest Hits Allowed Per 9 Innings. The season record is 3.21 by George Dugan of Murray State in 1964 (20 in 56 innings).

Leiter is currently shattering that mark with a 2.14 figure as he has allowed just 10 hits in 42 innings.

He has posted a 7-0 record and 0.43 ERA with 71 strikeouts.

No pitcher in NCAA Div. I history has done what Leiter is currently doing with limiting hits in baseball games.

Over seven starts this season, he has faced 154 batters. While he has given up only 10 hits all year, no batter has had more than one hit against him all season in a game.

Remarkable Achievement
Scott Brown, pitching coach at Vanderbilt, said the streak Leiter had was unparalleled.

“I’ve coached a lot of good pitchers over the years,” said Brown.

“Jack has been extremely consistent so far this season as far as limiting hits.

“His ability to execute at a high level with four pitches has been really good.”

Brown explained what makes Leiter so difficult to hit.

“Jack has a great combination of things working for him now as far as a 4-pitch mix, good deception with pitches coming out of the same release point, utilizing pitching sequences to his advantage and having him throw to batters’ weaknesses.

“He has a very good intuition probably from the upbringing of his dad Al who pitched 19 years in the Major Leagues. I know he has talked at length with his dad on how to pitch from his many experiences in pro baseball and how to attack hitters.

“Jack is very deceptive as a pitcher. He gets down the mound very well and has very good extension. His fastball and other pitches come out of a little lower release angle in the vertical approach angle that may be a different look than most pitchers.

“His fastball (94 mph which tops out at 98 mph) has very good ride. It is very difficult to get on top of by hitters. Then you pair that with the ability to throw a breaking ball, slider, cutter and changeup off that and execute those pitches at a very high level with good command and deception, it makes it challenging for hitters.

“Every single pitch comes out of the same window, and he has tight release points with his pitches. At the beginning of last season, his curve was a little bit higher. But every pitch looks the same at release now which is difficult for hitters to pick up pitches.”

To read the rest of the story, purchase the April 23, 2021 edition of Collegiate Baseball or subscribe by CLICKING HERE. Vanderbilt pitching coach Scott Brown explains the remarkable deception Jack Leiter has, how his working tempo has been improved, the art of calling pitches, learning from his dad Al Leiter, a former Major League pitcher for 19 years, how the 2020 COVID-19 shortened season was an avenue to improve during the summer as he developed his pitches, and the importance of the 6 Leiter Ladies in his life (mom, 3 sisters and 2 female dogs). It also explains the 3-way dynamic of Al and Jack Leiter and pitching coach Scott Brown, plus more.  

By LOU PAVLOVICH, JR.
Editor/Collegiate Baseball

ROME, Ga. — Imagine being cut as a freshman in high school and then once again as a sophomore and never going out for the team again.

Consider this same young man ultimately becoming an All-American in college.

While it seems impossible to believe, RHP Johnny Dow of Georgia Highlands College has experienced this improbable story.

He refused to give up his dream of playing baseball and eventually was given a chance to pitch at junior college powerhouse Georgia Highlands.

He was redshirted during the 2019 season as he became bigger and stronger.

Now a strapping 6-foot-4, 215 pounder, he has been incredible in two years with the Chargers.

Believe it or not, this young man has only walked 1 batter and struck out 75 in 69 2/3 innings over the past two seasons which is extremely rare.

On top of that, he is 10-0 with a microscopic 1.42 ERA in the past two seasons.

Despite not playing an inning in high school, Dow was 6-0 with a 1.05 ERA at Georgia Highlands during his first year in 2020 before the season was shut down because of the COVID-19 pandemic. He fanned 41 batters and didn’t walk a single batter as he was named an All-American.

This season, Dow fired a 7-inning no-hitter during a 6-0 win over Snead State with no walks and 4 strikeouts as he was named NJCAA Pitcher of The Week.

In two years, he has increased his fastball from 77 mph to 92 mph.

He also has gained 50 pounds of muscle.

Georgia State has already signed him to a scholarship because they are so impressed with this strike throwing machine who never stops working.

Considering the circumstances, what Dow has achieved may be the greatest feat in college baseball history.

Why didn’t Dow simply quit playing baseball after being tossed aside in high school.

“I attended Lassiter High School in Marietta, Ga., and they typically have two rounds of cuts over several weeks of tryouts,” said Dow.

“They list the names of players who weren’t cut on their website.

“If a person was not on this list, he could go into the head coach’s office and ask why. So my freshman year, I was cut in the second round and wasn’t allowed to be on the freshmen team. I went to his office and asked him why I was cut and what I needed to work on. I was told I wasn’t big enough, strong enough. and I never would be.

“He was brutally honest with me, but I was shocked at what he said to be perfectly honest. That’s what comes with the sport.”

Never Gives Up
Dow felt like he was hit with a gut punch.

But he never gave up and continued to play baseball the following summer in the East Cobb baseball program that is nationally known.

“I took baseball more serious that summer because I got a reality check with the coach’s comments at Lassiter H.S. I began focusing more on my command and throwing a lot of strikes. I was 14 years old at the time and really worked hard.

“Beyond working on command, I tried to get a little stronger. I was only 6-foot tall and 145 pounds back then.”

When he became a sophomore at Lassiter H.S., all he could think about was the baseball tryouts as the season approached.

“My anxiety level was pretty high as you can imagine. For some reason, I struggle to remember my sophomore year tryouts as vividly as my freshman year tryouts. Maybe it was because I was cut after the first round of tryouts my sophomore year. It was pretty quick, and I was out of there.

“I just accepted it and never went into the coach’s office to ask why. Obviously, I was crushed I couldn’t play and never went out for the baseball team again in my junior and senior years at the school.”

Dow said word traveled fast that he was cut a second time at Lassiter H.S.

“That’s when it got pretty interesting. My situation got around to several other high schools who were confused at what was going on at Lassiter.

Everybody knows each other in the baseball community in Marietta, Ga.

“We all grew up and played together in Little League. One of my summer coaches was coaching at another local high school. He asked me if I wanted to come over to his school and play there. Unfortunately, it would have been too much of a struggle to switch high schools, and my parents really didn’t want me to enroll at another school.

“So I played in a home school league at East Cobb which is where I played summer ball all the time. I played for my summer ball coach in that league. I got to play with a lot of kids that I play summer ball with who chose not to play high school baseball.

“We played some high school teams and other teams like us. And that is what I did for the next three years until I graduated from Lassiter High School.

“I never played one inning of baseball at Lassiter.”

Dow said when he graduated, he was ready to move on from baseball and just be a full-time student at Kennesaw State University.

“At that point, baseball would have been over for me. My senior year at Lassiter H.S., I duel enrolled with classes at Kennesaw State as I finished with a 3.75 grade point average at Lassiter. I had my classes set up for the fall of 2018 to just be a student at Kennesaw St.”

Dow said the biggest break of his baseball career came of all places on a cruise ship.

To read more of this article, purchase the April 9, 2021 edition of Collegiate Baseball or subscribe by CLICKING HERE.

By LOU PAVLOVICH, JR.
Editor/Collegiate Baseball

VANCOUVER, Wash. — Third baseman Daren Manheimer of Clark College is a remarkable athlete who plays the game without a lower right leg.

“I lost my right leg below the knee when I was in my mom’s womb,” said Manheimer.

“I had a condition called Amniotic Band Syndrome.”

Small bands of the amniotic sac wrapped around his leg so it wasn’t able to develop properly because of the lack of blood circulation. At birth, he didn’t have a lower right leg.

Manheimer explained that his parents never treated him differently than his twin brother Gavin growing up. Gavin was born with two normal legs.

“Gavin and I played baseball together from the age of six all the way through high school. He went to Centralia Community College and played baseball there. Now Gavin is in Nebraska playing at the NAIA level.

“Gavin pushed me on the field probably more than most people because he was my brother. It is a love-hate relationship. We each try to be the best we can be in everything and competition comes into play.

“My mom (Leslie) told me that when I was really young, I would look down at Gavin’s legs and count, ‘one-two’. Then I would look at mine and say, ‘one’ because I only had one foot and my brother had two. That was hard for my mom to deal with because she didn’t know what to say when I did that.

“She didn’t want to tell me that I wasn’t like everybody else. Having one leg has never affected my drive to be the best baseball player I could be.

“I just went out there and was a kid. I didn’t know any better. I was going to school and having fun hanging out with my friends. There was nothing that held me back in my mind.

“When it came to walking and learning how to run and do daily stuff, I didn’t look into adapting. I just did what I knew, and it felt right.”

His first memory of being involved in baseball was when he was 4-5 years old.

“I was watching my cousin play baseball and how much fun he was having on the field. He was hitting and pitching and having a blast. I loved the atmosphere.

“After the game, I took my dad Ian out to the field, and I threw a pitch from the mound because I wanted to throw a baseball.

“After that, I wanted to be a part of this special game, and I have had a burning desire to play it.

“My dad signed me up for Little League, and that’s how I started playing baseball. Everything I did was natural and was the only thing I knew. I didn’t have to learn a different way.

“I started a year before my twin brother. But he was always there to help me. My dad was my coach all through Little League until high school.”

Manheimer, who is in his fourth year of college but has used only one year of baseball eligibility, explained the different type of prosthetic legs that are available.

“There are high end athletic styles which are the blade type which runners utilize.

“You also see basic prosthetic legs which people wear with a foot on the bottom. They are similar in size to a normal leg and foot so they fill up the pant leg as the artificial foot is in a shoe.

“It is your standard walking leg. That’s what I had at first which was a standard walking leg that wasn’t too fancy.

“So I had to play baseball with that because that’s all I knew and was the only thing I had.

“In high school, that is when I got my first athletic style prosthetic leg which is the blade style. That is the one I am currently wearing called the Cheetah Xplore by Ӧssur.

“This style allows you to be more agile and is lighter weight than the basic prosthetic leg.

“It allows me to be much more athletic in baseball than I used to be.”

The bottom of the blade has a heel which allows Daren to wear a baseball shoe with cleats.

The bottom of the blade also is split which helps with his agility in running, fielding balls and hitting as he pushes off the blade.

To read more of this article, purchase the April 9, 2021 edition of Collegiate Baseball or subscribe by CLICKING HERE.

By LOU PAVLOVICH, JR.
Editor/Collegiate Baseball

KINGS POINT, N.Y. — If there ever was a poster boy for helping others during this difficult time, it would be Lou Bernardi.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic hit a year ago, the pitching coach at U.S. Merchant Marine Academy has spent a staggering amount of personal time helping those in need.

During the holiday season last November and December, it wasn’t unusual for him to fill up the gas tank of his car 4-5 times a week and drive over 1,000 miles to make sure front line workers in all areas of New York received thousands of meals.

Those meals went to doctors and nurses, firefighters and EMTs and police officers throughout the state of New York as he said thank you to all of these people who are his heroes.

In the past year, Bernardi estimates that well over 5,000 meals have been donated to first responders through his organization called Valor Sports which is comprised of a small group of baseball coaches who volunteer to help others.

The big payoff for him and his volunteer team are the warm smiles from everyone they meet who become life-long friends.

There are many people who have been touched by this remarkable man, including disadvantaged youth as his group orchestrated a drive to have 500 toys donated to Toys For Tots. His group has also helped the Boys and Girls Club as well as the Food Bank.

“We started our volunteer group about a year ago when the COVID-19 pandemic hit,” said Bernardi.

“Our baseball season was cancelled at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy, and it gave me an opportunity to help people in New York.

“I felt it was important to thank those people who were really doing something remarkable and special. I wanted those front line workers to know how special they were because they were putting their lives on the line going to work every day.

“I looked at the horrible situation that the pandemic had caused and acted.”

The pandemic has currently taken the lives of 540,640 Americans.

In the state of New York, 1.7 million have contracted the virus while 48,726 have died. New York has the second highest death total of any state in the US.

“I wanted to use my platform to try and create some good in my community.

“It’s been amazing. We did a huge food fundraiser for Thanksgiving. One thing led to another which led to another in this quest to help people in my great state of New York.

“It has given me a newfound glory by just helping others.”

Bernardi said he has teamed up with numerous organizations and foundations to make this happen.

“I am really proud of the small group of baseball coaches who work with me. We all have a similar passion of giving back and helping others. What separates us from others is our commitment to our community.

“We have a commitment to help baseball players but also give back and support a much larger cause than just baseball.

“Restaurants have donated thousands of meals. Prior to the Super Bowl, we ran a huge PPE (personal protective equipment) drive where we handed out 1,000 masks and 800 bottles of hand sanitizers so people could have safe Super Bowl parties.

“During Thanksgiving, we teamed up with a local food bank and fed 500 people in the city of Glen Cove, N.Y.

“We stopped by 11 different police precincts to give meals to these amazing people and 6 different hospitals. We have gone to 5 different Boys and Girls Clubs and helped with the Special Olympics. In addition, we have gone to numerous fire houses. If I were to write down a list of organizations we have helped or partnered with, it has to be over 20.”

Bernardi said his team of volunteer baseball coaches spends countless hours calling up businesses to secure donations.

“I am very fortunate to have a very good support staff in my home town. Our network is very strong. It includes restaurants and bar owners along with a number of organizations. They pony up. All of them strongly believe in what we are doing and want to be involved.

“The value of the mission and cause is greater than the value of the food or supplies.

“There have easily been more than $10,000 worth of food, masks, hand sanitizer, gloves and toys donated by these amazing people.”

Bernardi explained what a typical week is like for him as he balances his job as the pitching coach and recruiting coordinator at U.S. Merchant Marine Academy with his passion for helping his fellow man.

“My job at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy is very important. I take great pleasure in helping pitchers get better and recruiting quality student-athletes.

“Nobody should ever use time as an excuse not to do something they have passion for. Every single minute is a blessing. If I have a minute where I can go and thank somebody for their service or help support someone or volunteer and lend a helping hand for one of these organizations I work with, I will make time for it.

“If I can possibly be somewhere to help, I want to be there.

“To give you an idea of how I squeeze in everything in my life, I typically work 9-5 at the U.S. Merchant Marine Academy. I obviously have obligations to my college baseball team as the pitching coach and recruiting coordinator and handle all this along with calls to alumni, practices, games, weight room duties and other tasks involving the baseball program.

“Once I am done, I don’t go home and call it a day. I try to get involved with a number of different groups and organizations and volunteer my time to lend assistance.

“I want to be more than a baseball coach. I am proud that our group of baseball coaches has helped thousands of people over the last year in all walks of life.”

Bernardi said that on numerous occasions, the recipients of food or toys have cried because they were so emotional and grateful.

“The toy drive we did for Christmas was very special. We teamed up with the local Marine Corps chapter here on Long Island. My team and I were able to obtain 2,000 toys for kids which we donated. To see the look on some of the kids’ faces knowing they would have a good Christmas was fantastic.

“So many people in New York lost their jobs during the pandemic and have suffered greatly. Christmas and the holidays probably wasn’t the same for a lot of people in this country. It made me feel so good to know that kids in my community were supplied with toys.

“Thanksgiving is probably everyone’s favorite holiday. We were able to provide a hot meal for 500 families.

“Going to police stations has been extremely gratifying to me. We gave food to over 11 different police precincts ranging four different departments. We went to the Suffolk County, Nashua County and the New York Police Departments. We also went to the Glen Cove Police Department and the Cooperstown Police Department in upstate New York where the Hall of Fame is located.

“Going into these precincts was so special. We provided a breakfast, lunch or dinner to honor them and said ‘Thank You’ to these amazing people. Being a first responder and public servant at times is a thankless job. To have somebody come to them and say thank you was important. These people are human just like me and you.”

To read more of this article, purchase the March 26, 2021 edition of Collegiate Baseball or subscribe by CLICKING HERE.

By LOU PAVLOVICH, JR.
Editor/Collegiate Baseball

ROCHESTER, Minn. — For the first time in history, a summer collegiate baseball league is actively pursuing legal, regulated sports gambling on the outcome of their games.

In anticipation of its 28^th season of baseball, the Northwoods League has partnered with U.S. Integrity as it seeks to gain approval for regulated wagering on league games in multiple Midwestern states.

USI is assisting in the gambling approval process and will monitor all Northwoods League games for potentially nefarious betting-related behavior from game-fixing to game manipulation by players, coaches and other people.

In addition, the Northwoods League is also looking to engage its fans via a fantasy baseball game and a free-to-play prediction game embedded in the league’s phone app.

“In the past two years, legal regulated sports betting has taken off in 25-plus U.S. states,” said Matthew Holt, CEO of U.S. Integrity.

“Baseball fans are constantly looking for new and innovative ways to get more engaged in their local teams, and all the Northwoods League’s mobile innovations do that.

“We are very well positioned to pursue this endeavor with our video and technological capabilities,” said Northwoods League Chairman Dick Radatz, Jr.

“U.S. Integrity has taken a year-long process and reduced it to a matter of months. We are looking forward to a long and mutually beneficial partnership.”

In the Midwest, betting on sports is legal in Michigan, Iowa, Illinois and Indiana. Fantasy sports are legal in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Indiana, Michigan, Illinois, Iowa and North Dakota.

“Whether you are playing fantasy or betting on games, adult fans are eight times more likely to watch a game if they have some sort of wager on the event,” said Holt.

Reason For Gambling
Matt Bomberg, president of the Great Lakes Division of the Northwoods League, explained why the league feels it is necessary to venture into gambling.

“It feels like it is a natural step in our evolution with technology we have built into our league,” said Bomberg.

“We have an app, scoring system that we have built internally, video broadcast of games and also have a ticketing system.

“Sports wagering is another piece, and we want to see where it takes us. We are building a free to play gaming app as well. We see what others are doing and why not us?”

Bomberg said the Northwoods League will be working with U.S. Integrity to get odds and lines on league games during the summer.

“Let’s say William Hill (Sports Betting) or DonBest puts out a line on our games, that’s fine. It could be fed into our system with BetMGM or something similar to that such as Fanduel sportsbook, Draftkings sportsbook and others which are in the states the Northwoods League is in. Someone could be at one of our games, pull that app up on their cell phone, see Northwood League games and place a bet on the game from their seat at the ballpark.”

Bomberg said the 22 owners of baseball franchises in the league didn’t formally vote for sports wagering on league games.

“We have a 5-member board, and the affiliates have one representative on that board. Dick Radatz is the Northwoods League Chairman who pushes ideas. That is how we get things done which is different from other leagues where they have a representative from each team, and they vote on everything.”

Bomberg said the Northwoods League has not contacted anybody from the NCAA or a university compliance officer at an NCAA school to see if their new venture into wagering might cause a problem with players from NCAA schools being in the league this summer.

“We haven’t had any of those discussions yet. But you can bet on college football or college basketball. It is legal to bet on sports in the states we are in (Michigan, Iowa, Indiana and Illinois) for the Northwoods League. We don’t see any reason with the right people behind this in U.S. Integrity that it won’t be a good move for our league.

“That’s the whole reason we have them involved. This is their business and what they do. We wouldn’t do this without a reputable company like U.S. Integrity involved in the process with all their checks and balances in play.

“We have it in our league rules that front office staff from different teams, players, coaches and others can’t gamble on games. In fact, it is in their contracts. We will put a lot of things in place to watch suspect activity taking place. It isn’t something we take lightly or something we are doing in a haphazard manner.

“We have been working on it diligently and have a plan in place. Why not us and why not now with everything going on in these states we are in?”

Bomberg said the new venture into wagering with Northwoods League games should help bring in more fans and revenue.

“Doing this helps to further our brand around the country. We aren’t looking to only have games bet on in Michigan, Iowa, Indiana and Illinois. We would like our Northwoods League games to be available to be bet on throughout the country. The Northwoods League brand will grow as a result.

“As far as attendance, it can’t do anything but help within the states where gambling is legal. Overall, I see our attendance as being stable and possibly grow with wagering on our games.

“As we grow, we may have expansion as well.

“Studies show that if you bet on a game, you are eight times more likely to watch a game if a person has some sort of wager on the event.

“If we are standing still, we are moving backwards. Last summer, we were one of the few college summer leagues that played during the COVID-19 pandemic. We had over 200,000 in attendance despite limited seating because of protocols in place by different health departments in cities our teams are in.”

Gambling Problems & Risk
Dr. Jeffrey Derevensky of McGill University in Canada is the Director of the International Centre for Youth Gambling Problems and High-Risk Behaviors.

He also has been a key investigator into trends in NCAA athlete gambling behaviors and attitudes which have been compiled every four years since 2004.

Derevensky was concerned about what the Northwoods League is trying to achieve by furthering their brand on the back of gambling.

“Yeah, it’s all about the money,” said Derevensky.

“Clearly, there is an identifiable population of athletes who get overly involved in gambling. So this venture has the potential of being highly problematic. I read the Northwoods League release, but it didn’t specify which type of bets that will be taking place.

“You can have in-play bets such as who will strikeout first or who will hit a batter or whatever in a game. There are a wide variety of in-play bets you can have. That can be problematic for young people who are trying to make money just as the league is trying to make money.”

To read more of this story which covers all angles of gambling on Northwoods League games and the potential repercussions to student-athletes and coaches, purchase the March 26, 2021 edition of Collegiate Baseball or subscribe by CLICKING HERE.