By LOU PAVLOVICH, JR.
Editor/Collegiate Baseball

TUCSON, Ariz. — The following are 93 college players who have an excellent chance of being drafted in the first two rounds of the 2022 MLB Draft with a good season.

The list was made after consulting with college baseball coaches across the nation along with scouts.

3B Jacob Berry
Louisiana St. Univ.
One of the top hitters in college baseball, Berry turned in a monster freshman season at Arizona in 2021 as he was named a first team All-American by Collegiate Baseball and was one of five Freshmen National Players of The Year by Collegiate Baseball.

The switch-hitter played in all 63 Wildcat contests with 62 starts.

He registered one of the greatest freshman campaigns in program history, hitting .352 with 17 homers, 19 doubles and 5 triples while recording 70 RBI.

The 6-foot, 212-pounder had a .676 slugging percentage and drew 33 walks for a .439 on-base percentage.

After the season, he transferred to LSU.

With another good year, he is expected to be a high first round pick in the 2022 MLB Draft.

SS Brooks Lee
Cal Poly Univ.
Lee had an incredible season last year for the Mustangs.

He hit .342 with 10 homers, 27 doubles and 57 RBI.

Lee was impressive during the past summer in the Cape Cod League and with Team USA.

2B Jace Jung
Texas Tech.
Jung has remarkable tools and is considered a superior leader on the team.

Last season for the Red Raiders, he hit .337 with 21 homers, 10 doubles and 67 RBI.

OF Gavin Cross
Virginia Tech.
Cross is an athletic player who can play anywhere in the outfield and at first base.

He hits for average and power plus speed and has a great baseball IQ.

Last season for the Hokies, he hit .345 with 11 homers, 13 doubles and had 35 RBI.

C Daniel Susac
Univ. of Arizona
Susac is an elite defensive receiver who is an exceptional switch-hitter.

As a freshman last season, he hit .335 with 12 homers, 24 doubles and 65 RBI.

CF Brock Jones
Stanford Univ.
Jones has incredible makeup and intangibles that make him a special ball player.

Last season for the Cardinal, Jones hit .311 with 18 homers, 13 doubles, 62 RBI and swiped 14 bases.

He also is an exceptional outfielder who tracks almost everything down.

CF Chase DeLauter
James Madison
DeLauter is a 5-tool athlete who has the ability to hit the ball out of the park from pole to pole.

Last season for the Dukes, he hit .386 with 6 homers, 12 doubles and 21 RBI.

C Logan Tanner
Mississippi St.
Tanner has a gun for an arm and has been clocked throwing balls 98 mph.

He isn’t shabby as a batter either. Last season, he hit .287 with 15 homers, 13 doubles and 53 RBI.

2B Robert Moore
Univ. of Arkansas
Moore is one of the top defensive infielders in the country and the top returning offensive player for the Hogs.

Last season, he hit .284 with 16 homers, 10 doubles and 53 RBI.

LHP/1B Reggie Crawford
Univ. of Connecticut
Crawford will likely miss the entire 2022 season after suffering a left elbow injury during the fall and likely will need Tommy John surgery.

During the past summer with Team USA, his fastball touched 100 mph, and he established himself as one of the top college pitching prospects in the nation.

Last season for the Huskies, he hit .295 with 13 homers, 11 doubles and 62 RBI.

As a pitcher, he fanned 17 batters in only 7 2/3 innings and posted a 1-1 record and 2.35 ERA.

To read more of this story on the top 93 draft eligible college players going into the 2022 season, purchase the Jan. 7, 2022 College Preview edition of Collegiate Baseball or subscribe by CLICKING HERE.

This issue is now available which features top players from teams in every NCAA Division I Conference and projected Players and Pitchers Of The Year in each league. Plus, this publication has an in-depth report on the top 40 pre-season teams in NCAA Division I, the top 93 draft eligible college players and rundowns on each level of college baseball, plus much more.

By LOU PAVLOVICH, JR.
Editor/Collegiate Baseball

NFL Hall of Fame coach and broadcaster John Madden died on Dec. 28.

He was without a doubt the best NFL color man in the history of television years ago when he worked on CBS as he explained the game’s finer points along with his unique sense of humor. Prior to that, he had was a tremendous coach with the Oakland Raiders.

The All-Madden teams that he picked were hilarious as he chose players who exemplified the grit of football. In fact, my All-Pavlovich teams over the years have been molded in this template.

Madden was a superb lineman on the football team at Cal Poly in 1957 and 1958 and also played baseball in 1958.

The stories about John Madden are legendary.

I purchased his book One Size Doesn’t Fit All back in 1988.

There is a chapter that talks about how fond he was of English bulldogs that he owned.

There was one that stood out above the rest called Boss, a 60-pound giant.

At times he was hell on wheels as Boss would chew up whatever was in the backyard — hoses, a chunk of the diving board, a slab of fence.

The book pointed out that one time he even chewed through the fence and went into the neighbor’s backyard and chewed up a few items. The neighbors had Boss thrown in the dog pound as John Madden received a police citation.

“That wasn’t the only citation,” said Madden.

“Some people put pictures of their kids on the refrigerator. We put Boss’ citations up there.”

One time Boss attacked a power edger that trimmed the edge of the grass next to the sidewalk. He chewed the edger to a stop.

“His mouth was all blood, but he didn’t care. He had stopped that edger,” said Madden.

Another time when Madden’s wife Virginia took Boss for a walk in Central Park near their New York apartment, Boss noticed a street person on one of the benches and pulled Virginia that way.

She thought Boss wanted to be petted. Unfortunately, the dog walked over to him and lifted his leg.

May this great man rest in peace.

SAN DIEGO, Calif.— Dr. Carroll Land, one of the greatest coaches and leaders of men in college baseball history at Point Loma Nazarene University, passed away in late December at the age of 87.

He served as the head baseball coach at PLNU from 1961-1999 and led the Sea Lions to 768 wins and 16 post-season appearances.

Land was named to the American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in 1998 and also was a member of the NAIA and Point Loma Nazarene Halls of Fame.

He also was presented numerous other awards during his illustrious career, including the Dr. Robert Smith NAIA Coach and Character Award, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Jerry Kindall Award and Lefty Gomez Award.

Land led PLNU to back-to-back NAIA World Series appearances in 1993 and 1994 and coached numerous All-Americans.

He also served as the athletics director at PLNU where his vision brought growth and balance for men’s and women’s programs at the school.

At the international level, Land coached with the U.S. Military All-Stars for 16 seasons.

He served as a board member and chairman of the Board of the American Baseball Coaches Association. He also was a board member for USA Baseball and spent 12 years as a member of the U.S. Olympic Committee House of Delegates and was involved in the administration of the World University Games.

He was connected to the university since enrolling as a freshman in 1953 when the school was called Pasadena College.

A year and a half later, he married his sweetheart, Barbara, a fellow student. Trying to make ends meet, Land left school and went to work.

In 1957, he joined the Marines. After a two-year stint in the Corps, he returned to Pasadena College.

This time he stayed for good.

Land was an outstanding baseball player and earned two team MVP awards at Pasadena. He played at Pasadena for three seasons and served as the head coach during his final year as a player.

This began his career in athletics.

Land earned his Master’s degree from USC in 1962 and became a full-time member of the Pasadena athletics’ staff.

Over the next few years he coached baseball, freshman basketball and cross country. He also served as the school’s sports information director and taught in the kinesiology department. Over the years, he would teach every course in the kinesiology curriculum.

He was appointed chair of the PE department in 1965 and became Pasadena’s athletic director in 1967. From that point on, until his retirement as baseball coach in 1999, Land served as athletic director, PE department chair and baseball head coach.

Land worked in sports information and helped clean the tennis courts and essentially helped where needed in the athletics’ department.

“I had taken big loads in school,” said Land.

“I helped with the team. Everything I did, I did uncompromisingly. I was five or six years older than the other players. So I was asked to go ahead and coach the baseball team. I had been on the staff seven years. I had my master’s degree and had served a couple of years as chair of the PE department when the athletic director vacancy came up suddenly. The President (W.S. Brown) asked if I would be interested in the job.”

When he wasn’t working, which was hardly ever, he spent his time earning a PhD from USC and raising two children, Brian and Cheree, with Barbara.

Land never worked under normal circumstances. In 1973, Pasadena College packed up and moved to its present location in San Diego.

Land’s duties now included the transition from Pasadena to San Diego. Scheduling issues, fundraising and purchasing of buses and moving the entire department was only the beginning.

In 1973, the present site of Point Loma Nazarene University had a gym, a beat up baseball field and an even more beat up track.

Land, a skilled carpenter, put every coach and athletic department administrator to work. In those days a person probably had a better chance of getting hired if they had a construction background.

“I was not one who felt the world was coming to an end,” said Land.

“I thought the world was opening up. Many had a hard time leaving Pasadena, mainly teachers.  But the athletics’ department didn’t have any decent facilities. So I thought coming to San Diego, with a real gymnasium, a track/football field — which we converted to soccer and a baseball field — was a huge improvement.

“We went from almost nothing to something. I believed the move would make us be a better, stronger athletic program.”

Over time, the baseball diamond was transformed into the gem it is today; pathways. Every other athletics’ facility was improved as well.

By LOU PAVLOVICH, JR.
Editor/Collegiate Baseball

Head Coach Jeff Willis of LSU-Eunice is one of the most remarkable stories in college baseball history.

In 19 seasons as the skipper of the Bengals, his teams have won 7 NJCAA Div. 2 national championships (2006, 2008, 2010, 2012, 2015, 2018, 2021).

Only two other coaches in college baseball history across all divisions have won more in Ed Cheff of Lewis-Clark St. (16 NAIA national titles in 34 seasons) and Rod Dedeaux of Southern California (11 NCAA Div. I championships in 45 years).

Possibly even more remarkable is that he has led LSU-Eunice to a 902-196 overall record in 19 seasons with a .821 winning percentage.

He enjoys the second highest winning percentage in the history of college baseball over all divisions (NCAA Div. I, II, III, NAIA or junior colleges) by a coach, active or retired.

Willis only trails Lloyd Simmons, former head coach at Seminole State Community College (OK) who had a slightly higher winning percentage of .826 (1,804-380 in 30 years of coaching).

Not bad for a guy who scoured the country 20 years ago trying to find a coaching job anywhere in college baseball after the school he was working at was about to cut back his salary from $12,000 a year to $6,000. He and his wife Lindsey lived in a trailer and barely made ends meet.

Too many meals were Ranch Style Beans or bologna and cheese sandwiches.

Forced to look elsewhere for a job in baseball, he sent resumes to every open college baseball job in the country which ultimately became a stack of papers 10 inches high. Nobody called him back for months.

Only one school ultimately called him for an interview — LSU Eunice.

The story of Jeff Willis is an amazing one that you will never forget as he turned a baseball program that was three years old at LSU-Eunice into a national powerhouse. When he got there at the age of 24, there were no scholarships, no assistant coaches and no toilets anywhere near the field

Turning young men into great people in life is the centerpiece of his system which may be the best ever devised for a college baseball coach.

To read more of this story, purchase the Jan. 7, 2022 edition of Collegiate Baseball or subscribe by CLICKING HERE. This special feature story delves into his remarkable system at LSU-Eunice as he explains the 4 cornerstones of his program (develop men, deserve to win, compete in everything and selflessness) and how each area is taught. Willis also explains his innovative point system for rating players which has 120 categories, why the transfer of blame is a cancer with teams, plus much more.

XXXXXXXXXX

XXXXXXXXXX

XXXXXXXXXX

XXXXXXXXXX

XXXXXXXXXX

NCAA Division 1

NCAA Division 2

NCAA Division 3

NAIA

NJCAA Division 1

NJCAA Division 2

NJCAA Division 3

California Community College

Northwest Junior Colleges

Collegiate Baseball’s 2022 College Baseball Preview Edition (Jan. 7, 2022) has just been published and features all the top teams and players on all levels of college baseball plus a look at the top 93 college baseball players for the 2022 MLB Draft, All-American teams and much more.

To see all the great stories in this issue, CLICK HERE.

To order this edition or subscribe, CLICK HERE.

By LOU PAVLOVICH, JR.
Editor/Collegiate Baseball

The NCAA’s one-time transfer rule has turned into a nightmare for some coaches. With others, it has turned into a baseball player gold mine.

It is without a doubt one of the strangest double-edged swords baseball coaches have ever dealt with.

More than 2,000 NCAA Div. I players entered the transfer portal in 2021 after the one-time transfer rule was adopted by the NCAA Council April 15.

In essence, Division I baseball players could now transfer and play immediately at other Division I schools as long as they have not transferred before. Prior to this rule, athletes had to sit out one year as a penalty for transferring from one Division I school to another.

One of the craziest situations in college baseball history unfolded after the College World Series.

Arizona was eliminated at the CWS with two losses to Vanderbilt and Stanford.

When the Wildcats got back home to Tucson, Arizona Head Coach Jay Johnson resigned and became the new skipper at Louisiana St. Then 20 players from Arizona entered their name in the NCAA’s transfer portal before the July 1 deadline.

Only eight of the 20 ultimately returned last fall to Arizona.

Two of those players signed after being drafted in OF Ryan Holgate (second round Cardinals) and 1B Branden Boissere (third round Nationals).

Ten others transferred to NCAA Division I schools, including:

DH/3B Jacob Berry, LSU (Collegiate Baseball first team All-American in 2021 who is projected to be a first round pick in the 2022 MLB Draft).

RHP Bryce Collins, LSU

LHP Riley Cooper, LSU

INF Kyson Donahue, Hawaii

RHP German Fajardo, Kansas St.

C Kaden Hopson, Charlotte

LHP Ian Churchill, San Diego

RHP Ryan Kysar, San Diego

RHP Hunter Cope, Oregon St.

1B/RHP TJ Curd, Jacksonville

This situation left Arizona scrambling for players as free agency had now hit big-time college baseball.

The Wildcats have won four national championships in baseball over the years and qualified for the College World Series 18 times.

If this can happen to a proud baseball program like Arizona, it can happen to any university.

To read more of this story, purchase the Jan. 7, 2022 edition of Collegiate Baseball or subscribe by CLICKING HERE. The story delves into what new Arizona Head Coach Chip Hale faced when he took the job as 10 players ultimately transferred after Coach Jay Johnson left to be the coach at LSU. It also explains how new Texas A&M skipper Jim Schlossnagle utilized the transfer portal to bring in nine players for the Aggies last fall.

By LOU PAVLOVICH, JR.
Editor/Collegiate Baseball

Nothing in catching history has caused as much controversy as the one-knee down receiving style as the opposite leg is out to the side.

The first catcher who adopted this technique was Tony Peña who caught 18 years in the Major Leagues from 1980-1997 with Pittsburgh, St. Louis, Boston and Cleveland.

Born in the Dominican Republic, he was a 4-time Gold Glove award winner and utilized this style to receive pitches low in the strike zone.

He only used this unorthodox style with no runners on base.

Up to that point, catchers always received pitches in the traditional two knee up squatting style for maximum mobility to receive pitches more easily that went left, right, high and low.

In this special report by Collegiate Baseball, three highly respected catching coaches chime in on the subject.

Scott Overlund, a superb catching coach in Tucson, Ariz. and a former catcher at the University of Arizona, firmly believes the one-knee down catching style is hurting receivers and has caused numerous passed balls since this style was adopted on all levels of the game.

Overlund also feels only a small minority of catchers can throw to bases with maximum velocity and accuracy with the one-knee down style when runners try to steal.

In fact, he has witnessed so many passed balls by catchers who receive with one knee down that he wants a new stat in baseball which tracks how many balls get past catchers compared to the traditional squatting style. He feels it would be eye-opening.

Jerry Weinstein of the Colorado Rockies and Charlie Greene, Jr. of the Milwaukee Brewers, two skilled catching coaches, also give their views on the subject.

Weinstein is adamant that all catchers must learn the traditional style of receiving as well as the one knee down technique to see what style they can excel at. He feels every catcher is different. Weinstein doesn’t feel cloning catchers with one style is the answer.

Greene has strong opinions on both styles as well.

“Most of the kids trying the one-knee down catching style are doing it because they see Major League catchers doing it on TV,” said Overlund.

“So they feel that is just how they have to catch. None of them are athletic enough to make it work.

“And you CAN’T block the ball with this style. I was taught by one of the great catching coaches of all-time in Jim Wing at the University of Arizona. He taught me the traditional way of receiving pitches. Over the years, he worked with some good catchers and made them great as they received pitches with two knees up.”

To read more of this in-depth story, purchase the Jan. 7 2022 edition of Collegiate Baseball. It includes comments on all sides of the issue from great catching coaches. This edition is also the 2022 College National Preview edition which includes a special 36-page pullout section with in-depth information about top teams and players from all college baseball levels, including top pro prospects. To subscribe, CLICK HERE.

IRVINE, Calif. — A celebration of life for legendary college baseball coach Mike Gillespie will be held Sunday, Jan. 16, 2022 at 2 p.m. at U.C. Irvine’s Anteater Ballpark. Members of the public are invited to attend, and admission is free.

This public Memorial Service will honor Gillespie, who passed away at the age of 80 on July 29, 2020 and will feature speakers from throughout Gillespie’s illustrious 47-year career in college baseball, including former players, head coaches and assistant coaches.

Gillespie’s collegiate coaching career began at College of the Canyons (1971-86), where he won three California state community college titles.

He then took over at Southern California (1987-2006), replacing legendary Head Coach Rod Dedeaux. Gillespie led USC to four College World Series appearances and guided the Trojans to the 1998 national title.

In 2008, Mike was named head coach at U.C. Irvine (2008-2018) where he took the Anteaters to three Super Regionals and the College World Series in 2014. Gillespie became the winningest coach in UCI history (393) wins) before his retirement in 2018.

Notably, Gillespie is one of two collegiate coaches (also Arizona’s Jerry Kindall) to win College World Series titles both as a coach and player.