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By LOU PAVLOVICH, JR.
Editor/Collegiate Baseball

LOS ANGELES, Calif. — Ethics in baseball is always closely scrutinized.

For instance, is it ethical to teach batters to purposely get hit by pitches?

Or what about batters purposely faking a hit by pitch?

Is it ethical to doctor playing fields so the home team has an unfair advantage? Or is this part of the game tolerated?

There also is the question of whether stealing signs is proper or not. Some coaches feel it is perfectly acceptable as long as one is not using binoculars to “spy” on the enemy or use television cameras posted beyond the centerfield fence to focus in on signs given by opposing catchers and relayed to batters so they know what is coming.

Almost everyone in the game looks down on coaches who order pitchers to purposely throw at batters. But what about the coach who directs his pitcher to throw at the home plate umpire and have the catcher duck in an effort to physically hurt the umpire?

The game of baseball has been full of controversial ethics questions through the years and rarely discussed in an open forum.

Some coaches relish the game when inventive characters dream up new ways to win games. Others in the game call these coaches cheaters who make a travesty out of the grand old sport of baseball.

The late John Scolinos, former Hall of Fame head baseball coach at Cal Poly Pomona and winner of over 1,000 games, saw it all in his illustrious career.

“Regardless of the score, you must keep your poise,” said Scolinos.

“When you lose your poise, some coaches revert to cheating to win. And this jeopardizes the team. It makes college baseball look bad. College baseball should be kept at a high level.

“But to be honest, baseball coaches as far as I’m concerned are an outstanding bunch of men. Baseball coaches are superior men, for crying out loud. But when I hear about unethical conduct by coaches who instruct their pitchers to throw at the home plate umpire while the catcher ducks or things of this nature, it upsets me. I don’t give a kick how much anyone hates an umpire. That’s premeditated murder. All coaches should establish a proper ethical conduct.”

Several years ago in Southern California, an ethics question was brought to the forefront when an unusual form of the “Double Squeeze” play was performed against Chapman College.

Here is how the play works, which has been handed down through the years from the coaching ranks.

With runners on second and third and less than two outs, the batter bunts the ball toward the first baseman as the runner on third breaks for home. If the bunt is successful, the only option is to throw the batter out at first base as the second baseman covers.

With the normal two man umpire crew which works the vast majority of college baseball games throughout the USA, the home plate umpire positions himself for the potential play at home while the other umpire, initially positioned on the third base or first base side of second base behind the pitching rubber, runs toward first base for the potential play there.

Neither umpire is watching the second base runner.

While all this is going on, the runner on second, who has a sizable lead, breaks initially for third base and then takes shortcut in front of third base and scores easily. He doesn’t come within 10 feet of touching third base.

If you are former Long Beach St. Head Coach Mike Weathers, a victim of this play when he coached at Chapman, you are calling the play “unethical and sad.”

Umpires In Tough Spot
Weathers said the play puts a 2-man umpire crew in an extremely vulnerable situation.

“It’s extremely tough to stop this play from being successfully executed from the perspective of the umpires if they have never seen it before,” said Weathers.

Veteran college umpire Bud Grainger, who was an arbiter for many a moon and umpired at numerous NCAA Division I regionals and College World Series, said if the play was taught by a coach, it is definitely unethical.

“But there is a simple solution to stopping it,” said Grainger.

“The home plate umpire must pay attention to the runners.”

The coach who ordered the play against Chapman, had this to say.

“Baseball is a game of unethical situations. We have taught this play in practice, but we will never use it again.

“What is considered unethical, and what is ethical in baseball? Is it ethical to doctor fields?

“Is it ethical to purposely get hit by pitches? Is it ethical to steal signs? Is it ethical to throw at batters?

“All these things are done in baseball to win. But my team did something I consider harmless, and we are considered to have crossed the line.”

Wild, Unethical Play
Another diabolical play took place in Southern California years ago which caused many heads to turn.

With the score tied 4-4 going  into the bottom of the ninth, the win at all cost coach flashed the sign to his runner at second base and batter (who had been in a terrible slump) with two outs.

As the opposing pitcher went into his windup, the runner at second base bolted for third.

When the pitch came off the pitcher’s fingers, the batter wound up with a powerful swing.

The bat sailed out of his hands directly toward the third base bag.

The catcher, who caught the offering from the pitcher, gunned the ball to third base in an attempt to throw the base runner out.

What was the third baseman to do?

He not only had a runner and ball coming at him, but a flying projectile in the form of an aluminum bat.

He did the only logical thing.

He got out of the way of the aluminum bat as the ball sailed into left field and the runner rounding third scored easily.

Believe it or not, this was a designed play.

To read more of this story, purchase the Oct. 1, 2022 edition of Collegiate Baseball or subscribe by CLICKING HERE. The rest of the story delves into a number of trick plays that have taken place over the years.

NOTE:  The following is an excerpt from the new book Everything Matters In Baseball — The Skip Bertman Story.

This Hall of Fame coach led LSU to five national championships during his 18-years with the Tigers.

It includes 246-pages and 19 chapters including Skip’s Secrets To Success which delves into 12 areas.

The book can be purchased from Acadian House Publishing (Lafayette, LA) for $30, plus postage and handling.

To purchase this remarkable book, go to: www.acadianhouse.com/sports

By GLENN GUILBEAU
With Leo Honeycutt
© 2022 Skip Bertman Story, LLC

BATON ROUGE, La. — Skip Bertman did not necessarily invent the following principles and practices nor was he the only coach to use them.

But he mastered them like perhaps no other.

The Law Of Averages
“The law of averages says that if I have more guys who can steal home than the other team, and I practice with them, one day it may win for us,” Bertman said.

“Because the law says so. It’s like the lottery. Most people never win, but there’s always one person who wins, because it’s the law.”

Bertman rarely called a steal of home.

“But I want that bullet just in case,” he said.

It was there if he needed it, like the bunt defenses or pick-off plays he practiced with his team and “The Grand Illusion” hidden-ball trick play that worked to perfection against Wichita State in the 1982 College World Series when Bertman was the associate head coach/pitching coach at Miami as the Hurricanes won their first national title.

“I was always most concerned with the law of averages and large numbers in our favor,” Bertman said.

“If one guy’s missing, it matters. If one guy doesn’t practice well, it matters. If one guy has problems with a girlfriend or has bad grades and isn’t paying attention, it matters. In baseball, everything matters.”

Throughout his coaching career, the law of averages was important to Bertman, and he taught the law to his players.

They received a steady diet of videos of high- and low-percentage plays to the tune of The Bobby Fuller Four’s 1966 classic, “I Fought The Law (And The Law Won).”

Bertman remains No. 1 in NCAA post-season career winning percentage as LSU’s head coach at .754 with an 89-29 record. In this regard, he was above the law, so to speak, as he won all five National Championship games he reached in 1991, 1993, 1996, 1997 and 2000.

“You figure you might lose one,” he said.

“I had some good fortune, and I had great players. And maybe if I was a better coach, we would’ve won more earlier on.”

When he says he should have won eight in all, as he often does, he is thinking also of the 1987, 1989 and 1998 teams he took to Omaha.

Bertman also finished his career at 15-0 at Alex Box Stadium in games played with advancement to Omaha or to the Super Regional on the line. (His team was eliminated from NCAA Regional play in Alex Box in 1992 and in 1995, but that was before the championship round — not in a game that had LSU won, it would have advanced.)

Bertman has been playing the percentages since he coached at Miami Beach High from 1965-1975 and with the Miami Hurricanes from 1976-1983 and at LSU from 1984-2001.

In another life, Bertman could have run a Las Vegas casino. In fact, when LSU played at Nevada-Las Vegas in 1991, he told the team, “Guys, Las Vegas is going to win.”

He was referring to the casinos.

“They don’t care if you walk away with a bunch of money, because over the long haul, Vegas wins,” 1989-91 pitcher Paul Byrd remembers Bertman saying.

“Same thing’s true when you pitch. If you get ahead of the hitter, you’ll win,” Byrd said.

“You may have a bad game, but over the long haul, you’ll win. An 0-2 hitter is drastically different than a 2-0 hitter. The importance of putting the percentages in your favor cannot be overstated. He pounded that into us.”

“Skip was the first to make me realize that when the four-hole hitter is 0-for-4 in the bottom of the ninth with the bases loaded, buckle up,” said Doug Thompson, who pitched on LSU’s 1997 National Championship team.

“He’s due, Skip would say,” Thompson recalled.

“That’s how he saw the game. Most people would say, ‘He’s having a bad night. Strike him out again.’ That’s when you give up the home run.”

Thompson always wanted to throw a changeup while at LSU, but Bertman agreed only if he could get it over the plate seven out of 10 times in the bullpen.

“It’s a law,” Bertman said.

“It’s not a real pitch to Skip unless you can throw it where he wants it seven out of 10 times,” Thompson said.

Thompson never hit seven, but Bertman let him try a couple of changeups outside of Omaha.

“Both were absolutely annihilated,” Thompson said.

Oklahoma’s Justin Elsey hit a 2-run home run off a changeup in LSU’s 14-3 win in the NCAA Regional in 1997. And Bertman couldn’t resist: “You happy now, Dougie boy?”

For Bertman, playing percentages added up to five titles.

“It’s not a theory,” he said. “It’s not a principle. It’s a real law. There’s no question about it.”

To read more of this excerpt, purchase the Oct. 1, 2022 edition of Collegiate Baseball or subscribe by CLICKING HERE. The excerpt includes four more areas of Skip’s Secrets To Success, including The Pitching Lab, The Yellow Book, The Shake Off and Why Hiring A Lefty Assistant Coach Was Vital.

By LOU PAVLOVICH, JR.
Editor/Collegiate Baseball

OXFORD, Miss. — The art and science of pitch calling in games is fascinating to study with elite coaches.

Ole Miss Head Coach Mike Bianco, who led the Rebels to their first national championship in 2022, is one of the best in the business at calling pitches.

In this exclusive interview with Collegiate Baseball, Bianco shares what he does to call games for his pitchers that allow them to frustrate hitters.

During games, he is typically flanked by the starting pitcher for the next game and the analytics director with multiple pages of data on opposing hitters between the trio.

In addition two other coaches are close who set the infield and outfield defensive alignment. All of them work in unison when Ole Miss is on defense.

One of the key reasons Ole Miss won the College World Series last June was its pitching staff.

In six games, the Rebels led all teams with a 2.00 ERA and struck out 64 batters while only walking 14 batters over 54 innings.

The person calling all of those pitches was none other than Bianco.

A little background is in order first.

Bianco was a superb catcher during his playing days and was the starting catcher for LSU in 1988 and 1989 as he worked daily with unquestionably the best pitch caller in baseball history in Hall of Famer Skip Bertman. He led the Tigers to five national titles.

From 1993-97, Bianco coached pitchers at LSU (Bertman was the lead pitching coach) along with catchers and also was the third base coach. He coordinated and executed the daily practice schedule and helped with baserunning and recruiting.

Bianco learned every nuance of calling pitches from this giant in the coaching profession and what information and video was essential to gather to make informed calls on virtually any count for each batter.

In addition, Bianco learned how to train pitchers so they ultimately had command of several pitches and could perform in high pressure situations.

As a coach, Bianco has been part of four national championship teams (three at LSU in 1993, 1996 and 1997 and one at Ole Miss in 2022).

“I learned from arguably the best pitching coach and pitch caller in college baseball history in Coach Bertman,” said Bianco.

“He was a catcher in his playing days. When he got into coaching, he became a pitching coach.

“One of the crucial bits of advice he handed down was that if pitching is 70 to 80 percent of the game, why aren’t you involved with the pitch calling during games? That’s why he did it. He felt it was such an integral part of the game.

“It wasn’t just calling pitches. It was also working with the pitchers on a daily basis.

“If you work with the pitchers, some ask the question why it is necessary to call pitches for them. When I was catching for Coach Bertman over two years, there were some people in the 1990s who criticized coaches who called pitches because they felt pitchers didn’t learn how to call games and neither did the catchers.

“They felt that they eventually would have to do that when they got to pro ball.

“I don’t agree with that reasoning. What happened was that pitchers and catchers at LSU under Coach Bertman learned a system that showed you every nuance of developing pitchers in addition to showing them the numbers to look at and video of what opposing hitters were doing so you could exploit their weaknesses in different counts.”

To read more of this in-depth story, purchase the Oct. 1, 2022 edition of Collegiate Baseball or subscribe by CLICKING HERE. Bianco delves into the different charts that are put together by Director of Analytics Chris Goudoras as every number is dissected. They show if a batter is susceptible to swinging at a 3-2 breaking ball and so on. Bianco also delves into how important the law of averages are with opposing hitters, why calling pitches is not simply trying to call a pitch the batter isn’t expecting and not flying by the seat of your pants.

He also explains the foundational principles of attacking hitters through video study and sophisticated analytics through many hours of research for each team they play. Bianco also explains that watching opposing pitchers on video who have similar body builds and throwing motions as Ole Miss pitchers is vital in seeing how hitters from opponents will react to different pitches. He also explains the shake off, pitching against the elite hitter who struggles, in-game corrections for pitchers, the 3-2 count, making adjustments, how pitchers are developed, plus much more.

By LOU PAVLOVICH, JR.
Editor/Collegiate Baseball

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Dan McDonnell is one of the elite college head baseball coaches at the University of Louisville. He has posted a 688-287-1 record in 16 years as an NCAA Div. I coach and led five Louisville teams to the College World Series.

At every step along his coaching career, the sun has been his constant nemesis.

“Through the 1980s, I was a golf caddy, lifeguard and played baseball outside up until 1992,” said McDonnell.

“I never wore sunblock because I had to get a tan and look good.

“I didn’t know anything about skin cancer back in the 1980s.

“I start coaching at the age of 22 in 1993. I went to see a dermatologist. She looked at me and told me that I had a lot of skin damage on my face.

“I told her that can’t be true, but I do have freckles. She explained that I had pre-cancerous cells on my lower lip and some moles that she needed to cut out.

“She wanted to know my profession. I told her I was a college baseball coach. She then realized I am outside in the sun a lot.”

McDonnell estimates that he has spent 45,000 hours in the sun during his 30-year coaching career.

Collegiate Baseball estimates that the typical college coach has played baseball from the age of 8-21 and has spent an additional 8,100 hours in the sun. 

“She then said if I plan on coaching for a long time, I will have to make important life changes.

“I would have to start wearing Ultraviolet Protection Factor (UPF) 50 protective clothing and hats. She told me that I would have to wear better sunblock and recommended zinc on my nose and lips. She added that surgery was necessary on my lower lip to get rid of pre-cancerous cells. Then she wanted to cut out a bunch of moles on my face.

“I had been coaching for about a year, and I loved everything about it. But this doctor scared the crap out of me.

“I got laser surgery on my lip, and you could see the skin burning off. I was absolutely miserable. I had to do this during a winter month when I wasn’t going to be outside for a period of time.”

McDonnell had another reality check when his uncle died of skin cancer.

“He died before he turned 40 in Colorado. He was a big outdoorsman who did white water rafting. He was such a vibrant person. But skin cancer took his life.

“The next summer, I start wearing an old fishing hat and rubbed zinc on my lips and nose. Back in the 1990s, nobody was doing this stuff in baseball. If you talk to any scout or college coach who was involved in the game in the 1990s, I was one of the first guys to wear a hat like this and protect my lips and nose with zinc.

“The look I had was comical to many. I had the white stuff (zinc) on my lips and nose like a lifeguard wears.

“I was at the East Cobb complex in Atlanta scouting players and was literally the only person with a bucket hat on and this white stuff on my lips and nose. You could see people snickering a little bit as they looked at me.

“I told people I was protecting myself from skin cancer and was about to get married. I wanted to coach for a long time. If this was what it took so I didn’t get skin cancer, then so be it. Nobody was protecting themselves from the damaging effects of the sun like I was at the time.”

To read more of this story, purchase the Sept. 2, 2022 edition of Collegiate Baseball or subscribe by CLICKING HERE. The Sept. 2 edition includes three stories on the subject of Skin Cancer & Coaching. It includes the main report, a special feature about the University of Louisville’s Dan McDonnell and his skin protection advice after spending 45,000 hours in the sun over 30 years of coaching. In addition, we include a special question and answer session with one of the top dermatologists in the nation in Dr. Susan Chon of MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Tex. who explains how to battle the sun with important tips, including clothing, protective sleeves and hats.

By LOU PAVLOVICH, JR.
Editor/Collegiate Baseball

OMAHA, Neb. — Is college baseball out of balance with too many home runs?

An all-time record of 452 home runs were hit during the 2022 NCAA Div. I baseball championship which includes the Regionals, Super Regionals and College World Series.

In fact, the new record was already set before the 2022 College World Series even started.

The recent CWS had 28 home runs over 15 games which is well short of the all-time record of 62 homers belted at the 1998 College World Series.

The 2022 championship total eclipsed the previous all-time record of 409 home runs set during the 2021 NCAA Div. I playoffs, according to Jeff Williams, NCAA Associate Director of Media Coordination and Statistics.

During the 2022 Regionals and Super Regionals, there were nine games where a team scored 20 or more runs.

A team scored 10 or more runs 56 times during the Regionals and Super Regionals.

If you have followed college baseball closely since 1998, it doesn’t seem possible that this could have transpired.

Here is a short history lesson.

During the 1998 College World Series, a record 62 home runs were hit which eclipsed the old standard of 48 hit during the 1995 CWS.

Louisiana St. and eventual national champion Southern California each hit 17 home runs to set a new record.

A look inside the 1998 College World Series home runs revealed:

• LSU hit 17 homers by 10 different players.
• Southern California hit 17 homers by seven different players.
• Arizona St. belted 9 homers hit by seven different players.
• In all, 62 homers were hit by 42 different players which was an all-time high.
• The championship game was won by Southern California, 21-14 over Arizona St.

Game Out Of Balance
The immediate reaction to the record number of home runs at the 1998 College World Series and football score in the title game from the NCAA Div. I Baseball Committee and NCAA Rules Committee was swift.

Something had to be done about high performance bats that were being utilized by players in NCAA baseball.

An arms race was taking place by bat manufacturers who were now producing legal bats that were hitting balls harder and further than ever before.

A boiling point had been reached where the NCAA Rules Committee voted for hard-hitting new performance standards on bats which would make non-wood bats perform closer to wooden bats.

BBCOR specification bats were ultimately required with the 2011 season and offensive numbers plummeted in college baseball, as the home run had become nearly extinct.

The poster child for lack of offense took place at the 2013 and 2014 College World Series as only three home runs were hit each year. A number of balls that looked like home run shots were caught at the warning track.

It marked the lowest home run totals since 1966 when only two home runs were hit in 15 games.

From an all-time high of 62 homers at the 1998 College World Series, the numbers dipped lower and lower with 9 in 2011, 10 in 2012 and 3 in 2013 and 2014. These numbers closely mirrored the wood bat era in college baseball which took place up to the 1973 season.

Engineers who designed the BBCOR specification for bats to get the game back in balance did a superb job. In fact, the bats were so effective in reducing the speed of balls off bats that unscrupulous players began utilizing illegal bats that had been rolled or had the barrels shaved for more trampoline effect which meant the balls would fly further.

In some cases, you were seeing 6-7 batters from the same team using the exact same bat which was a telltale sign that an illegal bat was being used.

The NCAA Baseball Rules Committee ultimately approved in-season bat testing for all NCAA baseball schools to prevent such bat doctoring. This rule also has been in place for the NCAA playoffs.

Using Flat Seam Ball
During the 2011-2014 seasons, there was a serious lack of home runs in NCAA baseball because of the new BBCOR specification bats as stated above.

To correct that problem, beginning with the 2015 season flat seam baseballs were used throughout NCAA Division I baseball.

The flat seam ball seemed like the perfect solution to bring the home run back into the game.

After several months of testing at the NCAA Bat Certification lab at Washington State University, results showed that the flat seam ball would travel further than a raised seam ball due to the “drag effect.”

The test was conducted with an average ball exit speed from a machine at 95 mph with a spin rate of 1,400 RPM and a launch angle of 25 degrees. These parameters were set because they replicate the settings of a typical home run or a hit that could become a home run.

The average distance the raised seam ball traveled was 367 feet while the average distance the flat seam ball traveled was 387 feet — 20 feet further.

Now the game was in balance.

With the record number of home runs in the last two NCAA Div. I baseball championships, the big question now is whether colleges should go back to the raised seam ball if there is concern that the game is out of balance with too many home runs.

To read more of this article, purchase the July 15, 2022 edition of Collegiate Baseball or subscribe by CLICKING HERE. Mike Buddie, chairman of the NCAA Div. I Baseball Committee, said his committee will monitor the record number of home runs being hit. He personally is concerned that the balance of the game is out of whack with the record number of home runs being hit the last two seasons. The story also asks whether any proposal is on the table by the NCAA Baseball Rules Committee to change the ball to the flat-seam variety that was used previously. Ole Miss Head Coach Mike Bianco also chimes in on the subject.

TUCSON, Ariz. — University of Mississippi head baseball coach Mike Bianco has been named Collegiate Baseball’s National Coach of The Year.

He led the  Rebels to their first national baseball title by beating Oklahoma two straight in the Championship Finals of the College World Series enroute to a 42-23 overall record.

It marks the second time in three years Bianco has been named Collegiate Baseball’s National Coach of The Year after also winning the honor in 2020 after leading Ole Miss to a 16-1 record in a COVID-19 shortened season. After losing their first game of the season, the Rebels won their next 16 games before the season ended.

It is the fourth consecutive year a coach from the Southeastern Conference has been named National Coach of The Year by Collegiate Baseball.

Chris Lemonis (Mississippi St., 2021) and Tim Corbin (Vanderbilt, 2019) also won the award after leading their teams to national championships.

During the six games the Rebels played at the College World Series, the Rebels led all teams with a 2.00 ERA and struck out 64 batters while only walking 14 batters over 54 innings. The person calling all of those pitches was none other than Bianco.

Ole Miss batters hit a CWS-high 9 home runs while the defense only allowed 1 stolen base in 2 attempts.

The Rebels hit a school record 108 home runs this season in 65 games.

Ole Miss struggled in the talent-rich Southeastern Conference with a 14-16 league record which was tied for the eighth best record.

The Rebels were the last team invited to the NCAA tournament as an at-large team and caught fire at the right time winning 10 of its 11 games in the NCAA playoffs.

In 22 seasons leading the program, Bianco has delivered 18 post-season appearances, including eight Super Regional berths and two trips to the College World Series. He has racked up 854 victories.

Those wins are the most in Rebel baseball history and rank third all-time among coaches in the SEC. He also stands as the winningest and longest-active coach in the SEC among the sports of baseball, men’s basketball and football. The Rebels have reached the 30-win plateau in each of Bianco’s 21 full seasons, including ten 40-win campaigns. 

The Rebels posted three straight 40-win seasons from 2005-07 for the first time in school history and have hit the program record of 48 wins three times, most recently a 48-17 (.738) season in 2018, which came as the best win percentage by a Rebel team in the past 48 seasons.

That 48-win campaign set in motion four 40-win seasons in 2018, 2019, 2021 and 2022.

Previous Collegiate Baseball National Coaches of The Year include:

• 2021: Chris Lemonis, Mississippi St.
• 2020: Mike Bianco, Mississippi
• 2019: Tim Corbin, Vanderbilt
• 2018: Pat Casey, Oregon St.
• 2017: Kevin O’Sullivan, Florida
• 2016: Gary Gilmore, Coastal Carolina
• 2015: Brian O’Connor, Virginia
• 2014: Tim Corbin, Vanderbilt
• 2013: John Savage, UCLA
• 2012: Andy Lopez, Arizona
• 2011: Ray Tanner, South Carolina
• 2010: Ray Tanner, South Carolina
• 2009: Paul Mainieri, Louisiana St.
• 2008: Mike Batesole, Fresno St.
• 2007: Pat Casey, Oregon St.
• 2006: Pat Casey, Oregon St.
• 2005: Augie Garrido, Texas
• 2004: George Horton, Cal. St. Fullerton
• 2003: Wayne Graham, Rice
• 2002: Augie Garrido, Texas
• 2001: Jim Morris, Miami (Fla.)
• 2000: Skip Bertman, Louisiana St.
• 1999: Jim Morris, Miami (Fla.)
• 1998: Mike Gillespie, Southern Calif.
              Mike Batesole, Cal. St. Northridge
• 1997: Skip Bertman, Louisiana St.
• 1996: Skip Bertman, Louisiana St.,
               Andy Lopez, Florida
• 1995: Augie Garrido, Cal. St. Fullerton
• 1994: Larry Cochell, Oklahoma
• 1993: Skip Bertman, Louisiana St.
• 1992: Andy Lopez, Pepperdine
• 1991: Skip Bertman, Louisiana St.
• 1990: Steve Webber, Georgia
• 1989: Dave Snow, Long Beach St.
• 1988: Larry Cochell, Cal. St. Fullerton
• 1987: Mark Marquess, Stanford
• 1986: Jerry Kindall, Arizona
• 1985: Ron Fraser, Miami (Fla.)
• 1984: Augie Garrido, Cal. St. Fullerton
• 1983: Cliff Gustafson, Texas
• 1982: Ron Fraser, Miami (Fla.)
• 1981: Jim Brock, Arizona St.
• 1980: Jerry Kindall, Arizona

TUCSON, Ariz. — The 2022 Collegiate Baseball High School All-American teams, powered by Diamond Sports, are loaded with outstanding talent from across the nation.

The 2022 high school spring season was able to return to normal schedules in most parts of the country after two years of interruptions from the COVID-19 pandemic.

Many of our All-Americans are top prospects for the upcoming Major League Draft which will be held in July, and numerous players have already received national awards as well as state and regional honors.

Leading the team is Collegiate Baseball’s National High School Player of the Year SS Jackson Holliday of Stillwater HS (OK).

Playing in Oklahoma’s 6A division against some of the state’s top teams, Holliday hit .685 over 40 games with 29 doubles, 6 triples, 17 home runs, 79 RBI, scored 74 runs and stole 30 bases. His first strikeout of the season didn’t happen until his 103rd plate appearance. In fact, he only had 7 strikeouts in 130 at-bats all season.

He broke the National High School single season hit record with 89 hits, according to his coach, Jimmy Harris. The National Federation of High School Sports record book says the single season hit record is 88 held by Jacob Realmuto of Carl Albert HS (Midwest City, OK) in 2010.

Additionally, he is one of the top defensive high school shortstops, committing only 3 errors in 150 chances. He had 11 assists and was involved with 23 doubles plays.

“Jackson has played in every big event that a high school kid can play in. He is the best team guy, teammate, hardest worker, and loves his team,” Harris said.

“Watching him this season was the most fun. He had such a great year and did it with all the pressure to perform each day.”

Holliday signed with Oklahoma State, but is expected to be a first-round pick in the MLB Draft.

Nominations for the All-Americans are submitted by the player’s high school coach, and the staff of Collegiate Baseball chooses the honorees.

For in-depth information about each of the 2022 Collegiate Baseball H.S. All-Americans, purchase the June 17, 2022 edition of Collegiate Baseball or subscribe by CLICKING HERE.

First Team
Pitchers

• Eli Jerzembeck, RHP, Providence HS, Charlotte, NC
• Riley Quick, RHP, Hewitt Trussville HS, Trussville, AL
• Walter Ford, RHP, Pace HS, FL
• Brody Fowler, RHP, Eastside HS, Taylors, SC
• Griffin Stieg, RHP, McLean HS, VA
• Jackson Ferris, LHP, IMG Academy, Bradenton, FL
• Brock Porter, RHP, St. Mary’s Prep, Orchard Lake, MI
• Andrew Dutkanych, RHP, Brebeauf Jesuit HS, Indianapolis, IN
• Wyatt Danilowicz, LHP, Traverse City West HS, MI
• Jacob Miller, RHP, Liberty Union HS, Baltimore, OH
• Wyatt Wiatrek, RHP, Sinton HS, TX
• Grayson Grinsell, LHP, Reno HS, NV
• JD Thompson, LHP, Rusk HS, TX
• Dylan Lesko, RHP, Buford HS, GA
• Isaac Sewell, LHP, The First Academy, Orlando, FL
• Louis Rodriguez, RHP, Orange Lutheran HS, Orange, CA
• Logan Salomon, RHP, Hamilton HS, Chandler, AZ
• J.R. Ritchie, RHP, Bainbridge HS, Bainbridge Island, WA
• Tristan Smith, LHP, Boiling Springs HS, SC
• David Lally, RHP, Grand Blanc HS, MI
• Thomas White, LHP, Phillips Academy, Andover, MA
• Christian Rodriguez, RHP, Stoneman Douglas HS, Parkland, FL

Catchers

• Malcolm Moore, CK McClatchy HS, Sacramento, CA
• Ike Irish, St. Mary’s Prep, Orchard Lake, MI.
• Rylan Galvan, Sinton HS, TX
• Jared Jones, Walton HS, Marietta, GA
• Ross Highfill, Madison Central HS, Madison, MS
• Rashawn Galloway, Boerne HS, TX
• Brady Thomas, Northwest Rankin HS, Flowood, MS
• Dylan Maxcey, Friendswood HS, TX

Infielders

• Jackson Holliday, SS, Stillwater HS, OK
• Colin Houck, SS/3B, Parkview HS, Lilburn, GA
• Xavier Isaac, 1B, East Forsyth HS, Kernersville, NC
• Cutter Coffey, SS, Liberty HS, Bakersfield, CA
• Fisher Ingersoll, SS, American Fork HS, UT
• Sal Stewart, 3B, Westminster Christian HS, Miami, FL
• Termarr Johnson, SS, B.E. Mays HS, Atlanta, GA
• Jett Williams, SS, Rockwall-Heath HS, Heath, TX
• Tucker Toman, 3B, Hammond School, Columbia, SC
• Gavin Grahovac, SS, Villa Park HS, CA
• Cole Young, SS, North Allegheny HS, Wexford, PA
• Camden Kozeal, SS, Millard South HS, Omaha, NE
• Jayden Hylton, 1B, Palm Beach Gardens HS, FL
• Preston Barnes, SS, Danville HS, KY
• Greg Pettay, SS, The First Academy, Orlando, FL
• Henry Godbout, SS, Baylor School, Chattanooga, TN
• Jackson Smith, 1B, Owasso HS, OK
• Demetrio Crisantes, SS/2B, Nogales HS, AZ

Outfielders

• Andruw Jones, Wesleyan School, Peachtree Corners, GA
• Drew Burress, Houston County HS, Warner Robins, GA
• Dakota Jordan, Jackson Academy, Jackson, MS
• Gavin Turley, Hamilton HS, Chandler, AZ
• Henry Bolt, Palo Alto HS, CA
• Roman Anthony, Stoneman Douglas HS, Parkland, FL
• Elijah Green, IMG Academy, Bradenton, FL
• Justin Crawford, Bishop Gorman HS, Las Vegas, NV
• Jake Dresselhouse, St. Mary’s Prep, Orchard Lake, MI
• Gage Harrelson, Houston County HS, Warner Robins, GA
• Paxton Kling, Central Martinsburg HS, Martinsburg, PA
• Jordan Taylor, St. Johns Country Day School, Orange Park, FL

Multi-Position Athletes

• Owen Murphy, RHP/SS, Riverside Brookfield HS, Riverside, IL
• Karson Milbrandt, RHP/OF, Liberty HS, MO.
• Nick Monistere, SS/RHP, Northwest Rankin HS, Flowood, MS
• Brennan Phillips, LHP/OF, Owasso HS, OK
• Robby Snelling, CF/LHP, McQueen HS, Reno, NV
• Jaden Noot, RHP/OF, Sierra Canyon School, Chatsworth, CA
• Ethan Frey, C/RHP, Rosepine HS, LA
• Cooper Dossett, RHP/CF, Har-Ber HS, Springdale, AR
• Josh Tiedemann, 1B/RHP, Hamilton HS, Chandler, AZ
• Gavin Guidry, SS/RHP, Barbe HS, Lake Charles, LA
• Nolan Perry, SS/RHP, Carlsbad HS, NM
• Logan Pruski, SS/RHP, Bishop Manogue HS, Reno, NV
• Mason Swinney, SS/RHP, Phil Campbell HS, AL
• Ben Barrett, RHP/3B, The First Academy, Orlando,
• Trenton Shaw, LHP/1B, Prestonwood Christian Academy, Plano, TX
• Max Clark, OF/LHP, Franklin Community HS, IN

Second Team
Pitchers

• Owen Schexnaydre, RHP, Vanderbilt Catholic HS, Houma, LA
• Mason Cirkel, LHP, Rusk HS, TX
• Cade Perkins, LHP, Manhattan HS, KS
• Alex Clemmey, LHP, Bishop Hendricken HS, Warwick, RI
• Michael Forret, RHP, Providence HS, Charlotte, NC
• Bradley Loftin, LHP, DeSoto Central HS, Southaven, MS
• Ben Moore, LHP, Linganore HS, Frederick, MD
• Jaxson Pease, RHP, Farragut HS, Knoxville, TN
• Brayden Sharp, LHP, The Woodlands HS, TX
• Jaxson Cahoy, RHP, Millard West HS, Omaha, NE
• Evan Blanco, LHP, Austin Prep, Reading, MA
• JJ Hollis, RHP, JSerra Catholic HS, San Juan Capistrano, CA
• Max Tramontana, RHP, Archbishop Moeller HS, Cincinnati, OH

Catchers

• Bryce Hubbard, Wesleyan School, Peachtree Corners, GA
• Jaret Nelson, Nixa HS, MO
• Easton Romero, Spanish Fork HS, UT
• Brandyn Durand, Bishop Hendricken HS, Warwick, RI

Infielders

• Dallas Macias, SS, Regis Jesuit HS, Aurora, CO
• Tyler Triche, SS/3B, North Forsyth HS, Cumming, GA
• Mikey Romero, SS, Orange Lutheran HS, Orange, CA
• Mason White, SS, Salpointe Catholic HS, Tucson, AZ
• Mike Cruz, 3B/1B, Reno HS, NV
• Austin Hawke, SS, Reagan HS, Pfafftown, NC
• Jacob Reimer, SS, Yucaipa HS, CA
• Matthew Rose, 2B, Calvary Christian HS, Clearwater, FL
• Gregory Melo, 3B, George Washington HS, New York, NY
• Blake Grimmer, 3B, St. Mary’s Prep, Orchard Lake, MI
• Cooper Blauser, SS, Wesleyan School, Peachtree Corners, GA
• Jake McCutcheon, SS, Francis Howell HS, St. Charles, MO

Outfielders

• Peyton Martin, Madison-Ridgeland Academy, Madison, MS
• Nicolas Nunez-Cabrera, George Washington HS, New York, NY
• Kristian Sprawling, DeSoto Central HS, Southaven, MS
• Solomon Skalnik, Owasso HS, OK
• Kaden Martin, Buford HS, GA

Multiple Position Athletes

• Brad Hodges, LHP/1B, St. Johns Country Day School, Orange Park, FL
• Seth Keller, SS/RHP, Hanover HS, Mechanicsville, VA
• Brady Morse, C/RHP, Danville HS, KY
• Blake Mitchell, C/RHP, Sinton HS, TX
• Mavis Graves, LHP/1B, Eastside HS, Taylors, SC
• Brenner Cox, CF/RHP, Rock Hill HS, Frisco, TX
• Davis Gillespie, 3B/RHP, Oak Mountain HS, Birmingham, AL
• Ty Wisdom, 2B/RHP, Liberty North HS, Liberty, MO
• Erik Blair, 1B/LHP, American Heritage, Plantation, FL
• Jordan Medellin, SS/RHP, Bay Area Christian School, League City, TX
• Jake Tucker, LHP/1B, Mount Paran Christian School, Kennesaw, GA
• Jaquae Stewart, 1B/LHP, Sinton HS, TX
• Brady Baxter, RHP/3B, Danville HS, KY
• Eric Nachtsheim, RHP/1B, Reno HS, NV

About Diamond Sports
Diamond Sports manufactures high quality baseball and softball products for all levels. Diamond Sports is based in Southern California and is proud to be the Official Ball of many great college conferences, as well as leagues, tournaments and organizations nationwide. Diamond is the Official Ball of the American Baseball Coaches Association. You can find Diamond on the internet at diamond-sports.com

By LOU PAVLOVICH, JR.
Editor/Collegiate Baseball

CLAREMONT, Calif. — Nobody had more wisdom than the late John Scolinos.

He led Cal Poly Pomona to three national championships (1976, 1980 and 1983) and retired in 1991 as the winningest coach in NCAA Division II history. He passed away at the age of 91 in 2009.

Scolinos was named NCAA Division II Coach of the Century by Collegiate Baseball for not only his coaching ability but the influence he had on thousands of baseball coaches across the nation and athletes who played for him.

Prior to becoming Pomona’s head coach, he spent 14 seasons at Pepperdine University where his teams went 376-213.

His all-time record in 44 years of coaching was 1,198-949.

Scolinos’ overall record is highly misleading since his teams always played the best teams in Southern California and Arizona, including all the top NCAA Division I teams.

This giant in the profession influenced more coaches than possibly any skipper has in the history of the game with the way he broke down the game during clinic sessions — often in front of standing room only crowds at American Baseball Coaches Association conventions.

And after almost every presentation, he would be given a standing ovation from the crowd.

Here are some of those priceless lessons coaches learned from Scolinos through the years that Collegiate Baseball has collected.

“On days when nothing goes right, I call them ‘jock games,’ ” said Scolinos.

“That’s when all the defense does is throw their jocks out there, the hitters get faked out of their jocks, and the pitchers get their jocks knocked off.

“If a team gets in a jock contest, they don’t have a chance.”

About the type of ball players there are in the game:

“There are a lot of puppy dogs and hot dogs with a few bull dogs scattered among the group. We want the bulldogs.”

Possibly the greatest moment I have of Coach Scolinos was as at the 1990 American Baseball Coaches Association Convention in New Orleans where he gave a clinic in front of thousands of coaches discussing the finer points of hitting.

He sternly told coaches in attendance they should never allow players to have their heads in their jocks.

To demonstrate the point, he quickly pulled a jock strap over his forehead. Every coach in attendance howled with laughter. But Coach Scolinos made his point.

Years ago, I interviewed former Cal. Poly Pomona assistant coach Steve Osaki who explained in detail Scolinos’ other legendary clinic sessions.

“At clinics, he was well known for giving his talk on handshakes to demonstrate fielding mistakes,” said Osaki.

“The first one was the halitosis handshake. Coach Scolinos and another coach would each shake hands but turn their heads away to demonstrate how a fielder turns his head away from the ball.

“The next one was the political handshake. Coach Scolinos would walk up to another coach on stage and extend his hand.

“Just prior to a handshake taking place between the two, Coach Scolinos would slip his hand back and flip his glove.

“The third demonstration was the mafia handshake. Two people were shoulder to shoulder embracing each other in a handshake as Coach Scolinos says, ‘Let’s make a deal.’

“Then comes the Japanese handshake. Two people walk up and bow to each other signifying the player who lets the ball roll through his legs.

“The final one was the best way to field called the American handshake. You look your opponent right in the eye with arms not locked and shake.”

Boxing Demonstrations
Osaki said Scolinos was also known for his boxing match demonstration during clinics.

“The whole point of the boxing match was to show that you must get up after suffering a setback in baseball.

“Coach would have another person work with him during this demonstration and knock him down with a punch to the jaw (actually fist misses player’s jaw by a few inches).

“The player would stay down as Coach discussed why players who stay down for the 10 count are finished in baseball.

“Coach then explained that the player must make adjustments such as blocking those punches.

“But if that player is knocked down again, he must bounce back up and make further adjustments.”

One of the keys to Scolinos’ amazing success was that he surrounded himself with outstanding people.

“But if you surround yourself with donkeys,” said Scolinos, “You’ll be in donkeyville.

“You just can’t afford to surround yourself with jerkballs, snotballs or donkballs.”

Coach Scolinos had this fabulous, yet unique way, of getting his point across to fellow coaches at clinics or his own players.

To read more of this tribute to the great John Scolinos, purchase the May 6, 2022 edition of Collegiate Baseball or subscribe by CLICKING HERE.

By PERRY HUSBAND
Special To Collegiate Baseball

PALMDALE, Calif. — The biggest question in baseball is what allows hard contact by hitters?

Pitchers who limit hard contact dominate and hitters who create more of it are at the top of the sport. This is the core question that sparked all the research that went into the discovery of Effective Velocity.

Ev is the science that introduced Ev Pitch Tunnels, Movement Mechanics or the use of tilt axis, arm angle and spins to make the ball move, Pitch Recognition Training and much more.

Pitchers are throwing harder every year, and with modern technology, they are creating “better stuff.”

But are they using their “stuff” better? To do damage, hitters have to be close to 100% on time, and their swing needs to be at or near 100% efficient.

The Effective Velocity hitting term for perfect contact is 100-100, a line in the sand to measure all contact against. To break the sound barrier, planes must go 767 mph. If they get close, they’re going fast, but they didn’t create a sonic boom.

To measure anything, there must be a true north to measure from, and in hard contact, that is 100-100.

Think of all pitches as 1’s – 2’s – 3’s or 4’s.

Fastballs located up and inside are 1’s, fastballs away or down are 2’s, the harder off-speed pitches like cutters and splits are 3’s, and 4’s are slower off-speed, mostly curveballs.

This illustration above shows 3 different pitches going to 3 different locations at 3 different speeds from a RHP.

One pitch is a 93 mph fastball located away. The other is a hard split-finger that is 90 mph located middle and the last is a slider at 87 MPH located inside. 

All 3 pitches will “run into” the barrel at different points in the same swing, not the same time but the same swing timing.

This is Effective Velocity in a nutshell. 

All 3 pitches have the same EvMPH or “true reactionary speed.”

These pitches would be great examples of 2’s and 3’s in action and roughly 2/3 of all MLB pitches are 2’s and 3’s.

This is a hint as to the earlier question of whether pitchers are using their “stuff better.”

The bulk of pitches are being thrown directly into the speed range hitters are most geared to.

A pitchers’ next chess move will put hitting on a whole new level of difficulty if they change this approach.  

Hitter’s Attention
Ev Pitch Tunnels are when 2 pitches share the same horizontal and vertical planes for at least 20 feet of pitch flight, then split apart going to 2 different areas of the zone with large speed spreads between them.

To read more of this story, purchase the May 6, 2022 edition of Collegiate Baseball or subscribe by CLICKING HERE. This in-depth story delves into visual and reactionary skills, the reactionary test, experiment with 14,000 at-bats, 100-100 perfect contact, MLB data, Biola Ev study and Ev Pitch Sequencing which features a number of graphics and charts.