The Road to Omaha…and Appleton

Steve Bernhardt: Building the Better Ballplayer

This is the time of year that college baseball turns it attention to the post-season. Teams hope to make runs through Conference Tournaments, Regionals, Super Regionals and ultimately the World Series. There is nothing better in the game of baseball than playing for a team that wins a Championship. Being the only team left standing (or dog-piling as the case may be) at the end of a long season is a feeling of accomplishment that very few get to experience.

When most fans think of the College World Series, they think of Rosenblatt Stadium in Omaha and the games that have been televised for years on ESPN. The players who join us for our Omaha Pro Weekly Training and Tournament get to attend some of these games and I must confess that the atmosphere at Rosenblatt Stadium is unbelievable. This is the highest profile World Series for college baseball, but it is certainly not the only World Series for college players. In fact, Omaha is only one of seven college-level World Series that will be played over the next month.

The Junior College Division III Championship is hosted in Tyler, TX while the top teams at the JC DII level play in Millington, TN. The Junior College Division I World Series is a great event held in Grand Junction, CO where Chipola College won last year’s event before a crowd of 10,000 plus at the final game. The NAIA hosts its National Championship in Lewiston, Idaho where host Lewis and Clark won last year’s final before a crowd of 5,400 fans. The NCAA Division II World Series is played in Sauget, IL where the University of Tampa under Coach Joe Urso will try for their third Championship in a row this year. And finally, local Baltimore powerhouse Johns Hopkins, where eight Baseball Factory alums contribute, will try to bring home the NCAA Division III title from Appleton, Wisconsin.

The bottom line is that all of these National Championships provide top-level competition in great atmospheres. Players who participate in any of these World Series will leave with memories for a lifetime and some may even leave with a National Championship Trophy for their school and a ring for their finger.

When you choose a school, make sure that you approach the selection process with an open mind. Division I baseball offers many great opportunities, but they are not the only opportunities—and for some they are not the best opportunities. My guess is that the players who won last year’s Division III National Championship at Kean University wouldn’t trade places with anyone. They’ll tell you that Appelton is a pretty cool place to be this time of year.

Bernhardt played for five years in the Colorado Rockies organization. As Executive VP of Baseball Operations at Baseball Factory, he oversees all events and instruction. Bernhardt currently serves as an Associate Scout with the Colorado Rockies. He received his B.S. from the University of Richmond where he was an All-Conference player.