NAIA Baseball Pre-season All America Team

Justin Roswell: Where Are They Now?

Recently, two former Team One Showcase participants were named to the NAIA Baseball Pre-Season All America Team. Senior Brice Cutspec (Azusa Pacific University) and Senior R.L. Eisenbach (Lubbock-Christian) will be fighting hard to return to Lewiston for the College World Series.

Both Brice and R.L. participated in a Team One Showcase along with the Arizona Fall Classic. Those events became platforms for them to receive exposure to college recruiters, which in turn generated numerous scholarship offers from schools across the country.

We wish both Brice and R.L. the best of luck in their 2010 seasons and hope to see their names come across the ticker during the 2010 MLB Amateur Player Draft.



Justin is the Senior Director of Team One Baseball. Justin Roswell joined the Baseball Factory in 2001 serving in the scouting, event coordination, and player development departments. In 2007 he became the Senior Director for Team One Baseball, the showcase division of Baseball Factory. As Senior Director, he leads the player identification process for all Team One Regional Showcases. Justin also runs the Under Armour Tournament Division. Justin graduated from California State University - Fullerton, where he received his degree in Business Administration, with an emphasis on management.

My College Baseball Story

Rob Naddelman: Through a Parent’s Eyes

At many Baseball Factory events over the past 15 years, I have told my personal story to many families when we have discussed issues such as playing time and position changes. I have been encouraged to share this story as a blog by many parents who have heard it because they thought it would be valuable for other families. So here goes...

As an incoming freshman at the University of Pennsylvania, I was the last INF to make the team. There were only two INF slots open my freshman year because almost all of the INF from the previous year were returning. So a Lefty 1B and I were the only freshman INF to make the club. As such, I was the 3rd SS on the roster and was behind two upperclassmen. One in particular was a starter for the past two years and was only a junior.

Back then, not everyone was able to travel on our Spring Trip to Florida which was the kick off to the season. So initially, as the 3rd SS, I was not on the list to travel. My plan was to go home to NJ for Spring Break. At the last minute, I got a call that our Captain (who was the starting 3B) had to have an emergency appendectomy, so a spot opened up for me. I had no idea what to expect, but was just happy to be taking part in the trip.

For the first few games, I did not play at all. About 4 games into the trip, my coach decided to give me a start as SS. In the game I went 2 for 2 with a HBP (on the helmet by the way!). He then gave me another start, and then another start, and before I knew it, I had earned the starting shortstop job when we returned from Florida. I went on to start almost every game at SS the rest of the year.

The next year, I thought I was a shoe in to stay at SS, but we had a junior college transfer come in from Miami Dade that played SS and a top recruit from HS that played 3B. As such, I started the year behind both of these guys. Tough pill to swallow after starting at SS for my freshman year. On our Spring Trip to Florida, our top freshman recruit hurt his arm so I got a chance to play 3B. I hadn't played 3B since I was 9 years old. I took it as a challenge and worked hard and wound up starting the rest of the year and earned 1st Team All Ivy Honors as a 3B. This was very rewarding for me because to earn that distinction you need to have the most votes from the other Ivy League coaches.

The following year (Junior Year), I thought my days of "proving myself" were over. However, in the fall, we learned that our coach had recruited a top HS football and baseball prospect. He played football in the fall so nobody really knew him, but come Spring time he made his presence and ability known. He was Mark DeRosa, current 3B for the Cleveland Indians. He quickly became the 3B and I was out of a position again. Instead of getting upset, I took it as a challenge again and became the full time DH. Our team did very well that year and finished as the runner up for the Ivy League Championship. I broke my hand towards the end of the year, but if I hadn't, I probably would have been an All Conference player again.

My senior year rolled around the next fall and I thought I was a shoe in to be captain. I was a 3 year starter and clearly a team player. I wound up being passed up for the spot and my college roommate (the top pitcher on our team) was given the distinction. Usually there were 2 captains, but this year they only went with one. It hurt at first, but in the end I realized that you can be a leader no matter what your title is. That year, we had our best year as a team. Part of the reason was that we had DeRosa at SS (the Miami Dade transfer graduated) and one of our juniors was a 3rd Team NCAA DI All American. We had a Senior-Laden pitching staff that dominated most opponents. In addition, we had another top freshman recruit that played 2B. His addition to the team moved the current 2B to 3B, so here I was again out of a position. I realized this was probably my last year to play baseball and more than anything I wanted to be a part of a good team. So I swallowed my pride again and stayed in the DH role for most of the year and earned 2nd Team All Ivy honors. Towards the end of the year, we had a lot of good players all clicking at the same time, so I was platooning at DH. We won the Ivy League Championship and then had to beat Rider to go to the Regionals of the College World Series. I did not start the final game (the series was tied 1-1) but came off the bench to get the pinch hit single and RBI that sent us to a victory and a berth in the College World Series Midwest Regional in Oklahoma. It was the last time Penn has earned a trip to the big dance.

So the point is this. Never get down and don't let any of these circumstances define you as a player. Keep doing what you do, and keep your head held high. In the end, the right attitude and the hard work always pays off. Just stay focused and good things will happen. For all the parents, don't get too bent our of shape if you son is going through similar challenges. Just continue to encourage him and help him keep a good perspective.

Hopefully this story help!


Rob Naddelman is the President of Baseball Factory. Naddelman is a former two-time All Ivy League Third Baseman at the University of Pennsylvania, where he competed in a College World Series Regional. He has served as the President of Baseball Factory for the past 14 years, and also is the Executive Director of Baseball Factory's charitable arm The B.A.S.E. - H.I.T. Foundation. Naddelman and Steve Sclafani (CEO) have been featured in Business Week and CNN for their work in building Baseball Factory into the nation's leader in player development and college placement.

Why Does RPI Matter?

Kelly Kulina: Your Link to the Colleges

Why does the RPI matter? To get into the NCAA postseason, teams will either need to win their conference championship or earn an “at-large” bid. These at-large bids are awarded by an NCAA committee to teams that win a convincing number of games during the regular season. In the case of team sports, RPI is used to determine whether or not a “bubble” team should be given or denied an at-large bid to the tournament. Teams with wins over tough competition typically get the nod over teams with the same number of wins over easier competition.

For those of you who aren’t college basketball fans, Relative Power Index (RPI) is a measure of a team’s strength of schedule. So, teams are credited for playing a tougher schedule and penalized for playing a softer schedule.

To calculate a team’s RPI, the NCAA uses the following formula:

(0.25 * team winning percentage) + (0.50 * opponents’ winning percentage) + (0.25 * opponents’ opponents’ winning percentage)

As you can see, winning is only 25% of the total index, with much more emphasis being placed on teams’ opponents.

As with anything involved with the postseason, the RPI and its role in postseason selection does not come without controversy. Critics of the RPI point out that it compounds the disadvantage cold weather teams face against warm weather teams. Since they must spend the first three weeks of the season on the road, many cold weather teams will start with a losing record and play against other teams in their conference with losing records. This creates the compounding effect causing the RPI disadvantage. In fact, many lower tier teams in warm weather conferences will get an at-large nod over upper tier teams from cold weather conferences. If you take a look at the past few years’ College World Series participants and winners, you’ll see a major disparity between cold weather teams and warm weather teams.

This past November, Greg Van Zant, Head Coach at West Virginia University, proposed a change in the calculation of RPI. Rather than counting all wins equal, he suggested using an “adjusted winning percentage,” which awards 1.0 wins on a neutral site, 1.25 wins on the road and 0.833 wins at home. College basketball is currently using something similar, although they award 1.4 wins on the road and 0.6 wins at home. While this is still a while away from being presented formally to the Division I baseball committee, I’m looking forward to seeing how it is received by other coaches and the NCAA.

There’s no doubt in my mind that northern teams could use a helping hand when it comes to staying competitive nationally. At the same time, one thing won’t change: you still need to win the majority of your games!

Kelly Kulina is the Senior Vice President of College Recruiting at Baseball Factory. Kulina is a former Associate Head Coach and recruiting coordinator with the University of Maryland. As a former recruiting coordinator for ten years in the ACC, Kulina has vast contacts and is widely respected throughout the nation. From 1989 to 2000, Kulina coached 46 players who were selected in the MLB draft.

Balancing the College Baseball Budget

Kelly Kulina: Your Link to the Colleges

Prior to the beginning of this season, the athletic departments at Northern Iowa and the University of Vermont announced that this would be the final season for their baseball programs. While the last thing any athletic director wants to do is cut programs and staff, priorities have to be made even at the largest state schools. Even worse, the economic recession has exacerbated the funding deficit between revenue and non-revenue sports. Unfortunately for coaches and recruits alike, “America’s Favorite Past Time” is on the wrong end of this deficit.

While colleges and universities across the country have spent the past year making tough financial decisions, their athletic departments have come to grips with the fact that they’re not immune to what is going on with our economy. Even as the NCAA reports an average annual increase of 5% in student-athletes at member institutions, all sports at all levels have been tightening their belts. Sadly, as low as funding for college baseball has been, being a non-revenue sport puts it at the top of the list to come under the “budget microscope.”

The biggest reality I had to face when I was coaching was to understand exactly what it meant to be a “non-revenue” sport. With smaller audiences and a TV deal worth a fraction of the ones that basketball and football have, there are only a handful of Division I baseball programs that actually “make money” for their school. In most cases, baseball programs rely on the success of football, basketball and fundraising to finance their programs. On top of that, 35-man rosters and a 56-game schedule make baseball very expensive relative to other non-revenue sports, such as golf and tennis. So, when it comes budget time, baseball has lots of lines on its budget for an AD to adjust or eliminate altogether.

Even fully-funded programs find that in order to make a push for additional amenities, coaches need to fundraise and bring additional money into their program. Adding advertisements to the outfield wall, baseball programs and booster clubs were all ways I helped ease the budget crunch for the University of Maryland program. Yet, even with additional fundraising efforts, the most successful coaches are also going to be the thriftiest.

If you can assume that uniforms and equipment, travel and field operations are all fixed costs, the first cutback will always be recruiting. Coaches cannot afford to go to as many events, and if anything, have to budget for the events they do go to very carefully. When I was on the road, I would often share rooms with other coaches or stay with friends and family just to help my bottom line! One of the first things we share with players in our Exclusive College Recruiting Program is that the college baseball recruit has to be prepared to recruit coaches before they come see you play.

Writing and calling coaches, making unofficial visits and having a video all dramatically increase your chances of being seen by coaches this summer and fall. When I went to games, tournaments or showcases, I already knew ahead of time who I was going to see. I couldn’t afford not to do my homework on players beforehand! Players, too, cannot afford to take the “shotgun approach” to their summer schedule. Pick your spots carefully. Who is going to be at a showcase? Who do you have consistent contact with? That’s how coaches with short budgets look at their summer.

There’s no doubt in my mind that college baseball’s popularity is on the rise even with casual fans. The College World Series has really taken off the last few years and the game is reaching more viewers through increased TV coverage. Let’s hope that we’re seeing the end of “making do,” and instead push to make college baseball successful at every institution!

Kelly Kulina is the Senior Vice President of College Recruiting at Baseball Factory. Kulina is a former Associate Head Coach and recruiting coordinator with the University of Maryland. As a former recruiting coordinator for ten years in the ACC, Kulina has vast contacts and is widely respected throughout the nation. From 1989 to 2000, Kulina coached 46 players who were selected in the MLB draft.

Why Player Development is Necessary for your Son’s Baseball Future

Rob Naddelman: Through a Parent’s Eyes

Did you know that there are over 470,000 kids playing high school baseball throughout the United States?

Did you also know that there are only 7,000 college roster spots per year for incoming freshmen? So how do you make sure your son gets one of those 7,000 college roster spots?

Our 15 years of experience in helping players get over $500 million in college scholarships has told us that college coaches want players who are experienced and polished. The bottom line is that your son needs to get the most out of his ability and really needs to FOCUS ON PLAYER DEVELOPMENT (national tournaments or skill development) as he starts promoting himself to colleges aggressively.

Here are some things to keep in mind as you determine the next steps towards playing college baseball:

Many people think they can skip the player development step and just promote themselves to colleges. Why promote all of your son’s areas of weaknesses for all the coaches and scouts to see? This is not a formula for success. One Baseball Factory parent put it very eloquently when he said “Showcases can give your son exposure or they can expose your son’s weaknesses.” With college tuition being anywhere from $60K to well over a $100K for a four-year degree, making an investment in player development BEFORE a college coach makes a decision on whether he wants to offer your son a scholarship or a roster spot will pay long term dividends.

In these tough economic times, what is truly important and necessary for your son’s future? College baseball coaches still have baseball money available for players who are good students, polished players, and have National Team experience. Building this well rounded player is a big part of “The Baseball Factory Way” of development. College coaches trust our ability to evaluate your son in an unbiased manner and use our program as a resource to build championship programs that end up in the College World Series (1 out of every 4 players in the 2008 College World Series were Baseball Factory Alums).

As a parent of a high school baseball player in these times, no matter what, you will still need to pay for college. How do you fulfill your son’s dream of playing college baseball and at the same time help to defray your son's cost to attend college? The answer is PLAYER DEVELOPMENT!


Rob Naddelman is the President of Baseball Factory. Naddelman is a former two-time All Ivy League Third Baseman at the University of Pennsylvania, where he competed in a College World Series Regional. He has served as the President of Baseball Factory for the past 13 years, and also is the Executive Director of Baseball Factory's charitable arm The B.A.S.E. - H.I.T. Foundation. Naddelman and Steve Sclafani (CEO) have been featured in Business Week and CNN for their work in building Baseball Factory into the nation's leader in player development and college placement.

Preparation Leads to World Series Championship

Steve Bernhardt: Building the Better Ballplayer

The biggest play of the World Series clinching game wasn’t the RBI single by Feliz or the slider by Lidge that ended it; it was Chase Utley’s defensive play in the top of the 7th. Utley changed the game and he did it through the long-term and short-term preparation that we preach at our own Baseball Factory Player Development events.

In case you missed it, the play happened in the top of the seventh inning with two outs and a runner on second base. Akinori Iwamura hit a ground ball up the middle that Utley backhanded. He faked a throw to first and threw home to get Jason Bartlett trying to score all the way from second. The inning was over and the tie was preserved. In the bottom of the seventh, the Phillies gained the lead that they would never relinquish.

Let’s look at the many ways Utley had to prepare himself both physically and mentally to make this play.

Physical Preparation

1. He has spent time working on his agility and first step quickness. That showed as he reacted quickly with a crossover step immediately after the ball was hit and had enough range to get to the ball in the first place.

2. He has put in countless hours of mechanical work and it paid off as he flawlessly backhanded the ball – the most difficult play for most infielders.

3. He has worked on his arm strength as he made a throw that is longer than normally required from a 2B. It shows why second basemen need to long toss regularly and not form the habit of all throws being a ¾ arm slot “flip.”

4. He has practiced throwing on the run. His throw was accurate and bouncing it gave the catcher a chance as opposed to a high throw.

Mental Preparation

1. He knew that the runner on 2B (Bartlett) was a fast and aggressive baserunner.

2. He knew the speed of the hitter – Iwamura is a fast runner and is quick out of the box after contact.

3. He had anticipated the different scenarios in his head for any ball hit to him or anywhere else on the field. This way he wasn’t surprised by the play.

4. He understood how valuable the ball is and that a throw must be made with a purpose. A throw to 1B there would not have gotten Iwamura and a futile throw there would have allowed Bartlett to score easily.

5. He knew to always keep your head up and look for the next play. There was no hesitation between his pump fake and making the throw home.

Everything Chase Utley did showed that he is a “true” baseball player. Thanks to his preparation, both mentally and physically, he made the biggest play of the game and put his team in position to celebrate a World Series victory.


Steve Bernhardt is the Executive VP of Baseball Operations with Baseball Factory. 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.

College Players Make Big Impacts in Postseason

Kelly Kulina: Your Link to the Colleges

Take one look at the World Series rosters for both the Tampa Bay Rays and the Philadelphia Phillies and you’ll notice one thing: there are a lot of former college players! Whether coming from powerhouse Division I programs or the Division III ranks, college players have played impact roles for teams competing for baseball’s highest honor. Just take a look at both teams’ rosters:

Philadelphia:

Joe Blanton - Kentucky
Clay Condrey - McNeese State
J.A. Happ - Northwestern
Brad Lidge – Notre Dame
Jamie Moyer – St. Joseph’s (PA)
J.C. Romero – Mobile
Chris Coste – Concordia (MN)
Eric Bruntlett - Stanford
Greg Dobbs - Oklahoma
Chase Utley – UCLA
Ryan Howard - Southwest Missouri State
Pat Burrell – Miami (FL)
Geoff Jenkins – USC

Tampa Bay:

Chad Bradford – Southern Mississippi
Matt Garza – Fresno State
J.P. Howell – Texas
David Price – Vanderbilt
Andy Sonnanstine – Kent State
Dan Wheeler – Central AZ
Jason Bartlett – Oklahoma
Evan Longoria – Long Beach St.
Carlos Pena – Northeastern
Gabe Gross – Auburn
Eric Hinske – Arkansas
Ben Zobrist – Dallas Baptist
Fernando Perez – Columbia

In earlier blog entries, I’ve discussed the benefits that attending college can have on a baseball player. While it’s easy to concentrate on the player development benefits, one can’t ignore the learning opportunities that exist off the field. Learning to balance the training for the future with today’s performance and everything in-between takes time to master, and college is simply the best environment for that type of education.

Chase Utley is an excellent example of raw talent that had a chance to develop into All-Star performance in a college setting. Coming out of Long Beach Polytechnic High School as a shortstop, Chase was drafted in the 2nd Round of the MLB Draft by the Los Angeles Dodgers. However, he opted to attend UCLA, where there were plenty of lessons for him to learn away from home. While hitting 15 home runs his freshman year, Chase’s grades were a major problem and put him at academic risk. When Coach Gary Adams showed no pity, Chase learned to balance his baseball career with a solid approach to academics and returned for his sophomore year a man on a mission. His success with the academic piece brought new confidence to the field, an increased work ethic (he learned a new position, 2nd base, at the request of Coach Adams) and a propensity for leadership. Not only is he now a perennial All-Star, he’s known as one of the hardest-working players in the game, and a clubhouse leader: three important ingredients for a postseason player!

Not only does collegiate competition prepare players for a career in professional baseball, but it gives them the experience needed to have success in the postseason. For the most part, college players are simply more composed in crucial game situations than players coming out of high school. They’ve competed at a high level, facing major league-quality players in college with success. More importantly, they have learned from failure on major national stages.

For an example of tough lessons learned, look no further than David Price. After helping to lead Vanderbilt to the #1 ranking in the country and striking out 17 Austin Peay batters in the 1st game of the Nashville regional, Vanderbilt was upset by Michigan with Price on the mound, who surrendered the game-winning home run. That’s not to say that Price lost the game all on his own, but in the 15 months since the ’07 Draft, wouldn’t you think that David has been using that tough loss for motivation? For an answer to that question, just look back at his ALCS performance.

As a wrap-up, I’m not making a case against high school players. Talent is talent, no matter what level you’re playing- just look at Cole Hamels, who has shown unwavering discipline in tough situations and simply dominated this October. Still, you can’t ignore the fact that overall, college players are more likely to move through the Minor Leagues and are more prepared to make an impact early at the Big League Level!

Kelly Kulina is the Senior Vice President of College Recruiting at Baseball Factory. Kulina is a former Associate Head Coach and recruiting coordinator with the University of Maryland. As a former recruiting coordinator for ten years in the ACC, Kulina has vast contacts and is widely respected throughout the nation. From 1989 to 2000, Kulina coached 46 players who were selected in the MLB draft.

A Few Life Lessons

Matt Schilling: From the Batting Cage

I was recently glued to the College World Series coverage on ESPN. It was a great series with a fantastic champion, the underdog Fresno State Bulldogs taking the national title. That in and of itself is a great story and a great lesson. When you get a group of people together who work hard and believe in each other, greatness is possible.

Being an east coast guy, I was actually pulling for the Georgia team to win it all and particularly for one player. Dawgs centerfielder Matt Cerione. Cerione had a rare accomplishment, he struck out five times in one game. Can you imagine, 0-5 with 5 K's on national TV in the biggest game of the year at the World Series. The reason that I am writing about this is because in his next game he went out and had two super clutch hits including a double late in the game that plated two and put the Dawgs ahead.

The mental toughness this kid showed to bounce back from such a dreadful night at the plate was incredible. Many young players would shut down and quit if this had happened to them. But what Matt Cerione understands is that in baseball, these things happen, that you must learn to deal with both the good and the bad. And no matter how bad you are at the plate one day, the sun will rise and you will get a chance the next day. To be a good player in baseball you must be able to deal with failure. Face it you are going to fail a heck of a lot more than you are going to succeed. How you deal with that failure is going to go a long way towards whether or not you are going to be a success in the sport or a failure. My hats off to Matt Cerione...tremendous bounce back.

This April, Manny Burriss was called up to the big leagues to play short stop for the San Francisco Giants. Manny is a local product from Washington DC. I had the pleasure of doing some one-on-one lessons with him at the Baseball Factory when he was just a junior in high school. While he was an athletic kid, he was very skinny and not a huge powerhouse like you might expect a future big leaguer to be. What I do remember about him was that he was working on switch hitting and when the time was up on our sessions, he never wanted to stop. He always wanted more swings and I had to kick him out of the cages.

While I did not think at the time he would play in the majors, I do remember thinking that he had that one ingredient that you have to have to be great...desire. He wanted to be good and he willed himself to be good. To put it simply, he worked his butt off. Many young players say they want to make it to the big leagues, but few truly are willing to do what it takes to get there. Manny Burriss knew what he wanted and made the sacrifices and put in the time and effort to do it. He was recently quoted in Sports Illustrated as saying "practice, practice, practice, drive your parents crazy." That means get off the video games and get off the couch and go work at whatever it is you SAY you want to be great at.

Lastly, if you didn't catch it on ESPN, you can watch it on youtube.com. You will see a 8 minute long piece on a young man named John Challis, battling for his life with cancer. He loves sports and in particular baseball. While his cancer is terminal, his courage and attitude are incredible and should inspire people for a full life time. This young man is incredible. Parents do yourself a favor and make your son watch it.

Lastly I will leave you with a quote that I recently heard:

"If people accomplished everything they are capable of they would astound themselves"

-Thomas Edison

Matt Schilling is the Senior Director of On-Field Instruction at Baseball Factory. Schilling graduated from Coastal Carolina University, where he was an All-Conference and All-State player while being voted the fourth best second baseman in the country by the Smith Award Group. Schilling went on to coach at Coastal for five years, helping them reach the top 25. He is also a former Associate Scout with the Atlanta Braves.

LIVE: From the Omaha Pro Select Training and Tournament - Recap

Dave Lax: We're There

When Mother Nature decides that there is going to be rain, there is not a whole lot that man can do to change her mind. After a great start to the week with players going through workout rotations early in the day and finishing with competitive games in the evening. However, the best laid plans often go awry as rain descended on the Omaha area for the final two days of the event, knocking out any chance for any team to officially be crowned champion. Despite the weather, the Omaha Pro Select Training and Tournament was a successful event again this year. Four teams remained in the Championship hunt at the conclusion of the event. They were the Shockers, Hurricanes, Owls and Seminoles.

The event was also highlighted with some great college baseball. All players were able to attend two College World Series games, including the epic North Carolina dismantling of LSU and the Georgia comeback against Fresno State in the opening game of the Championship series. It was truly a great atmosphere for baseball!

At the conclusion of the camp, the coaching staff decided to give out the grand prize, Under Armour bags, to one deserving player on each team. The coaches for each team chose the player based on a combination of performance, attitude and work ethic during the week. The winners were:

Anteaters – John Peluso
Bulldogs – Ryan Debo
Cardinal – Joseph Riley
Hurricanes – Michael Howard
Owls – Adam Decker
Seminoles – Sanchez Tucker
Shockers – Scott Ackley
Sun Devils – Andrew Soto
Tar Heels – Trevor Ramos
Titans – Thomas Mora
Wolfpack – Sam Bruner
49ers – Tyler Hauf

Here at the Baseball Factory, we tip our caps to those players, as well as all the players who consistently worked hard to polish their craft as a baseball player. Good luck to each of you.

LIVE: From the Omaha Pro Select Training and Tournament - Part 1

Dave Lax: We're There

Omaha, Nebraska: the Mecca of College Baseball. How appropriate is it that this should be the place where 165 high school baseball players from 25 different states around the country descend to participate in the Omaha Pro Select Training & Tournament, powered by Baseball Factory. Recognized as elite players at their local tryouts, each is here to compete and train in a tournament setting, as they pursue the dream of playing college ball. Each of them will have the opportunity to learn from the experienced staff which includes professional scouts, former professional players and former college coaches. These coaches will work one-on-one with every player to make adjustments that will lead to success in the future, maybe even a chance at playing in the revered Rosenblatt Stadium, home of the College World Series.

After everyone got settled in, the first night was highlighted by the words of a man who knows what it takes to succeed not only as a ball player, but also how to conduct yourself off the field: Rick Sofield. As a former major leaguer and current Assistant Athletic Director and Head Baseball Coach at the University of South Carolina - Beaufort, Sofield brought a wealth of knowledge and a presence that all members of the audience, players and parents, could gravitate to. Within his moving speech, Sofield focused on three main issues for the maturing players:

1. Prioritize what’s truly important

2. Excel not only athletically, but also academically and socially

3. Make sound decisions.

Since he is a father of a teenager and is a former ball player himself, Sofield understood what each of the players and parents are going through in terms of the college decision process. With his confident and comedic at times manner, he was able to share his insight on the entire process, explaining how players should be preparing themselves physically as well as mentally for the next step of their careers. Sofield also called for the parents to realize what is truly within their control, and to understand that the responsibility rests with the player in terms of contacting college coaches, balancing the academic rigors with their busy baseball schedules, and making baseball a priority in their lives. He concluded by reassuring the players that there is a college out there for each of them, and that by making good decisions in every part of their lives they will be able to achieve their goals.

What a way to start off the event!

Soon to come: a breakdown of the preliminary games and the announcement of the highly anticipated playoff seeding. Check back soon.

Danny Muno – Fresno State

Justin Roswell: Where Are They Now?

The Western Athletic Conference released its 2008 All-WAC baseball teams and postseason awards as selected by the league’s head coaches. The Freshman of the Year award went to Fresno State infielder Danny Muno. Muno attended Team One West Showcases in 2005 & 2006.

Muno, a native of Thousand Oaks, Calif. (Loyola HS), hit .341 in 32 conference games. He had 13 RBI, six doubles, two home runs and scored 29 runs. In WAC play, he led the conference with 27 walks this season. In all games, he is batting .327 with 49 runs scored, 11 doubles, and 21 RBI.

The Fresno State Bulldogs are the “Cinderella Story” of the 2008 College World Series. Muno continues to help the Bulldogs to a championship in Omaha with an offensive explosion. In their first contest against the Rice Owls, the Bulldogs had 11 runs by the fourth inning. 13 hits and four homeruns vaulted the Fresno State Bulldogs to a 17-5 win over No.6 National seed Rice in the opening round of the College World Series.

Early in the game, shortstop Danny Muno had a single up the middle, bringing home two Bulldog runners. For Muno, Fresno State's leadoff batter, those were his 23rd and 24th RBIs of the season. Muno continued his magic with a three-run homerun over the right field fence, his third of the season. That gave Muno five RBI in the game, a career-high for him. He had four against Indiana earlier this season.

The smallest player on the team, Muno is projected to make the Freshman All-America teams that will be announced later this month.

We would also like to acknowledge of a few of Muno’s teammates who attended Baseball Factory and/or Team One Events and wish them the best of luck in Omaha.

Clayton Allison – BATS ’02 & ‘03

Sean Bonesteele – Team One West ‘04

Steve Detwiler – PUMA AA ’06, Team One West ‘05

Gene Escat – Team One West – Fall Super Regional ‘06

Jake Floethe – Team One West ‘06

Danny Grubb – Team ONE West ‘04

Nicholas Hom – Team One National ’05, Team One West ‘05

Click here for the full team roster.


Justin is the Director of Team One Baseball. Justin Roswell joined the Baseball Factory in 2001 serving in the scouting, event coordination, and player development departments. In 2007 he became the Senior Director for Team One Baseball, the showcase division of Baseball Factory. As Senior Director, he leads the player identification process for all Team One Regional Showcases. Justin also runs the Under Armour Tournament Division. Justin graduated from California State University - Fullerton, where he received his degree in Business Administration, with an emphasis on management.