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.

Short & Sweet

Jason Budden: Un-Common Sense?

With the holiday weekend, I wanted to keep it simple, so here's a few random notes of interest.

Short

Jon Rauch is 6’11”, the tallest player in the big leagues. David Eckstein is 5’7”, the shortest. Estimating a 6’11” wingspan for Rauch, and Eckstein standing at 5’0” when crouching down in his batting stance, Rauch would release the ball a good 4 ½ - 5 feet above Eckstein’s head when delivering a pitch to the Blue Jays shortstop. (Eckstein comes off the DL on Tuesday, May 27)

Jimmy Rollins (5’8”) is on pace to tie the Major League record for doubles in a season, and that is with an early season stint on the DL. Rollins is hitting .321, which is 43 points higher than his career average, and has 14 doubles on the season in 29 games played. With 109 games remaining in the Phillies’ schedule, Rollins is on pace for 67 doubles. At the same time, the ankle injury that sent him to the DL is clearly still affecting his power. He has hit only one homerun in the 17 games since returning from the DL and is currently on pace for 14 homeruns this season (he hit 30 in 2007). If he keeps hitting .321 with a double every other game, the Phillies shouldn’t be too concerned.

Sweet

Magglio Ordonez is up to it again. Over the past week, he is hitting .478 (11/23) with three homeruns, seven runs and nine runs batted in. Twelve games into the season he was hitting .234 with one homerun and three RBI, but he has turned it on and has raised his average to .328. The Tigers have not followed his lead, but it is still early.

How sweet it is? Just ask Scott Kazmir. He has recovered quite nicely from the strained elbow he suffered to start the year. Since returning from the disabled list, Kazmir is 4-1 with a 1.50 ERA, 0.97 WHIP, 32 K’s and only 10 Walks. Last week he went 2-0 striking out 18 batters in 14 innings while giving up only seven hits and two runs. During that stretch, the Tampa Bay Rays are 5-1 and recently moved into first place in the AL East.

Finally, talk about "Sweet," the NCAA Division I Baseball Championship bracket was announced over the holiday weekend. 64 teams are still alive to dogpile in Omaha.

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.