Joba Chamberlain Talks College Baseball’s Boom, NIL, the Midges & Nebraska’s Road Back | 11.7 Podcast

The 11.7 Podcast welcomes former Yankees World Series champion and Nebraska College World Series alum Joba Chamberlain, who discusses reconnecting with college baseball through his son Karter, the growth in exposure for the sport, and his unconventional path from Division II Kearney and summer ball to Nebraska, Team USA, and the first round of the MLB Draft. Chamberlain reflects on College World Series changes from Rosenblatt to the current era, shares parenting and clubhouse stories from his MLB days, and emphasizes “getting outs” over pitching metrics. He weighs in on NIL, the best timing for the MLB Draft, and why the “midges” moment still follows him every October, while also talking Nebraska’s need to keep in-state talent and win to return to Omaha. The show finishes with weekend series picks and discussion of major tournaments and notable midweek upsets.

00:00 Welcome Joba Chamberlain

Weekend 2 Recap + Mid-Major Power Rankings, UCLA/LSU/Texas Takeaways & Midweek Preview | 11.7 Podcast

This episode of the 11.7 podcast recaps weekend two of the college baseball season, previews the upcoming midweek slate, and breaks down the newly released 11.7 Mid-Major Power Rankings (referred to as “power rankings” due to a past trademark issue with “mid-major top 25”). The hosts also discuss podcast updates (including expanded Instagram/Facebook posting due to audience requests), Dimitri’s new microphone, and shout-outs to game analysts and broadcasters from the weekend’s tournament coverage. 

The show notes major movement in the mid-major rankings, especially in week two. Southern Miss is ranked No. 1 after a six-game win streak and a strong Round Rock showing; UC Santa Barbara is No. 2; UTSA is No. 3 after sweeping Dallas Baptist and starting 7–0; Coastal Carolina and UC Irvine round out the top five while dealing with injuries and a surprising home series loss, respectively. Louisiana Tech is highlighted at No. 6 ahead of an upcoming matchup with Southern Miss. Other notable risers and storylines include Cal Poly at No. 7, Kent State’s 17-spot jump to No. 8 after winning a series at Tennessee, San Diego entering at No. 9 after strong early results despite losing a key shortstop right before the season, and UTRGV at No. 10 after winning a road series at Houston while playing an early schedule heavy with Big 12 opponents.

Kent State receives extended discussion for sweeping Southeastern, competing with LSU midweek, and then taking two of three at Tennessee. Individual notes include Sawyer Solitaire’s hot start, Serin Coffee’s scoreless innings, and Easton Tous (Texas transfer) as a mid-90s starter. The hosts also cover the rest of the Top 25, including South Florida at No. 11, Dallas Baptist dropping to No. 12, Mercer rising after sweeping Columbia, ECU at No. 17 including a rain-shortened tie vs UNC and how the tie will be handled in 11.7 pick’em/survivor games, Louisiana entering at No. 22 after sweeping Maryland (with freshman shortstop Blaise Rodriguez’s five-hit day in a 15-inning game), and UAB at No. 25 for quality early wins.

In “teams of the weekend,” UCLA is praised for sweeping TCU and for key players like Roch Cholowsky (six homers in six games at the time of recording, discussed as a potential No. 1 overall pick) plus standout pitching performances from Logan Redman and Weiland Moss. LSU is described as an elite offensive club with questions about starting pitching. Texas is highlighted for pitching development under Max Weiner and the strength of its rotation and closer usage. Georgia Tech’s offense is discussed as potentially elite despite questions about schedule strength, and Auburn is credited for going 3–0 in Arlington with wins over Kansas State, Florida State, and Louisville.

The episode also touches on Oregon State’s offensive struggles while praising Dax Whitney’s dominant 17-strikeout performance, shouts out UNC’s Jason DeCarlo for consistency and command, and previews key midweek games (including Arizona StateOklahoma). The hosts list the next 11.7 weekend series pick’em matchups—Florida–Miami, Southern Miss–Louisiana Tech, Michigan–San Diego, South Florida–UCF, Nebraska–Auburn, and USC–Cal Poly—and close with notes on upcoming tournaments, early Southland conference play, a planned World Baseball Classic preview episode, and Jack’s return for the next show.

00:00 Weekend 2 Recap Kickoff + What’s on Today’s Show

Weekend 1 Recap + Weekend 2 Preview (Jax Classic, Round Rock, Arlington) | 11.7 College Baseball Podcast

This episode of the 11.7 Podcast serves as a combined Weekend 1 recap, midweek recap, and Weekend 2 preview. They highlight coverage from major opening-week events, including Noah’s on-site recap of the Shriners Children’s College Showdown in Arlington, where Oklahoma went 3–0 and impressed with two-out hitting, aggressive baserunning, and unexpected power. Noah also spotlights Texas Tech freshman Lincoln Garcia and TCU standouts including Noah Franco (four shutout innings vs Arkansas) and shortstop Lucas Franco, while noting TCU starter Tommy LaPorte will miss his upcoming start. The group discusses Noah’s interview video with Arkansas coach Dave Van Horn and his initial reluctance turning into engagement.

Jack recaps calling Coastal Carolina vs Fairfield, praising Coastal’s student-run broadcast production, the atmosphere in Conway, Coastal’s deep pitching, and the fan reaction to coach Kevin Schnall returning for Game 3. The hosts discuss how Coastal has shifted from being known primarily as an offense-first team to emphasizing pitching development, technology, and live arms. Ben also recaps Mercer’s series win over Troy, pointing to Mercer’s improved pitching development and midweek win over Georgia State, while noting Troy’s 16–1 Game 3 response.

Dimitri’s top Weekend 1 series is Southern Miss vs UC Santa Barbara, emphasizing Jackson Flora’s electric stuff and a dramatic Sunday finish that included defensive miscues, a game-tying ball off the center-field wall, and a walk-off walk. They talk about how rare it is for elite pitchers like Flora (UCSB) and Cam Flukey (Coastal) to remain at non-power-conference programs, and later break news that Flukey will not pitch this weekend (not arm-related). They also discuss UT Rio Grande Valley’s energized home crowds vs Kansas, and Noah and Dimitri debate which opening weekend was most impressive, bringing up Michigan’s wins over Oregon State, Arizona, and Stanford, as well as Michigan State beating Louisville twice at Jim Patterson Stadium.

Players of the week include LSU’s Jake Brown (five home runs through four games), Baylor’s Ty Armstrong (three grand slams in one game), Vanderbilt catcher Colin Barczi (three second-deck home runs in Globe Life Field), and Tennessee’s Blaine Brown (three homers on the weekend, then a midweek start with 94–97 mph). They also mention Florida State’s Myles Bailey’s massive first-pitch home run and the Tallahassee atmosphere.

For Weekend 2 previews, they outline multiple tournaments (including Jacksonville College Baseball Classic, Round Rock Classic, and the Amegy Bank College Baseball Series in Arlington) and discuss likely storylines for teams like Indiana, UCF, Notre Dame, Southern Miss, Oregon State, Baylor, and Kansas State (including D. Kennedy’s hot start and LASIK note). They finish with the Weekend Series Pick ’Em slate and make selections for: North Carolina at East Carolina; TCU at UCLA; UTRGV at Houston; Dallas Baptist at UTSA; West Virginia at Liberty; and Wright State at Charlotte, while also noting the new team-page updates on the 11.7 website.

00:00 Welcome Back + Weekend 1 Recap Plan (and missed episode apology)

WELCOME TO OPENING WEEK OF 2026 COLLEGE BASEBALL SEASON

Start off the show with our Preseason Field of 64 Projections

Then we move on and preview the big 4 tournaments (Shriners Arlington, Puerto Rico, Surprise AZ, MLB Desert Invitational)

Lastly we make our Week 1 Weekend Series Pick'em Picks

-UC Santa Barbara @ Southern Miss

-Troy @ Mercer

-Missouri State @ Louisiana

-Cal Poly @ Campbell

-San Diego @ Charlotte

-Illinois @ South Florida

If you want to play along all season long in the Weekend Series Pick'em competition, go to 11point7.com and sign up! 

It's 1:30am and I can think of a good description of the pod. 

The first 20 minutes or so is our explanation of the Preseason Mid-Major Top 25, and also talk about honorable mentions that didn't make the cut. 

Visit 11point7.com for write-ups on all 25 teams. 

The last hour of the show is going conference by conference and Ben, Noah, Dimitri, and Jack each make their conference regular season champion picks. 

Only 5 days left to sign up for our Weekend Series Pick'em competition and Survivor competition. Go to our website or Patreon to sign up! 

Host Ben, along with Dimitri and Noah, dive into the 2025 preseason with their classic Omaha Eight and Golden Spikes drafts. The episode kicks off with the team commemorating College Baseball Month and discussing the minor setbacks faced by Jack, their utility man, who's stuck in a Nashville airport. Despite his absence, Jack contributes his top 30 teams and picks for the Golden Spikes draft, ensuring his voice is still represented. The main event is the Omaha Eight snake draft, where each member, including Dimitri, Noah, and a stand-in for Jack, meticulously selects teams they predict will make it to Omaha. From SEC powerhouses like LSU and Texas to dark horse candidates like UCI and Troy, the draft showcases a variety of teams loaded with potential. Moving on to the Golden Spikes draft, the stakes remain high as they pick top players expected to shine in the coming season. From proven stars like Drew Burress and Justin Lebron and Noah Franco, the hosts cover it all. They discuss the strategic elements behind each pick and offer insights into why each player has been chosen for the award. Additionally, the episode features a rapid-fire Q&A session with questions from their dedicated Discord community, touching on topics like NIL impacts in college baseball and season expectations for Ohio State under Justin Haire. Lastly, they unveil the 11.7 Fantasy Team for Noah's super secret highly competitive underground fantasy league, showcasing the competitive teams lined up by top names in college baseball coverage. With interesting picks and strategy breakdowns, this segment promises to keep fans at the edge of their seats.

00:00 Welcome to the 11.7 Podcast

In Episode 2 of Season 8, the 11.7 Podcast is back to discuss everything college baseball fans need to know. Host Ben introduces a slightly shorter episode due to the absence of co-host Jack DeLongchamps, who is under the weather. The episode kicks off with the announcement of a new partnership with Paradigm Player Development Solutions. This collaboration will bring extensive player analytics and MLB draft board insights to the podcast, facilitated by Tommy from Paradigm Sports. Host Dmitri previews some of the partnership's visual content, showcasing analytics and write-ups that will be part of the 11.7 draft board. Noah takes the floor to discuss a highly anticipated 208-page preseason magazine created by him and several other experts. This detailed, $20 publication offers write-ups on all Power Four conference teams, including projected lineups, pitching staffs, and player profiles. Finally, the hosts delve into sports betting, analyzing odds for winning the College World Series and simply making it to Omaha. They highlight value picks from teams like TCU and Santa Barbara. The episode also promotes the Weekend Series Pick and Survivor Contest sponsored by Home Field Apparel, encouraging listeners to participate for a season-long competition. The team also welcomes LaSalle and New Haven as new D1 programs. Tune in for an informative and engaging episode with detailed insights into the upcoming college baseball season, partnerships, and exciting content.

The first 20 minutes are kind of a shit show, but in a classic 11.7 kind of way. The whole crew is back, Dimitri, Ben, Noah, and Jack and there is some bad blood in the water here at 11.7 HQ. 

After the 20 minute mark we discuss some graphics that we are posting this week where we have to build a pitching staff, outfield, and infield with an $11.70 budget. 

Next we discuss our Hot Takes for the season, such as ____ team will make a super regional, ____ will be a Golden Spikes finalist, ______ will win more games than ____, and also some things we are excited about for this upcoming season. 

Last we show off our new website, which includes a lot of World Baseball Classic content, blogs about college baseball, vegas odds, and our merch shop. 

This was more of a Spring Training episode to get our podcast voices back in the swing of things. 

UPCOMING SCHEDULE

January 25th- Omaha Odds, Golden Spikes Odds, and other Vegas odds 

February 1- We pick our Omaha 8, Golden Spikes Draft, preview Power 4 conferences

February 8- Picking all 30 conference champions 

February 12- Weekend Preview, Weekend Series Pick'em, and possibly a guest

We spend the first hour or so recapping LSU winning their 8th College World Series. We talk the 1-0 game 1 win in depth and explain big moments and big plays in the game. 

Then we break down the dramatic Game 2, including the ejection heard around the world. 

We talk Monster Milam and how he had a tournament to remember. Kade Anderson was unbelievable. Jay Johnson is doing things we haven't seen in a long time at the college level. Etc. 

After CWS talk, we break down the coaching carousal between Mississippi State, Virginia, and Duke. 

Next we name some of the biggest transfer portal news. 

Lastly we preview the MLB Draft... kind of. 

We are back on the podcast previewing the CWS Championship Series between Coastal Carolina and LSU. We break down both teams, their paths that got them here, and what's at stake. We look at the probable pitchers, and finally make our official picks. Then we go back and revist the CWS as a whole and talk about each game and what stood out to us. We have a huge fight over K/9 and K%. Please comment your thoughts.