The Dugout

We continue our conversation with Coach Jake McKinley as he breaks down what it takes to play for his conference winning baseball program. He explains what it means to play for an NAIA program, some of the financial benefits of being a high academic recruit and how he has created a winning formula that has the capacity to keep William Jessup competitive for a very long time.

What do Brandon Belt, Buster Posey and Matt Duffy have in common? Besides a playing career with the San Francisco Giants, they all made key adjustments during their player development. We talk to their coach, Gary Davenport for Part II Of our 3-Part series.

How was William Jessup University able to go from back-to-back-to-back losing seasons to winning their league overall? What does it take to change a program's culture? What's the most important thing to focus on when joining a new team as a coach? We go in-depth on an incredible season and into the mindset of one of college baseball's premier coaching talents.

Learn from former D1 Pitching coach and current Dodger scout about the five tools and how they impact his evaluation of players at every level.

Plus why he favors two additional pieces of criteria that he thinks every successful player has.

This is our interview with longtime San Francisco Giants Coach, Gary Davenport. We discuss the two key differences between rookies drafted out of high school and rookies drafted out of college and why passion and work ethic are necessary to make any real progress. This is Part I of a three-part series.

Lot's of great information and anecdotes in this one:

-How Brewers radio broadcaster, Jeff Levering, chose to attend and play baseball at DIII Chapman University.

-How Chapman overcame a head coaching change to win the DIII National Championship in Levering's sophomore season

- What the transition was like from baseball player to broadcast journalism?

-How Jeff's experience as a student-athlete helped to prepare him for the minor league "grind" and fulfill his goal of becoming a big league radio broadcaster

Are you hoping or already scheduled to go on a recruiting visit? Make sure you follow three simple rules.

Learn why it’s more important to be on the field at ANY level than on the bench for a D1 program. How CBM’s Star Matching System will direct you to the right program for your development and what one professional scout says about your chances of being noticed by a major league team.

Have dreams of playing at the Division I level but don't have an offer in hand? You may need some more development.

Coach Derek Sullivan (Sully) believes that Sacramento City College might be one of the top places in the country to develop and send you to the next level.

We discuss the notoriety that Sacramento City College has in the baseball world, how Sully was able to help turn around the program by changing the culture, why his program is so strong at churning out 4-year talent, and what players are best for the JC route.

A poorly targeted recruiting video could be the worst thing to send to coaches. Coaches look for actions and results. Keep it short and simple. Don’t try to trick the system with fancy overproduced recruiting videos.