We’re back with a jam-packed episode covering everything you need to know from another wild week of JUCO baseball.

First, a huge congratulations to Cloud County’s Eric Gillilard on career win #300 — a testament to consistency and culture-building at the small-college level.

Then, we jump into Part 2 of our interview with Eastern Oklahoma State head coach Josh Merrill. We pick up where we left off: fatherhood with four kids at 33, the grind of coaching in the Northwoods League (and winning it all), his coaching philosophy caught between old school grit and new school analytics, and what to expect from a very young, very talented Mountaineer squad in 2025. Plus, a heartfelt tribute to his mentor, Steve Murray of Neosho County — the man who shaped his career.

After the break, we run through the week’s Notable Performers. Dodge City’s Hunter Morgan and Preston Harrison put up video-game numbers in the same lineup, while Salt Lake’s Willy Roberts, ECCC’s Briceton Johnson, and Williston State’s Grant Nekuza delivered monster series. On the mound, Sawyer Brinkman (Dodge City) and the Johnson County bullpen trio of Victor Christal, Colin Conrad, and Nolan Buss dominated, and Eliott Marin of NEO A&M did it all — raking at the plate and locking down saves.

Our Ranking Recaps track the movement across Divisions I, II, III, and the 3C2A. Weatherford takes its first lumps, Blinn keeps rolling, and Cloud County and Williston State earn Team of the Week honors with perfect 4-0 and 5-0 weeks. Fresno City stays hot in California.

We crown our Players and Pitchers of the Week — including Bryce Meachem (Guilford Tech), who drove in 15 runs in four games, and Nathan Leffel (Fresno City), who threw a complete-game 10-K shutout.

Finally, we peek ahead at next week’s marquee matchups: Walters State vs. Pellissippi, Blinn vs. McLennan, Cowley vs. Tyler, and a huge D2 clash between Pasco-Hernando and Heartland.

Subscribe now and stay locked in to the only podcast that goes deep on every level of JUCO baseball.

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This week on the show, we’re breaking down the early-season action and stories from across the JUCO baseball world!

We kick things off with the week’s most jaw-dropping achievements, including a 5-homer inning for Cisco and milestone wins for coaches Matt Collins (1st career win) and Nick Garritano (600th!).

In our featured interview, we bring you Part 1 of our conversation with Eastern Oklahoma State’s new head coach, Josh Merrill. We dive into:

* His unique path from JUCO player to head coach.

* The invaluable perspective his background gives him in relating to players.

* How the JUCO landscape has evolved over the last 15 years.

* His coaching stops in Kansas and Iowa, and what it’s like taking over the program at EOSC.

* Plus, the usual off-the-beaten-path fun that makes these chats special.

Then, we get into the nitty-gritty of the season with our Notable Performers and Ranking Recaps across NJCAA Divisions I, II, III, and the 3C2A. We highlight the teams making waves and the players putting up video-game numbers.

Finally, we crown our Players and Pitchers of the Week, spotlighting the individuals who dominated on the diamond, and name our Teams of the Week who delivered statement victories.

It’s a packed episode full of the stories, stats, and insights you can only get from the heart of JUCO baseball.

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The Season is finally HERE!!!!!!

Week 1 is in the books!

We cover the Top 10 movement. Top Players. Top Teams. a slight preview into this upcoming week. and then hit on some House Keeping future things coming to the JBB this season!

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What’s it like to cover a perfect season? In the second half of our chat, NAIA Ball’s Taylor Thomas and I break down the two biggest stories from the diamond: LSU Shreveport’s unbelievable 59-0 run to a national title, and Charlie Muniz’s destruction of the all-time college home run record. Taylor gives the inside perspective on covering history, the friendships behind the headlines, and why Shreveport’s pitching staff might be the best ever at the level. We also zoom out to talk about the exploding popularity of college baseball coverage and how social media has changed the game. And because no talk with Taylor is complete without Oklahoma flavor, we relive the OKC Thunder’s championship parade through the eyes of a local and reaffirm the sacred status of Eischen’s Bar. It’s a celebration of the records, the rides, and the pure joy of the game.

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What's it like to build a national media platform for the most undercovered level of college baseball? We sit down with Taylor Thomas, co-host of the powerhouse NAIA Ball platform. From his own playing days in the Sooner Athletic Conference to stepping up to help lead the brand after a tragic loss, Taylor takes us inside the mission to showcase hidden talent. We discuss the surprising depth of NAIA (and JUCO) baseball, the grind of running a niche media company, and how a passion for sports journalism comes full circle. Plus, we dive into unique Oklahoma sports culture, including the legendary small-school fall baseball state tournament that produces elite talent. It’s a conversation about love for the game, the places that shape us, and the fried chicken that binds a state together.

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In Part 2 with East Central CC Athletic Director Paul Nixon, we dive deep into what makes Mississippi junior college baseball arguably the best in the nation. Paul breaks down the state’s incredible coaching trees—including how his own baseball coach Neil Holloman has built an “Alabama football”-level program and spawned a network of head coaches across the state. We discuss East Central’s historic three straight trips to the NJCAA World Series in Enid, why out-of-state programs flock to Mississippi for preseason competition, and the intricate web of connections that makes the baseball world feel both massive and intimately small.

Plus, Paul and I tackle the new NJCAA rule increasing LOIs from 24 to 30 and debate whether this strengthens the JUCO development model or risks turning it into a “post-grad” stopover. We close with Paul’s dream golf foursome—featuring Jesus, Pat Summitt, and his dad—and I accept his standing invitation to tour every Mississippi JUCO in a van. If you want to understand why no one takes a weekend off in Region 23, this episode is your masterclass.

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We sit down with Paul Nixon, the show’s first “straight AD” guest (not dual head coach/AD). Nixon unpacks his unique upbringing as the child of two coaches who started women’s athletics at Mississippi College, his 22-year journey coaching women’s basketball (including 8 years as head coach at Columbia University in the Ivy League), and his transition back home to lead East Central CC. Deep dive into Mississippi’s complex JUCO roster rules, out-of-state limits, and why the state’s community college facilities are elite despite state law prohibiting public funding for athletics.

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This week on the juco pod we take a turn…

Its the holidays we have family in town and what was supose to be a Quick short intro and outro turns into an hour of me and my brother in law Bobby Keffury on a mic in my garage. So the Paul Nixon Episode gets pushed till next week. BUT. WE talk OSU in 2016, being a studen asst. Growin growing up with a Baseball Icon on speed dial and about half way though the mother in law joins the show.

This is not the normal Juco pod by any means BUT Please enjoy and if yall like it then hey maybe we have Bobby on again.

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In the second half of our wide-ranging conversation, ASU Mid-South Head Coach Jason Middleton steps away from the chalk lines to dive into the passions that fuel him. We explore the surprising parallels between heavy metal and coaching, debate the greatest sports movies of all time, and break down the humbling lessons learned on the jiu-jitsu mats.

From the logistical nightmares of housing players and managing a city-owned field to the philosophical shift from being a power-hitting player to a small-ball coach, this episode is a masterclass in adaptability, culture-building, and finding balance in the grind.

In this episode, we cover:

🎸 Metal as a Mentality: How Jason’s love for fast, technical heavy metal (and taking his daughter to see Slayer) mirrors the precision, aggression, and layered complexity of building a baseball program.

🎬 The Great Sports Movie Debate: A deep dive into the cinematic pantheon, from the undisputed greatness of Major League and The Sandlot to the controversial case for Rocky IV and whether The Princess Bride qualifies as a sports film.

🏡 The Logistical Grind: The unforeseen massive hurdles of starting a program—from securing 10 apartments for players to navigating the red tape and maintenance headaches of using a city-owned field.

🥋 The Jiu-Jitsu Mindset: How Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu became “physical chess,” a tool for shedding ego, maintaining composure under pressure, and the humbling truth that “there’s always someone better.”

⚾ From Power Hitter to Small-Ball Architect: Jason’s journey from a “try to strike everyone out, try to hit a home run” player to a coach who adapts his system to his personnel, embracing bunts and athleticism to play “rhino and rabbit” baseball.

Tune in for a fascinating, fun, and deeply human look at the man behind the lineup card, where coaching philosophy is forged as much by life’s eclectic passions as by the game itself.

In this episode, we sit down with Jason Middleton, the Head Coach and Associate Athletic Director tasked with launching the baseball program at ASU Mid-South from absolute zero. With 19 years of coaching experience across every level—from NJCAA to Division I—Middleton pulls back the curtain on the wild, non-baseball challenges of starting a program, the evolving landscape of Arkansas junior college baseball, and the rewarding grind of building a culture from scratch.

We dive into his journey from learning under an NJCAA Hall of Famer to coaching a top-25 James Madison team, and how all those stops prepared him for his biggest challenge yet. It’s a conversation about more than baseball—it’s about logistics, identity, and why cream pinstripe uniforms are a non-negotiable.

In this episode, we cover:

🏗️ The “From Zero” Blueprint: The unexpected hurdles of starting a program—from calculating “how many baseballs do we need?” to acquiring screens, equipment, and building a roster with no foundation.

🗺️ A Coaching Odyssey: Jason’s path from playing at Longview CC, to coaching under Steve Burleson (NJCAA Hall of Famer), to a D1 run with James Madison, and a decade at William Jewell—and how each level shaped his philosophy.

🌾 Region 2 Breakdown: The distinct flavors of Arkansas vs. Oklahoma JUCO baseball, why the region is a “chaos every single year,” and how the addition of new Arkansas schools is changing the competitive landscape.

🆕 The Arkansas JUCO Boom: Why the ASU system and other schools across the state are suddenly adding baseball, and the mission-driven approach behind building a program that isn’t solely enrollment-driven.

👕 Cream Pinstripes & Identity: The fun of designing team uniforms from scratch and why the classic cream pinstripe look was a must for the Greyhounds.

🎸 Metal & Motivation: How Jason’s love for fast, technical heavy metal parallels coaching, why he listens to it to relax, and the story of taking his daughter to see Slayer and Cannibal Corpse.

🍖 The BBQ Verdict: A definitive ruling from a Kansas City native on the state of barbecue and why any KC joint that survives a year is guaranteed to be great.

Tune in for a masterclass in program-building, a deep dive into one of JUCO’s most interesting new regions, and a conversation that proves coaching is equal parts logistics, culture, and passion.