The Juco Pod 2.0

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.

In the final part of our epic conversation, Rob Dressler of Pro Baseball Radar opens up about his journey from a pre-med student to a leading voice in baseball analytics. We dive deep into the nuts and bolts of his platform, exploring the custom stats he built from scratch and the very human element behind the numbers.

From mentoring student managers who now work in professional baseball to the surprising challenges of evaluating JUCO park factors, this episode is a masterclass in turning passion into a profession. We also step away from the diamond to talk favorite foods, adrenaline-filled hobbies, and why a New York bagel is worth the hype.

In this episode, we cover:

🩺 A Career Pivot: How Rob switched from a pre-med track to analytics, teaching himself to code by focusing on his passion for baseball stats.

🧪 Building Custom Stats: A deep dive into his weighted runs created plus (WRC+) and FIP+ metrics, and why creating a single stat to rank hitters and pitchers together is the “hardest thing” to do.

🏟️ The Park Factor Puzzle: The unique challenges of evaluating stats from funky ballparks like El Paso and Ventura College, and how intangible “feel” can provide a real recruiting edge.

👨‍🏫 Mentoring the Next Generation: The story of how Rob mentored student managers, with several now working in professional baseball, including one with the Binghamton Rumble Ponies.

🌐 The Platform Evolution: Rob’s journey through Wix, WordPress, and Substack before landing on a system that works, and his reliance on ChatGPT for coding.

🍕 Food, Family & Fun: Getting personal with Rob’s Dominican and Italian heritage, his go-to prosciutto and mozzarella dish, and his love for inflatable paddleboarding to escape the screen.

Tune in for the conclusion of a wide-ranging, insightful, and often hilarious conversation that proves the best careers are often the ones you never see coming.

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In the second part of our conversation with Rob Dressler of Pro Baseball Radar, we dive deep into the art of finding talent in the most unexpected places. We break down how data cuts through regional biases, which parts of the country are becoming the next hotbeds for JUCO talent, and the massive ripple effects that new D1 roster limits will have on the entire college baseball landscape.

From celebrating the rise of underdog programs to understanding the very human impact of player exposure, this is a wide-ranging discussion about the past, present, and future of the game we love.

In this episode, we cover:

🧭 Beyond the Bias: How data helps objectively evaluate players from powerhouse regions like Texas and Florida against standouts from D3 JUCOs in the Northeast, proving talent is everywhere.

📈 Regions on the Rise: Why Rob is keeping a close eye on the D2 schools in North Carolina (Region 10) and the Midwest, and which under-the-radar programs are building something special.

🔄 The Roster Limit Ripple Effect: How new D1 roster rules will create a “trickle-down” of high-level players, making JUCO and D2 baseball more competitive than ever.

🏆 The Underdog’s Path: A breakdown of Cinderella stories like Lakeland College’s national championship run and why playing for a smaller school against top competition is a prime scouting opportunity.

🤔 The “Eye Test” vs. The Algorithm: Rob explains how he ensures his data passes the smell test by watching games in person and why a player’s story can be just as important as their stats.

💡 The “Aha!” Moment: The story of how a call from the Houston Astros organization made Rob realize his fantasy baseball project had become a legitimate tool for professional teams.

❤️ The Human Impact: The powerful stories behind the numbers, from international players to small-town kids, and how exposure can change a family’s trajectory.

Tune in for a passionate and insightful conversation that goes beyond the numbers to explore the heart, hustle, and future of college baseball.

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📊 Pro Baseball Radar — Code thejbb2026 for 15% off the Recruiting Bundle

In this episode, we sit down with Rob Dressler, the mastermind behind the indispensable scouting tool Pro Baseball Radar. What started as a quest for a fantasy baseball edge has exploded into a must-have platform for over 100 colleges, major league organizations, and agencies.

We dive into how a self-taught coder from Long Island created a system that levels the playing field for evaluating talent from the SEC to the SWAC—and everywhere in between. Rob pulls back the curtain on the data, the park factors, and the “eye test” that make his system so unique, and explains why he’s become such a believer in the wild, diverse world of junior college baseball.

In this episode, we cover:

⚾ From Fantasy to Reality: How winning his home fantasy league (and subsequently getting kicked out) led Rob to teach himself to code and build a platform now used by professional teams.

🧮 The JUCO Adjustment: How Pro Baseball Radar accounts for the wind in Kansas, the heat in Arizona, and massive differences in strength of schedule to create a fair rating for every player.

🤖 Data, AI, and the Grunt Work: The surprising role of ChatGPT in modern coding and the immense manual labor required to clean up misspelled names and incomplete rosters from team websites.

🌎 A Tampa Baseball Hub: Why moving to Florida has been a game-changer for his business, from watching D2 national champs to being surrounded by a hotbed of high school and JUCO talent.

🎯 Why He Bought Into JUCO: Rob’s outsider perspective on the incredible diversity and value of junior college baseball, from international recruits to SEC bounce-backs and everything in between.

🏈 Confessions of a Flexible Fan: The story of how a lifelong Giants fan became a Buccaneers supporter after experiencing the electric atmosphere of Tom Brady’s Tampa.

Tune in for a fascinating look at the analytics revolution at the grassroots level and the story of how one guy’s passion project became an essential tool for the baseball world.

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🎨 Conner Darnell Designs — @CD_DZNs or [email protected]

📊 Pro Baseball Radar — Code thejbb2026 for 15% off the Recruiting Bundle

In the second part of our wide-ranging conversation, Dodge City Head Coach JM Kelly dives deep into the philosophy behind building a truly national recruiting base. We explore the future of junior college baseball, the massive impact of media coverage, and share some unforgettable stories from the COVID season and beyond.

From the practicalities of using a local airport to bring in talent from coast-to-coast, to the profound “why” behind coaching at this level, this episode is a must-listen for anyone invested in the grass roots of college baseball.

In this episode, we cover:

🌎 Casting a National Net: How JM and his staff—with ties to California, Texas, and Minnesota—leverage the Dodge City airport to recruit from Virginia to California, Puerto Rico to Canada.

💰 The Stable vs. The Horses: JM’s philosophy on program spending: “You can spend money on the stable or the horses… if you don’t have the money to pay the horses, you better be really, really good at coaching guys up.”

🆕 The Media’s Role in JUCO’s Rise: A heartfelt discussion on how increased coverage has revolutionized player exposure and why coaches need to support the independent media that supports them.

🤯 COVID Chaos & Roster Rules: A wild story about the closed-door NJCAA meetings, the potential for a class-action lawsuit, and how pending D1 roster changes could make JUCO baseball more valuable than ever.

📈 The “Draft-and-Follow” Advantage: Why the potential glut of players at the D1 level makes the proven at-bats and innings of JUCO players an increasingly attractive commodity for four-year programs.

🎸 Golf, Fishing & Country Music Legends: The three people JM would want to spend a day with on the links or the lake, and the one concert he’d spend any amount of money to see.

🍻 A New Beer Discovery: The crucial review of a Texas-brewed lager that’s both affordable and dangerously easy to drink.

Tune in for a passionate, forward-looking conversation about the state of JUCO baseball, the importance of community, and the relentless hustle it takes to build a national contender from the heart of Kansas.

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🎨 Conner Darnell Designs — @CD_DZNs or [email protected]

📊 Pro Baseball Radar — Code thejbb2026 for 15% off the Recruiting Bundle

In this episode, we’re catching up with one of our favorite return guests, JM Kelly, Head Coach of the Dodge City Community College baseball team. Fresh off a whirlwind summer of recruiting and a new addition to his own family, Coach Kelly pulls back the curtain on building a program in one of JUCO baseball’s most competitive conferences.

We dive into the unique challenges and advantages of coaching in the Kansas Jayhawk Conference, from navigating the relentless wind to leveraging a $1.1 million weight room in recruiting. He opens up about the massive transition from a Division II JUCO to a Division I powerhouse, how he rebuilt a roster in just four weeks, and why the culture in Region 6 demands a special kind of player.

In this episode, we cover:

👶 Life & Recruiting on the Road: How Coach Kelly balances life with a new 8-week-old son and a relentless recruiting schedule that has taken him to “more states in the last two months than the last two years.”

🏜️ The Dodge City Difference: The major adjustments moving from the hills of Missouri to the flat, windy plains of Kansas—and why the town’s Texas-like, agriculturally-driven community is a perfect fit.

🛠️ The Rebuild Blueprint: How he inherited only two returners and built a competitive team in one offseason, bringing key players with him from East Central and learning to spread scholarship dollars at the D1 JUCO level.

💨 Surviving the Jayhawk Conference: Why Region 6 is a “beast” top to bottom, how it compares to other powerhouse regions, and why the offensive numbers can be deceiving when evaluating hitters.

🚀 Year Two Outlook: An exciting preview of the #2 ranked recruiting class in the country (Perfect Game), the influx of velocity on the mound, and the benefit of returning the entire coaching staff—plus adding a new outfield coach.

🤠 Rodeo Toughness: How the mentality of the school’s rodeo program influences his own team’s culture and the kind of “crap in your neck” player he wants in his dugout.

🌞 Sunburn Stories & Dugout Tales: A hilarious detour into the worst sunburns in baseball history and the kind of innocent, college-style mischief that defines the JUCO experience.

Tune in for a deep dive into the grind, culture, and strategy of building a winning program in one of the most unpredictable and exciting levels of college baseball.

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🎨 Conner Darnell Designs — @CD_DZNs or [email protected]

📊 Pro Baseball Radar — Code thejbb2026 for 15% off the Recruiting Bundle

In this episode, we step away from our usual baseball focus for an unforgettable conversation with Ryan Sickler, stand-up comedian and host of the wildly popular “Honeydew” podcast. Ryan opens up about his incredible journey from a challenging childhood to touring the world, all connected by the lessons he learned on the soccer field.

We dive into how being a junior college athlete forged his life philosophy, the humbling experience of getting “our asses beat” across Europe with Team USA, and why the title “All-JUCO” is a badge of honor. It’s a masterclass in resilience, finding your path, and the unexpected parallels between sports and comedy.

In this episode, we cover:

⚽ A Forged Mentality: Ryan’s path into soccer, forming his own team to beat the “clicky” leagues that rejected him, and becoming a state-ranked high school champion.

🌍 The Humbling Tour: The story of making Team USA at 16, only to travel to Europe and “lose every motherfucking game we played for the whole month.”

💔 Playing Without a Net: How he was on his own from age 16, living with his grandmother, and still managed to get his degree and his All-JUCO honor while building his future.

🎤 The Cross-Country Leap: The emotional drive from Baltimore to LA to pursue comedy, and how his work in TV production armed him with the skills to build his own podcasting empire.

🗣️ The Power of “All-JUCO”: Ryan’s core philosophy: “Sometimes we’re all circumstantial white trash and you gotta be the best where you are, bro.”

🏟️ Full Circle: How the current coach at his old community college uses his story to inspire struggling players, proving that “once All-JUCO, forever All-JUCO.”

🎧 Podcasting Kings: The wildest stories from “The Honeydew” and “The Way Back,” including his upcoming episode with Sammy “The Bull” Gravano and why talking to regular people provides the most insane stories of all.

Tune in for a powerful, funny, and raw conversation about making the most of your circumstances, the power of resilience, and how the grit from sports can fuel any dream.

Make sure you check out his new Special Live & Alive that dropped on Oct. 24th over on his YouTube Channel

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🎨 Conner Darnell Designs — @CD_DZNs or [email protected]

📊 Pro Baseball Radar — Code thejbb2026 for 15% off the Recruiting Bundle

In the final part of our epic conversation, Jack Delongchamps pulls back the curtain on the forces fueling college baseball's explosive growth. We dive deep into the "Alfreds of college baseball"—the team at Chinook Seeds—and how their humble, behind-the-scenes support has become jet fuel for the entire sport.

Jack also takes us on the road for his 12-week spring marathon, ranking the wildest environments and most electric preseason tournaments. Finally, we get bold predictions for the upcoming season and a visionary look at where the sport is headed in the next five years, from a weekly national TV show to the return of the Home Run Derby.

In this episode, we cover:

* 🌻 The Chinook Effect: How Matt, Brandon, and the team at Chinook Seeds became the "glue" and "Alfreds" of college baseball, building community and supporting the sport from the shadows with incredible generosity (and amazing flavors).

* 🚐 12 Weeks on the Road: Jack's favorite stops from his spring marathon, from the bonkers atmosphere at Arkansas to the eclectic, Omaha-like vibes of preseason tournaments like the Jax College Baseball Classic.

* 🔮 Bold 2025 Predictions: Teams to watch beyond the usual suspects, including Clemson, Troy, and a UVA program poised for a new era under Chris Pollard.

* 🚀 The Next 5 Years: A visionary chat on the future of the sport, including the realistic hope for a weekly "Squeeze Play" show on ESPN and the triumphant return of the College Home Run Derby.

* 👕 NIL & Jersey Swaps: The story behind the retro-style shirt and the truth about what really happens to all those jerseys he gets swapped (spoiler: it's not what you think).

Tune in for a passionate, forward-looking conclusion that celebrates the people and possibilities making college baseball America's fastest-growing sport.

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Pro Baseball Radar → You need up-to-date Junior College Baseball Stats? Want to know where guys are committed and how they stack up against the rest of the country?! Give them a look!

What is Jack Delongchamps's actual job? In this episode, we continue our hilarious and insightful conversation with the man behind "Pencil Talk" to unpack his unique career path in college baseball media. Jack pulls back the curtain on his relentless hustle and how he's turned his passion into a profession.

We dive into his favorite memories from covering the College World Series in Omaha, from closing down bars with legendary broadcasters to interviewing a fan who caught a home run in his hat. It's a deep dive into the community, camaraderie, and pure joy that makes college baseball so special.

In this episode, we cover:

* 🎙️ The Portfolio Career: Jack breaks down his four(!) current jobs: On-field reporter for D1 Baseball, co-host of the 11.7 Podcast, founder of Pencil Talk, and his new role as a College Baseball Product Owner for 643 Charts.

* 🏟️ Omaha Memories: The best moments from the last two College World Series, including a legendary post-national championship hug with Tony Vitello and the story behind a viral interview with a young fan in left field.

* 🌧️ Rain Delay Antics: What really happens in the press box during a weather delay? Jack recounts playing paper ball football with ESPN's Mike Monaco, Mike Rooney, and Mike Ferrin.

* 🤝 The College Baseball Brotherhood: Why the sport is filled with "good people" and how building genuine relationships with coaches and media figures has shaped his journey.

* ⚾ JUCO's Growing Impact: A discussion on the increasing visibility and importance of junior college players in the D1 landscape and how the transfer portal benefits them.

* 🏈 A Random Football Question: We find out what position Jack would play in a locker room football game (and the story behind the bizarre question).

Tune in for a story-filled episode that celebrates the unpredictable, people-driven world of college baseball.

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* Conner Darnell Designs —> @CD_DZNs or [email protected]

Pro Baseball Radar → You need up-to-date Junior College Baseball Stats? Want to know where guys are committed and how they stack up against the rest of the country?! Give them a look!

Join us for an unforgettable conversation with Jack DeLongchamps, the creator of "Pencil Talk" and one of the most passionate voices in college baseball media today.

In this episode, we cover:

* 🎙️ The Origin of Pencil Talk: How a "terrible intern" without a microphone started a media movement with just a pencil for authentic, stats-free interviews.

* 👟 The Flip-Flop Philosophy: Why Rainbows sandals are the official footwear of the show and a testament to keeping it real.

* ⚾ Greatest Underdog Stories: Debating the best Cinderella runs—2008 Fresno State vs. 2016 Coastal Carolina—and why baseball will always be unpredictable.

* 🤝 The College Baseball Brotherhood: Why the sport's media landscape is exploding and how everyone in it is connected.

* 🏆 2024 Storylines: Breaking down the magic of Murray State, the gutsy performance of Texas A&M's Jace LaViolette, and the rise of programs like Western Kentucky.

Tune in for a hilarious, heartfelt, and insightful look at why college baseball is the purest form of the game, from a guy who lives and breathes it.

Make sure you give our sponsors some love

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* Flatground Sports —> Make sure you tag @Flatgroundapp or @Flatgroundbats on X so your videos get Seen

* JBB Substack Juco Pod Special - thejbb.substack.com/JucoPod

* Conner Darnell Designs —> @CD_DZNs or [email protected]

Pro Baseball Radar → You need up-to-date Junior College Baseball Stats? Want to know where guys are committed and how they stack up against the rest of the country?! Give them a look!