I started out at South Georgia Junior College and after my two years there I finished up at Jacksonville University.

What position did you play?

At South Georgia I played shortstop and a little bit at third. I moved into the outfield at Jacksonville and played all three positions out there. 

 

There were a few factors that lead me to choose Jacksonville.

1. The weather. I came from Pennsylvania and was told that if I really wanted to play ball I needed to go south. 

2. Opportunity to play top competition. Jacksonville would play FSU and Miami as part of the Sun Belt Conference and I wanted to face those top programs.

3. The athletic and academic combination. I wanted to play at the highest level, but I didn’t want to be overwhelmed in the classroom. The school had 2,500 students and I got the attention I needed at school. The smaller classrooms fit well for me.

 

Well I went through it twice once out of high school and the other after South Georgia. I grew up in Pennsylvania so I was recruited by local schools. I actually thought I was going to Penn State to play both baseball and football; however, as I was going through my senior year I decided I wanted to focus on baseball. Once I came to this realization most of the big schools in the south, where I wanted to play, had finished their recruiting for the year. I knew I wanted to play in the south so I was in contact with coaches by phone and mail and got a starting position on the JUCO, South Georgia. After my two years at South Georgia I was only looking at two schools Florida and Jacksonville. I settled on Jacksonville based on the ability to play right away and the academic side of things with the smaller classrooms and more individual focus.
 

I would have definitely taken more ownership of my recruiting process. I depended on others more than I should have. I also would have wanted to be more educated on the ins and outs. I think this would have given me more opportunities from southern schools. I would have loved to have more exposure, but I was going by the seat of my pants and I was using some key contacts only in the Northeast area. If I had the Factory there is no telling where I would have been with the kind of exposure I would have had. Although in the end things worked out because I never sat. I played all four years. Although being from the north and playing down south my family only got to see a handful of games. So if I could I would have liked to play closer to my family so they could have come and watch me more often.
 

That it is tough to go to the next level. Kids are used to playing as they go from Little League to High School ball; however, they often find that when they go to college they are just another player and may sit for a year or two before getting their shot. It is also never too early to start doing research. See as many schools as you can. There is really no excuse now for players if they are uninformed. The internet can really be a great tool in the recruiting process. Finally, I think I would tell players to be patient. The process is not a sprint, it’s a marathon. They are one of thousands that want to play in college and they need to keep that in perspective.
 

It was awesome. The ACC was a great place to be. It also allowed me to be closer to my family in Pennsylvania. The entire conference was great top to bottom. Everywhere we went we were treated first class. We even had better exposure and media coverage. Although when I started at Maryland it was tough times in the athletic department. Football was doing poorly and basketball was on probation so we were not fully funded. I had to do a lot on my own with raising funds. I started the media guide for the University of Maryland and sold billboards in the outfield to raise money. I grew as a coach and a person at Maryland.
 

That college baseball is like basketball and football, but is underfunded at all levels. From travel expenses, meals and coaches salaries. Also D-I is not necessarily the best. There is good baseball at all levels throughout the country. 
 

Florida State
 

JD Drew. He was an outfielder for FSU.
 

ACC in almost every sport is competitive. It is the best when you combine academics and athletics.
 

I met Steve Sclafani and Rob Naddelman back in the mid 1990’s when they were starting Baseball Factory. They would call with players they had in their program. We signed a few of them. I stayed in contact with them and when it was time for me to move on they were looking for someone with my type of recruiting experience.
 

Jacksonville. I played and coached there so I just have more history there. 
 

Steve Garvey. He played first base with the Dodgers.
 

Albert Pujols. He just gives off the aura of what the game is supposed to be like. He does everything the way it should be done on and off the field.