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Former NBC Players On Golden Spikes Watch List

February 17, 2015

Congratulations to these former NBC players for being selected to the Golden Spikes Watch List. Presented by USA Baseball, the list includes: Santa Barbara, CA Foresters Riley Ferrell, RHP, Junior, TCU and Blake Fox, RHP, Junior, Rice. San Luis Obispo, CA Blues Sheldon Neuse, 3B, Sophomore, Oklahoma. Anchorage, AK Bucs Zack Collins, C, Sophomore, Miami. Clarinda, IA A’s Blake Trahan, SS, Junior, Louisiana-Lafayette.

DURHAM, N.C. — USA Baseball released its 50-player preseason USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award watch list on Tuesday, beginning the organization’s journey to naming the top amateur baseball player in the country in a trophy presentation on Tuesday, June 23 in Los Angeles. Sponsored by Major League Baseball, and presented in partnership with the Rod Dedeaux Foundation, 2015 marks the 38th year of the USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award.

The preseason watch list features 50 of the nation’s top amateur players, and will be a “rolling” list until May 22 — when the USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award semifinalists are announced — ensuring that athletes can play themselves into consideration for the award throughout the collegiate and high school seasons.

“It is hard to believe that we will be presenting the Golden Spikes Award for the 38th time this June,” said USA Baseball’s executive director/CEO, Paul Seiler. “2015 looks to be another outstanding year for amateur baseball and we can’t wait to follow the competition across all levels of the game this season.”

Six players on the watch list have previously been named semifinalists for the USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award in their careers. Nathan Kirby (LHP, junior, Virginia), Michael Murray (RHP, junior, Florida Gulf Coast) and DJ Stewart (OF, junior, Florida State) were all semifinalists for the award in 2014, while David Berg (RHP, senior, UCLA), Alex Bregman (SS, junior, LSU) and Thomas Eshelman (RHP, junior, Cal State Fullerton) earned the recognition in the 2013 season.

Players on the list represent 17 different collegiate athletic conferences, led by Southeastern Conference with 12 players named to the watch list. The Atlantic Coast Conference has 10 athletes on the list, while the Pac 12 has eight. 2014 NCAA Division I national champion, Vanderbilt, leads all institutions with three players on the preseason watch list, while Cal State Fullerton, Florida, Miami (Fla.), TCU, UCLA and Virginia all placed a pair of athletes on the list.

Also appearing on the list are three non-NCAA Division I athletes. Phil Bickford (RHP, sophomore, College of Southern Nevada) is the lone junior college representative after winning the Robert A. McNeese Award in the Cape Code League last summer. Two-time Division III national player and pitcher of the year, Chris Haddeland (RHP, senior, Linfield), returns to the watch list after receiving consideration for the Golden Spikes Award late into the 2014 season. Brendan Rodgers (SS, senior, Lake Mary (Fla.) HS) is the only high school athlete on the preseason watch list. Bryce Harper (2010) and Alex Fernandez (1990) are the only two non-NCAA Division I winners of the award.

On April 9, USA Baseball will release its 60-man midseason watch list, shaped by the Golden Spikes Award committee. On May 22, USA Baseball will announce the semifinalists for the 2015 Golden Spikes Award. The semifinalists list will be sent to a voting body consisting of past USA Baseball National Team coaches and press officers, members of the media that follow the amateur game closely, select professional baseball personnel, current USA Baseball staff and the 37 previous winners of the award, representing a group of more than 200 voters.

Fan voting will once again be a part of the Golden Spikes Award in 2015. Friday, May 22, marks the day when amateur baseball fans across the country will be able to vote for their favorite semifinalists at GoldenSpikesAward.com. As part of this selection process, all voters will be asked to choose three players from the list. On Tuesday, June 3, USA Baseball will announce the finalists, and voting will once again commence that same day.

The 2015 Golden Spikes Award winner will be named on Tuesday, June 23, at a presentation in Los Angeles. The finalists and their families will be honored at the Rod Dedeaux Foundation Dinner that evening at the Jonathan Club in downtown Los Angeles.

Last year, University of Kentucky’s two-way star, A.J. Reed, took home the prestigious award, joining a group of recent winners that includes Kris Bryant (2013), Mike Zunino (2012), Trevor Bauer (2011), Bryce Harper (2010), Stephen Strasburg (2009) and Buster Posey (2008).

The anticipated timeline for the 2015 Golden Spikes Award announcements is:

Tuesday, February 10: 2015 USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award 50-man preseason watch list
Thursday, April 9: 2015 USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award 60-man midseason watch list
Thursday, May 7: 2015 USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award 30-man preliminary list
Friday, May 22: 2015 USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award semifinalists, voting begins
Friday, May 29: 2015 USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award semifinalists voting ends
Tuesday, June 3: 2015 USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award finalists, voting begins
Friday, June 12: 2015 USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award finalists voting ends
Tuesday, June 23: 2015 USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award trophy presentation

A complete list of the 50-player USA Baseball preseason Golden Spikes Award watch list is as follows:

Name, Position, Class, School, Conference
David Berg, RHP, Senior, UCLA, Pac 12
Phil Bickford, RHP, Sophomore, CC of Southern Nevada, Scenic West (JC)
Alex Bregman, SS, Junior, LSU, SEC
Walker Buehler, RHP, Junior, Vanderbilt, SEC
Austin Byler, 3B, Senior, Nevada, Mountain West
Shaun Chase, C, Senior, Oregon, Pac 12
Zack Collins, C, Sophomore, Miami, ACC
Wil Crowe, RHP, Sophomore, South Carolina, SEC
Tyler Davis, RHP, Senior, Washington, Pac 12
Steven Duggar, OF, Junior, Clemson, ACC
Thomas Eshelman, RHP, Junior, Cal State Fullerton, Big West
Riley Ferrell, RHP, Junior, TCU, Big 12
Blake Fox, LHP, Junior, Rice, C-USA
Carson Fulmer, RHP, Junior, Vanderbilt, SEC
Kyle Funkhouser, RHP, Junior, Louisville, ACC
Justin Garza, RHP, Junior, Cal State Fullerton, Big West
Eric Gutierrez, 1B, Junior, Texas Tech, Big 12
Chris Haddeland, RHP, Senior, Linfield, Northwest Athletic (DIII)
Ian Happ, OF, Junior, Cincinnati, American Athletic
Tyler Jay, LHP, Junior, Illinois, Big 10
Casey Jones, OF, Senior, Elon, CAA
James Kaprielian, RHP, Junior, UCLA, Pac 12
Nathan Kirby, LHP, Junior, Virginia, ACC
Jake Lemoine, RHP, Junior, Houston, American Athletic
Brett Lilek, LHP, Junior, Arizona State, Pac 12
Richie Martin, SS, Junior, Florida, SEC
Tate Matheny, OF, Junior, Missouri State, Missouri Valley
Michael Matuella, RHP, Junior, Duke, ACC
Andrew Moore, RHP, Junior, Oregon State, Pac 12
Preston Morrison, RHP, Senior, TCU, Big 12
Michael Murray, RHP, Junior, Florida Gulf Coast, Atlantic Sun
Sheldon Neuse, 3B, Sophomore, Oklahoma, Big 12
Kevin Newman, SS, Junior, Arizona, Pac 12
Connor Panas, 3B, Senior, Canisius, MAAC
Cal Quantrill, RHP, Sophomore, Stanford, Pac 12
Brendan Rodgers, SS, Senior (High School), Lake Mary (Fla.), High School
Chris Shaw, OF, Junior, Boston College, ACC
Logan Shore, RHP, Sophomore, Florida, SEC
DJ Stewart, OF, Junior, Florida State, ACC
Christin Stewart, OF, Junior, Tennessee, SEC
Andrew Suarez, LHP, RS-Junior, Miami, ACC
Dansby Swanson, SS, Junior, Vanderbilt, SEC
Keegan Thompson, RHP, Sophomore, Auburn, SEC
Trent Thornton, RHP, Junior, North Carolina, ACC
Blake Trahan, SS, Junior, Louisiana-Lafayette, Sun Belt
Christian Trent, LHP, Junior, Ole Miss, SEC
Robert Tyler, RHP, Sophomore, Georgia, SEC
Brandon Waddell, LHP, Junior, Virginia, ACC
Colin Welmon, RHP, Senior, Loyola Marymount, West Coast
Mikey White, SS, Junior, Alabama, SEC

NBC Joins ABCA In Supporting MLB And USA Baseball Youth Arm Care Initiative

January 28, 2015

ABCA OFFICIALLY SUPPORTS PITCH SMART

The American Baseball Coaches Association board of directors votes unanimously

DURHAM, N.C. — USA Baseball, Major League Baseball and the American Baseball Coaches Association announced on Tuesday that the ABCA is officially supporting USA Baseball and MLB’s joint youth arm care safety initiative, Pitch Smart. The announcement follows the ABCA’s board of directors unanimously voting in favor of supporting the initiative that was launched in late 2014.

“Major League Baseball is pleased that the ABCA has endorsed the Pitch Smart pitching safety program,” said MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred, who received the 2015 ABCA Honor Award on January 4, 2015 at the ABCA Convention. “Keeping pitchers healthy should be a common goal of everyone in baseball. Pitch Smart is a great example of the entire baseball community, professional and amateur, coming together to make our game better.”

The Association is involved in numerous programs that promote the integrity of the profession and the development of the game of baseball, and, each January, the ABCA hosts the largest baseball convention in the world. Approximately 4,000 coaches attend the convention, which is held at various locations around the country. The 2015 iteration was attended by commissioner, Rob Manfred, as he continues to further engage the amateur baseball community.

“With its endorsement of Pitch Smart, it is clear that the American Baseball Coaches Association is making player health and safety a priority in everything it does,” said USA Baseball’s executive director/CEO, Paul Seiler. “It is the support of the ABCA and other organizations that confirms our belief that baseball has united in protecting our young athletes.”

The ABCA is committed to the success and growth of baseball through youth baseball. In the past 12 years, thousands of young people have gone through ABCA sponsored youth clinics. Each year, several hundred young players attend ABCA clinics in Montgomery, Alabama; Lewiston, Idaho; and Grand Junction, Colorado.

“The ABCA is proud to endorse Pitch Smart along with Major League Baseball and USA Baseball,” said ABCA executive director, Craig Keilitz. “Education is one of our organization’s cornerstones and the health and safety of our young players is a major priority. Pitch Smart provides clear guidelines for our coaches, particularly those who are new to the profession, and we look forward to being involved in the further development of this initiative for years to come.”

The ABCA, founded in 1945, is the primary professional organization for baseball coaches at the amateur level. Its over 6,600 members represent all 50 states and 24 countries. Since its initial meeting of 27 college baseball coaches in June 1945, Association membership has broadened to include eight divisions: NCAA Division I, II and III, NAIA, Junior College, Pacific Association Division, High School and Youth.

About the American Baseball Coaches Association

Established in 1945, the American Baseball Coaches Association is the top professional association for amateur baseball coaches. Its over 6,600 members represent all 50 states and 24 countries. Association membership has broadened to include eight divisions: NCAA Division I, II and III, NAIA, Junior College, Pacific Association Division, High School and Youth. The annual ABCA Convention hosts over 4,000 coaches and features the ABCA Clinics, Trade Show and other activities. The 72nd annual ABCA Convention will be held Jan. 7-10, 2016 in Nashville, Tennessee.

About USA Baseball

USA Baseball is the national governing body for the sport of baseball in the United States and is a member of the United States Olympic Committee and the World Baseball Softball Confederation. The organization selects and trains the World Baseball Classic, World Cup and Pan Am teams (and all other USA Baseball Professional Teams); the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team; the USA Baseball 18U, 15U and 12U National Teams; and the USA Baseball Women’s National Team, all of which participate in various international competitions each year. USA Baseball also presents the Golden Spikes Award annually to the top amateur baseball player in the country. For more information, please visit USABaseball.com.

2015 NBC Rulebook Pre-Orders

December 29, 2014

We are taking pre-orders for the 2015 NBC Official Rulebook. These are same rules of MLB and less expensive. To order, contact us at kevin@nbcbaseball.com.

Price breakdown is below.

1-9 Rulebooks	$3.50 each, plus shipping/handling
10-24 Rulebooks	$3.00 each, plus s/h
25-49 Rulebooks	$2.70 each, plus s/h
50-99 Rulebooks	$2.50 each, plus s/h
100 or More	$2.00 each, plus s/h

NBC Loses Long Time Staffer And Administrator

December 11, 2014

The NBC World Series has lost a loyal friend and great man! Gary Goad unexpectedly passed away at his home in Michigan. Gary spent time as the GM for the Grand Rapids, MI Sullivans in the 80’s and most recently, an associate scorekeeper during the NBC World Series the last 15 years. Many of our fans may have never heard of Gary, however, his passion for the NBC was inspiring. After the 2014 tournament, Gary sent our staff a wonderful list of ideas to help us improve the World Series. It included several ways on how he wanted to be involved and help put the ideas into action. Gary enjoyed sharing stories from his days with the Sullivans and always enjoyed coming to Wichita. We’ll miss his talents, knowledge and dedication. God Bless You Gary! Click here for more information.

Jenks Named NBC World Series General Manager

November 6, 2014

WICHITA, KS – The 81st National Baseball Congress World Series will be played next summer at
Lawrence-Dumont Stadium in Wichita with a familiar face in charge of the event. Kevin Jenks
has been named the general manager and tournament director of the National Baseball
Congress by the newly formed foundation’s board of directors.

Jenks, who was hired as a sales executive for the Wichita Wingnuts, also served as the 2014
director of the amateur tournament and was the operations manager in 2013. Jenks will step
away from his duties with the Wichita Wingnuts to become the first full?time general manager
and tournament director hired by the National Baseball Congress Foundation. He will report
directly to the board of directors.

“I’m humbled and honored for this wonderful opportunity with the NBC Foundation,” said
Jenks. “It’s motivating to see the passion our board has for the World Series and I look forward
to carrying out their mission and vision.”

A graduate of Garden Plain High School, Jenks played college baseball at Dodge City Community
College. He graduated with a BA in Communications from Fort Hays State University in 1995,
and spent 12 years working in television broadcasting as a sports photographer, reporter and
anchor. He spent another five years in corporate recruiting, sales, marketing and business
development before joining the Wingnuts organization in 2013.

“I have worked with Kevin the past two years and the Board met with dozens of NBC officials,
managers, players, scouts, sponsors and fans this past summer at the tournament,” said
chairman of the board, Steve Shaad. “It was clear Kevin was respected by all. We feel he is the
key to making the NBC World Series as successful as possible and restoring its reputation as the
best summer amateur baseball tournament in the world.”

For more information about the 81st Annual NBC World Series visit www.nbcbaseball.com.

NBC Baseball Foundation Board of Directors

Mr. Steve Shaad, Chairman
Mr. Gaylord Dold, Secretary
Mr. Mike Gehrer, Vice Chairman
Mr. Greg Sevier, Treasurer
Mr. Terry Brewster
Mr. Bob Hanson
Mr. Vernell Jackson
Mr. Pete Meitzner, Wichita City Council
Mr. Dan Rogers
Mr. Jason Wenzel
Ms. Lavonta Williams, Wichita City Council

Vision

We at the NBC Baseball Foundation envision a proud future in which Hap Dumont’s original vision is
transmitted to and perpetuated for future generations, and enhanced through continued hard work and
dedication, so that our community, fans everywhere, amateur players, and lovers of the game, young
and old, will continue to benefit spiritually and physically by enjoying our national pastime.

Mission

Our mission at the NBC Baseball Foundation is to perpetuate, grow and popularize the National Baseball Congress annual tournament as the premier summer showcase in the nation for college-age amateur baseball players; to maximize the outreach, sanctioning, league activities, and effectiveness of the National Baseball Congress; to promote baseball in the Wichita, Kansas area; and to establish lasting partnerships, sponsorships and other cooperative pursuits.

Goals

The Foundation will solicit, establish, manage, and grow a substantial endowment.
The Foundation will pursue donor and sponsor partnerships to financially support its mission.
The Foundation will seek volunteer community partners to further its vision and mission.
The Foundation will create an executive staff of dedicated professionals.
The Foundation will optimize, oversee, and grow the National Baseball Congress as an amateur baseball sanctioning organization.
The Foundation, though its executive staff and volunteers, will independently and effectively operate a summer baseball tournament for college-age amateur baseball players under principles, policies and procedures established by the Board of Directors.
The Foundation will support youth baseball in the Wichita, Kansas area by distributing property to qualified local charities under conditions and rules established by the Foundation.