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Collegiate Baseball The Voice Of Amateur Baseball Started In 1958 At The Request Of Our Nation’s Baseball Coaches Vol. 64, No. 12 Friday, July 16, 2021 $4.00 Photo By Lou Pavlovich, Jr. Inside Collegiate Baseball Web Site: www.baseballnews.com How Mississippi St. Won CWS Four Powerful Photo Pages Chris Lemonis Coach Of Year Bulldogs played to perfection on All the action, drama, jubilation Mississippi St. skipper presses defense with no errors in 7 games devastation captured at College all the right buttons as Bulldogs and had brilliant pitching/Page 4 World Series/Pages 9-12 win first national title/Page 7 Page Collegiate Baseball Friday, July 16, 01 Arkansas’ Kevin Kopps Wins Golden Spikes Award FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — Tech’s 2B Jace Jung and Florida Only a year ago in 2020, Kopps 2019 season and had a 6-3 record Arkansas relief pitcher, Kevin State’s catcher Matheu Nelson. had a frustrating 8.18 ERA and 0-1 and 3.89 ERA in 41.6 innings. Kopps, was awarded the 2021 Dick Kopps finished the 2021 record after pitching just 11 innings Then in 2020, he struggled big Howser Trophy by the National campaign with a 12-1 record and for the Razorbacks in the COVID- time. Collegiate Baseball Writers 11 saves. He posted the nation’s 19 shortened season. “After I came back from Tommy Association. lowest ERA (0.90) and WHIP He allowed 10 earned runs, 14 John surgery, I was trying to throw Kopps is the first reliever to (0.76), striking out 131 in 89 2/3 total, on 18 hits and 4 walks. a 4-seam fastball over the top and win the award which crowns the innings. How in the world did this aim for the top of the zone which organization’s top Player of the Opposing hitters had a .162 transformation happen which almost doesn’t work with my arm action. Year. It is the 34th time the trophy batting average against the right- seems impossible to believe. During the shortened 2020 season, has been awarded. He also was hander, who set the program’s “I had Tommy John Surgery on that pitch was getting hit a lot. presented with the 16th Stopper of single-season record for ERA this my right elbow in early October of “I couldn’t find comfort throwing the Year Award by the NCBWA. year. 2017 and missed the entire 2018 a fastball because every time I threw Kopps was one of five finalists Kopps also was named SEC season as I rehabbed after surgery it, it got hit really hard. Along with for the award. Others considered Pitcher of the Year and Collegiate for a year,” said Kopps. that, throwing my cutter over the were Vanderbilt’s pitchers Kumar Baseball’s National Player of the He made a team-high 30 top like that took a lot of the depth Rocker and Jack Leiter, Texas Year. KEVIN KOPPS appearances, all in relief, during the and movement out of that pitch. So it was flat and didn’t have much to it. I could throw it a little bit harder at 88 mph. The one I throw now is 86 to 87 mph. “Going back to my old arm action, which was a little bit lower, fixed everything. Pitcher Dies After Surgery To Elbow FAIRFAX, Va. — George Mason RHP Sang Ho Baek died unexpectedly from complications following Tommy John surgery on his right elbow June 12. He was 20 years old and was a freshman last season as he appeared in 7 games with a 6.52 ERA. “We are devastated by the passing of Sang,” George Mason baseball head coach Bill Brown said. “Sang was an incredible teammate who was loved by everyone associated with Mason baseball. He will be missed and forever cherished in our hearts. “Right now, our thoughts are with Sang’s family at this unbearably difficult time.” “After being informed by his family about Sang’s passing, we are heartbroken and extend our deepest condolences to his family and friends,” George Mason Big League Chew was invented by Rob Nelson, a former Cornell University lefthander who was pitching in Oregon in 1977 for the fabled Portland Mavericks when he came up with the idea for a new type of bubble gum. Rob was literally sitting in the Portland bullpen, watching his team- mates chewing other less salubrious stuff, when he thought that shredded bubble gum would be a much more fun option. Rob shared the idea with Mav teammate Jim Bouton who liked the SANG HO BAEK Assistant Vice President/Director of concept so much he spent the next two years searching for a gum Athletic Brad Edwards said. “Sang embodied everything company to manufacture and distribute Big League Chew. He you would want from a student- succeeded, and BLC quickly became the must-have bubble gum for athlete. “He was an excellent student, ballplayers in the littlest leagues to the Big Leagues. dedicated teammate and friend to so many. “We are committed to providing support and resources to Sang’s Today, over 40 years later, Big League Chew is the #1-selling teammates and all those in the Mason family who loved him.” shredded bubble gum in the world — with over 800 million pouches A Go Fund Me page has been created to assist the family with sold. It is manufactured in the USA by Ford Gum of Akron, New York. funeral expenses. It currently has reached $54,206. ™ Tommy John surgery has become a routine surgical procedure to repair ® BIG LEAGUE CHEW AMERICA’S BUBBLE GUM a torn ulnar collateral ligament inside the elbow. Coaches Discount now available at bigleaguechew.com Collegiate Baseball is not aware of any death due to Tommy John surgery prior to this tragedy. Friday, July 16, 01 Collegiate Baseball Page Collegiate Baseball ABCA Names Coaches Of Year GREENSBORO, N.C. — The 2021 ABCA/ATEC Kellogg (MI) The Voice Of Coaches of the Year were announced in all college Gulf: Jeff Willis, LSU Eunice (LA) Amateur Baseball divisions. Mid-Atlantic: Rodney Bennett, Frederick (MD) Due to the pandemic restrictions, high school Midwest: Mike Davenport, Madison (WI) honorees will be selected and announced later this North Plains: Todd Rima, Kirkwood (IA) Collegiate Baseball (ISSN 050-9751) is published twice a month summer. Plains: Kurt Russell, Western Oklahoma State January-May and once in June, July, September and October All of the Coaches of the Year will be honored (OK) (14 total issues) by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper, Inc., 515 during the 2022 ABCA annual convention on Friday, South Atlantic: Cody Ellis, Patrick Henry (VA) N. Stone Ave., Tucson, AZ 85705. Periodicals postage paid at Jan. 7 in the main clinic hall. The convention is slated West: Kevin Kimball, Phoenix (AZ) Tucson, AZ. for Jan. 6-9 in Chicago, Ill. National Coach of the Year: Jeff Willis, LSU NCAA Div. I Eunice Postmaster: Send address changes to: Northeast: Bill Currier, Fairfield NJCAA Div. III Collegiate Baseball East: Alex Sogard, Wright State Great Lakes: John Parisho, Owens (OH) P.O. Box 50566 Atlantic: Elliott Avent, North Carolina State Great Lakes: Bill Fratto, Oakton (IL) Tucson, AZ 85703 Southeast: Tony Vitello, Tennessee Mid-Atlantic: Reece Honeycutt, Rockingham (NC) Midwest: Link Jarrett, Notre Dame North: Matt Clingersmith, Niagara County (NY) Overnight Mail: 2515 N. Stone Ave., Tucson, AZ 85705 South: Chris Lemonis, Mississippi State North Atlantic: Rob Valli, Rowan-Gloucester (NJ) Past Publishers: Abe Chanin, Lou Pavlovich, Sr. Central: David Pierce, Texas North Plains: Jason Fischer, St. Clout Tech (MN) Single 1-Year Subscription Rate: $8 for 14 issues. West: Jay Johnson, Arizona South: Brian Bauerle, Coastal Bend (TX) Single 1-Year First Class U.S. Subscription: $45 National Coach of the Year: Chris Lemonis, South: Doug Wren, Tyler (TX) Single 1-Year Foreign Air Mail Subscription: $50 Mississippi State National Coach of the Year: Doug Wren, Tyler Special Team Subscriptions: 11 papers each issue sent to one address — $110 (save $198 off the single subscription price), and NCAA Div. II Pacific Association 1 papers each issue sent to one address — $189 (save $99). East: Scott Loiseau, Southern New Hampshire Northern California: Anthony Ferro, Butte Other Multiple Subscription Offers: Please inquire with sub- Atlantic: Marc Marizzaldi, Seton Hill Southern California: Chris Stevens, Allen Hancock scription department at (50) 6-450. Southeast: Jeff Gregory, Wingate Northwest: Bryan Winston, Spokane (WA) South: Joe Urso, Tampa National Coach of the Year: Anthony Ferro, Midwest: Chase Sain, Trevecca Nazarene Butte Directory Central: Kyle Crookes, Central Missouri South Central: Kevin Brooks, Angelo State Area Code (520) West: Joe Schaefer, Northwest Nazarene Publisher: Lou Pavlovich, Jr. (Call 6-450) National Coach of the Year: Jeff Gregory, Editor: Lou Pavlovich, Jr. (Call 6-450 to report stories) Wingate Advertising Director: Diane Pavlovich (Call 6-450) Subscription Department: (Call 6-450) NCAA Div. III Fax Machine: (Call 64-5501) New England: Ed Flaherty, Southern Maine E-Mail: [email protected] New York: Joe Brown, Cortland Web Site: www.baseballnews.com Mid-Atlantic: Mike Dickson, Rowan South: Troy Brohawn, Salisbury Mideast: Craig Rainey, Adrian 2021 Publication Schedule Central: Pat Bloom, Washington-St. Louis Midwest: Chris Olean, St. Thomas January 8 March 1 May 7 September January 9 March 6 May 1 October 1 West: Jared Hood, East Texas Baptist February 1 April 9 June 18 National Coach of the Year: Troy Brohawn, February 6 April July 16 Salisbury NAIA Opening Rd.: Ryan Dupic, Concordia-Nebraska Moving? Opening Rd.: Ben Reel, IU Southeast Make Sure CB Moves Along With You! Opening Rd.: Adrian Dinkel, Southeastern To change your address, please write us 0 days in advance if Opening Rd.: Kirk Kelley, Oklahoma Wesleyan you can.