Collegiate Baseball The Voice Of Amateur Baseball Started In 1958 At The Request Of Our Nation’s Baseball Coaches Vol. 61, No. 14 Friday, Oct. 5, 2018 $4.00 Record Strikeouts In NCAA Baseball Highest amount of strikeouts Fred Corral, pitching coach at the University of Missouri, had some interesting observations on why the take place in past 49 years which strikeout numbers are at an all-time high. could be caused by several factors, Corral has 25 years of coaching experience across including flat-seam baseball. all levels of baseball, 12 of them in the Southeastern Conference and three in professional baseball. By LOU PAVLOVICH, JR. “The strikeout numbers are surprising but not totally Editor/Collegiate Baseball unexpected,” said Corral “When the flat-seam ball came out, I was very excited. NDIANAPOLIS — The highest amount of strikeouts People told me it would go further than the raised-seam over the past 49 years of NCAA Division I baseball ball. I said it might, but hitting is still tough. What the Itook place during the 2018 season, according to the flat-seam ball did was allow the break on balls to be NCAA Division I Baseball Statistics Trends report. shorter and less recognizable to hitters. Compiled by Jeff Williams, Associate Director of “I believe with more power arms in college baseball Media Coordination and Statistics with the NCAA, the now, the break on pitches is not only shorter but later. 2018 NCAA Division I Strikeouts Per 9 Innings per Hitters are having a difficult time picking up the break game for each team was a record 7.88. of pitches with this late, shorter break.” Each of the last four years have featured strikeout But there also could be other factors involved, numbers that have gone over 7.00 which has never including velocity improvement programs for pitchers happened before in the past 49 years. that has allowed pitchers to throw harder than ever The strikeout average per 9 innings the last four years before. include: The other element involved is that a number of hitting 2015: 7.02 coaches are teaching batters to hit slightly up on pitches 2016: 7.17 for specific launch angles that get balls in the air. 2017: 7.54 For the previous 45 years prior to 2015 (1970-2014), 2018: 7.88 only twice have strikeout totals risen over 7.00, and that Interestingly, the first year of the flat-seam ball was in was in 1998 (7.07) and 1999 (7.12). 2015, the first year of this trend, and strikeout numbers “What I feel is going on, and I made this comment to have gone up every year since. a couple of my friends who are hitting coaches, is that So there may be a correlation with the ball that is being used. See HISTORIC STRIKEOUT, Page 7 Virginia’s Nick Howard celebrates after a strikeout. Dennis Olejniczak Records 1,417 Wins During Incredible Career Second Winningest H.S. Coach In History Retires Fabulous system Schultz of Kee H.S. (Lansing, every team had the same amount of Iowa) for the most wins in high talent. None of the teams actually allows legendary school baseball history at 1,578. had coaches like you typically see skipper to rack up win Collegiate Baseball caught up on Little League teams. after win at Decorah with this giant in the coaching “We had three coaches during ranks and asked him to explain his each game which covered both High School in Iowa. fabulous system. teams involved. And every coach One of the keys to his success had to be approved by me and was By LOU PAVLOVICH, JR. was working with Little League usually someone who was involved Editor/Collegiate Baseball players in his town so they were with the Decorah H.S. baseball well versed on great baseball team. That way, all the coaches ECORAH, Iowa — One fundamentals prior to coming to were all on the same page. of the greatest high school Decorah H.S. “We would stop each game Db a s e b a l l c o a c h e s i n “In the summer of 1964, I took multiple times when teaching history recently retired in Dennis on the job of being director of points were needed. It might be Olejniczak. Decorah’s Little League program,” a great play or one where some The head coach of Decorah High said the 78-year-old Olejniczak. problem took place. We weren’t School (Decorah, Iowa) posted “I decided that we would treat caught up on wins and losses. We the second highest win total in anybody who ever showed up as focused on the development of United States history for a high fairly as we could. It didn’t matter these kids. school baseball coach with 1,417 to us if they didn’t have a mom, dad “Eight year old kids were taught victories. or brothers and sisters who could that pitches over the plate from He was the head coach at Decorah play some ball with them. Everyone the knees to the arm pits were High School for 55 years and led was given an opportunity to learn strikes they would swing at. If a teams to three state titles, nine and improve in the great game of pitch was not in that area, they title games, 11 state tournament baseball. wouldn’t swing at it. This taught appearances and 21 Northeast Iowa “Everyone was taught the same the kids immediately what a strike Conference championships. He also way as we had an 8-9-10 year age zone was. We emphasized that coached for one year at Janesville group and 11-12-13 division. We in the game of baseball, you get H.S. (Lansing, Iowa). always had a draft of only Decorah, DENNIS OLEJNICZAK Olejniczak is only behind Gene Iowa kids, and we tried to make sure See DYNAMIC, Page 23 Inside Collegiate Baseball Web Site: www.baseballnews.com NCAA Div. I Recruiting Rundown Cheat Codes For Exit Velocity Q&A Session With Pat Casey Louisiana St. lands No. 1 class for Perry Husband explains in detail Recently retired head coach at fifth time in history with others in his system for ramping up faster Oregon St. delves into how his 2014, 2010, 2007, 2004/Page 10 bat speeds for hitters/Page 26 teams had chemistry/Page 18 Page 2 Collegiate Baseball Friday, Oct. 5, 2018 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. 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