About FSCC Baseball
Last year: We had another year of success both on and off the field. In the classroom, we finished with the 4th highest Team GPA in the nation with a 3.33 Team GPA. It marked the third straight year that we finished with the highest GPA in the conference as well as the third straight year we finished 6th in nation or better in Team GPA ( 2009-6th-3.27 Team GPA, 2010-3rd-3.43 Team GPA, 2011-4th-3.33 Team GPA). We had 4 Academic All-Americans (3.60-3.79 GPA) with 3 of those being Distinguished Academic All-Americans (3.80-4.0 GPA). On the field, we went 42-18 (second most wins in school history) and landed 11 players on the All-Conference team (most in the Region) and 2 players on the All-Region team. For the third straight year, all 12 of our sophomores were offered baseball scholarships at the 4-year level. Additionally, 8 of our sophomores also received academic scholarships from those 4-year schools.
Conference: We are part of the nationally acclaimed, Kansas Jayhawk Community College Conference (KJCCC). There are two divisions in our conference – the East and the West - We are part of the 10 team East division. The Jayhawk Conference is one the elite Junior College conferences in the nation. Our conference is big enough to be an entire Region (VI) on the national level and possesses its own bid to the NJCAA World Series in Grand Junction, CO. Our conference schedule consists of 4-game weekend series with double headers. The weekend schedule was adopted to prevent missed classes due to the early start (1:00pm) of baseball games within the conference. We schedule multiple mid-week games to complete our 56 game schedule. On average, we play almost 66% of our games at home during the season.
Our scholarship situation: We do not have school funded out-of-state scholarships. We have to fundraise the money for all out-of-state scholarships. We are allotted 24 in-state scholarships, which we can give to an out-of-state player, once he establishes Kansas residency in the first 6 months. (We can explain this further, when needed)
Recruiting: When we decide to recruit a player, we see the potential in that player to make an immediate impact. Nothing is promised except that we will leave no stone unturned to help each individual reach his maximum potential from his God given capabilities to become the best person, student, and player on a daily basis. Playing time is earned - not promised. Due to our small roster size, we cannot make mistakes in recruiting, so if a player decides to be a part of this program, we need him to be productive on the field, in the classroom, and in the community. This is a huge advantage for those who decide to play for us. With our limited scholarship situation being what it is, we have to build depth on our team by recruiting and signing players who are athletic, versatile, and can play multiple positions – not by signing 50-60 players. We develop secondary positions to increase versatility of each player, because in the long run, versatility provides more NCAA D-I and other 4-year options, and options at the 4-year level provide opportunity and opportunity is what Junior College is about. We had a roster size of 27 three years ago, 30 two years ago, 33 last year and will not go above 37. Many Junior College’s and 4-year schools have 50-60 players and cut half of them at semester. We do not believe in treating players like pieces of meat and do not run our program this way. We are selective and choose who we want as a part of our program and invest in those players who decide to be a part of our program. We do not have do cuts at the semester break or any other time of the year.
Facilities: We have a field on campus and an on-site baseball controlled indoor facility as well as an on-site locker room. Our field is a natural grass playing surface with grass baselines between home to first and third to home. Over the last 3 years, our field has been completely renovated. We have replaced our infield dirt, laser graded and resodded our entire infield and foul territory areas, changed types of grass and replanted our entire outfield, implemented a new warning track, repainted the entire facility, and rebuilt our game mound. Our dimensions are 310-380-315. Our field can play very small or very large, depending on the Kansas wind. We do annual improvements to all of our facilities and are always looking for ways to improve what we currently have. We are one of two KJCCC schools that has its own baseball controlled indoor facility. This is not a gym or multi-purpose facility. It is specifically for baseball use and operated by the baseball program. We have installed new turf, lighting, and walls over the last 3 years. We plan on installing a new netting system in December of 2012 that would allow for an enclosed facility that would allow for live batting practice and bullpens to occur. We are able to throw bullpens, hit and field ground balls during the winter season or during rain (365 days of baseball). Attached to our indoor facility is a 36 man locker-room with an entertainment center, 55” flat screen TV, sound system, bathroom, and team laundry room. Our weight room is located on campus which we use from the first day of class until the last day of class. (We can explain our weights/conditioning program in further detail when needed)
On campus: We require all of our players to live on campus, in the dorms. It is an all baseball section of the dorm with multiple baseball assistant coaches serving as one of the numerous Resident Assistants on campus. Our dorm rooms are quad-style apartments, with a bathroom between 2 suites. Four players share a bathroom. We do not randomly pair up teammates, we attempt to learn backgrounds and ask questions of each player before we decide who to pair up as roommates and who to place as suite mates. Baseball players live with baseball players only. We have daily breakfast check-ins and mid-morning check-ins at the baseball office. This is possible due to the small campus that we have. Its a great advantage because it allows our coaches to see our players at least once every day away from the baseball field and get to know them on a personal level which will help on the professional level.
Academics: The average class size on campus is 14-18 students (mostly athletes). Classroom sizes are great for one on one attention…meaning an excellent chance to achieve a great education. Class attendance is mandatory with numerous grade checks occurring throughout each semester to help keep the coaching staff informed of each player’s academic progress. Study Hall is also required for all freshmen, and for sophomores who have a sub 3.60 GPA. We have 1 specific team goal every academic year – to win a Team GPA National Championship. We feel if we achieve this goal, each individual on the team will have a good foundation for their education, and education is the foundation for their professional life. It is not a cliche here that academics come first, it is a fact. Our coaching staff understands that baseball will be over in a blink, and all our kids will rely on their education for the remainder of their lives.