College selection and recruiting can be a mystery. Let's meet coaches that are right in the forefront of college baseball. Let's make some contacts and get some answers.
Who knows the answers? Likely it will be the coaches themselves that live the recruitment and placement topic every day. We are fortunate to present some of Minnesota's top coaches to inform us and answer question. These guys are in the know. They want each player to find their right fit. And they know one size does not fit all.
Do you want to take your game to the next level? What level would that be? D1? JuCo? In state? Out of state? Each level offers opportunity and every level has its risks. Where do your talents best fit? What education meets your goals? What assistance is out there? What if you change your mind? How do I market myself? How has the portal changed the landscape?
Saturday August 5 2023 8:30 AM until 10:30 AM
At the DoubleTree by Hilton Roseville 2540 North Cleveland Avenue
Look at the posting board in the lobby for our banquet room.
Actually there is a lot for breakfast. The hotel's banquet team will provide a full buffet -style spread with eggs and toast and a selection of breakfast meats and fruit and pancakes and a lot of coffee for coaches and adults. If you go away hungry that is on you!
There is limited seating for the breakfast panel event. There is a charge for the breakfast of $15. Reservations are provided through Event Brite. MAKE RESERVATION
Coach Matthew Erzar - Century College (White Bear Lake) matthew.erzar@century.edu Erzar is at the helm at one of the top community college programs in the country. He sees his job as helping each player transition to his next level. Matt started early on as a youth coach later joining Mesabi Range College for three years and on to DCTC Dakota County Technical College for five years. In his first two seasons at CC, the Wood Ducks were 64-32, two regional appearances, 21 All-Division, 7 All-Region, 28 All-MCAC Academic,10 All-Academic NJCAA, an All-American, and Region Player of Year. Pretty darn good!
Matts dad Jim Erzar was a high school baseball coach for over thirty eight years and is in the High School Coaches Hall of Fame. A Grand Rapids MN kid, you know Matt loves the outdoors: to hunt and fish and even golf. Not to mention Matt's award winning beard.
Coach Erzar on JUCO - I Love JUCO, it’s a different, crazy, diverse animal. I’m at Century because of the great opportunity to win, teach, and move guys on.
Nick Winecke is the head baseball coach at Saint Mary’s University of Minnesota, a position he has held since the beginning of the 2008. Along with his coaching duties, Winecke also serves as an associate athletic director and admission liaison. Winecke's 2021 squad set a single-season program record with 30 wins, won their first-ever MIAC Playoff title, and made its first NCAA Regional appearance since 1993,
Winecke was a four-year letterwinner and team captain during his playing days at Saint Mary's. He closed out his days as a Cardinal with a career year in 2007, culminated with his selection to the All-MIAC First Team.
Coach Nick lives in Winona with wife Leah and two young daughters. He grew up in St. Paul, MN. attended Cretin-Derham Hall for high school. He received his both his Undergrad and Masters degrees from Saint Mary's. He loved the school and community and stayed at St. Marys.
"It is a place that is and has always been about the people and the community. Saint Mary's is special because of the way people treat one another daily. You are a part of something bigger than yourself and you are a person with a story. Everything that is good about SMU starts with the people."
What we look for: We have 4 core values that we look for in our program.
1. Be a Good Person
2. Be a Great Teammate
3. Care: Invest time and energy into your education, baseball and relationships
4: Work Your Butt Off
Thanks Coach!
A native of Minnetonka MN, Paul Blanchard, the all-time leader in victories at Southwest Minnesota State University, is in his 27th season as head coach in 2023.
Blanchard’s 26 seasons at SMSU has been a period marked by consistently competitive baseball. His teams have recorded 564 victories, produced 15 winning seasons and have won 30 or more games four times. The Mustangs have made one NCAA Tournament appearance, captured one Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference championship, three NSIC Tournament championships and have made 15 appearances in the NSIC Tournament
One of the most respected coaches in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference and NCAA Division II, Blanchard has been a head coach at the junior college and Division II level for 31 seasons. Blanchard has recruited and coached some of the best players ever to play at SMSU. He has coached two NSIC Players of the Year, one NSIC Pitcher of the Year, 25 all-region players, five CoSIDA Academic All-Americas, four NCAA All-Americans, two Major League Baseball draft picks and one MLB free agent. He has coached 10 players who have played professional baseball following their careers at SMSU.
A native of Minnetonka MN, Mark “Lunch” McKenzie never graduated from college - until recently. But that did not keep him from developing into one of the area's best coaches from youth to high school to the college level. Lunch concluded his 20th year as the head baseball coach at Concordia University, St. Paul in 2019 and remains on the staff as an assistant coach. The 2005 NSIC Coach of the Year became the program's all-time wins leader in 2008 and carries a 456-361-1 overall career record, while leading the team to a 281-234 record in Northern Sun play. His 2009 team also holds the school wins record, finishing 35-18 overall while the 2014 and 2016 Golden Bears won a program record 20 Northern Sun games.
How about USA Baseball? Lunch has been coaching UBA Baseball youth teams and serving as hitting coach since 1998. Have you heard about the "Lunch Line to the Pros"? Maybe you have heard of Gus Varland or Louie Varland? Yep. Concordia guys. And there are more. D2 to the pros. Why not?
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