Last year the Concordia Eagles became the first team from the Golden State Athletic Conference to win the World Series. 

The Eagles return to defend their crown as the top seed in the Marion Bracket. But they will face some serious competition in LSU Shreveport (La.) (48-4), Azusa Pacific (Calif.) (44-10), Tennessee Wesleyan (45-11), Concordia (Calif.) (37-16), Oklahoma City (43-9), Lee (Tenn.) (50-8-1), Embry-Riddle (Fla.) (40-16), Oklahoma Baptist (46-12) and Faulkner (Ala.) (49-11), all teams earning tops seeds in their respective brackets. 

Of the 45 qualifying schools, 15 are making their first opening round appearance and 10 are playing in their fourth consecutive opening round; Lee, Oklahoma, Concordia and Oklahoma Baptist. 

NAIA powerhouse and tournament host Lewis-Clark State (40-12) has 16 titles and will be looking to return to NAIA dominance. 

All opening-round action can be followed here, and when the World Series begins visit their website for all news and updates. 

Please find below all the opening round brackets, courtesy of the NAIA. 

Paducah Bracket

Hosted by Paducah Convention & Visitors Bureau - Paducah, Ky.

            No. 1 LSU Shreveport (La.)

            No. 2 Lindsey Wilson (Ky.)

            No. 3 Bellevue (Neb.)

            No. 4 Peru State (Neb.)

            No. 5 Grand View (Iowa)

Cleveland Bracket     

Hosted by Lee University (Tenn.) - Cleveland, Tenn.           

            No. 1 Lee (Tenn.)

            No. 2 Freed-Hardeman (Tenn.)

            No. 3 Missouri Baptist

            No. 4 Avila (Mo.)

            No. 5 Bacone (Okla.)

Oklahoma City Bracket         

Hosted by Oklahoma City University - Oklahoma City, Okla.         

            No. 1 Oklahoma City

            No. 2 Lubbock Christian (Texas)

            No. 3 Sterling (Kan.)

            No. 4 York (Neb.)

            No. 5 Mount Marty (S.D.)

Azusa Bracket            

Hosted by Azusa Pacific University (Calif.) - Azusa, Calif.

            No. 1 Azusa Pacific (Calif.)

            No. 2 Shorter (Ga.)

            No. 3 College of Idaho

            No. 4 Arizona Christian

            No. 5 Menlo (Calif.)

Hardeeville Bracket   

Hosted by University of South Carolina Beaufort - Hardeeville, S.C.       

            No. 1 Faulkner (Ala.)

            No. 2 St. Thomas (Fla.)

            No. 3 South Carolina Beaufort

            No. 4 Union (Tenn.)

            No. 5 Asbury (Ky.)

Kingsport Bracket      

Hosted by Appalachian Athletic Conference - Kingsport, Tenn.      

            No. 1 Tennessee Wesleyan
             
            No. 2 Georgetown (Ky.)

            No. 3 Indiana Tech

            No. 4 Campbellsville (Ky.)

            No. 5 St. Francis (Ill.)

Hutchinson Bracket   

Hosted by Tabor College (Kan.) - Hillsboro, Kan.    

            No. 1 Oklahoma Baptist

            No. 2 Judson (Ill.)

            No. 3 Rogers State (Okla.)

            No. 4 Tabor (Kan.)

            No. 5 Dakota State (S.D.)

Daytona Beach Bracket         

Hosted by Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (Fla.) - Daytona Beach, Fla.

            No. 1 Embry-Riddle (Fla.)    

            No. 2 Auburn Montgomery (Ala.)

            No. 3 Biola (Calif.)

            No. 4 Southern Poly (Ga.)

            No. 5 Siena Heights (Mich.)

Marion Bracket          

Hosted by Mid-Central College Conference - Marion, Ind.

            No. 1 Concordia (Calif.)

            No. 2 Point Park (Pa.)

            No. 3 Taylor (Ind.)

            No. 4 Mount Vernon Nazarene (Ohio)

            No. 5 Doane (Neb.)

Devon is the Founder and Executive Director of The GM's Perspective. He is a former professional baseball player with the River City Rascals and Gateway Grizzlies. Currently, Devon is a manager at a financial institution in Northern Ontario Canada, and can be reached at devon@thegmsperspective.com. You can follow The GM's Perspective on Twitter and Facebook. His full bio can be seen here.

**Devon is available for hire or freelance opportunities** 

Read more College Baseball news on BleacherReport.com

OK, maybe that’s a stretch, but these guys do like to let loose when given the chance. And by letting loose, I mean break dancing and lip-synching along to "Call Me Maybe."

Who knows, maybe some of these guys will be future stars in the MLB? And you’ll get a rare glimpse of them just having fun, before all the money and sponsorships change things.

Hanging around in the locker room or during rain delays are the perfect times to get a little dance crazy. As are long road trips to out-of-town games. It’s always great when someone takes a video of it for the world to watch. And maybe a little sad that these videos tend to get more views than actual numbers of fans at their games.

If you haven’t watched a college baseball game, go out and do so this season. They can be a lot of fun, and a great time for people of any age. Or hit up a collegiate summer league game, especially if you’re going to be anywhere near Cape Cod this summer.

Plus, it’s one of the few remaining collegiate men’s sports that you don’t have to empty your bank account in order to watch a live game. And if there’s a rain delay, with some of the antics these players pull off, it will almost certainly be worth your time. (Yes, college hockey lovers also experience the same issues with their teams not getting much attention in the national spotlight.)

In any case, I made my "go support college baseball" speech, so now back to the matter at hand.

Earlier this year, Justin Bieber, Selena Gomez and Ashley Tisdale made a video where they lip-synched along to Canadian pop sensation Carly Rae Jepsen’s song “Call Me Maybe.” Since then, numerous stars, including James Franco and Katy Perry, have made similar videos.

The trend even broke into the collegiate sports world with UNC and Duke Women’s lacrosse and UConn women’s basketball teams making their own “Call Me Maybe” videos. This week, Harvard’s baseball team brought the “Call Me Maybe” action to the Ivy League. 

As fun as those videos are, they don’t compare to some of the sweet dance skills demonstrated during dance-offs by some college baseball teams. But don’t let my opinion influence you, take a look and decide for yourself.

Or maybe you already partook in this viral video craze that’s been going on for years and would like to share your favorite?

Here are some videos (including the Harvard baseball team’s) where college baseball players let loose and have a little dance fun. 

Begin Slideshow

However, with the new rules in place for both MLB and college baseball, are the best players being turned away?

CBSSports.com blogger Bryan Fischer recently reported that the NCAA and MLB have been conducting ongoing discussions in order to broaden their relationship and attract more players to the college level.

The discussions have included several different possibilities, including increasing the number of scholarships given to schools for baseball and other measures that would align various events to better serve both the NCAA and MLB.

In 1991, the NCAA voted to reduce the number of scholarships given to its institutions for baseball, from 13 to 11.7, a 10 percent reduction.

Many of the NCAA's institutions aren't even able to offer that many scholarships due to budgetary constraints, and there is a huge disparity in the amount of scholarships offered by colleges for football and baseball. NCAA schools have the ability to offer up to 85 scholarships for football.

The NCAA and MLB are continuing their talks, and the end result of those discussions will be presented to the NCAA board in August.

If MLB and the NCAA are both serious in attracting the best talent to the sport of baseball, here are some ideas that should be strongly considered.

Begin Slideshow

Ducks starting pitcher Alex Keudell laid Arizona’s powerhouse line-up to rest Friday evening in the first game of the series. Keudell surrendered seven hits that plated just one run to cap off his third complete game of the season.

The opportunities were there for Arizona, but it proved to be to no avail. Stranding the base-runners seemed to be the theme for the Wildcats this evening as the Ducks would continue to capitalize, extending their lead and ultimately solidifying a 6-1 victory.

Rebounding from their lack-luster Game 1 contest, the Cats reeled off 15 hits, pouring it on the Ducks to even the series with an emphatic 12-run outburst. Arizona defeated Oregon 12-6.

Saturday night’s victory brought the Cats back to a half-game behind the league-leading Ducks in the conference standings.

After falling behind an early three runs in the second, the Cats were seeing double-vision in the home half of the inning. Arizona doubled up Oregon’s efforts by knocking in some run support of their own for Oregon starter, Jake Reed.

The Wildcats tacked on six runs to mark their first lead of the series.

Although Arizona starting pitcher Konner Wade was roughed up for six runs over four innings, freshman Tyler Crawford came in to finish off the Ducks storming offense, working 4.1 innings and earning his first career pitching victory.

Same could be said for Reed’s performance. Starting pitching for both dugouts never settled in to the repertoire of the evening’s event.

The Wildcats, who went a disturbing 1-for-5 with runners in scoring position, turned their situation around, knocking around seven hits with an impressive two-out RBI in the game. Swapping offense for offense, Oregon got a taste of the Cats’ Friday night woes as they went 3-for-14 with runners in scoring position.

The No. 11 Arizona baseball team took a step back Sunday afternoon as Saturday’s momentum never carried over, and the Cats lost 3-1 in the rubber match of the series.

The Cats maintained a one-run lead through six innings until the Ducks squeaked their first run across the plate on a pass ball that bounced in the dirt.

The inning was a controversial one to say the least.

After Arizona starter James Farris presumably picked off Kevin Garlick at first base for the apparent second out, home-plate umpire Greg Charles thought otherwise and ruled that Garlick was safe. Before the pick-off attempt ensued, Charles called a balk, which sent Arizona head coach Andy Lopez racing to home plate to argue the call.

It didn't take long before Lopez was tossed from the game.

After allowing only nine walks all season, James Farris issued the fearful two-out walk, which would come back to haunt him. That walk put the Ducks over the edge and gave them a 2-1 lead—their first lead of the game.

Relieving Farris of his duties, reliever Stephen Manthei issued the third run of the game as Brett Hambright drove in Brett Thomas with a single to left. That was all the Ducks would need to win the series, taking two of three from the Wildcats.

The Ducks now sit an entire game-and-a-half above Arizona in the battle for first place in the conference.

Arizona’s next seven games will be on the road starting off with a three-game series at Cal on May 11th.

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Flash back to October 2008 and imagine a 16-year-old teenage boy getting blood drawn in hopes he would find the answer to why he was feeling abnormally lethargic. The results came back as Lyme disease, which Joe Giacchino was thrilled to hear because that meant the doctors could start treatment and return him to his normal life, which included playing baseball at Malvern Prep in Malvern, Pa.

However, the old adage, “Mother knows best,” fits perfectly in this story.

Joe Giacchino, a West Chester, Pa. native, has played baseball his entire life. Whether it was playing catch with his brothers Dan and Brian or traveling across the nation with his parents Lynn and Larry to play in various AAU tournaments, Joe, or “Jeezy” as his friends call him, has dreamed of playing college baseball since eighth grade. So when the outfielder had trouble fielding fly balls, he knew something was wrong:

I went to a showcase at Villanova, an event that would showcase my skills to college coaches in hopes that I would get recruited. I could not catch a fly ball. It was the most embarrassing moment of my entire life. Catching a fly ball is something that I have been able to do since the age of five. Now all of a sudden, I wasn’t able to do it. It was because the baseball, when in flight, would appear to bounce around almost like a knuckle ball would, and I misjudged just about every one.

But catching a fly ball was the least of Giacchino’s problems. It got the point where even getting out of bed required more than normal strength.

“I was having some serious trouble getting out of bed in the morning to get to school,” Giacchino said. “Some days it would take me close to an hour, and those were the days where my mom would yell up to me from the kitchen to get up, and I just physically could not muster enough strength to get my body up and going.”

Joe’s mother had a funny feeling that even though he had been diagnosed with Lyme disease, something was still off with her son. She convinced Joe to get a second opinion, and they went to a local ophthalmologist in West Chester. It only took a short amount of time for the doctor to know there was something much more than Lyme disease going on with Giacchino.

Giacchino said, “Within about 30 seconds of my check-up, he is giving me an eye test and immediately says, ‘Joe, these eye movements in your right eye are definitely not caused by Lyme disease. I think you better get an MRI scan just to make sure.’”

The doctor in fact found something wrong in the MRI. A white cyst showed up on the scan, which the doctor said was a byproduct of a black pocket, which was a benign brain tumor. At this point, playing baseball again was only minuscule to other things, like living.

“He clarified everything, saying that it was benign, and that it was located in the cerebellum of my brain, which was going to make it especially tricky during its surgical removal,” Giacchino said.

So the Giacchino family began their hunt for the best doctor to take care of their 16-year-old. After running around from hospital to hospital, they finally entrusted their son’s care with Doctor Leslie Sutton of the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.

“He ran down a long list of the potential side effects: Bell’s palsy, loss of extremities, loss of vision, loss of hearing, just to name a few,” Giacchino said. “But for some odd reason, I found comfort in knowing this. I think it was because all the other hospitals seemed to have been sugarcoating things and making things seem too good to be true.”

When Joe learned of all the potential health risks associated with the surgery required to remove the tumor, baseball was the last thing on his mind.

“My future in baseball was highly unlikely. And honestly, I no longer cared. I just wanted to live a normal and healthy life,” he said.

The exact diagnosis was pilocytic astrocytoma, which called for a six to 12 hour surgery. Everything went better than expected during surgery, and Dr. Sutton finished in five hours. However, the proceeding weeks would prove to be the most painful time in Giacchino’s life. 

“The week that followed, however, was the most difficult week of my entire life,” Giacchino said. “I spent it recovering in the ICU. Dr. Leslie Sutton didn’t believe in pain medication, because had I taken pain medication during my recovery, it could have potentially masked something that he needed to know, which could have been dangerous.”

Picture a 16-year-old, 6'1" male, lying in a children’s hospital bed, wanting to scream at the top of his lungs because he is in the most unbearable pain possible. But this wasn’t the worst part.

“I was hooked up to machines that would beep because of my low heart rate, just about every time I was about to fall asleep. Therefore, I wasn’t able to sleep,” Giacchino said.

All this pain and suffering didn’t bring Joe’s hopes down though. He knew there was light at the end of the tunnel and looked to his family and friends to comfort him in this time of dire need.

“It was a week of unbelievable pain and suffering. But the people around me gave me hope,” Giacchino said.  “And after a week’s time, I was able to return home nearly unscathed, just with a partially deaf right ear.”

The many prayers and visitors to the Giacchino household helped Joe discover the real meaning in life. His parents and brothers continued to show their constant and unconditional love for their son and brother.

“My mother and father, who would have traveled to the other side of the world to see me happy and healthy, walked with me through this entire experience and were the main reason why I was able to get through the tough times. My two brothers, Dan and Brian, kept me upbeat with their everyday company,” Giacchino said.   

As Joe began to progress, he began to think more and more about baseball. He recovered from his tumor and was able to put on his navy blue jersey for his junior season for the Malvern Prep Friars.

As the summer came around, he returned to his elite form and even caught the eyes of some college recruiters. He’ll never forget the exact moment the University of Delaware first contacted him about playing baseball for the Blue Hens, as he was at his most favorite place in the entire world. 

I will never forget the day that the University of Delaware first contacted me. I was on the beach by myself in Ocean City, NJ, when my mom, who was home in West Chester, called me and said, ‘Joe, I have something to tell you. Just listen.’ And she put her cell phone up to the message machine, and sure enough, it was Coach Sherman asking for me to come to Delaware to talk about a potential scholarship.

Just months after wondering if he would even be able to live a normal teenage life, he was being presented with the opportunity he had dreamed of since eighth grade. Sitting on a sunny, crowded, 34th street beach in Ocean City, to Joe, he was all alone. There were no annoying seagulls or obnoxious shoobies; there was just Joe and the ocean. Nothing was going to ruin this special moment for him. 

“I remember crying tears of joy, and I felt the eyes of people on the beach looking at me as if there was something the matter with me. I could care less. Those people didn’t understand where I came from, where I had been, the journey that I took to get where I was,” Giacchino said.

A week after visiting Delaware and talking with the coaches, Joe verbally agreed to become a Blue Hen and don the royal blue uniform.

From one shade of blue to another, Joe not only persevered in baseball, but also in life. He would later be honored for his courageous journey by receiving the Nick Adenhart Angel 34 Courage Award. The award was created in honor of the life of Nick Adenhart, a young pitcher for the Los Angeles Angels, who had lost his life at the hands of a drunk driver early in his promising career.

“I was emotional and blessed to have received such an honor,” Giacchino said. “My senior season, I decided to wear Nick’s number, 34, in tribute to him. To this day, when I’m on the field for Delaware, there are certain people I think of. I think of Nick, and how he would most likely give anything in the world to play another game.”

Back to February 18, 2012, where the Blue Hens opened their season by traveling to Texas to play the University of Houston. It was at this next moment when Joe realized how truly blessed he was.  

“We were in pregame, I was announced as the center fielder hitting in the 9th slot, and it was something that I have been waiting to hear for a very long time. My emotions caught up with me and I started tearing up. I’m not sure if any of the guys saw me, but if they did, I know they understood,” Giacchino said.

Joe specifically remembers one quote that helped him over come his adversity. “God gives the tests only to the people who can handle them.”

It’s clear as day that Joe Giacchino, for the rest of his life, will handle any test or hardship thrown his way. Now hitting a curveball is as easy as cake to Joe. He hit the ultimate curveball and overcame all odds and won the game of life by beating his brain tumor. 

Eddie Ravert is a Contributor for Bleacher Report. All quotes were obtained first-hand.

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Under former head coach Todd Raleigh, the diamond Vols proved it could stack up competitively in one of the nation's toughest conferences. But it was clear work needed to be done coming off a season that saw the Vols claim only seven divisional wins alongside an onslaught of recruiting violations.

A onetime power program had fallen by the wayside.

Tennessee believed they had a solid foundation, though it was searching for the right person to helm the structure—someone who was capable of getting the Vols back to Omaha and the College World Series.

On June 15, the searching ceased. The person found qualified enough to take the Vols from ashes to glory was former Cal State Fullerton head coach Dave Serrano.

The foremen of the remodeling effort, Serrano and the Vols have proven early on in the 2012 season that a College World Series is beyond them. However, rushing to wins may not be the biggest worry for the Vols this year—they have found something more eminent than winning in Serrano.

Heading into the bottom of the ninth, the Vols and Serrano held a comfortable 9-5 lead against a lesser Ball State opponent. There was no reluctance from the first-year head coach to hand the ball to his sophomore closer, Nick Williams.

The closer would make things interesting for the Vols.

Cardinal batters jumped on Williams early, rallying for four uninterrupted base knocks before a single out could be recorder. It was no secret—everyone in the crowd could see it—Williams was frustrated with himself.

Kicking the dirt on the mound and punching his glove, the expression Williams gave off was unmistakable. He was giving up.

Without hesitation, Serrano arose from the dugout, raising his hand in the direction of the home plate umpire. Purposely stepping over the first base foul line, Serrano approached his disgruntled pitcher.

The mound visit was brief. What was said is not entirely known. The results—now that's a different story.

Williams bounced back from his chat with Serrano looking sharp, retiring the next three batters he faced, two by strikeout. Following the diamond Vols' March 7 win over Ball State, Serrano explained his visit with Williams.

"That's why I went out to the mound, his body language after giving up a couple of hits bothered me," Serrano said. "I just wanted him to get back on his own side, no need to panic, no need to get down on himself. It's not like he was making bad pitches, in fact I took the blame for it, I went out there and told him it was my fault. It's true, I made some bad calls on pitches."

Regardless if Serrano's calls were truly good or bad, he provided his player hope and pushed him to believe in himself.

"What he said to me stuck with me," Williams said. "I knew I had to get this team out of this jam and He [Serrano] reminded me I had the ability to do it."

Ultimately, every game has been the same. Yes, the Vols have fallen to their fair share of lesser opponents such as Middle Tennessee State and Louisiana-Monroe, but Serrano's ability to renovate his players' self confidence is found in most every game and does not start or end with Williams.

"I had a chat with coach, he reassured me that I was a good pitcher," said Vols pitcher Nick Blount following a Feb. 16 win over Seton Hall that saw Blount give up two early runs before settling to record five consecutive scoreless frames. "After giving up those early runs he really reassured me that I could hang in there, I just need to calm down and pitch for contact, coach reminded me of that. Then I went out there and did it."

What Serrano brings to the new-look 2012 Vols team that cannot be measured in wins or losses.

"I love his energy, I love the guy," Blount said following a win over Northern Illinois. "I'd run through a wall for that guy and this team, and I know I'm not the only one that thinks that. He has put that mentality in each of us. Now that we have him, I can't imagine what pitching or playing would be like without him."

While the Vols program seems to be presentable once more, there is more work to be done. The team is 22-18 thus far, very strayed from the desired expectation of national prominence. But the Vols are closer to their goals than they could ever have imagined following their fall into despair last year.

Serrano has instilled promise into his players, drilling them with the idea that they are "capable." Unarguably, there are too many cracks in the 2012 team to view them as elite. Youth and lack of depth hinder game-to-game performances, but the promise instilling Serrano has already earned the orange a signature victory.

Defeating No. 16 Texas in front of a pro-Longhorns crowd at Minute Maid Park, Serrano attributed the upset win to his players' ability to believe. Much work remains to be done, but the Dave Serrano era in Tennessee looks as if it will not disappoint.

Read more College Baseball news on BleacherReport.com

The hope was there that this Nebraska team could win the national championship. They had beaten Texas and Baylor, two other Big 12 teams, at the CWS, in the regular season and Big 12 Tournament. Their pitching was the best in the nation, and their bats terrified opposing pitchers.

Then they lost to Florida. Then to Arizona State in extra innings. They haven't been back since.

In 2006, they were granted a home regional but lost both games, ending their season. They were seeded in the Tempe, Arizona regional in 2007 and lost the championship game to Arizona State. They lost their home regional again in 2008.

They haven't made their own conference tournament, let alone the NCAA Tournament, since 2008. Head coach Mike Anderson was fired after the 2011 season and replaced by former Husker Darin Erstad. Erstad hired Will Bolt, former Husker All-American, as his hitting coach. There was hope this coaching staff could, in time, turn around the Nebraska baseball program.

As we look to this weekend's series with nationally-ranked Purdue, it is hard to imagine it is the first time two teams with winning conference records have met at Hawks Field since 2008. It's also a good thing. It means Nebraska (sporting a 25-13 overall record and 7-5 record in the Big Ten) is competing again.

Nebraska has started getting the job done at the plate. They are No. 1 in the Big Ten in runs scored (7.7 per game), home runs (33, more than double Purdue's 15), and hits (423). They are also the top team defensively, boasting a .976 fielding percentage, picking off 16 of the 35 stolen base attempts and forcing 11 double plays.

All those numbers are nice, but this team is not close to what they were seven years ago. They still have a team ERA of 4.00. They gave up two games to last-place Northwestern, a team Purdue swept. They have allowed four teams to score 10 or more runs. They have won their series-opening Friday night game only one time out of four. In order for Nebraska to take back their legacy, they must correct those errors.

Nebraska is close. The want-to is there. That is evident. A series win over Purdue, who hasn't lost a series this year, would be huge. Watch out, Huskers, the Ghosts of 2005 will be watching in earnest. 

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For many collegiate players, however, the season won't end with a conference tournament or trip to Omaha. With the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft on June 4-6 edging closer every day, we are beginning to get an idea of which players may ultimately be top selections.

So, as I prepare to release multiple mock drafts within the upcoming weeks, I thought that it would be helpful to highlight some of the notable collegiate prospects who figure to be early selections in the 2012 draft

Begin Slideshow

America’s pastime is turning into a deadly game of life and death. Young ballplayers have been experiencing horrific injuries such as broken jaws, fractured skulls, comas and even death due to the use of aluminum baseball bats.

The National Federation of State High School Associations (NFSHSA) adopted new standards for aluminum bats a few years ago. The standards state that aluminum bats have to have a diameter of 2 5/8" and a weight-length differential of three. Despite the recent changes the NFSHSA has made, the aluminum bats are still a serious safety hazard. That is why I believe aluminum bats should be banned from high school and college baseball.

The reason why high schools and colleges use aluminum bats over wood is to cut the costs of purchasing new wood bats when they break. Aluminum bats are more durable and don’t need to be replaced as often.

"With the rate of colleges cutting (baseball) programs around the country, I think college baseball really has no choice but to stick with aluminum bats," said former Moraine Valley head baseball coach Tom Radz. “It’s much more cost-effective to keep using aluminum bats. Economically I can tell you that Moraine could not afford a year with wooden bats."

In 1997, J.J. Crisco and R.M. Greenwald conducted an experiment on aluminum bats. The results were conclusive. Aluminum bats produce faster speeds of balls off the bat than wood. The reason why aluminum bats produce higher speeds is because of the “trampoline effect” or “the sweet spot”.The “trampoline effect” is defined as “the bouncing back of the baseball off an aluminum bat. It occurs during and after the collision of the ball and bat, and results in the ball springing off the bat.” The bat barrel of an aluminum bat basically acts like a spring when the ball impacts it. The “trampoline effect” can send the baseball to speeds of 5 to 20 mph faster than the maximum speed of a ball hit off a wood bat, which is 93mph.

The Average Available Pitcher Reaction Time (APRT) of a ball traveling at 93 mph takes 0.4 seconds to travel 54 feet. The pitcher’s mound is exactly 60 feet, 6 inches away from home plate. Now with speeds of 100 mph plus the pitcher only has less than 0.030 seconds to react to a come-backer, which is impossible. According to the European Journal of Anesthesiology 18 (7) ,It takes 0.095 seconds to blink an eye.

Four years ago, my own brother was pitching and received a come-backer to his face. When that little white ball made contact with my brother’s chin it made a horrifying thud sound. He went down immediately and kept rolling around and repeating, “It hurts, it hurts, it hurts!” A few days later my brother had a huge hematoma (a solid swelling of clotted blood within the tissues) under his chin and had bruising on the inside of his neck.

Former Notre Dame Pitcher Wade Korpi was hit with a come-backer to his head in 2008. Korpi became a YouTube sensation from his experience with a batted ball off an aluminum bat. The video was so gruesome that people actually commented under the video asking if he was dead. Wade Korpi was lucky he survived. 

In 2003 Brandon Patch, an 18-year-old pitcher at a Montana high school, was killed after being struck in the chest with a batted ball off an aluminum bat. The family of Brandon filed a lawsuit against the bat company “Louisville Slugger.” The Patch’s case against “Louisville Slugger” was that their son had no time to react to the ball because it came off their aluminum bat too fast. The judge ruled in favor with the Patch family and awarded them $850,000.

Baseball is a game of reactions. It takes ¼ of a second to determine the spin of the ball, speed and location of the pitch and start the swing. So you as the batter have to decide either to swing or take a 90 mph pitch in less than ¼ of a second. It’s quite unreal to think about that fact now, as mentioned above the pitcher only has 0.03 seconds to react to a 96 mph come-backer.

Aluminum bats present a serious danger to pitchers as well as infielders. Based on the Consumer Product Safety Commission, in 2009, 108,976 kids were treated in hospital emergency departments due to baseball injuries. The use of aluminum bats should be banned in college sports as well as high school. The players are stronger and can hit at dangerous levels. After all what’s more important, the costs of replacing wood bats for college and high school teams, or the player’s safety? It’s time for a change. Ban aluminum bats now.

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Height/Weight: 6'4", 215 lbs.

DOB: Sept. 13, 1991

Bats/Throws: R/R

College: University of San Francisco

2012 Stats: 8 GS, 54.3 IP, 2.15 ERA, 2.97 FIP, 9.94 K/9, 1.16 BB/9, 0.88 WHIP, .218 BAA

Draft Projection: Top 10

Kyle Zimmer has a prototypical pitcher's frame at 6'4", with lengthy limbs and wiry strength. He is an excellent athlete and often receives better grades for athleticism than anything else—a terrific sign given the fact that he only logged 5.1 innings as a freshman. 

As a sophomore in 2011, the right-hander fanned 89 batters in 91.1 innings while registering a 3.73 ERA. However, what really put Zimmer on the map was when he out-dueled the No. 1 overall selection in the 2011 draft, Gerrit Cole, in an NCAA regional game.

Although he was actually recruited by the University of San Francisco as an infielder, Zimmer possesses so much raw arm strength and athleticism that he was bound to eventually wind up on a mound, even as an experiment.

He's added a lot of extension and length to his delivery, and Zimmer is far more solid on the backside than he was early in his pitching career—which can be expected from a converted infielder or catcher. 

A quality delivery requires enough length to provide the time necessary to reach a repeatable release point from a healthful slot. Zimmer now definitely has a delivery that allows him to do that. 

He has been up to 97 mph (and even higher depending on who you ask) this spring and has the potential to flash a triple-digit readout at any time, though he typically operates in the 92-96 mph range.  Zimmer could stand to use his velocity to attack hitters up in the zone when ahead in the count, but thats something that will come with time. With a potentially triple-plus fastball and some polish to his delivery, Zimmer has already asserted himself into the No. 1 overall discussion.

His secondary stuff is behind the fastball, but doesn't lag behind as much as one would expect given his lack of experience on the mound. Zimmer's low-to-mid-70s curveball already grades as a 50 (with potential to be a 60), and his low-80s changeup, while fringy now, has shown enough promise to assume that it will be, at least, an average offering down the road.

Zimmer commands the ball well to both sides of the plate, and his numbers back up his projections.  He has filled out physically since arriving at USF, and he still has some room left to grow. 

His changeup has already looked better in his spring starts than it did in the Cape Cod League, and he has done a better job using his breaking ball to complement his fastball. All of this highlights Zimmer's propensity to listen and react to criticism. His makeup is off of the charts, especially when considering the fact that he's pitching as a 20-year-old.

I will be shocked if Zimmer isn't one of the first 10 names off the board in the 2012 MLB First-Year Player Draft in June, and with a strong finish to his spring season, Zimmer has the potential to be the No. 1 overall pick.

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