2015 Perfect Game College Baseball Preview Index | Marshall, Smith draw big crowd
A
blink-and-you'll-miss-it town, Marianna, Fla., sits along I-10 in the
state's upper panhandle, about 60 miles northwest of Tallahassee. It
is home to Chipola, a Junior College noted for its recent state hoops
championships and NJCAA Hall of Fame basketball coach Milton H.
Johnson.
The
school counts Baltimore Orioles manager Buck Showalter (who played
there in the 1970s) as its most recognizable alumnus, but it took the
arrival of Coach Jeff Johnson in 1997 to put the Chipola Indians'
baseball program on the map.
Under
Coach Johnson, the Indians have won seven Panhandle Conference
championships (2001-03, 2005-07 and 2011) and have played in the
State and Region VIII Championship Game in seven of the last 13
years. And in 2007, he led Chipola to its first National Championship
while earning the NJCAA National Coach of the year honor.
In
18 years at Chipola, Coach Johnson has coached 11 Major League
players, including three All-Stars: Toronto Blue Jays' outfielder
Jose Bautista and catcher Russell Martin, and Arizona Diamondbacks'
pitcher Patrick Corbin. Bautista and Martin led the Indians to a
NJCAA Region VIII runner-up finish in 2001 on a squad Coach Johnson
calls the best team he's ever coached.
This
year, Coach Johnson's young group includes several players with big
league aspirations. Three of them already know what it's like to play
in a Major League ballpark, as outfielders Isiah Gilliam (2014) and
Reese Cooley (2013), as well as lefthander Mac Marshall (2013) are
former Perfect Game All-Americans.
Marshall
recalls his experience at the Perfect Game All-American Classic with
a sense of appreciation.
“Perfect
Game put me on the big stage,” Marshall told Perfect Game over the
phone last week. “Being able to play at Petco, it's the best of the
best at that point. There's not a bigger game in my mind than that
one.”
Following
PG's annual event at Petco Park in San Diego last year, Gilliam and
Cooley began their collegiate careers at Chipola. Marshall, however,
was committed to Louisiana State. But five weeks into the fall
semester, he had a change of heart. Seeking eligibility for the 2015
draft, Marshall transferred to Chipola, joining his PG All-American
teammates.
“I've
always known that Chipola is a top-10 program,” Marshall said. “I
talked to the guys about (Coach Johnson) and knew he's a great
pitching mind, so learning from him would be a great benefit to me.”
2013 PG All-American Reese Cooley is one of three Chipola players ranked among PG's top 10 junior college prospects.
Wish
the addition of Marshall, Chipola now boasts three of the top 10
players on Allan Simpson's Top
200 Junior College Prospects
list: Marshall (No. 2), Gilliam (No. 5) and Cooley (No. 9).
The
All-American threesome headline a talented group that includes
several transfers, including: ex-Florida International first baseman
Gunnar McNeill, ex-Miami infielder Lazaro Rivera, ex-South Carolina
righthander Junior Harding, ex-Arizona State outfielder Andrew
DiLacqua and ex-MTSU catcher Ryan McCullers, the brother of Houston
Astros' prospect Lance Jr. and son of former big leaguer Lance Sr.
Coach
Johnson's collection of young talent also prompted recognition from
Simpson's Top
50 Junior College rankings,
as Chipola began the season at No. 9. Despite the praise, Coach
Johnson knows his team has a lot of work ahead of them.
“It's
a very new team for us,” he said. “We've got a young,
inexperienced group who hasn't played together. We've got some talent
and athleticism, but we've got a big learning curve of learning how
to hit good pitching and understanding how to make adjustments. I
like our team, but it's going to take us some time to get to where we
need to be.”
Among
Chipola's many transfers, middle infielder Kevin Santa is the lone
full-time player returning from last season. Freshman Jay Estes will
serve as Santa's double-play partner and keep the Indians solid up
the middle.
Sophomore
Tyler Biggs will likely lead the Indians' deep crop of talented
catchers that includes McCullers and sophomore Jacky Miles.
But
their power arms are what sets them apart, as Marshall and Harding
figure to serve as the team's ace and closer, respectively.
Coach
Johnson compares Marshall to Adam Loewen, a former Chipola Indian
lefthander who was the fourth overall pick of the Baltimore Orioles
in the 2002 draft.
“Mac
has a lot of ability,” Coach Johnson said. “Adam is 6-foot-5 and
very athletic. But Mac (listed at 6-foot-1, 187-pounds) has similar
stuff. He's been at 90-93 mph already. His changeup is a plus pitch
and his curve has the makings of a plus pitch. So if he can develop
his breaking ball and command, I think he'll be really good.”
Harding
has been in the 92-96 mph range in early workouts, according to Coach
Johnson, and touched 97 last fall. His curve sits at 78-82 mph and
both his command and mechanics are much improved.
So
while it's clear Chipola has the talent to compete, Coach Johnson
attracts D-I commits for a reason: His coaching prepares the players
for the next level.
“Anyone
can teach first-to-third defense, bunt coverage and how to hold a
bat,” he said. “But we're trying to teach the extra little things
like holding runners and situational pitching, what pitches to swing
at and where to put the ball in certain situations.
“The
mental side of things is another thing we do well. We're trying to
teach kids the right way to do things ... teach the kids that have
aptitude things that help to push them over the edge to help win
games.”
Coach
Johnson's track record speaks for itself. And if his players have any
doubts, Chipola's upcoming seventh annual alumni weekend should serve
as a friendly reminder.
On
February 6 and 7, more than 70 of Coach Johnson's former players,
including Bautista, Martin and Corbin, are expected to attend the
events that include an alumni dinner, a home run derby, a ceremony to
retire Corbin's Chipola jersey and two games vs. Walters State.
Marianna
native and honorary Chipola alumnus Jeff Mathis will also be in
attendance. Mathis, along with Bautista, Russell and other former
Chipola players, will compete in the home run derby, with an
autograph session to follow.
“It
will definitely be cool to see the big league guys, especially the
three All-Stars,” Marshall said. “It gives us a chance to pick
their brains a bit and see how they've done things. It's a cool thing
to have Major League Baseball players around that weekend. I'm
definitely looking forward to it.”