June 2021 Newsletter

Foundation recognizes nation’s best players

As the college baseball world prepares for the College World Series and one last championship to close out the 2021 season, the College Baseball Foundation once again has honored some of the best players from across the country.

The CBF’s annual awards officially will be presented during the Virtual Night of Champions event June 26. The program will be available on demand at www.collegebaseballhall.org and also will include the induction of the 2021 class of the National College Baseball Hall of Fame.

Brooks Wallace Shortstop of the Year Award
Cal Conley, redshirt freshman, Texas Tech

Conley started in all but one of the Red Raiders’ 56 games in 2021 and was a constant force both at the plate and in the field. He also upheld the long line of outstanding shortstops who have played a Rip Griffin Park-Dan Law Field, many of whom have gone on to pro careers.

“The nominating committee had such a phenomenal group of young men as finalists to choose from, and I feel like we made a great choice in Cal,” said Larry Wallace, co-chair of the Brooks Wallace Award selection committee. “The combination of leadership, hard work and perseverance that Cal exhibits are all qualities we look for in representing the award. Along with his defensive skills, hitting for average and the bonus of hitting with power made him a great choice.”

A native of Mount Carmel, Ohio, majoring in sports management, Conley showed all the tools coaches look for from a shortstop – athleticism, range and strong arm – while also displaying an ability at the plate to be a multi-dimensional hitter.

On the season, Conley hit .329 with 15 home runs and 55 RBI. The homers and RBIs were both second on the team. He also finished with a .987 OPS with 21 walks and just 38 strikeouts in 225 at-bats. He finished with 23 multi-hit games and hit safely in 43 of 56 games this season.

Just as importantly, Conley fielded at a .960 clip in the regular season with 133 assists and 71 put-outs.

In addition to the Wallace Award, Conley was a first-team All-Big 12 Conference selection and was named a second-team All-American by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper.

“The entire Wallace family is excited to have Cal as our award recipient for this year,” Larry Wallace said. “I know Brooks would be proud of his accomplishments and to see a fellow Red Raider win the award.”

John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year Award
Spencer Schwellenbach, junior, Nebraska

A team captain for the Cornhuskers, Schwellenbach made the most of his first season back to playing both ways since high school. After getting his arm healthy and in shape during the summer, he showed immediately he would be an impact for his team both on the mound and at the plate.

When in the field, Schwellenbach held down shortstop for Nebraska and did it well. In 48 games during a challenging 2021 season, he hit .284 with six home runs and 40 RBI. He compiled a .862 OPS and fielded at a .981 clip while going a perfect 9-for-9 in stolen bases.

On the mound, Schwellenbach was stellar as the Cornhuskers’ closer. He made 18 appearances on the season and played a role in the decision in 14 of those 18 appearances, going 3-1 with 10 saves. In 31.2 innings he allowed just two runs for a 0.57 ERA and walked just eight batters while striking out 34. Teams hit just .198 off Schwellenbach.

“Every year, the quality of athletes in college baseball makes it harder and harder to narrow down to a winner for this award,” said George Watson, chairman of the John Olerud Award selection committee.” Each of our five finalists was deserving of this award. In the end, what set Spencer apart was not only his ability to have an impact in every game for the Cornhuskers, but his leadership in helping guide Nebraska to the top of the Big Ten and a berth in the NCAA postseason. We are excited to see what the future holds for him and are proud to have him represent the John Olerud Award.”

In addition to winning the Olerud Award and being Big Ten Player of the Year, Schwellenbach, a native of Saginaw, Mich., and a supply chain management major at Nebraska, also is a semifinalist for the Golden Spikes Award, which honors the best player in college baseball, and was named second-team All-American by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper.

National Pitcher of the Year Award
Kevin Kopps, redshirt senior, Arkansas

His statistics would be stellar for any starting pitcher, only Kopps is not a starter for the No. 1-ranked Arkansas Razorbacks. He’s their closer and the most dominant pitcher in the country in 2021, starter or reliever.

When the Razorbacks need to stop an opponent rally or nail down a victory — whether it’s a one-inning save or something longer — head coach Dave Van Horn has picked up the phone and “Called the Kopps.” And the redshirt senior responded every time, leading Arkansas to a Southeastern Conference championship and the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA tournament.

His dominant season is a big reason the Razorbacks spent the majority of the season as the No. 1-ranked team in the country in every poll.

“Kevin is the embodiment of the National Pitcher of the Year,” said Chris Snead, award co-chairman. “He has been a dominant force on the mound all season and the leader on one of college baseball’s best teams.”

Possessing an outstanding fastball and almost unhittable off-speed pitches, Kopps was a force every time he hit the mound. He had a part in the decision in 24 of his 33 appearances on the year, compiling a 12-1 record and 0.90 ERA with 11 saves.

In 89.2 innings, Kopps allowed just nine total runs and 18 walks while striking out 131 batters and holding opponents to a .162 batting average. Entering the Super Regional against North Carolina State, Kopps had held teams scoreless in 25 of his 31 appearances.

In addition to the National Pitcher of the Year Award, Kopps, a native of Sugar Land, Texas, majoring in biology, also has been honored as the Collegiate Baseball Player of the Year, the Southeastern Conference Pitcher of the Year and National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association District 7 Player of the Year. He also is a finalist for the Dick Howser Award and a semifinalist for the Golden Spikes Award.

“From February all the way into June, Kevin has been a dominant force for the Razorbacks,” said award co-chairman Brian Melakian. “His consistently excellent performances against great opposing lineups have earned him the 2021 National Pitcher of the Year Award.”

The Skip Bertman National Coach of the Year Award will be announced Friday, June 18.

Artifact of the Month

Western Carolina Catamounts teammates Bradley Strong and Aaron Attaway wore these batting gloves during a historic game in which they both hit for the cycle on March 2, 2014. Strong recorded five hits and five RBI, while Attaway went 4-for-5 with five RBI and scored three runs. Both players finished their cycles with doubles.

Attaway, a senior, was drafted in the 20th round of the 2014 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. Strong, who was a junior in 2014, was drafted in the 28th round in 2015.

Where Are They Now

Brendan McKay, left-handed pitcher/first base, Louisville

Brendan McKay, a three-time winner of the John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year Award (2015, 2016 and 2017) and the only multi-time winner of the award, continues to rehab from left shoulder surgery in August 2020. McKay told MLB.com the surgery was to repair a small tear in his labrum and help treat some inflammation in the back of his shoulder.

In late May, he was placed on the injured list after DHing for six games for Triple-A Durham. The Tampa Bay Times reported the move was to allow McKay to report to Port Charlotte so he can work on the pitching side of his rehab.

In March, he told MLB.com he was planning to focus on both hitting and pitching in the 2021 season, after focusing mostly on pitching in the 2020 season.

McKay said he began swinging a bat in December and was focused on getting his timing back. As the season neared, he said he was “feeling good.”

“Just get it fine-tuned,” he told MLB.com. “Obviously with not getting any swings last year in any games, you're trying to catch up and get to the point where you feel confident to be in a game.”

After being drafted by the Tampa Bay Rays with the fourth overall pick in the 2017 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft, McKay worked his way up in the organization and made his MLB debut on June 29, 2019, according to MLB.com.

During the 2019 season, he pitched 49 innings over 13 appearances, recorded a 5.14 ERA and went 2-for-10 with one home run, according to MLB.com.

Inductee Spotlight

Ron Polk, coach, Georgia Southern University, 1972-75; Mississippi State University, 1975-97 and 2002-08; University of Georgia, 2000-01 (Inducted 2009)

Career Highlights:

  • Career record of 1,373-700-2 (.662)
  • Led his teams to eight College World Series appearances, five SEC championships and 23 regional appearances
  • At Mississippi State, recruited and coached some of the game’s all-time greats, including major league standouts Jeff Brantley, Will Clark, Rafael Palmeiro, Bobby Thigpen and Jonathan Papelbon
  • Three-time National Coach of the Year
  • One of only three coaches in college baseball history to lead three different programs to the College World Series.
  • First SEC coach in any sport to reach 1,000 career victories
  • Produced 35 All-Americans and more than 75 All-SEC performers, while also seeing 21 former players compete in the major leagues
  • Seven-time member of the USA National Baseball Team coaching staff, including serving as head coach twice

Did you know:

In May 2020, Polk returned to Mississippi State as a special assistant to the athletic director.

“This is a great day for the Hail State Family to welcome Ron Polk back home," MSU Director of Athletics John Cohen said in a university news release. "His experience, institutional knowledge, passion for Mississippi State and the high level of respect he holds around college athletics will be a tremendous resource to our coaches, student-athletes and entire athletics program.

Polk expressed his appreciate appreciation for Cohen creating a way for him to continue to work with members of the campus community.

“From meeting with and being available to our coaches in different capacities, to development, alumni speaking events, serving on committees, or occasional radio and television broadcasts, I can't wait to promote and assist in any way I can to help the Bulldogs continue to be one of the best athletic programs in the country," Polk said in the release.

Polk returned to MSU after spending 12 seasons at UAB the University of Alabama-Birmingham with former MSU assistant coach and UAB head coach Brian Shoop, who retired. Polk also continues to serve as a coach in the Cape Cod Baseball League.

While the athletic world keeps embracing new technologies to improve the games, the recruiting process and everything else involved, Polk continues to be famously “old school.”

In February of this year, he spoke with Adam Revelette of Inside Pitch Magazine, a publication of the American Baseball Coaches Association, and discussed his resistance to technology.

“Of course I have a (flip-top) cell phone now, but I don’t have any numbers saved. I mean, I’ve been coaching since 1966, how much time would that take?,” Polk said in the interview. “I don’t do e-mail — I don’t even have a computer — so I don’t have to deal with iPhones, texts or social media. I do have a Twitter account, but it’s run by a couple of former UAB players, they have done a great job with that. I have five typewriters because if any of them break down, there are very few places that can repair them. I have a person in Starkville who gets my ribbon for me, but he tells me that one of these days, there won’t be any more of it to go around.”

He did admit that if he were still coaching, he would have to be more accepting of technological developments, especially as the recruiting process continues to evolve.

Although Polk may dislike technology, he continues to move forward and find ways to honor and preserve the legacy he helped create at Mississippi State.

In April 2021, Polk took his ongoing commitment to MSU to another level by making a planned gift to the MSU Foundation, according to MSU Athletics. The proceeds from the bequest are to be used to create a space near the MSU baseball facilities to house Polk’s large baseball memorabilia collection.

The proceeds also will be used to create the Coach Ron Polk Excellence Endowment in Baseball.

“Mississippi State is a special place, and this is home for me,” Polk said in a news release. “I wanted to make this gift because it’s the right thing to do. I’ve always preached that concept to my players. My hope is that this gift will help stir interest for others to do the same because when we give, everybody benefits.”