Baseball Program Overview

Why CCBC Catonsville?

The Catonsville Campus of The Community College of Baltimore County (CCBC Catonsville) is located in Catonsville, Maryland, just outside of Baltimore. With a student enrollment of approximately 12,000 (both full-time and part-time students), CCBC Catonsville offers both athletic and academic scholarships in a wide variety of academic programs.

The baseball program, as well as the college, is known for its commitment to its student athletes and support of the local community. CCBC Catonsville has a full-time student athlete academic coordinator, a supervised athletic study hall, and free tutoring for all students. The baseball program runs five (5) different camps for children of all ages, participates in free coaching/academic advising clinics for local youth coaches and athletes, and runs an annual fall high school baseball league for local teams.

The Cardinals Baseball program is nationally recognized, winning eleven (11) Maryland JUCO Conference and four (4) NJCAA Region XX Championships in its illustrious history. Numerous student athletes have been selected to NJCAA All-American, All-District, All-Region, All-Conference, and All-Tournament teams throughout the years. The majority of two-year baseball student athletes have moved on to play at various four-year institutions throughout the country and several student athletes have been drafted and/or eventually signed professional contracts.

The facilities at CCBC Catonsville are among the best in the entire Mid-Atlantic region. The campus is home to a quality, well-maintained baseball field with a seating capacity of 800 and outdoors hitting area. The campus is also home to the Athletic and Wellness Center (AWC), one of the finest community college indoor athletic facilities on the east coast. The AWC includes two weight rooms, a swimming pool, two racquetball courts, three indoor pitching mounds, and a hydraulic, suspended batting cage. The Athletics and Fitness Center floor is large enough to set up a regulation-sized infield for indoor practices during inclement weather conditions. An athletic trainer, training room, academic athletic coordinator and cardio-vascular fitness center are also available for all student athletes.

Dan Blue

The head coach, Dan Blue, is a former 1st baseman/outfielder who played for the University of Toledo (1981-84) and the University of Central Florida (1985). Coach Blue begins his fifth season as head coach after spending six years as the assistant head coach/recruiting coordinator. He is credited with recruiting the talent that has thrust the CCBC Catonsville baseball program into the national spotlight, an appearance in the 2003 NJCAA World Series, 8 trips to the NJCAA Region XX semifinals, and back-to-back Maryland JUCO Conference and NJCAA Region XX titles in 2003 and 2004. In his first season as head coach in 2004, he led the Cardinals to their second consecutive Maryland JUCO and NJCAA Region XX titles and a school record 34 victories which included a 19 game winning streak. He also garnered the 2004 Maryland JUCO Conference and NJCAA Region XX Coach of the Year Awards. In 2005, he led the Cardinals to a second place finish in the conference and another appearance in the NJCAA regional semifinals. His 2006 squad twice defeated the top ranked team in the nation and 12 of his CCBC Catonsville recruits have been drafted or eventually signed pro contracts in the past seven years. In 2007, he led the Cardinals to their third conference title in the past five seasons and was again named the Maryland JUCO Conference Coach of the Year. He has also coached at the high school level in both Maryland (Mount Hebron) and Florida (Colonial HS and Lake Highland Prep) prior to arriving at CCBC Catonsville in the fall of 1996.

Jim Mowder

Jim Mowder returns for his ninth season overall as an assistant coach and fifth year as assistant head coach. Coach Mowder attended Virginia Tech and the University of Maryland, has coached high school baseball (Atholton HS, Wilde Lake HS, Oakland Mills HS) in Columbia, Maryland and still coaches summer baseball with the Columbia Reds. His vast baseball knowledge is widely recognized throughout the junior college ranks in addition to the Baltimore metropolitan area. Coach Mowder is known for his ability to work with and improve pitchers at all levels and has played a significant role in the recent success of the baseball program at CCBC Catonsville.

Chris Yetter

Coach Yetter enters his fourth season as an assistant coach after a stellar career at the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC). Coach Yetter assists at our baseball camps, coaches in a summer baseball league with the Columbia Reds, and is regarded as one of the top young coaches in the entire mid-Atlantic region. He also serves as an assistant recruiting coordinator in charge of scouting.

Adam Beaver

Adam Beaver returns for his sixth season as an assistant coach after a fine career at UNC-Pembroke where he was a second team All-Peach Belt Conference selection in 2003. Coach Beaver played for CCBC Catonsville during the 2000-2001 seasons and set several offensive records while playing for the Cardinals, including the career record for home runs and steals of home in a season and career. His duties include first base coach, outfielders coach, and assistant recruiting coordinator.

Eddie Matthews

Eddie Matthews returns for his fifth season as an assistant. Coach Matthews is a former player at CCBC Catonsville who played for the great teams of former coach Bucky Workman in the early 1990's and was named a high school All-America while attending Edmondson-Westside high school in Baltimore. Coach Matthews serves as bench coach and also assists with the outfielders and recruiting.

Ryan Schneider

Ryan Schneider returns for his seventh season as assistant coach after a fine four-year career at the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC) where his name appears in the record book for home runs in a season. Coach Schneider works with the catchers, serves as an assistant hitting instructor, and also spent time in a professional Independent League after graduating from UMBC. He also runs the winter catching camp.

Jim Miller

Jim Miller enters his second season as an assistant coach after ending his college career at UMBC. Coach Miller was a key member of the 2003 CCBC Catonsville team that won the NJCAA Regional Championship, and advanced to the NJCAA World Series in Millington, Tennessee. Coach Miller works with the pitchers during our winter camps and also serves as the assistant director/supervisor for the fall high school baseball leagues. Coach Miller will mainly work with the pitching staff for this year's team.

Justin Davis

Justin Davis enters his second season as an assistant coach after completing his career at Mount Saint Mary's University where he was a member of their starting rotation for four years. Coach Davis serves as the pitching coach for the Cardinals staff and is generally recognized as one of the top young pitching coaches in the junior college ranks. Coach Davis attended Catonsville High School and also works with the pitchers during our winter pitching camps

Alex Turner

Alex Turner also enters his second season as an assistant coach after finishing his pro baseball career in 2006. Coach Turner was a member of the 2002-2003 CCBC Catonsville baseball teams and also appeared in the 2003 NJCAA World Series. His name appears in many places in the Cardinals record books and he still holds the record for most runs scored in a career, games played in a career, career at bats, and career hit by pitches. Coach Turner was drafted by the New York Mets after his freshman year at CCBC Catonsville and then again drafted by the Baltimore orioles in 2003. He was the Maryland state champion in the 100 meters in high school and attended Clemson University for a year in which he played football and ran track prior to attending CCBC Catonsville in 2002.