This week we kicked off the 2023 Premier Collegiate Development League. The league is a 20 game schedule spread out over 7 weeks starting June 12th and ending July 26th.
One of the biggest influential factors in a players development and ultimately their success, is the people they surround themselves with. We take that very seriously at Premier Pitching and Performance and want to reflect that into our college summer league.
We are very proud of the coaching staff we have constructed for this season and wanted to take a moment to highlight them and the journey they have had leading up to this point.
Coach Craig McAndrews:
Craig McAndrews is the associate head coach of the Colombia College baseball team and was an assistant coach for 6 years prior. He also spent eleven years at William Woods University. He took over the William Woods University Baseball program in the fall of 2015 and led the Owls to a 28-24 record in his one season as head coach. Before becoming head coach at William Woods he spent ten years as an assistant. He joined the William Woods staff in 2006 after a successful playing career as a pitcher at Harris-Stowe State University, and as a pitcher/catcher for Southwestern Community College in Creston, Iowa. He served as team captain for Harris-Stowe State University and helped lead the Hornets to their first AMC post-season tournament appearance and a school record 34 wins during the 2005 campaign.
Coach Tim Funkhouser:
Tim Funkhouser has been a head HS baseball coach for 28 years overall (803-212) w/ the last 25 at Edwardsville HS. The Tigers won the IHSA 4A state championship in ‘19, ‘22 & ‘23 w/ runner-up finishes in ‘02 & ‘19. He has been recognized as COY in the state 3x & a national finalist. He played college baseball at Western Illinois U. Tim is married to his wife Shannon and they have two sons (Evan & Cole).
Coach Matt Huss:
Matt Huss is currently the pitching coach at Missouri Baptist University. He's originally from Sacramento, California and started his college playing career as a relief pitcher at San Joaquin Delta College in Stockton, CA, then finishing up here in St Louis at MBU. Throughout those years he faced a handful of injuries, having 1 shoulder surgery and 2 elbow reconstruction surgeries. After his final season playing he was fortunate enough to be offered the job as the pitching coach at MBU, and will be going into his third season on staff.
Outside of baseball, he enjoys visiting various parks around the area with his fiancé and his dog. Most nights you can catch him hitting fungo’s at MBU getting his pup some extra defensive work!
Coach Tony Perkins:
Tony Perkins was raised in Rock Island, Illinois. After High School, he spent a year at Dickinson State College in North Dakota, where he played both football and baseball. After the year in North Dakota, he transferred to Northeast Missouri State University where he played on the baseball team for 3 years and spent 1 year as a graduate assistant coach. Coach Perkins took his first job at Brashear High School in Brashear, MO. He then accepted a job in the Francis Howell School District where he coached the freshmen team for 2 years at Francis Howell North. From Francis Howell North, he accepted the varsity assistant job at Francis Howell High School. During the 1994-95 school year he was named the head coach of the Francis Howell Vikings.
During his current 29 year reign Coach Perkins' teams have garnered 18 conference titles, 15 district titles, 10 sectional championships, 9 quarterfinals championships, a 4th place finish in 1999, a 2nd place finish in state in 1997, a 2nd place finish in 2008, 2nd place in state 2014, and State Championships in 2003, 2011, 2013, and 2016. 3rd Place finish in 2022. Coach Perkins overall head coaching record is 609-300-1.
Coach Casey Day:
Casey is our pitching coordinator for the league and played two years at Kirkwood community college to start his college playing career. Then he spent a Redshirt year at Wichita State and went on to play one year at Iowa. After sustaining an injury Casey served his last year with the team as a student assistant. Casey got educated on the analytical/tech side of baseball by Iowa baseball data analysts and coaches.
Casey had a desire to come to the PCDL and PPP to get the combination of in game coaching with high level assessment technology tools. Then Casey plans on starting his collegiate coaching career in the fall of 2023.