The Five Tool Baseball Podcast

Ep 172 (presented by HITFORTH) Kendall Rogers of D1Baseball.com

Dustin is joined by longtime friend and D1Baseball.com's Co-owner, Managing Editor and National Reporter Kendall Rogers. The two discuss:

- outlooks for some college programs in and around Texas
- what college coaches were saying about the sport at the annual ABCA convention
- upcoming roster limit changes and deadlines
- upcoming scholarship limit changes
- Is the sport going to continue getting older?
- growing popularity of college baseball
- the number and caliber of high school players who end up in D1 Baseball
- Much more

Ep 171 (Presented by HITFORTH): Hawaii Sandlot Classic Preview; Diego Pavia ruling/JUCO eligibility

Five Tool SoCal Director and Hawaii native Tim Arakawa joins to preview the 2024 Hawaii Sandlot Classic. The former Hawaii high school star discusses 20 names he's especially excited to see and also helps Dustin announce the 10 team captains for the event. 

Plus, the two dive into the recent Davia Pavia court decision... is the door now open for JUCO players to seek waivers and gain eligibility back? Are JUCO years no longer going to count? Actually, the court decision isn't yet final and only deals with one player. For now. But the implications suggest this could be game-changing.

Ep 170 (Presented by HITFORTH): JUCO Signing Classes; NCAA Roster Limit News; Rise of 2-Way Players

Dustin McComas is back and concludes the signing period coverage with discussion about signing classes of 20 JUCO programs in the state of Texas. He offers a report on A TON of players heading to the JUCO level and examines the rise of talent at that level. 

 

Plus, he shares some recent NCAA news about the future 34-man roster limit at D1 programs and when that is scheduled to go into effect. Could that lead to the rise of two-way players? And, of course, some Juan Soto discussion. 

Ep 169 (presented by HITFORTH): D1 Mid-major Recruiting Classes...

Dustin continues his Signing Period coverage with a breakdown of the D1 mid-major classes that caught his attention. The list includes Texas State, DBU, UTSA, Rice, Tarleton, ACU, ETBU and more. Plus, a discussion about turkey. 

Ep 168 (presented by HITFORTH): Big 12 2025 Recruiting Classes

More Signing Day coverage... the new-look Big 12.

Dustin highlights some of his favorite 2025 commitments heading to Big 12 programs and looks at the baseball future ahead for the league. 

Ep 167 (presented by HITFORTH): Texas and Texas A&M Recruiting Rivalry and SEC Signing Day Breakdown

In case you missed it, the Texas and Texas A&M rivalry was taken to a new level this offseason. Dustin begins his Signing Day podcast coverage with a deep dive into the Texas vs. Texas A&M rivalry and takes a thorough look at their signing classes. Plus, he examines the SEC as a whole, provides a breakdown of the classes for programs like LSU, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Ole Miss and more. 

Ep 166 (presented by HITFORTH): World Series, More Recruiting Talk, HPBA World Series Notes

Happy Halloween! Dustin is back and calls out anyone who likes candy corn. More importantly, he discusses:

- Dodgers win the World Series! Takeaways and thoughts on LA winning the title. 
- More college baseball recruiting talk - roster limits, JUCO recruiting, scholarship increases maybe not doing anything
- Hunter Pence Baseball Academy World Series notes

Ep 165 (presented by HITFORTH): The New Recruiting World for High School Players

With news of a preliminary agreement reached in the NCAA antitrust settlement case, some colleges began planning for the reality of the 34-man roster limit. And they did that by informing some 2025 commitments they no longer had a spot. 

Dustin discusses the new reality for high school baseball players with the upcoming roster limit hanging over college baseball recruiting. Plus, he explains some of the best pro players and top draft picks might come from places players don't realize, highlights some standout players from the Fall Scouting Classic and AZFC, and previews the upcoming update to the 2025 Five Tool Texas 55.

Ep 164 (presented by HITFORTH): AZFC Standouts, Five Tool Scout Team Recap and More

Dustin is back with another jam-packed episode that includes:

- NCAA eliminated the National Letter of Intent
- MLB Playoffs
- Five Tool Scout Team recap from AZFC Draft Prospect Tournament
- 2026 AZFC standouts and 2025 Draft Prospect Tournament standouts
- More

Ep 163 (presented by HITFORTH): AZFC Five Tool Team; TSA Games; Scout Team Notes; 2026 Five Tool Texas 55

We have a lot to talk about... Dustin is back with a lot to say about:

- status of college baseball recruiting
- debut of 2026 Five Tool Texas 55
- TSA Games standouts
- Dodgers and Pirates Scout Teams
- Presenting the Five Tool team heading to the Arizona Fall Classic Draft Prospect Tournament