Championships are won in the summer.

Well duh… that IS when the College World Series is played, right? Well actually, it’s the “other” summer I’m referring to. What happens in July and August can be just as important to what transpires the following summer. Ya’ followin’ me?

Josh Spence, the quirkly ace from Arizona State, will be displaying his Aussie flag patch for another season in Tempe.

Yes, July means summer league play that can help a player further develop against other top talents from around the country. And August provides us that beautiful moment all college baseball fans love more than just about anything else… when drafted players tell the play-for-pay boys to stick it and come play in the college ranks.

So now that the months of June, July and August have past, here’s a look back at what teams had the “best summer” out there. These rankings take into account, who decided to come back for their senior seasons, which key high school draftees didn’t turn pro, who got the best J.C. transfers and most of all, who excelled in the summer baseball leagues. Factor all those together and that’s how you come up with the Summer Top 25.

Here we go.

THE FIRST FIVE.
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1- Arizona State.
It’s not as if the Sun Devils needed any more help. Coach Pat Murphy has always been the classic example of having a program that reloads, not rebuilds. Put an underline and bold print on that this time. The biggest news, of course, is the return of the mad Aussie, Josh Spence. The off-beat southpaw who was my favorite pitcher to watch last season decided to stay evil – as in, he spurned the MLB Angels to stay a Devil.

Last October, Collegiate Baseball christened the Devils’ 2008 recruiting class as No. 1 in the country. Guess what? It could be a back-to-backer for ASU. Eleven of the Devs incoming players had been picked in the MLB draft but decided to come to campus, led by third-round stud Jake Barrett, who could fight for a weekend starting spot this coming season. Also, in doing some reading up on the ASU draftees, most of them came with the caveat of “they should have gone higher if not for their signability issues” or “were projected as a top 10 round pick but fell to…”

Here’s the scorecard for Arizona State…

Who came back:
- Josh Spence, LHP, 3rd round pick of the Angels.
- Raoul Torrez, Inf, 32nd round pick of the Angels.

Drafted Newcomers:
- Jake Barrett, RHP, 3rd round pick of Toronto.
- Deven Marrero, Inf, 17th round pick of Cincinnati.
- Tyler Bernard, SS/P, 20th round pick of Oakland.
- Merrill Kelly, RHP, 22nd round pick of Cleveland.
- Xorge Carillo, C, 29th round pick of Cleveland.
- Josh Moody, RHP, 29th round pick of Atlanta.
- Andrew Aplin, OF, 33rd round pick of New York Yankees.
- Jimmy Patterson, OF/RHP, 34th round pick of Boston.
- Jacob Morris, OF, 35th round pick of Washington.
- Brady Rodgers, RHP, 39th round pick of Milwaukee.
- Kyle Arnsberg, C, 45th round pick of Boston.

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2- Miami.
The Hurricanes, like a lot of teams on this list, need a snapback to reality. It was definitely an uncommon season for coach Jim Morris and his charges, withstanding injuries, under-performance and lost momentum. But to say that south Florida is a hotbed for high school baseball is an understatement and the Canes are only a signing class away from getting back to their usual, dominant ways.

Coach Morris says, “It starts with pitching and ends with pitching. You’ve got to sign guys you think will go to school. You’ve got to sign guys locally.”

Voila’! It seems to have happened this off-season for coach Morris and recruiting coordinator J.D. Arteaga. A huge infusion of talented frosh has made this a highly-anticipated season in Coral Gables. Sure there were some losses, but after ingesting the list below, will you remember them? The most important names are the two returning pitchers, Erickson and Guitierrez, who both hope to stay healthy and help the arms staff live up to billing.

Check this out…

Who came back:
- Eric Erickson, RHP, 20th round pick of Chicago Cubs.
- David Guitierrez, RHP, 37th round pick of Minnesota.

Drafted Newcomers:
- Steven Perez, SS, 18th round pick of Cincinnati.
- Eduardo Encinosa, RHP, 23rd round pick of Minnesota.
- Reggie Williams, OF, 32nd round pick of Texas.
- Zeke DeVoss, OF, 38th round pick of Boston.
- Eric Whaley, RHP, 40th round pick of Chicago Cubs.
- Darnell Sweeney, SS, 41st round pick of Florida.
- Jared Grundy, LHP, 46th round pick of Texas.
- Ronald Melendez, OF, 50th round pick of Texas.

Summer Accolades:
- Yasmani Grandal, C, was named to the All Tournament Team at the World Baseball Challenge with Team USA.
- Harold Martinez finished with the second-most home runs in the Cape Cod Home Run Derby at Fenway Park.

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3- Arkansas.
They were hot on the Cape, they helped our country’s team and some handy newbies came to Fayetteville for school. It was a really, really good summer in Hogland. Sooie!

The 2009 season may have just been a precursor to an even bigger splash in 2010. It’s national title or bust for coach Dave Van Horn and the Razorbacks and they saw a number of good performances on summer diamonds.

Zack Cox tore up Cape Cod and was also named the Cape’s All Star Game MVP, giving further credence that the 2010 season is going to see him blossom even moreso. Brett Eibner also did well on the arm of Massachusettes this summer and also cranked out a few dingers in the home run competition at Fenway Park. And Andy Wilkins stayed a long-ball threat for Team USA. And there’s more…

Who came back:
- Mike Bolsinger, RHP, 33rd round pick of Oakland.

Drafted Newcomers:
- Randall Fant, OF/P, 21st round pick of Boston.
- Ben Crumpton, SS, 36th round pick of Detroit.
- Franco Broyles, OF, 43rd round pick of Colorado.
- Josh Easley, RHP, 49th round pick of New York Mets.

Summer Accolades:
- Zack Cox was named the No. 2 rated pro prospect in the Cape Cod League by Baseball America.
- Brett Eibner was named as the 11th best prospect on the Cape.
- Andy Wilkins started 19 of the 24 games for team USA this summer, posting a .988 fielding percentage at 1B.
- Mike Bolsinger was named the No. 9 prospect in the Texas League by BA, throwing 24 strikeouts in 18 innings of work.

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4- Kentucky.
If you listen really close, you can almost hear the smile that is etching its way across the face of head coach Gary Henderson. Look at the potential this arms corps will have next season. Go ahead, check out the list below.

The Cats should be back for real after a pretty surprising 28-26 season of malaise. UK had the fortune of seeing a 1st round draftee come back for another year of college classes as lefty James Paxton rejoins a loaded pitching staff that also features sophs Alex Meyer and Braden Kapteyn. Apparently, 17th round draftee Jordan Cooper, a stud righty pitcher, is also highly regarded and fell further in the draft than expected.

Who came back:
- James Paxton, LHP, supplemental 1st round pick of Toronto.

Drafted Newcomers:
– Jordan Cooper, RHP, 17th round pick of Pittsburgh.
- Taylor Rodgers, LHP, 37th round of Baltimore.
- Sam Kidd, RHP, 39th round pick of Philadelphia.
- Luke Maile, C, 43rd round pick of Boston
- Brian Adams, OF, 45th round pick of Cincinnati.

Summer Accolades:
- Braden Kapteyn, P/OF, named the top prospect of the New York Collegiate League.
- Logan Darnell, a LHP, was named the No. 6 pro prospect of the Alaska League.
- Chris Bisson, SS, was named the No. 39 prospect in the Cape Cod League by PGCrosschecker.

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5- Stanford.
Damn smart schools. It’s so easy to lure recruits to campus – as long as they’re not the “dumb jock” type. I mean, really, who is going to turn down a shot at getting a Stanford education to ride busses in the minors? The Cardinal racked up on the incoming frosh that spurned the draft, including SS Kenny Diekroeger, who is a magician with the glove and mature beyond his years.

Keep in mind that Mark Marquess also has a handful of sophs-to-be that will lead a talented pitching staff too, including weekend starters Brett Mooneyham and Jordan Pries. So all this points to 2010 being a season that turns things around for the Trees.

Drafted Newcomers:
- Kenny Diekroeger, SS, 2nd round pick of Tampa Bay.
- Mark Appel, RHP, 15th round pick of Detroit.
- Jake Stewart, OF, 14th round pick of the Phillies.
- Gavin McCourt, OF, 39th round of Boston.
- Stephen Piscotty, SS, 45th round pick of Los Angeles.

Summer Accolades:
- Colin Walsh, 2B, was a starter in the Cape Cod League All Star game.
- Scott Snodgress, LHP, was named the No. 4 prospect in the Alaska League.
- Kellen Kiilsgaard, OF, hit .295 and was named the No. 7 prospect in the Alaska League.
- Alex Pracher, RHP, was named the No. 7 pro prospect in the Atlantic Collegiate League.

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THE SECOND FIVE.

6- Vanderbilt.
Three pitchers had great summers; Sonny Gray (3-1, 0.75 for Team USA), Jack Armstrong (3-0, 2.22 in the Cape) and Russell Brewer (Cape-leading seven saves). Four draftees, including Carl Yastrzemski’s grandson, come to VU, as does former ASU pitching coach Josh Holliday, who is a huge addition.

Other key draftees:
- Sam Selman, LHP, 14th round pick
- Regan Flaherty, 1B, 28th round pick
- Mike Yastrzemski, OF, 36th round pick of Boston.

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7- Oregon State.
Seven Beavers were drafted but will be coming to Corvallis. The biggest impact player will be catcher Andrew Susac, who was also the No. 1 prospect in the West Coast League. Pitchers Greg Peavy (32nd round) and Kraig Sitton (17th round) return as potential difference-makers.

Other key draftees:
- Tony Bryant, RHP, 25th round pick of Minnesota.
- Adelberto Santos, OF, 35th round pick of San Diego.
- Jordan Poyer, OF, 42nd round pick of Florida.

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8- TCU.
Coach Jim Schlossnagle has pulled a few rabbits out of the hat this summer. First, getting top-round draft pick Matt Purke to campus was a hell of a coup. After landing that horse, everything else was pretty much gravy.

Other key draftees:
- Jerome Pena, 2B, 40th round pick of New York Mets.
- Josh Elander, C, 37th round pick of Washington.

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9- Nebraska.
Boy, talk about a program that needed a good summer. NU had five current or prospective players drafted and four of them are coming to campus. Immediate impacts will be made by ace Mike Nesseth (15th round) and Thomas Lemke (10th rounder from Phoenix).

Other key draftees:
- Adam Bailey, OF, 38th round pick of New York Yankees.
- Kurt Giller, RHP, 21st round pick of Toronto

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10- San Diego.
Oh sure, we can put them here, but the big question is, will they avoid the injury bug? That was the big problem in ‘09. Hopefully, the well-armed Toreros stay that way with RHP Matt Thompson (12th round), RHP Casey Schmidt (15th round) and A.J. Griffin (34th round) returning.

Other key draftees:
-Andrew Walter, RHP, 31st round pick of Detroit.
- Jake Williams, OF, 35th round pick of Arizona.
- Matt Moynihan, OF, 37th round pick of Atlanta.

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OTHERS WORTH MENTION:

11- Virginia.
Coach Brian O’Connor already has this team loaded for next season. Now, team leader Tyler Cannon returns after being drafted in 41st round and five incoming players also dodged their drafted teams, led by RHP Branden Kline, a 6th round pick of Boston.

12- Minnesota.
Relievers Scott Matyas (29th round) and Cullen Sexton (37th round) return and the hometown Twins couldn’t sign Eric Decker (27th round, and an All Big 10 WR) and Ryan Abrahamson (40th round). Big bat Mike Kvasnicka was named the No. 3 prospect Northwoods League.

13- UC Irvine.
The Eaters get back ace Daniel Bibona (16th round pick) to front the staff, and also 2B Casey Stevenson (38th, Milwaukee). Drew Hillman (38th round, Tampa Bay) could take over SS for the much-missed Ben Orloff and 1B Jordan Leyland was named the No. 5 prospect in the West Coast League.

14- Oregon.
Can’t keep George Horton down long, the wily coach held on to LHP Bennett Whitmore (32nd round, Seattle) and Drew Gagnier (14th round, A’s). He’s getting some inroads into SoCal with a pair of SSs in Jack Marder, a 30th rounder of the D-backs and John Altobelli, a 49th round pick of Milwaukee.

15- Oklahoma State.
The Yankees have to hate the Pokes. Two of their picks – lefties Tyler Lyons, a 10th rounder and Thomas Keeling, a 20th rounder – both shunned the evil empire. Another southpaw, 24th round pick Andrew Heaney, should be an instant hit.

16- LSU.
Coach Paul Mainieri calls getting back slugger Blake Dean (10th round pic) “huge.” Rightfully so. Mikie Mahtook was rated the best pro-to-be in the Prospect League and J.C. All American Mitch Moorman, a 20th round pick, could become the Sunday starter.

17- Florida.
A CWS return could be soon. JC player of the year OF Bryson Smith will make an immediate impact as will six incoming high schoolers that were drafted. Team leader Matt den Dekker returns for his senior year after being picked in the 16th round.

18 – Coastal Carolina.
Coach Gilmore is determined for next-stepping to Omaha and it shows. LHP Matt Laney (42nd round, Philly) is a solid J.C. transfer and is joined by LHP Stephan Del Pino (27th round, Reds). Also watch OF Josh Conway (42nd round, Atlanta) and best of all, RHP Cody Wheeler had a great summer with Team USA.

19- South Carolina.
Been a while since the Chickens have roosted in Omaha. But the return of pitcher Sam Dyson (10th round, A’s) and power hitting 1B Nick Ebert (32nd round, Yankees) could change that. The Cocks also welcome J.C. National Defensive Player of the Year in Peter Mooney (37th round, Cubs).

20- Cal State Fullerton.
Considering last year’s frosh class, it’s not like the Titans needed another stellar influx of recruits, but here we are again. RHP Dylan Floro (20th round, Rays) will keep the pitching tradition alive and OFs Anthony Hutting (38th round, Texas) and Ivory Thomas (42nd round, Houston) are instant fill-ins.

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AND FIVE TO GROW ON.

21- UCLA.
You’ll soon hear about frosh OFs Cody Keeler (33rd round, Detroit) and Jeff Galalich (41st round, Philly). But the Bruins are here because of the top prospect status of Team USA hurlers Gerrit Cole and Trevor Bauer, who helped our boys to a 19-5 mark, and LHP Rob Rasmussen (No. 16 prospect in Cape Cod).

22- Texas.
Like Fullerton, considering everyone returns to this pitching staff, the Horns needed no additional talent. But more talent is what they got. Six high schoolers turned down the MLB and will don the Burnt Orange, including OF Jonathan Walsh and Washington pitching draftees Cohl Walla and Hoby Milner.

23- Rice.
The Owls are never far off, of course. They lost ace Ryan Berry to the pros, but No. 2 starter Mike Ojala came back as did familiar names like C Diego Seastrunk (31st round, Giants) and OF Steven Saltzbaugh (41st round, Milwaukee). Also, the Owls could have another high-impact frosh infielder in SS Michael Ratterree (45th round pick).

24- UC Riverside.
The Highlanders had some great summer performers, like C Rob Brantley, BA’s top pro prospect from the Northwoods League and No. 2 prospect RHP Matt Andriese of the West Coast League. UCR also brought in a great bunch of recruits and also saw 20th round pick Tommy Mackoul, a LHP, return to campus.

25- Georgia.
Dave Perno will have his boys primed for another even-yeared appearance in Omaha, especially thanks to RHPs Alex McRee (a 26th round draftee) and Jeff Walters (a 17th round pick). Three other high school recruits turned down the MLB, including RHPs Jake Montgomery and Eric Swegman, both Braves draftees.