Billy Mohl Baseball Camps at USF
Led USF to a historic 2021 season, when the Bulls won the American Athletic Conference Tournament and the Gainesville Regional to earn the program’s first appearance in the NCAA Super Regionals
• Sixteen of his USF pitchers have been drafted and four have made the major leagues
• Has developed 10 All-AAC players in five seasons as head coach and seven All-AAC pitchers during his eight-year association with the program
• Guided the Bulls to the AAC Tournament semifinals and earned an NCAA Regional bid in his first season as head coach in 2018
• His 2017 pitching staff led the nation and set a program record with 10.1 strikeouts per nine innings
• Spent five seasons on Mark Kingston’s staff at Illinois State and joined him as an assistant at USF
• Played four seasons at Tulane, where he was named to the Conference USA All-Freshman Team and played on its 2005 College World Series team
Billy Mohl has helped USF baseball to unprecedented achievements in five seasons as the head coach and eight total seasons on the staff.
After a magical 2021 season — when the Bulls won their first conference title in 26 years, registered back-to-back triumphs against Florida and Miami to capture the Gainesville Regional and earned the first NCAA Super Regionals appearance in program history — Mohl said it was an affirmation that the biggest goals in college baseball are achievable at USF.
“We had a young club and we struggled with consistency, but we showed great perseverance,’’ Mohl says. “We didn’t quit and we eventually changed the trajectory of where we were heading. Our guys hadn’t been in the fire before and they came out of it, so it was a lesson.
“We’re in a great location. We’re in a tremendous area and state for baseball. Our stadium is great and we continue to build our fan base. We are definitely moving in the right direction.”
Mohl, who was named the program’s seventh head coach on June 30, 2017 after serving as USF’s pitching coach for three seasons, has developed 10 players into All-American Athletic Conference honors as a head coach, including Carmine Lane as a first-teamer in 2022. Mohl has produced seven All-AAC pitchers during his association with USF’s program.
Sixteen of his USF pitchers have been drafted and four have made the major leagues, including Jimmy Herget, Phoenix Sanders, Peter Strzelecki and Shane McClanahan, a 2018 first-rounder by the Tampa Bay Rays, who finished seventh in the 2021 American League Rookie of the Year voting and shows signs of becoming the team’s long-term ace.
“USF baseball is in good hands with Billy Mohl,’’ McClanahan says. “He did a lot for me as a pitcher and a lot for me as person. I believe he will get our program to the next level and keep it there.’’
Mohl, who is 127-119-1 in five seasons as head coach, has been part of four NCAA Tournament teams at USF, including two when he served as Mark Kingston’s pitching coach from 2015-17.
In 2022, USF had four players selected in the MLB Draft, the most among any AAC team – Orion Kerkering (fifth-round), Jack Jasiak, Brad Lord and Carmine Lane.
The clear highlight was 2021. The Bulls were picked to finish last in the AAC preseason poll, but ended up being one of the most memorable teams in USF athletics history.
The Bulls defeated rival UCF in the championship game to win the program’s first AAC Tournament title — and the program’s first conference championship since 1995. USF earned the program’s 14th NCAA Tournament appearance, but was still lightly regarded heading to the Gainesville Regional. But the Bulls dispatched of host and nationally-ranked Florida, perennial powerhouse Miami, and outlasted South Alabama in a thrilling comeback victory to advance to the program’s first-ever Super Regional, where they fell in two games at No. 2 Texas.
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Led USF to a historic 2021 season, when the Bulls won the American Athletic Conference Tournament and the Gainesville Regional to earn the program’s first appearance in the NCAA Super Regionals
• Sixteen of his USF pitchers have been drafted and four have made the major leagues
• Has developed 10 All-AAC players in five seasons as head coach and seven All-AAC pitchers during his eight-year association with the program
• Guided the Bulls to the AAC Tournament semifinals and earned an NCAA Regional bid in his first season as head coach in 2018
• His 2017 pitching staff led the nation and set a program record with 10.1 strikeouts per nine innings
• Spent five seasons on Mark Kingston’s staff at Illinois State and joined him as an assistant at USF
• Played four seasons at Tulane, where he was named to the Conference USA All-Freshman Team and played on its 2005 College World Series team
Billy Mohl has helped USF baseball to unprecedented achievements in five seasons as the head coach and eight total seasons on the staff.
After a magical 2021 season — when the Bulls won their first conference title in 26 years, registered back-to-back triumphs against Florida and Miami to capture the Gainesville Regional and earned the first NCAA Super Regionals appearance in program history — Mohl said it was an affirmation that the biggest goals in college baseball are achievable at USF.
“We had a young club and we struggled with consistency, but we showed great perseverance,’’ Mohl says. “We didn’t quit and we eventually changed the trajectory of where we were heading. Our guys hadn’t been in the fire before and they came out of it, so it was a lesson.
“We’re in a great location. We’re in a tremendous area and state for baseball. Our stadium is great and we continue to build our fan base. We are definitely moving in the right direction.”
Mohl, who was named the program’s seventh head coach on June 30, 2017 after serving as USF’s pitching coach for three seasons, has developed 10 players into All-American Athletic Conference honors as a head coach, including Carmine Lane as a first-teamer in 2022. Mohl has produced seven All-AAC pitchers during his association with USF’s program.
Sixteen of his USF pitchers have been drafted and four have made the major leagues, including Jimmy Herget, Phoenix Sanders, Peter Strzelecki and Shane McClanahan, a 2018 first-rounder by the Tampa Bay Rays, who finished seventh in the 2021 American League Rookie of the Year voting and shows signs of becoming the team’s long-term ace.
“USF baseball is in good hands with Billy Mohl,’’ McClanahan says. “He did a lot for me as a pitcher and a lot for me as person. I believe he will get our program to the next level and keep it there.’’
Mohl, who is 127-119-1 in five seasons as head coach, has been part of four NCAA Tournament teams at USF, including two when he served as Mark Kingston’s pitching coach from 2015-17.
In 2022, USF had four players selected in the MLB Draft, the most among any AAC team – Orion Kerkering (fifth-round), Jack Jasiak, Brad Lord and Carmine Lane.
The clear highlight was 2021. The Bulls were picked to finish last in the AAC preseason poll, but ended up being one of the most memorable teams in USF athletics history.
The Bulls defeated rival UCF in the championship game to win the program’s first AAC Tournament title — and the program’s first conference championship since 1995. USF earned the program’s 14th NCAA Tournament appearance, but was still lightly regarded heading to the Gainesville Regional. But the Bulls dispatched of host and nationally-ranked Florida, perennial powerhouse Miami, and outlasted South Alabama in a thrilling comeback victory to advance to the program’s first-ever Super Regional, where they fell in two games at No. 2 Texas.
Durkac was named assistant coach and recruiting coordinator in July of 2019 and was promoted to associate head coach in August 2021. His primary roles include working with the infielders and hitters, as well as coordinating recruiting efforts.
He spent the 2019 season as the volunteer assistant coach at the University of Miami before joining the USF staff.
Durkac’s work with the Bulls was instrumental in USF winning the AAC Tournament Championship and advancing to the program’s first-ever NCAA Super Regional in 2021. Riley Hogan and Roberto Pena shared the team lead with 12 home runs apiece, while rookie sensation Drew Brutcher connected on eight longballs, despite missing two months of the season. Brutcher went on to be named a Freshman All-American, as did Carmine Lane, who led the team in batting average (.306) and RBI (43).
The duo of Bruther and Lane continued to flourish under Durkac’s tutelage in 2022. Bruther led the team in homers (13) and walks (37) while Lane once again paced the USF offense in batting average (.332) and RBI (54). Lane led the AAC in hits (78) and RBI during the regular season and had the most hits by a Bull since David Villar (82) during the 2018 season when he was subsequently selected in the 11th round of the MLB Draft. Lane was subsequently selected in the 19th round of the MLB Draft by the Miami Marlins. The Bulls collectively showed a powerful and patient approach at the plate in 2022, launching the most home runs (60) since 1997, and drawing 269 total walks which ranked 43rd in the NCAA during the regular season.
Though 2020 was cut short due to COVID-19, Durkac’s hitters were presented a challenge with a tough schedule early on during the abbreviated campaign. The Bulls faced power five schools for a total of nine times to open the season. The early experience gained for a young team that featured five freshman in the starting lineup was essential for their development. Freshman Dillon Besnier led the team in home runs with two on the season, one of which came against No.1 Florida. The Bulls offense totaled 52 RBI in 2020 with 24 extra base hits.
After missing the NCAA Tournament in 2017 and 2018, the Hurricanes went 41-20 last year, returning to postseason play and winning two games at the Starkville Regional. Durkac aided in the development of Raymond Gil, who was named to the All-ACC Third Team. Miami hit just .231 as a team in 2017 and .257 in 2018. With the help of Durkac instructing the offense, the Hurricanes finished fourth in the ACC with a .291 batting average in 2019. They led the conference and finished 10th nationally with 85 home runs and led the league with a .472 slugging percentage.
Karsten Whitson was named a volunteer assistant of for the USF baseball program in July of 2019 and was promoted to full-time assistant coach in July 2021. His primary role is serving as the Bulls’ pitching coach.
The former first-round MLB Draft selection of the San Diego Padres in 2010 was a member of the USA National U18 team in 2009. He went on to play at the University of Florida from 2010-14 and was selected by the Boston Red Sox in the 11th round of the 2014 MLB Draft. He played in the Red Sox organization until 2016.
The Bulls’ staff was plagued with injuries during the 2022 campaign, hit particularly hard by the loss of ace Jack Jasiak prior to the start of conference play. Jasiak was off to a 2-0 start with a 1.32 ERA and 0.66 WHIP in five starts before being shut down for the remainder of the season. Whitson helped mentor southpaw Ethan Brown into Jasiak’s place in the rotation and oversaw the emergence of several new bullpen arms, including true freshman and Tampa native Joey Volini (2-0, 3.86 ERA). Florida transfer Hunter Mink stepped into the closer role with Orion Kerkering’s move to the starting rotation and was named to the NCBWA Stopper of the Year Midseason Watch List.
Kerkering was one of three Bulls picked from the “Arm Farm” in the 2022 MLB Draft, selected by the Phillies in the fifth round. Jack Jasiak was drafted by Cleveland in the 12th round and Brad Lord went to Washington in the 18th round.
Whitson’s pitching staff was a catalyst to USF’s historic postseason run in 2021. The Bulls led the AAC in ERA (3.23), WHIP (1.23), opponent batting average (.220) and hits allowed/nine innings (7.34) over the course of 28 conference games. The pitching staff posted a 3.00 ERA while striking out 34 batters over 36.0 IP in the Gainesville Regional (vs. Florida, Miami & Southern Alabama) as USF advanced to the program’s first-ever Super Regional. The Bulls concluded the year ranked 49th in the NCAA in WHIP (1.34), 61st in strikeout-to-walk ratio (2.53) and 66th in strikeouts/9-innings (9.2). Collin Sullivan was named to the All-AAC Second Team in his final season at USF and went on to sign a professional contract with the Arizona Diamondbacks.
Greg Parris joined the USF baseball staff in 2002 as an administrative assistant and has served in multiple roles with the baseball team during his lengthy tenure. Parris was tabbed the Director of Baseball Operations in 2008, and spent the 2018 season as a volunteer assistant coach, before returning to the Director of Operations in 2019.
He is responsible for coordinating USF’s baseball camps, all aspects of travel for the team and working alongside the stadium operations staff, among various other duties.
Parris worked primarily with the outfielders in 2018 as a volunteer assistant, helping senior Duke Stunkel Jr.’s development and aiding in his second-straight all-conference selection. Stunkel Jr. batted .330 with 37 runs scored, 16 doubles and 24 RBI. Junior outfielder Kyle Phillips finished second on the team with a .333 average, 13 doubles, 33 runs and 22 RBI, as he was named to the DeLand Regional All-Tournament team. Stunkel Jr., Phillips, Chris Chatfield and Garrett Zech combined for an outstanding season in the field, committing just three errors on the year with a fielding percentage of 99.4.
Prior to joining USF, Parris put together a 14-year record of 234-138 in the prep ranks. He was 208-69 in 10 seasons at Brandon High School. Parris led Brandon to six conference titles, four district championships, a pair of regional trophies as well as a trip to the state title game in 1995.
He was named the Florida Athletic Coaches Association District Coach of the Year in 1995 and 1996 and the Class 6A Coach of the Year in 1996, when Brandon enjoyed an undefeated regular-season. Forty of his players earned college scholarships and 16 were drafted professionally.
Parris earned his bachelor’s degree in physical education from USF in 1986 and his master’s degree in educational leadership from Nova Southeastern in 1994.
Parris resides in Hudson, Fla. He has two children, a daughter named Savannah and a son named Easton.
Chris Johns joined the USF coaching staff in July 2021. He previously spent time at Northwest Florida State College, Hofstra University, Iowa Western Community College and the University of Northern Colorado.
Johns primarily worked with the outfielders during his first season with the Bulls in 2022. He saw the continued success of sophomore centerfielder Drew Brutcher and the emergence of true freshmen corner outfielders Marcus Brodil and Jackson Mayo.
At Northwest Florida State College, Johns saw 10 of his former players selected in the MLB Draft during his tenure from 2016-21. An additional seven players were drafted from Iowa Western where he served as the pitching coach from 2009-12.
While at Iowa Western, his team won the NJCAA National Championship in 2010 and 2012.
Johns also spent time instructing players in the New England Collegiate Summer League and the Northwoods League, where he began his coaching career after graduating from Northern Colorado.
Johns is a 2001 graduate of Rampart High School in Colorado Springs. He started his collegiate playing career at Lamar Community College where he currently holds the record for career wins with 21. He was an All-American in 2003 and was projected as the top junior college pitcher in the country by Baseball America in 2004. Upon graduation at Lamar, Johns transferred to Louisiana Lafayette for his junior season. His senior year he returned to his home state to pitch for Northern Colorado. Johns was the Bears ace in 2006, posting wins against No. 2 Nebraska and Big XII Champion Kansas among others.
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