World Series.

After 29 years as the program’s head coach, Hill has become an institution with 15 straight state tournament appearances and enough trophies to open up his own Fort Knox.

What the average fan doesn’t see is the pipeline of connections Hill has built over the years, which has enabled his program to maintain a high level of success.

In Manatee and Sarasota Counties, baseball players who desire to go the Juco route are judged by whether Hill wants you. The ones with big league potential go to SCF, the others find another venue.

So while most college coaches are fighting a recruiting battle every year, Hills often finds himself deciding on whom to turn away.

He is the reason pro baseball scouts recommend his program to kids they might want toWe emphasized making contact. Fortunately, these guys responded, and it paid dividends,” he says.

Despite his success, Hill has had his share of broken hearts, but feels more for his players than himself.

The Juco State Tournament is like playing Russian Roulette, fall into the loser’s bracket early and teams feel as if they have to circumnavigate the globe to get back into contention.

His 2005 team was ranked first in the country for a good part of the year and had local stars Larry Cobb and Ryan Kennedy, but lost two straight in the state tournament. It was arguably the biggest disappointment in his 29 years there. Last year’s team went two and out despite its gaudy offensive stats.

“You want it so bad for the kids,” Hill says. “I get