Matt McLaren was very proud to announce that he would never recruit a player like Pete Crow-Armstrong to play college baseball at Olney Central College. And yet, his team is terrible.
Perhaps he should try recruiting players who are as talented as a Major Leaguer!
To make his declaration even more embarrassing, it’s not like Crow-Armstrong committed a felony. The Chicago Cubs outfielder had some fun while getting paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to play Major League Baseball, a child’s game.
Who is Matt McLaren?
I was not able to find a ton of information about the coach in question here. However, I was able to determine that Matt McLaren was hired by Olney Central College in late 2023.
Olney Central College is a public community college in Illinois with a total enrollment of approximately 700 students. The Blue Knights compete in the Great Rivers Athletic Conference of the National Junior College Athletic Association under Region 24.
McLaren’s official title is listed as: Recruiting Coordinator / Assistant Coach.
I would not want to play for him after his recent posts on X. He sounds like a guy who hates fun.
Pete Crow-Armstrong riled up the haters.
Don’t get me wrong— I completely understand why people don’t like PCA. The 23-year-old outfielder plays extremely loud and does not care about the stupid unwritten rules of baseball. Some people might label him as “cocky” or “arrogant.”
For example, this is how he showed up to spring training:
That is all fine! Not everybody has to like everybody. Pete Crow-Armstrong will be just fine.
With that being said, this latest “controversy” is much ado about nothing.
Crow-Armstrong did a little dance at second base during a game against the Red Sox. He was pretending to steal third to keep Lucas Giolito and the infield on their toes.
This douche is Pete Crow Armstrong the guy everyone raving over?
— Fenway Park (@JG18128910) July 18, 2025
Has anyone tried putting a Rawlings in this tools ear hole yet …. Looks like he needs it. pic.twitter.com/p10AnEM6c2
Boston fans were not pleased with his behavior.
People were outraged by the shenanigans!
McLaren proudly spoke out against Crow-Armstrong’s harmless dance on the base path. It was completely unsolicited input on the conversation.
“LOL… I’ve marked a ton of kids off a roster while recruiting that just don’t respect the game,” he said. “The standard in baseball is way too low at the top end and it is bleeding into the lower levels. Kudos to the good programs that don’t allow it.”
McLaren later doubled down on his strict standards.
Here’s the thing.
Olney Central went 23-25 during the 2023-24 college baseball season. The Blue Knights had an even worse record last season. They finished 19-32.
Maybe Matt McLaren should try recruiting players as good as Pete Crow-Armstrong if he wants to win more games. His combined record of 42-57 proves his approach to recruiting is not working. His ban on players who “just don’t respect the game” led to a sub-.500 record in back-to-back years.
McLaren insists next season will be better because Olney made two coaching changes in two years. And yet, the talent on the roster does not change when a coach is fired.
Good players win games. Bad players don’t.
It doesn’t matter if they do a little dance to distract the defense on second base. Pete Crow-Armstrong is the exact type of player coaches should be recruiting to their programs considering that he plays on the highest level of professional baseball.
The post Illinois Baseball Coach Outraged By Pete Crow-Armstrong’s Shenanigans Should Try Winning Games appeared first on BroBible.
Illinois Baseball Coach Outraged By Pete Crow-Armstrong’s Shenanigans Should Try Winning Games
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