• Stephen F. Austin State shortstop Hunter Dozier went 7-for-13 this weekend against Nicholls State, with a double and a home run. Dozier is a physical specimen at 6-foot-4 and 210 pounds. On the season, he is now hitting .402/.495/.683 with 11 doubles and four home runs.

• Samford outfielder Phillip Ervin continues to stay hot at the plate on weekends. This weekend, he went 6-for-12 with a double, a home run, and three stolen bases against Furman. On the season, the probable first rounder is now hitting .391/.522/.759 with six doubles and eight home runs. His teammate also had an outstanding weekend. Righthander C.K. Irby threw his second complete game of the season. He gave up one run on three hits with no walks and 16 strikeouts, to improve to 4-2, 3.89 with 46 strikeouts and 11 walks over 39 innings. He also went 8-for-13 on the weekend with a triple and a home run, and is right there at the top of the Bulldogs’ statistical leaders with his .398/.453/.677 line. Samford swept Furman this weekend and outscored them 34-11.

• Kansas State outfielder Jared King went 5-for-10 with two doubles, a home run, and a stolen base this weekend, helping the Wildcats sweep Bethune-Cookman. In the process, King boosted his season line to .316/.393/.487 with five doubles and two home runs.

• Louisiana State second baseman JaCoby Jones continues to struggle. He went 0-for-10 at the plate this weekend against Auburn, dropping his season line to .215/.385/.329. I spoke to a scout about him recently who said, “That guy’s just a head scratcher. You go in and see him in BP and he’s bangin’ ‘em out of there like it’s nothing. Then in the game, he’s struggling to make contact. I don’t know if it’s in his head and he’s trying to press too much, or what it is . . . His pitch recognition is below average. Breaking balls really tie him up. There’s just nothing consistent there.”

• Oregon State senior lefthander Matt Boyd threw a complete-game shutout against Arizona State. He gave up just one hit while walking three and striking out 11. He is now 5-0, 1.26 on the season with 42 strikeouts and nine walks over 43 innings. After the game, Oregon State tweeted that Boyd has a 1.19 career ERA in 75 innings at Goss Stadium.

• Long Island-Brooklyn righthander Justin Topa threw eight shutout innings against Lehigh for his second win on the season. Topa walked one and struck out 10. It was a much-needed start for Topa, who has struggled this season. On the year, he is now 2-3, 5.16 with 33 strikeouts and 12 walks over 30 innings.

• Righthanders Mark Appel (Stanford), Jonathan Gray (Oklahoma) and Chris Anderson (Jacksonville) continued to dominate, with each racking up double-digit strikeouts yet again. All three pitchers will likely be selected in the top half of the first round this June.

Here are all of the weekend stats for the nation's top draft-eligible college players, listed alphabetically by last name. The stats were collected by CollegeSplits.com. Follow CollegeSplits on Twitter @collegesplits.
[...] Continue Reading »

CATAWBA, N.C. — Jim Carrey was just rubbing it in.

Righthander Hunter Harvey from Bandys High in Catawba, N.C., went 6 2/3 innings last night against South Iredell High (Statesville, N.C.), while giving up one run on two hits. He walked one and struck out 11.

After each one of the strikeouts, a clip of Jim Carrey yelling, “Smokin’!” from “The Mask” played over the sound system.

Harvey sat in the 90-92 mph range with his fastball and touched 93 several times, even as late as the sixth inning. His fastball had good boring action and he overmatched the South Iredell lineup. Harvey didn’t allow good contact all night. Nine of the 20 outs he recorded came on batted balls—seven groundballs and two weak fly balls to right field.

He took a no-hitter into the final inning, but gave up a one-out single on a weak groundball up the middle. He started laboring at around 90 pitches and gave up a walk, hit a batter and then another single with two outs, finally exiting the game with the bases loaded at 105 pitches.

Of those 105 pitches, 70 were fastballs, 31 were curveballs, mostly in the 74-76 mph range, and he threw four changeups between 80-83 mph.
[...] Continue Reading »

Righthander Andrew Church is taking the road less traveled this spring. Church transferred to Basic High in Henderson, Nev., after spending the past two years at Palo Verde High in Las Vegas. Church has been at the school all year, but was ruled ineligible about a week before the season started.

“What I heard from the school is that I’d be 100 percent eligible if I moved down there,” Church said. “So I moved down and now the athletic board ruled me ineligible. We’re going through an appeal process now.”

Church moved into Basic’s school district by himself. He is already 18 years old and got an apartment within the school’s boundaries, about 45 minutes away from the rest of his family.

“It’s not that hard,” Church said. “I feel I’m mature enough to handle it. It’s pretty cool. I had to learn quickly how to live, though.”

The board Church referenced is the Nevada Interscholastic Activities Association.

Even without a high school team to pitch for, Church is staying busy. He is still able to throw bullpen sessions for scouts and will head to Maryvale, Ariz., this weekend to pitch against Milwaukee Brewers minor leaguers as a member of the Langley Blaze, a travel team typically comprised of players from British Columbia.
[...] Continue Reading »

Chandler Eden is a righthander at Yuba City (Calif.) High, the same school that produced Astros catching prospect Max Stassi. With his lean, 6-foot-1, 165-pound frame, Eden checked in at No. 99 on Baseball America's list of the Top 100 high school prospects last fall. I caught up with Chandler on the phone, after his game on March 21. Read or listen to the interview below to learn about how Oregon State discovered him, how hard he's throwing this spring, and who he picked to go to the Final Four this year. . .

Click here to listen to the .mp3 interview with Chandler Eden

You guys played today, how did it go?

We played a game. I pitched six innings and I think I had about eight 'Ks,' but we had some defensive errors and we ended up losing, 4-1. But it was one of the best, top-ranked teams in Sacramento. They were a pretty good-hitting team. It went pretty good though, other than that.

How’s the season going for you, overall?

The season so far, I’m 0-1. I started three games. The first two I gave up no runs through five innings, but our bullpen didn’t get it done in the first two. And then, this game that we played today, I gave up four runs. We’re doing all right though, so far. It’s been a little rough, but once league starts we’ll be fine.

I looked up your school on Google Maps and it looks like you guys have three baseball fields there?

Yeah, we have three fields. We have freshman, J.V. and varsity.

You guys are scheduled to play in the Boras Baseball Classic. Are you looking forward to that?

Yeah, the Boras Classic, I’m really looking forward to it because it’s the best teams in Northern California, pretty much. We get to compete with all of them and I think we’ll be doing pretty good in that tournament. We’ve got Del Oro to start with and if we win that, we’ll play against the No. 1 team in the Sacramento area, Elk Grove. So, I’m pretty excited about that.

Do you know which game you’re going to pitch?

As of right now, I don’t know if I will actually be pitching in that because I threw today. I threw like 88 pitches today. If I throw in that tournament, it will be late in the tournament, depending on how we do.

So there’s no chance you’ll pitch against Elk Grove?

No, I won’t be pitching against Elk Grove. Maybe, I might be able to close out an inning or so, but I won’t be able to pitch against them.
[...] Continue Reading »

Going through my notes file of all the 2013 high school players I’ve seen over the past several months, here are six players who didn’t make Baseball America’s Top 100 list, or the list of 50 players who just missed, but who are still guys that I really liked when I saw them. Some will be drafted out of high school, others may have to go prove themselves in college, but these are all guys who drew my attention for one reason or another . . .

Derek Rustich, 3b/1b, Grossmont HS, El Cajon, Calif.
I didn't see Rustich this summer, but I liked him when I saw him as a rising junior. He has good size at 6-foot-5 and 225 pounds, has strength in his lefthanded swing and already shows some feel for driving the ball the other way. Rustich is committed to Texas Tech and apparently he's also pretty good at basketball trick shots.

Austin Sexton, rhp, Sparkman HS, Harvest, Ala.
Sexton has a lean, projectable build at 6-foot-2 and 165 pounds. His fastball sat in the 87-89 mph range this summer, but there's room for more there as he continues to get stronger and fill out. He showed a clean, athletic delivery, a quick arm and good control and feel for his pitches. In addition to his fastball, he mixed in a slider and a changeup that both hovered around 80 mph. Sexton is committed to Mississippi State. Update: Sexton tore the ACL in his left knee playing basketball this winter and likely won't pitch this spring.
[...] Continue Reading »

Subscribers can read a feature about Virginia Tech third baseman Chad Pinder here. Pinder is off to a hot start for the Hokies, hitting .398/.505/.530 with five doubles and two home runs over the team's first 22 games. Here he is taking batting practice at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park on March 16 before a game against Duke . . .

Video shot by Alyson Boyer Rode

Going through my notes file of all the 2013 high school players I’ve seen over the past several months, here are six players, listed alphabetically, who didn’t make Baseball America’s High School Top 100 ($) list, or the list of 50 players who just missed ($), but who are still guys that I really liked when I saw them. Some will be drafted out of high school, others may have to go prove themselves in college, but these are all guys who drew my attention for one reason or another.

Alec Grosser, rhp, Williams HS, Alexandria, Va.
Grosser has a athletic, projectable frame at 6-foot-4 and 190 pounds. He has long arms with a whippy, deceptive, three-quarter arm action. His fastball sits in the 89-91 mph range with good sinking life and he touched 93 mph at the Perfect Game National Showcase last summer. He got under his 74-76 mph slider there, but his build and present velocity are certainly interesting. Grosser is committed to George Mason.

Bryce Harman, lhp/1b, Byrd HS, Chesterfield, Va.
Harman draws looks with his professional build at 6-foot-6 and 205 pounds. He has extremely strong hands and power potential as a lefthanded hitter. He hits from an upright, open stance and shows simple swing mechanics, but will need to keep his head more balanced in his load for better pitch recognition. He also is intriguing as a lefthanded pitcher, where he sits in the 87-89 mph range with a mid-70s curveball. Harman is committed to East Carolina.
[...] Continue Reading »

• San Diego third baseman Kris Bryant is red hot.

• The matchup between Indiana State lefthander Sean Manaea and Minnesota lefthander Tom Windle did not disappoint.

• Virginia Tech outfielder Tyler Horan helped the Hokies sweep Duke this weekend by going 7-for-15 with a double, two triples and a home run. On the season, he is now hitting .329/.402/.553 on the season.

• Senior outfielder Brandon Thomas helped Georgia Tech sweep Boston College by going 8-for-14 with a double, a triple, a home run and a stolen base on the weekend. After not signing with the Pirates as a fourth-round pick in 2012, Thomas is now hitting a robust .479/.557/.658 on the season.

• Oklahoma righthander Jonathan Gray continues to roll, pitching a complete game shutout with five hits, no walks and 12 strikeouts against Northwestern State. On the year, Gray is now 4-1, 1.51 with 39 strikeouts and eight walks over 36 innings.

• Oklahoma State righthander Jason Hursh pitched a complete game shutout of his own against Iona, scattering four hits with no walks and 10 strikeouts. Hursh improved to 2-0, 1.50 on the season with 28 strikeouts and five walks over 36 innings.

Here are all of the weekend stats for the nation's top draft-eligible college players, listed alphabetically by last name. The stats were collected by CollegeSplits.com. Follow CollegeSplits on Twitter @collegesplits.

[...] Continue Reading »

Going through my notes file of all the 2013 high school players I’ve seen over the past several months, here are six players, listed alphabetically, who didn’t make Baseball America’s High School Top 100 ($) list, or the list of 50 players who just missed ($), but who are still guys that I really liked when I saw them. Some will be drafted out of high school, others may have to go prove themselves in college, but these are all guys who drew my attention for one reason or another.

Malik Collymore, ss, Port Credit SS, Mississauga, Ont.
Collymore has a tightly-wound, compact build at 6 feet and 190 pounds. He is a tick above average as a runner, shows nice infield actions and average arm strength, giving him a chance to stay at shortstop. Otherwise, he'll make a fine defensive second baseman. He has interesting bat speed and some sneaky power for his size. Collymore is committed to North Carolina State.

Tanner Draper, rhp, Riverton (Utah) HS
Draper has an athletic frame at 6-foot-3 and 190 pounds. His fastball has heavy life in the 87-89 mph range, but he drops into the mid-80s after a couple innings. He throws a tight curveball in the mid-to-upper 70s and an occasional changeup. Draper will need to do a better job commanding his pitches and is committed to Oregon State.
[...] Continue Reading »

I’m throwing a little changeup for this week’s Draft Q&A. The subject for this week’s interview was at most of the major high school showcases this summer, but he’s not a player. This week, I spoke to 24-year-old autograph collector Jeff Sullivan from Belchertown, Mass.  Sullivan’s collection focuses on draft prospects and he details his scores on Twitter.

Listen to the .mp3 Q&A with Jeff Sullivan here

Obviously you’re a big baseball fan. When did you first get into baseball and what was it that kind of drew you into the game?

I’ve been a diehard baseball fan my whole life, but the first time I got into the high school stuff was the 2005 Aflac game, watching Justin Upton and Cameron Maybin and all that. After that, that’s pretty much when I got hooked. My dad and I went down to the ’06 game in Aberdeen, Maryland, and we saw Mat Latos start against Jordan Walden. After that, I’ve been to all the big event in the summer, I try to get to.

Did you first get into major league baseball?

Yeah, major leagues first. Actually my first book I ever read—no lie, I didn’t read in high school or anything—was Baseball America’s 2003 Prospect Handbook. I think it was Mark Teixeira on the cover of that one, and ever since then that’s the book I’ve read, and that’s what really got me into amateur stuff.

You’re a Red Sox fan, right?

Yep, diehard.

So, did you grow up going to any major league games or minor league games or even Cape Cod League games?

I probably went to 30 Red Sox game a year with my dad. We used to skip school when I was really young. Back when, there wasn’t as big of a following then. After they won the World Series, it all changed kind of. But I would go get autographs there. We would leave around 7 o’ clock and get there around 8 (a.m.) for a 1 o’ clock game and get autographs there when they were coming into the parking lot and all that.

So, collecting autographs—was that something your dad was interested in, as well?

Not really, just more for the experience for me. He got me into it when I was like 5 or 6 and I probably have, now, 25 or 30,000 autographs, easy.
[...] Continue Reading »

We have a game recap on the High School Blog and will have more on the outstanding matchup between Clint Frazier's Loganville High and Austin Meadows' Grayson High later this week. To whet your appetite, here is footage of Frazier's first home run on the evening—an epic, three-run blast to put Loganville up 6-3, on their way to winning 14-4. This home run came on the first pitch he saw and was absolutely destroyed. It was filmed with a GoPro camera by Alyson Boyer Rode.

Going through my notes file of all the 2013 high school players I’ve seen over the past several months, here are six players, listed alphabetically, who didn’t make Baseball America’s High School Top 100 ($) list, or the list of 50 players who just missed ($), but who are still guys that I really liked when I saw them. Some will be drafted out of high school, others may have to go prove themselves in college, but these are all guys who drew my attention for one reason or another.

Angel Alicea-Nieves, 3b/rhp, Montverde (Fla.) Academy
Alicea-Nieves is an intriguing two-way player from the same small high school that produced Indians' 2011 first-round shortstop Francisco Lindor. A Puerto Rican, like Lindor, Alicea-Nieves stands 6 feet and 175 pounds. He's a solid-average runner with an above-average arm. He shows solid defensive actions at third base and a nice, fluid righthanded swing. On the mound, he sits in the 88-89 mph range and touches 90 with well below-average secondary stuff. He is committed to Wabash Valley (Ill.) JC.

Shaun Anderson, rhp, American Heritage HS, Plantation, Fla.
I got my first look at Anderson at USA Baseball's inaugural National High School Invitational and then saw him a couple more times on the summer showcase circuit. He has a solid, 6-foot-3, 235-pound build that is pretty well maxed out. His fastball sits in the 88-91 mph range and he mixes in a 77-79 mph slider and a 78-81 mph changeup. He shows a good delivery for his size and projects as a workhorse mid-rotation type in pro ball. He has a quick arm and the slider shows good potential at times. Anderson is committed to Florida.
[...] Continue Reading »

Florida Gulf Coast finished 2012 with a 26-31 record, but the team is off to a 13-3 start this year and ranked No. 25 in the nation, thanks in large part to the team's pitching staff.

"This has been a great group to be around so far," FGCU pitching coach Forrest Martin said. "And we feel like it's a group that could do some pretty special things."

The Eagles currently have a 1.79 team ERA, one of the best in the country.

Of the team's 11 pitchers, seven are juniors or seniors who battled through a tough 2012 season, during which four of the team's weekend series—and two more midweek series—were against teams who went on to play in NCAA regionals.

"We had a really young team last year and they kind of got thrown into the fire," Martin said. "We played an incredibly tough schedule last season and I just think it's a level of trust. You'll hear just about every pitching coach tell pitchers to trust their stuff, and I think just going through it last year and just realizing what they're capable of doing (helped). And as we started playing better at the end of last season, I feel like it just carried over into this year. We have a great group of guys on both sides of the ball."

Martin knows he has a talented staff but believes the new BBCOR bats have helped their development, as well.

"I really think that the new bats have done a lot to help the pitching game, just in terms of being able to bring the fastball back into the game, so to speak," Martin said. "You watch games these days and they play much more like a major league game. Through my playing career and in college and in the last five or six years, it had gotten to where college baseball was a breaking ball game. You had to pitch to miss bats, and now you can really have pitchers put a premium on being able to locate fastballs and movement is something that really plays. It's finally gotten to the point where you just have to miss sweet spots, you don't have to miss entire barrels and I think it's going to dramatically help with the development of pitchers for the next level . . . (more so) than five or six years ago with those rolled composite bats that had 170-pound guys front-footing balls out of the park."
[...] Continue Reading »

• Righthander Mark Appel continued to dominate, even though Stanford came up short.

• Minnesota lefthander Tom Windle threw a no-hitter in the Metrodome against Western Illinois.

• Vanderbilt lefthander Kevin Ziomek continues to rack up the strikeouts. He gave up one run on two hits against Oregon with one walk and 13 strikeouts. Ziomek is tied with North Carolina State sophomore lefthander Carlos Rodon for the most strikeouts in the country (46).

• Central Florida righthander Ben Lively took a tough loss on Friday night. Over eight innings, he gave up one run (unearned) on four hits and a walk, while tying a career best with 11 strikeouts. His Knights couldn't score for him though because opposing him on the mound was Jacksonville righthander Chris Anderson, who pitched eight strong innings of his own, allowing no runs on four hits with one walk and 10 strikeouts.

• North Carolina lefthander Kent Emanuel went the distance in a shutout against Wake Forest, scattering five hits and three walks while striking out seven. It was already Emanuel's second complete game of the season and he is now 3-0, 0.56 with 25 strikeouts and six walks over 32 innings. He's given up 21 hits on the year and only three have gone for extra-bases—two doubles and a triple.

• New Mexico third baseman D.J. Peterson went off in a four-game series against UC Riverside this weekend, going 11-for-15 with two doubles, a triple and four home runs. Even with the boffo performance, Peterson only drove in six runs and the Lobos splits the series. On the year, he is now hitting a ridiculous .500/.597/1.138 with seven doubles, three triples and eight home runs over 58 at-bats and six of his 12 walks on the season came this weekend.

• Georgia Tech outfielder Brandon Thomas went 7-for-12 this weekend against Virginia Tech with three doubles. Thomas is one of the top seniors this year and is now hitting .458/.548/.576 on the season with seven doubles.

• Mississippi State outfielder Hunter Renfroe went 6-for-12 this weekend against Central Arkansas with a double, a triple and a home run. He's currently playing with a small fracture in his right hand. Renfroe is now hitting .420/.448/.800 on the year with three doubles, two triples and four home runs.

Here are all of the weekend stats for the nation's top draft-eligible college players, listed alphabetically by last name. The stats were collected by CollegeSplits.com. Follow CollegeSplits on Twitter @collegesplits.

[...] Continue Reading »

Stanford righthander Mark Appel continues to dominate during his senior season for the Cardinal.

Stanford lost in an upset tonight at home against Nevada Las Vegas, 3-2, but Appel continued to be electric. He pitched seven innings, allowing three runs (one earned) on four hits with one walk and 15 strikeouts—a new career high.

"He's been real consistent," Stanford pitching coach Rusty Filter said. "Rice was not his best outing, but the last three have been real consistent. He's been pretty special the last couple years going on Friday, giving us a chance to win and he did the same thing tonight, we just didn't pull it out. He's been pretty good the past three weeks."
[...] Continue Reading »

Errol Robinson is a shortstop at St. John's College High in Washington, D.C. He ranked No. 92 on Baseball America's preseason high school Top 100 list and I was able to speak to him over the phone on March 6. Read or listen to the interview below to learn about the new amenities at his high school, his baseball-playing relative and the player he models his game after . . .

Listen to the Errol Robinson Q&A MP3

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I have to say, you're the first person to volunteer yourself for a Q&A, but I had you on the list of guys I wanted to talk to anyway, so it worked out nicely.

Oh yeah, definitely. I'm very excited.

You guys had some snow today and no school, right?

Yeah, we sure did. I think actually Mother Nature was giving us a little bit of a break before we really get into the season here. It'll be nice to get that warm weather coming now.

Were you able to get out and go sledding or do anything fun like that?

I kind of took this day as more of a relaxing time with my family.

Aside from the nasty weather up there recently, how's the season going so far for you?

It's going well for me personally and also as a team. I know we have our goal in mind and I think we're really ready to get underway and show everybody what we can accomplish this year.

Tell me a little bit about your team and your teammates.

We have a young group of guys now and I believe we can go to the next level with this team. We're taking a trip down to Florida for our spring break trip and we're going to see a lot of good teams down there, a lot of good arms. But this team is definitely ready to compete and it's great to see the young guys come up and compete and fight for those spots. We had a whole bunch of seniors leave us. Last year we had a lot of senior guys in the starting rotation and it's really nice to see the young kids come up and really work hard to really earn those spots.

Sure. What would you say your role is on the team?

Right now, it's really . . . I'm a leader on the field and I try to be a leader off the field. I was voted by my teammates captain, so it's just to keep the guys energized, keep a lot of energy on the field, in the dugout and really just set a model for the younger guys because we do have a lot of younger guys on the team, so I try to just display what it's going to be like and help the younger guys get through it because I know I definitely had my struggles being young last year and playing with a lot of older guys. Since I've been through some of the stuff some of the younger guys could be looking forward to in the future, I'm just advising them that way.
[...] Continue Reading »

UPDATED: Friday, March 8

The baseball industry knew in the fall that Drew Ward would try, and rumors circulated a month ago that he had gone and done it. But now his father has confirmed that the Oklahoma high school shortstop, previously a member of the Class of 2014, is reclassifying as a member of the Class of 2013, which would make him eligible for the draft come June. The family received instructions from Major League Baseball detailing what he needs to do in order to enter the 2013 draft, according to his father Gregg Ward.

"We got an e-mail that had four different things he had to go by to be eligible," Ward's father Gregg said. "He classifies in each one of them, so all he has to do is graduate. His age was on his side because he just turned 18 and when he graduates he won't have any eligibility left."

Graduation for Leedey is on May 17. Leedey is a tiny town of less than 500 people in western Oklahoma and the high school's student body doesn't crack triple digits. When Ward was a freshman, there were 12 kids in his class—eight boys and four girls.

Ward made another move for his baseball future a few weeks ago by verbally committing to Oklahoma. "We can't sign the letter until April 1 because he's coming out early," Gregg Ward said.

[...] Continue Reading »

Quitting would have been the easy thing to do.

Few would have blamed righthander Sean Furney if he had given up on baseball when he didn't make Rhode Island's team as a freshman. He wasn't a highly-touted prospect out of Pilgrim High in Warwick, R.I., and people would have understood if he wanted to just focus on school, earn his communications degree and move on. But Furney couldn't give up on his dream.

"Freshman year, I came in and I was little nervous I guess you could say in the fall, coming to a Division I program," he said. "I really hadn't been out of Rhode Island to play baseball that much. And I kind of got a little nervous and pressured out there, I guess you could say, and I tried to do too much. I was going to redshirt, but I knew I needed progress and needed to make myself better, so I decided to leave and go to CC Rhode Island."

"He wasn't ready—physically, mentally, he was not ready," Rhode Island head coach Jim Foster said. "And he didn't make the team. It's that simple. I said, 'Sean, go do what you've got to do and I want you back, but you're not ready to help the team right now and you've got to grow up and get your stuff together.' He did it, to his credit. A lot of kids would have quit. That's why I love him so much. He's even keeled, he knows when he messes up, he owns up to it and just tries to get better. He's a really good kid and I'm proud of how far he's come."
[...] Continue Reading »

• Stanford righthander Mark Appel continues to dominate as a senior. On Friday night, he threw a complete game shutout against Texas, scattering three hits while allowing only one walk and striking out 14, which matches a career high and he's now 2-1, 1.17 with 28 strikeouts and five walks over 23 innings.

• Jacksonville righthander Chris Anderson allowed three runs (one earned) on seven hits with one walk and 13 strikeouts against Texas Christian for the win. Anderson—whose fastball has been up to 97 mph this year—is now 1-1, 1.17 over his first three starts.

• Vanderbilt lefthander Kevin Ziomek carved against Illinois Chicago, giving up just one hit in his complete-game shutout performance. Ziomek walked three but struck out 15. The dominant performance was Ziomek's first career complete game and the 15 strikeouts are a personal best. Vanderbilt had footage of the outing on its YouTube page . . .

• Michigan outfielder Michael O'Neill was a spark plug at the Snowbird Invitational in Port Charlotte, Fla., helping the Wolverines to a 3-1 record on the weekend. O'Neill went 9-for-19 at the tournament with two doubles and five stolen bases.

• San Diego third baseman Kris Bryant powered the Toreros to three wins at the UNC-Wilmington tournament this weekend. Bryant went 6-for-12 against Gardner-Webb, UNC-Wilmington and Stony Brook with two doubles, two home runs and a stolen base. On the season, he is now hitting .333/.509/.692 with five doubles and three home runs. He has 13 walks and 10 strikeouts over 39 at-bats.

• Samford outfielder Phillip Ervin, who has one of this year's best Twitter handles (@Mr_MagicErvin), went 4-for-10 with a double, two home runs and a stolen base against Purdue. Ervin is proving that his Cape Cod League power outburst was no fluke, as he's now hitting .340/.446/.809 with six home runs over the team's first 12 games.

Here are all of the weekend stats for the nation's top draft-eligible college players, listed alphabetically by last name. The stats were collected by CollegeSplits.com. Follow CollegeSplits on Twitter @collegesplits.

[...] Continue Reading »

The 2013 draft class is loaded with catchers and Chris Okey from Eustis (Fla.) High is one of the best. Read or listen to the interview below to learn about his experiences with USA Baseball, the nastiest pitcher he ever caught and his father's days as a pro wrestler . . .

Click here to download the .mp3 interview with Chris Okey

You guys are already playing now. How's the season going so far for you?

Oh, it's been going fantastic. We're out there having a good time. I'm enjoying my last year with my teammates, the kids I've grown up playing with. It's just awesome and we're all having a good time. We're winning ballgames and we'll lose a few, but you know, it's something we always work hard and try to fix every time we play.

In about a month here, you'll be coming up to North Carolina. Baseball America is based in Durham, North Carolina, and you're coming up for the USA Baseball National High School Invitational. How excited are you for that?

Oh, beyond words. Every year we've been trying to get into a bigger tournament like this because we feel we have the talent and the chemistry to go up there against some bigger teams with some great talent, like the ones we'll be facing. We're excited to go up there and show 'em what we have. Win, lose or draw, we'll have fun and play hard. We're looking forward to the experience.

I know what to expect out of you since I saw you play a lot this summer. But tell me a little bit about what I should expect to see from your team and your teammates?

You should expect to see a lot of kids who know each other with awesome chemistry. You're going to see a lot of dirty jerseys out there because all we do is try to see, when we leave the field, who has the dirtiest uniform. We like making plays for the guys next to us. We're going to make the plays and we're never going to give up, even if we're winning 12-nothing or losing 12-nothing. We're going to stay out there at the same pace of the game and keep playing hard until the final out. If we're up by then, then good job for us for the next game, and if we're down, we'll go out and get 'em the next game.
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