College Hot Sheet: 20 College Baseball Standouts From The Past Week (5/23/23)
Welcome to the College Hot Sheet! Like our pro hot sheets, the College Hot Sheet recognizes some of the top performers around the country in college baseball after each weekend of play. Carlos Collazo and Peter Flaherty contributed to the College Hot Sheet this week.
Related:
- College Top 25
- Top 2023 Draft Prospects
-
Top 2024 Draft Prospects
1. Tanner Hall, RHP, Southern Mississippi
Class: 2023
What He Did: 8 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 12 KHall was named the Sun Belt pitcher of the year for the second straight season after winning the award in 2022. He dominated conference play and finished the regular season with a stellar outing against Louisiana, where he notched a double-digit strikeout game for the fourth time this season. He finished the regular season with a career-best 2.45 ERA over 14 starts and 88 innings. While his strikeout-to-walk ratio wasn’t quite as spectacular as the 2022 season, he finished with a 28.1% strikeout rate and 8.4% walk rate. –CC
2. Sam Mongelli, SS, Sacred Heart
Class: 2023
What He Did: 9-for-18 (.500), 1 3B, 7 HR, 10 R, 9 RBIMongelli ended his regular season with a bang last week, crushing at least one home run and spraying multiple hits in all four games. Mongelli’s best performance was in Friday’s doubleheader as he went a combined 5-for-9 with a triple, four home runs and five RBIs. The senior this season has set new career highs in every statistical category and leads the Northeast Conference in hits (87), home runs (20), runs scored (75) and OPS (1.247). In addition to his 20 long balls, Mongelli is hitting .394 with 15 doubles, three triples and 50 RBIs in as many games played. -PF
3. Tommy Troy, 3B, Stanford
Class: 2023
What He Did: 9-for-11 (.727), 2 HR, 1 2B, 8 R, 6 RBITroy had a loud three-game series against Washington State and boosted his average over .400 on the season after three multi-hit games and his third four-hit game of the season in the Sunday finale. He also hit his 12th and 13th home runs of the year—extending his career-high mark—on Friday and is now four points clear of teammate Alberto Rios (.400) for the best average on the team at .404. –CC
4. Cannon Peebles, C, North Carolina State
Class: 2025
What He Did: 6-for-8 (.750), 2 2B, 2 HR, 6 R, 8 RBIPeebles made the most of last weekend’s series against Pittsburgh and was a perfect 6-for-6 until Sunday’s series finale. He went 4-for-4 and 2-for-2 on consecutive days and had a double, a home run and four RBIs in each game. Over the last five weeks Peebles has raised his average from .300 to .350 and has hit his way into becoming an everyday member of the Wolfpack lineup. Even though he is a true freshman, Peebles has been North Carolina State’s most productive hitter and leads the team in average (.350), home runs (12) and RBIs (47). -PF
5. Jac Caglianone, LHP/1B, Florida
Class: 2024
What He Did: 7 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 8 K | 3-for-9 (.333), 1 HR, 1 2B, 4 R, 3 RBICaglianone has been one of the best players in college baseball this spring thanks to his two-way exploits. While his nation-leading 28 home runs are the stat that jumps off the page, he makes the Hot Sheet this week mostly for his work on the mound. His seven-inning shutout against Kentucky was his best start of the season, and in this outing he sat 94 mph and touched 97-98 from the left side, while finishing all of his strikeouts with either the fastball or a low-80s changeup. He was named one of the 25 semifinalists for USA Baseball’s Golden Spikes Award. –CC
6. Chase Dollander, RHP, Tennessee
Class: 2023
What He Did: 5.1 IP, 2 H, 2 R, 0 BB, 13 KDollander finished the regular season with arguably his best outing of the year, holding South Carolina’s high-powered offense to two runs on two hits while notching a season-high 13 strikeouts. Dollander’s heater was by far his best pitch of the day, as he got 12 swings and misses with it and pitched in the 95-98 mph range for the entirety of his 82-pitch outing. Its shape was excellent with plenty of carry through the strike zone, and it flashed two-seam action at times, particularly against lefthanded hitters. Dollander was able to lower his ERA to 4.28 and up his strikeout total to 107, nearly matching his 2022 season total of 108. -PF
7. Braden Carmichael, LHP, Oklahoma
Class: 2023
What He Did: 9 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 KCarmichael’s final start at Mitchell Park was one to remember. He threw a complete game shutout and scattered just four hits while striking out five and was later named the Big 12 pitcher of the week for his efforts. The fifth-year senior filled up the zone and induced a lot of weak contact—as he has done for most of the 2023 season—and dominated with an 87-90 mph fastball, changeup and slider. –CC
8. Andrew Lindsey, RHP, Tennessee
Class: 2023
What He Did: 8.1 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 KLindsey helped Tennessee post its eighth shutout of the season last Friday with a career-best 8.1 innings against South Carolina. He struck out just five batters in the outing, but didn’t issue a walk or a run, and filled up the zone with a fastball/slider/curveball combination. He sat 92 and touched 97 with his fastball, but a mid-80s slider was his best swing-and-miss pitch in this outing. Lindsey was named the SEC pitcher of the week for his effort—the first of his career. –CC
9. Brody Brecht, RHP, Iowa
Class: 2024
What He Did: 6 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 9 KBrecht was excellent on Saturday in his start against Northwestern, throwing six shutout innings with nine strikeouts to one walk and one hit. The sophomore righthander showed his usual premium velocity, as his fastball averaged 97.3 mph on the day and topped out at 99. He paired his electric fastball with a hellacious slider that had plenty of two-plane break. The two offerings combined to generate 16 swings and misses on the day. Brecht finishes the regular season with a 3.72 ERA and 96 strikeouts in 65.1 innings pitched. -PF
10. Carson Fluno, RHP, UL Lafayette
Class: 2023
What He Did: 8 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 11 KFluno on Friday had a career day as he threw a career-high eight innings and tied his career high in strikeouts with 11. He generated a whopping 25 total swings and misses, with 13 coming against his changeup that had plenty of tumbling action and arm-side fade. Fluno also spun a couple of above-average sliders with some teeth as well as a low-90s fastball. In his last two starts Fluno has lowered his ERA from 5.03 to 3.83 and finishes the regular season with a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 54-to-17 in 47 innings pitched. -PF
11. Jake Bockenstedt, RHP, Southern Illinois
Class: 2023
What He Did: 8 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 4 BB, 8 KBockenstedt had a career day last Thursday against Lindenwood, when he threw eight shutout, no-hit innings. He was named the Ohio Valley Conference pitcher of the week for the fourth time this season and lowered his season ERA to 4.71. Bockenstedt and teammate Hayden Cooper, who pitched one inning in relief, combined for the 11th no-hitter in Southern Illinois history and the first since the program became a Division I club. –CC
12. Taylor Smith, DH, Texas-San Antonio
Class: 2023
What He Did: 9-for-20 (.450), 6 HR, 1 3B, 1 2B, 9 R, 10 RBISmith went ballistic offensively in the final week of the regular season. The fourth-year senior and designated hitter hit six home runs in four games and was named the Conference-USA hitter of the week. Those six home runs accounted for 35% of his total home runs on the season, pushing him to 17, and he is now hitting .317/.456/.646 and is second on the team with a 1.102 OPS. –CC
13. Peyton Holt, 2B, Arkansas
Class: 2023
What He Did: 7-for-11 (.636), 1 HR, 2 2B, 3 R, 6 RBIHolt has only played in 20 games for Arkansas this spring, but when he’s been in the bottom of Arkansas’ lineup, he’s been a pesky and productive hitter. Last weekend against Vanderbilt, Holt went 7-for-11 with his second home run of the season, and pushed his overall line to .390/.471/.627. If he qualified with plate appearances, he would lead the team in hitting and be tied for first in on-base percentage. This strong, abbreviated 2023 season in the SEC comes after a three-year career at Crowder (Mo.) JC where he mashed each year. –CC
14. Paul Skenes, RHP, Louisiana State
Class: 2023
What He Did: 7 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 12 KSkenes on Thursday finished off one of the best regular seasons of any college pitcher in recent memory, firing seven quality innings in which he allowed two runs and collected 12 strikeouts. Skenes flashed his usual premium velocity with his fastball averaging 97.9 mph and generating nine whiffs, while his sharp slider got seven swings and misses and showed off its plus-plus characteristics. Skenes finishes the regular season with a 10-1 record, a minuscule 1.77 ERA and an eye-popping strikeout-to-walk ratio of 164-to-15. The 6-foot-6 righthander has established himself as the best pitcher in the country and has all-star upside at the big league level. -PF
15. Gavin Turley, OF, Oregon State
Class: 2025
What He Did: 6-for-14 (.429), 4 HR, 7 R, 12 RBITurley was a tooled-up and high-profile prospect out of high school. He’s had a bit of a quiet freshman season for the Beavers, thanks in part to a 32.1% strikeout rate, but last weekend against Western Carolina he tallied a pair of multi-hit games including back-to-back two-homer games. That home run binge pushed him across the double-digit threshold for the season and helped Oregon State total six home runs on Friday. –CC
16. Billy Amick, 1B/DH, Clemson
Class: 2024
What He Did: 8-for-15 (.533), 1 HR, 1 2B, 4 R, 10 RBIAmick had a strong weekend that was headlined by a 4-for-5 Thursday game against North Carolina, where he hit his 11th home run of the season. Amick has been a steady presence in the Clemson lineup for 38 games and is hitting .426/.469/.780, with 11 home runs and 15 doubles. –CC
17. Derek Bender, C, Coastal Carolina
Class: 2024
What He Did: 10-for-17 (.588), 3 2B, 1 HR, 5 R, 5 RBIBender enjoyed his second straight productive week and has continued to establish himself as one of the top hitters in a Coastal lineup that is perhaps the most high-powered offense in the country. After going 4-for-5 with two doubles in the Chanticleers’ opening game of their series, he concluded it by going 3-for-4 and hit his 18th home run of the season. Bender has recorded at least one RBI in his last nine games played and is also currently on a 10-game hit streak. He is hitting .357 and his 78 RBIs rank seventh nationally. -PF
18. Jace LaViolette, 1B, Texas A&M
Class: 2025
What He Did: 5-for-10 (.500), 3 HR, 5 R, 7 RBILaViolette this weekend continued his hot hitting, recording multiple hits in two of his three games to propel Texas A&M to a key series win over Mississippi State. After a quiet Thursday night, LaViolette exploded on Friday, going 3-for-4 with three home runs and six RBIs. He finished the weekend with another 2-for-4 game to polish off what was an impressive rookie campaign. As the Aggies enter postseason play, LaViolette is hitting .306 with 10 doubles, 18 home runs and 57 RBIs across 54 games played. His average was a modest .245 as of April 6, but it has since skyrocketed over 60 points. -PF
19. Joe Vetrano, 1B, Boston College
Class: 2023
What He Did: 6-for-13 (.462), 1 2B, 3 HR, 3 R, 9 RBIVetrano has quietly been one of the best hitters in the ACC over the last month, and last week he collected two hits in each of his three games. The hulking first baseman accounted for nine of Boston College’s 14 RBIs on the weekend and belted three home runs, including two on Saturday at Fenway Park. The first was a 407-foot, 116 mph laser to dead center field, and the second traveled 400 feet out to right field with an exit velocity of 110 mph. Vetrano has recorded a hit in 13 of his last 14 games and concludes the regular season with a .306 average, 10 doubles, 18 home runs and 51 RBIs in 50 games. -PF
20. Jeron Williams, SS, Toledo
Class: 2023
What He Did: 7-for-19 (.368), 1 3B, 4 HR, 5 R, 6 RBIWilliams recorded a hit in each of his four games played last week, but most notably went 4-for-6 with a triple, three home runs and five RBIs in the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader. Williams has been one of, if not the best player in the Mid-American Conference this spring and heads into the conference tournament sporting a .403 average to go along with 16 doubles, 14 home runs and 49 stolen bases, which rank first nationally. -PF
Comments are closed.