College Hot Sheet: 20 College Baseball Standouts From The Past Week (5/9/23)

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. Brad Camarda, RHP Hofstra
Class: 2023
What He Did: 9 IP, 0 H, 1 R (0 ER), 2 BB, 8 K

Camarda has been with the Hofstra baseball program since 2018, so perhaps it’s fitting that someone of his tenure recorded the program’s third-ever no-hitter. He struck out a season-best eight batters in nine innings of work on Friday against Monmouth and got nine misses on his fastball and five on his changeup. –CC

2. Keegan O’Connor, C, Quinnipiac
Class: 2023
What He Did: 12-for-23 (.521), 4 HR, 3 2B, 10 R, 10 RBI

O’Connor had multi-hit performances in four of his five games played last week, including three games with three or more. The junior backstop homered in four consecutive games, upping his season total to 11. Most notably, he went 4-for-6 with a home run and four RBIs in Quinnipiac’s series-opening win over Hartford and went 6-for-9 with three doubles and two home runs in a Saturday doubleheader. O’Connor raised his average from .276 to .307 to go along with 10 doubles, 11 home runs and 42 RBIs in 44 games. -PF

3. Brant Alazaus, LHP, Xavier
Class: 2023
What He Did: 9 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 10 K

Alazaus threw the second complete game of the season for Xavier and the third of his career with the Musketeers on Friday, when he punched out 10 Creighton batters over nine shutout innings. It was the first shutout effort of any length for Alazaus on the season, and he lowered his ERA from 4.74 to 4.14 in the process. -CC

4. Luke Mann, 3B, Missouri
Class: 2023 
What He Did: 9-for-15 (.600), 5 HR, 3 2B, 7 R, 12 RBI

Mann was named co-player of the week in the SEC after tallying nine hits and homering five times in just four games. He hit three doubles and a home run in a midweek matchup against Kansas and then homered in each game of a three-game set with Mississippi during the weekend. With those five home runs, Mann matched his 2022 total of 17 for the season, and is now hitting .326/.445/.680. –CC

5. Will Hesslink, LHP, Manhattan
Class: 2023
What He Did: 9 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 10 K

The sixth-year senior on Friday spun the best outing of his lengthy college career, throwing a complete game shutout in which he struck out 10, walked one and gave up just three singles. Hesslink generated 18 swings and misses on the day, with 11 coming against his sweeping slider. He commanded the ball particularly well on his arm side and had the Mount St. Mary’s lineup baffled all afternoon. Hesslink shaved nearly a full run off his ERA, lowering it from 7.35 to 6.39. Although his ERA is rather high, Hesslink has struck out 85 hitters across his 69 innings of work. -PF

6. Paul Skenes, RHP LSU
Class: 2023 
What He Did: 7.1 IP, 6 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 15 K

Seemingly the only thing that can prevent Skenes from throwing 6-7 innings with double-digit strikeouts is the weather. He threw only three innings against South Carolina in early April because of a lightning delay, but otherwise has gone six or more innings each time out. That includes his latest start against Auburn, when he struck out a season-high 15 batters over 7.1 innings and was named the SEC pitcher of the week. He leads the country with 139 strikeouts—32 more than the No. 2 player on the list, Stanford’s Quinn Mathews, with 107. –CC

7. Xander Hamilton, RHP, Appalachian State
Class: 2023
What He Did: 8 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 6 BB, 15 K

Hamilton set a program record with 15 strikeouts against Coastal Carolina on Friday—he also helped it to its first win over a ranked opponent since the 2020 season. Hamilton dominated batters with his fastball/slider combination, racking up 10 whiffs with his 92-94 mph heater and an absurd 16 with a low-80s slider that he did a nice job keeping down in the zone. He’s now tied for 11th in the country with 94 strikeouts on the season. –CC

8. Stephen Reid, OF, Georgia Tech
Class: 2023
What He Did: 9-for-14 (.643), 4 HR, 1 2B, 7 R, 10 RBI

Reid continued his strong 2023 campaign, collecting nine hits across three games. He got his weekend started with a bang, going 4-for-5 with a double and a home run. While typically a performance like that is tough to top, Reid turned in another 4-for-5 effort on Sunday in which he hit three home runs and had six RBIs. He is a physical player who is able to drive the ball with authority to all fields and is now hitting .360 with 11 doubles and 13 home runs. -PF

9. Jacob Rutherford, RHP, Gonzaga
Class: 2023 
What He Did: 9 IP, 7 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 10 K

Rutherford on Sunday twirled the first complete game shutout of his career, collecting 10 strikeouts in the process. Prior to the 2023 season Rutherford had not logged a single start, but his transition to the rotation has been a smooth one. He has proven himself as an arm who can pitch deep into games, throwing at least six innings in seven of his nine starts. Rutherford’s calling card is a tumbling changeup that flashes above-average and is a pitch that he is comfortable throwing to both righthanded and lefthanded hitters. This season he has pitched his way to a 4.10 ERA with 63 strikeouts to 25 walks in 68 innings. -PF

10. Dominic Pitelli, SS Miami
Class: 2023
What He Did: 7-for-12 (.583), 3 HR, 1 2B, 4 R, 10 RBI

Pitelli entered the spring known mostly for his defensive work at shortstop, but he’s managing his best offensive season of his career. That continued last weekend against Presbyterian, when he started the weekend with a 5-for-5 day that featured three home runs and nine RBIs. It was his first-ever multi-home run game, his first 5-for-5 game and the first time a Hurricane batter had nine RBIs in a single game since David Thompson in 2015. On the season, Pitelli is hitting .304/.395/.538 with nine home runs—all career-best numbers. –CC

11. Calvin Harris, C, Mississippi
Class: 2023
What He Did: 8-for-17 (.471), 5 HR, 1 3B, 9 R, 13 RBI

Harris makes this week’s College Hot Sheet thanks to his record-setting performance on Sunday afternoon. Harris went 4-for-6 with 10 RBIs and became the first player in Ole Miss history to hit four home runs in a single game. The junior catcher has a physical build with strong forearms, and at the plate he has a quiet load and a minimal stride, and his barrel explodes through the hitting zone. While his swing path is fairly horizontal, he extends exceptionally well through the baseball. This season he is hitting .342 with 14 doubles, 12 home runs and 45 RBIs in 48 games. -PF

12. Drake Westcott, 1B, Illinois
Class: 2023
What He Did: 9-for-20 (.450), 5 HR, 8 R, 11 RBI

Westcott had an excellent week and was one of the key reasons as to why the Fighting Illini were able to notch a key series sweep of Michigan State. After going 2-for-5 in Friday’s game, Westcott exploded on Saturday and Sunday, going 4-for-5 and 2-for-5, respectively. He crushed three home runs on Saturday and two on Sunday, giving him five on the week and 17 on the season. Westcott has been Illinois’ most productive hitter this season to the tune of a .297 average with a team-leading 17 home runs and 45 RBIs. -PF

13. Tremayne Cobb Jr., SS, Troy
Class: 2023 
What He Did: 11-for-16 (.688), 2 HR, 1 2B, 7 R, 11 RBI

Coming into this week, Cobb Jr. was hitting a modest .254 with just two doubles and five home runs. However, thanks to three multi-hit games, including a 5-for-6 effort on Saturday with two home runs and eight RBIs, the Hartford transfer saw his average skyrocket to .303. Cobb Jr. now has 34 RBIs in 40 games to go along with 11 extra-base hits, and he’s stolen 13 bases. -PF

14. Shane Lewis, OF, Troy
Class: 2023
What He Did: 6-for-15 (.400), 5 HR, 10 R, 6 RBI

Not to be outdone by his teammate, Lewis had a strong week of his own. Lewis hit two home runs in each of his first two games last week before homering again on Saturday. Prior to Sunday, Lewis had hit a home run in each of his last five games and six of his last seven. He is now hitting .331 with 26 home runs, a total that ranks second nationally, as well as 72 RBIs. -PF

15. Gage Ziehl, RHP, Miami
Class: 2024
What He Did: 8 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 12 K

Ziehl had the pleasure of pitching behind Pitelli’s standout offensive performance last Friday, but he turned in a loud game of his own, with a career-best 12 strikeouts and pitched eight full innings for the third time this season. He retired the first 20 batters he saw and had all three of his pitches working and in the zone constantly. He got six whiffs on his 90-93 mph fastball, and his secondaries were overpowering: his mid-80s slider got 12 misses and his mid-80s changeup got 10. –CC

16. Carson Jones, OF, Virginia Tech
Class: 2023 
What He Did: 8-for-12 (.667), 3 HR, 2 2B, 7 R, 6 RBI

Jones had a pair of multi-hit games last weekend for Virginia Tech against Bowling Green, including a 4-for-5 effort and a 3-for-4 showing. In his 4-for-5 game on Saturday, Jones added his 10th and 11th home runs of the season and went 7-for-9 in the doubleheader. He also added a home run against Marshall in a midweek game for good measure. –CC

17. Lebarron Johnson Jr., Texas
Class: 2023
What He Did: 7 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 12 K

Johnson Jr. had a career day on Saturday against Kansas, when he struck out 12 batters—the highest total he’s had in a single start—in seven innings of work. His seven innings were the most he has thrown in a single game this season, and it lowered his ERA from 2.70 to 2.53. He’s not allowed more than a single run in a game since April 8 against Kansas and has allowed two or fewer earned runs in 14 of his 15 appearances this spring. –CC

18. Nick Lorusso, 3B, Maryland
Class: 2023
What He Did: 10-for-20 (.500), 4 HR, 2 2B, 8 R, 15 RBI

A week after teammate Matt Shaw made Maryland history, Lorusso did the same. After a 15-RBI four-game stretch, Lorusso reached 84 RBIs on the season, which is the best mark of any Division I hitter in the country and is also the new Maryland single-season program record. Larusso topped the previous 83-RBI mark set by Derek Hacopian in 1992, and he did so by tying Matt Shaw’s single-game RBI record of eight, with a two-homer, 3-for-5 showing on Sunday. –CC

19. Nolan Schubart, OF, Oklahoma State
Class: 2025
What He Did: 6-for-15 (.400), 3 HR, 6 R, 11 RBI

Schubart has been one of the most impressive true freshmen in the country, and on Sunday he had the best game of his young career. The 6-foot-6 Schubart went a perfect 3-for-3 with three home runs and 10 RBIs. Two of his home runs were grand slams, while his seventh-inning blast put the exclamation point on a run-rule victory for the Cowboys. Schubart has big-time bat speed at the plate and his bat path is tailored toward getting the ball up in the air with backspin. His average now sits at .333 with 16 doubles and 12 home runs. -PF

20. JJ Wetherholt, 2B, West Virginia
Class: 2024
What He Did: 7-for-15 (.467), 2 HR, 2 2B, 6 R, 4 RBI

Wetherholt this season has established himself as both a premier 2024 draft prospect and one of the best hitters in the country, regardless of class. Last week he collected at least two hits in three of his four games played, highlighted by a 3-for-4, three-RBI game against rival Pittsburgh. He has elite bat-to-ball skills with a minuscule zone miss rate of 7%. Wetherholt sprays line drives all over the field with authority and has a knack for coming through in big moments. While his hit tool might be his best skill, Wetherholt also has 18 doubles and 13 home runs and has flashed above-average raw power. He is a sound defender at second base, and his plus speed has translated to 32 stolen bases. Wetherholt’s .463 average places him in a tie for first nationally with LSU’s Dylan Crews. -PF