Friday Arms Rack Up Strikeouts Across College Baseball | Week 4 Ace Report
Image credit: Michigan State LHP Joseph Dzierwa (Tom Priddy/Four Seam Images)
The college baseball season is in full swing and this week’s slate of games saw some of the nation’s top arms deliver electrifying performances. From no-hitters to double-digit strikeout outings, these pitchers not only silenced opposing lineups but furthered their cases as the nation’s most dominant forces in 2025.
Baseball America is tracking the outings of Friday aces. Here are 15 who stood out yesterday, plus honorable mentions. Players are listed alphabetically.
You can see the top 200 draft prospects in the class here.
Zane Adams, LHP, Alabama
Zane Adams did enough at Alabama in 2024 to make the All-SEC freshman team despite posting a pedestrian 17.5% strikeout rate. The draft-eligible sophomore opened this season with an uptick in punchouts (22.2% strikeout rate) through three starts, then put together a career night in his fourth start of the year with 10 strikeouts in six shutout innings against Presbyterian.
Adams, who operates out of an over-the-top delivery, has started to earn more whiffs with his changeup, which he primarily offers to righties. He goes to his fastball roughly 70% of the time.
Final line: 6.0 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 10 K
Kade Anderson, LHP, LSU
LSU ace Kade Anderson returns to the Ace Report for the second week in a row after he mowed through North Alabama’s lineup for 11 strikeouts in six innings with just one run allowed on four hits.
Anderson’s arsenal has been operating at max capacity so far this season. He entered Friday’s game with a 46% overall miss rate, including a 64% miss rate on changeups and 53% miss rate on fastballs.
Anderson has pitched to a 2.08 ERA over 21.2 innings with 37 strikeouts against just six walks through four starts in 2025.
Final line: 6.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R/ER, 0 BB, 11 K
Colton Cosper, LHP, Mercer
Mercer senior lefty Colton Cosper might not have the same jaw-dropping stuff or pro upside as some of the other aces on this list. He’s a left in the mid-80s who misses few bats and mixes in his three offspeed pitches a combined 30% of the time.
But on Friday night, his results against Southern compared with the best of them.
Cosper faced just five batters over the minimum against Southern and pitched past the sixth for the first time this year after accomplishing the feat three times in 2024.
Final line: 7 IP, 6 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K
Matthew Dalquist, RHP, UC San Diego
UC San Diego needed someone to step into its Friday night role after righty Anthony Eyanson, who last year pitched to a 3.07 ERA in 82 innings, transferred to LSU. The club settled on third-year sophomore Matthew Dalquist, a 5-foot-10 righty who made 13 starts for the Tritons last season.
Dalquist has been superb since taking over as staff ace, throwing no fewer than five innings while surrendering no more than two earned runs in his first three starts. He punctuated his hot start by throwing 7.2 shutout innings with eight strikeouts, no walks and just two hits allowed on Friday night against Cal State Bakersfield to open Big West play.
Dalquist owns a 1.14 ERA and 23 strikeouts against two walks in 23.2 innings so far this season.
Final line: 7.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 8 K
Liam Doyle, LHP, Tennessee
Another week, another phenomenal showing from Tennessee lefty Liam Doyle, who is climbing draft boards faster than a fighter jet in an unrestricted takeoff.
In his final non-conference tuneup at home against St. Bonaventure, Doyle racked up 13 strikeouts over 5.2 hitless innings, which kicked off a Volunteers combined no-hitter. Doyle continued to lean on his electrifying fastball, which entered play Friday generating a 61% miss rate. His slider and changeup generated 67% and 40% miss rates, respectively.
If Doyle can continue to demonstrate feel for his offspeed pitches, it’s going to be hard to imagine him still being on the board late in the first round. The southpaw owns a 0.44 ERA, 47 strikeouts and just five walks in 20.1 innings. A fifth of the way through the season, Doyle leads the pack for Pitcher of the Year.
Final line: 5.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 13 K
Joseph Dzierwa, LHP, Michigan State
Another returnee to the Ace Report, Michigan State lefty Joseph Dzierwa once again dominated on Friday against UAB. He allowed just one run on three hits and four walks and struck out eight over 6.2 innings.
Friday’s game was great for putting Dzierwa’s early-season success into context because it was arguably his worst outing of the year to date. It marked the first time this season that Dzierwa failed to strike out at least 10 and that he walked more than one. Yet he still owns a sterling 0.70 ERA with 41 strikeouts in just 25.2 innings.
Final line: 6.2 IP, 3 H, 1 R/ER, 4 BB, 8 K
Patrick Forbes, RHP, Louisville
Louisville righty Patrick Forbes added another great start Friday when he carved through a solid Illinois-Chicago team and finished his day with nine strikeouts against two walks and one run allowed on two hits over six innings.
The junior owns a 1.29 ERA with 39 strikeouts against three walks in 21 innings in 2025. He has yet to pitch fewer than five innings, allow more than two earned runs or strike out fewer than nine in a single start.
Forbes is poised to be one of Baseball America’s biggest risers in the next round of updates to our 2025 draft rankings after he demonstrated his feel for a formidable four-pitch mix, which is headlined by a wipeout fastball-slider combo, throughout the first month of the season.
Final line: 6.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R/ER, 2 BB, 9 K
Dominic Fritton, LHP, NC State
Elliott Avent’s preseason prediction to Baseball America that junior lefty Dominic Fritton would bounce back after pitching to a 7.64 ERA last year continues to look prescient. Through four starts, it looks as though Fritton might not just do that, but rather exceed even the form he originally showed as a freshman.
On Saturday against a very competitive Wright State squad, Fritton struck out 10 while allowing just one earned run over 6.2 innings. The outing marked the second week in a row in which he threw at least six frames and reached double-digit strikeouts.
This is the first time Fritton accomplished those stats twice in the same season, let alone in back-to-back weeks.
Final line: 6.2 IP, 5 H, 2/1 R/ER, 1 BB, 10 K
Blake Gillespie, RHP, Charlotte
If Baseball America handed out a Pitcher of the Week Award, Charlotte righty Blake Gillespie would surely have won it after he threw the second no-hitter in 49ers history against James Madison.
A transfer from Georgia, Gillespie allowed just one base runner on a second-inning walk but still managed to face the minimum 27 batters throughout the contest and finished off his historic performance by striking out five of his last six.
Gillespie is somewhat unique in that he relies on a low-80s slider as his primary pitch. The offering generated a 41% miss rate entering Friday’s game. Gillespie has middle-round upside if he continues to have success with the 49ers.
Final line: 9.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 11 K
Jake Murray, LHP, Campbell
Lefty Jake Murray was untouchable on Friday night against Texas State when he struck out 14 batters, walked just one and didn’t allow a hit over six innings. The graduate student, who didn’t appear in a game last season, retired his last 13 consecutive batters and threw roughly a third of his pitches for strikes.
At 24 years old, Murray’s age is sure to be a limiting factor when it comes to his pro baseball resume, however the southpaw has intriguing stuff, including a heater that has grabbed 95 mph this season and a slider and curveball that generated 64% and 44% miss rates entering Friday’s strikeout-heavy outing.
Murray has taken to Campbell’s Friday-night role and owns a 2.61 ERA with 35 strikeouts in 20.2 innings.
Final line: 6.0 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 14 K
Ethan Norby, LHP, East Carolina
If Charlotte’s Blake Gillespie won Pitcher of the Week, it wasn’t by much. East Carolina lefty Ethan Norby submitted 7.1 shutout innings with an AAC-record 19 strikeouts and zero walks.
The 5-foot-9 southpaw primarily relies on a low-90s fastball and a slider that generated a 43% miss rate in his first three appearances of 2025.
Norby has struck out 40 batters against just two walks in 24 innings this season.
Final line: 7.1 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 19 K
Liam Peterson, RHP, Florida
Baseball America’s newly-minted top college pitcher in the 2026 draft rankings, Florida ace Liam Peterson put together another career night in his final non-conference tuneup. The sophomore righty tossed five shutout innings and matched his career-high with 11 strikeouts against just two walks.
Peterson, who touched 98 mph in his start against Harvard on Friday, was as sharp as Florida could have hoped ahead of SEC play with a 0.86 ERA and 34 strikeouts to just six walks in 21 innings.
Final line: 5.0 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 11 K
Ryan Prager, LHP, Texas A&M
As we wrote in last week’s Ace Report, No. 11 Texas A&M’s early-season slide is in no part Ryan Prager’s fault. That was evident again on Friday. The senior lefty cruised past New Mexico State, picking up seven strikeouts over seven shutout innings on just 89 pitches.
Though his high-80s fastball might not be all that eye-popping from a draft perspective, college hitters simply don’t seem to know what to do with it. Prager has a 0.39 ERA and 27 strikeouts in 23.1 innings.
The 2024 Angels third-round pick has allowed just one extra-base hit in four starts.
Final line: 7.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 7 K
Austin Turkington, RHP, Cal
Cal put together a statement win in its ACC debut on Friday as it drubbed preseason No. 10 Duke 14-1 in seven innings in Durham. The Golden Bears’ offense certainly had enough juice to take care of business on its own, starting pitching Austin Turkington did his part to make things stress free, too.
The righty punched out a career-best 10 and allowed just one run on three hits and two walks over seven innings against the Blue Devils. He did not allow a hit after the fourth.
Final line: 7.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R/ER, 2 BB, 10 K
Kyson Witherspoon, RHP, Oklahoma
Oklahoma righty Kyson Witherspoon is already a familiar face on the Ace Report as the junior has hammered opponents so far this season. He kept it up Friday against Sam Houston with 12 strikeouts over five one-hit innings with no earned runs allowed.
Witherspoon has left opponents in knots in 2025, striking out 40 batters against just five walks over 23 innings while allowing just 11 total hits.
The righty hasn’t expanded his arsenal much beyond his fastball and slider, which he’ll likely need to do starting next week when tasked with retiring SEC hitters. But Witherspoon’s 1.17 ERA to date indicates the two-pitch mix worked just fine in non-conference play.
He continues to make a push into first-round projections.
Final line: 5.0 IP, 1 H, 1/0 R/ER, 2 BB, 12 K
Honorable mentions:
- Ben Alekson, RHP, Fairfield: 6.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R/ER, 2 BB, 6 K
- Trey Beard, LHP, Florida Atlantic: 6.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R/ER, 1 BB, 11 K
- Hayden Cuthbertson, LHP, Miami (OH): 6.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 6 K
- Gabe Gaeckle, RHP, Arkansas: 5.1 IP, 2 H, 2 R/ER, 3 BB, 7 K
- Grayson Grinsell, LHP, Oregon, 5.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R/ER, 2 BB, 8 K
- Ryan Halamicek, RHP, Cal State Northridge: 7.0 IP, 7 H, 2 R/ER, 2 BB, 8 K
- Nelson Keljo, LHP, Oregon State: 5.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 8 K
- Aidan Knaak, RHP, Clemson: 5.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R/ER, 1 BB, 8 K
- Pico Kohn, LHP, Mississippi State: 6.0 IP, 4 H, 3 R/R, 2 BB, 9 K
- Justin Mitrovich, RHP, Elon: 6.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R/ER, 2 BB, 6 K
- Nic McCay, RHP, Kentucky: 6.0 IP, 2 H, 1/0 R/ER, 4 BB, 3 K
- Treyson Peters, RHP, Western Kentucky: 5.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 4 BB, 5 K
- Brett Renfrow, RHP, Virginia Tech: 6.0 IP, 5 H, 2/1 R/ER, 3 BB, 6 K
- Jared Spencer, LHP, Texas: 5.0 IP, 1H, 0 R, 1 BB, 8 K
- Zane Taylor, RHP, UNC Wilmington: 5.2, 9 H, 2 R/ER, 1 BB, 6 K
- JD Thompson, LHP, Vanderbilt: 6 IP, 4 H, 3 R/ER, 1 BB, 10 K
