Gavin Kelly’s Barrel Show Rolls On At West Virginia | College Baseball Data Leaders
Image credit: West Virginia's Gavin Kelly (Photo by John Byrum/Getty Images)
We’ve reached the halfway point of the college season heading into Week 8 with conference play in full swing. Now, we can evaluate a sizable sample of mostly standardized data for hitters and pitchers. This provides a clearer picture of performance quality and sustainability throughout the rest of the season.
Check back soon for deeper dives into skill-based metrics like contact rates and chase rates. Today, we’re examining a one week leaderboard-style snapshot of barrels, whiffs and velocity leaders.
More College Coverage
- New Top 25 Rankings
- Previous Standouts: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6
- 2026 Draft Rankings
As always, our focus goes beyond the box score and examines the underlying performances of hitters and pitchers using advanced Statcast data. Baseball America subscribers can read my takeaways from week 7 of the 2026 college baseball season below.
Weekly Offensive Barrel Leaders
| player | school | pa | draft year | 95+ MPH | 100+ MPH | BARRELS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Henry Kaczmar | Ohio State | 19 | 2026 (Sr.) | 9 | 4 | 8 |
| Anthony Potestio | UC San Diego | 24 | 2026 | 10 | 4 | 7 |
| Jackson Chirello | Kennesaw State | 20 | 2026 (Sr.) | 10 | 7 | 7 |
| Victor Izquierdo | Navy | 19 | 2026 (Sr.) | 11 | 7 | 7 |
| Evan Appelwick | Miami (OH) | 20 | 2026 (Sr.) | 9 | 7 | 7 |
| Andrew Williamson | Central Florida | 22 | 2026 | 12 | 6 | 7 |
| Caden Dulin | Pittsburgh | 28 | 2026 (Sr.) | 8 | 7 | 7 |
| Nater Wachter | Connecticut | 16 | 2026 | 10 | 4 | 7 |
| Cal Miller | Utah | 16 | 2027 (So.) | 8 | 3 | 7 |
| Tyce Armstrong | Baylor | 20 | 2026 (Sr.) | 8 | 4 | 6 |
- It was a big week for senior signs catching barrels. More than half of this week’s leaderboard is populated by players in their fourth year of college ball. Ohio State infielder Henry Kaczmar led the way with eight barrels and nine hard-hit balls in play. Navy senior Victor Izquierdo tied Kennesaw State senior Jackson Chirello, Miami (OH) senior Evan Appelwick and Pittsburgh senior Caden Dulin for the most balls in play hit at 100+ mph.
- From a 2026 draft perspective, Central Florida outfielder Andrew Williamson was this week’s biggest standout. He’s one of the most intriguing mid-major players in the upcoming draft class and shows tools and raw power. This week, he caught seven barrels, had 12 hard-hit balls in play and six batted ball events clocked at 100+ mph.
- It’s always exciting when a freshman pops up on the weekly barrel leaderboard. Cal Miller of Utah is this week’s diaper dandy. He had eight hard-hit balls in play, with seven going for barrels and three balls in play clocked at 100+ mph. Over 21 games, Miller has hit .312/.376/.481 with two home runs.
- Anthony Potestio of UC San Diego had an unlucky week at the plate. Despite ranking second in Division I barrels this weekend, he went just 6-for-23 with three doubles and a home run.
Full-Season Offensive Barrel Leaders
| PLAYER | SCHOOL | PA | BARRELS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gavin Kelly | West Virginia | 122 | 35 |
| Javier Gorostola | Florida Gulf Coast | 130 | 30 |
| John Paul Head | UAB | 129 | 30 |
| Quinton Coats | Cincinnati | 145 | 30 |
| Henry Kaczmar | Ohio State | 122 | 29 |
| Brodie Johnston | Vanderbilt | 137 | 29 |
| Charlie Meglio | Rutgers | 123 | 28 |
| Jake Brown | Louisiana State | 140 | 28 |
| Grayson Fitzwater | VMI | 126 | 28 |
| Matthew Thomas | CSU Northridge | 112 | 28 |
| Jon Embury | Florida Gulf Coast | 140 | 28 |
| Diego Cardenas | Abilene Christian | 131 | 28 |
| Daniel Jackson | Georgia | 132 | 28 |
- Gavin Kelly of West Virginia had three more barrels this week and now leads all Division I hitters by a fairly large margin. He’s one of the most intriguing draft-eligible players in 2027.
- The duo of Javier Gorostola and Jon Embury at Florida Gulf Coast have the most combined barrels of any Division I duo. The pair of righthanded hitting sluggers hit second and third for Eagles, giving the team a trio of really interesting prospects alongside two-way Evan Dempsey. Both Gorostola and Dempsey are eligible in 2026, while Embury is eligible in 2027.
- Rutgers junior Charlie Meglio has shown lots of power this season with seven home runs and 28 barrels. The whiff rates are a little worrisome, but he does show the ability to make lots of hard contact at good angles.
Weekly Pitching Whiff Leaders
| PLAYER | SCHOOL | THROW | CLASS | WHIFFS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eli Pillsbury | Jacksonville State | L | 2026 (Sr.) | 26 |
| Jason Schaaf | Missouri State | R | 2026 (Sr.) | 25 |
| Aidan Weaver | Duke | R | 2026 (Sr.) | 24 |
| Tommy Brandenburg | Washington | R | 2026 (Sr.) | 24 |
| Chris Levonas | Wake Forest | R | 2027 | 24 |
| Max Bayles | Santa Clara | R | 2026 | 23 |
| Carson Turnquist | Cal Poly | R | 2026 (R-Jr.) | 23 |
| Ethan Lund | Oklahoma State | L | 2027 | 23 |
| Steele Murdock | UC San Diego | R | 2026 | 23 |
| Garrison Sumner | BYU | R | 2026 (Sr.) | 22 |
| Max Vaisvila | Northern Illinois | L | 2026 (Sr.) | 22 |
| Noah Wech | Oklahoma State | R | 2027 | 22 |
| Mason Lei | Illinois-Chicago | R | 2026 | 22 |
| Dylan Singleton | Notre Dame | L | 2027 (So.) | 22 |
| Luke McNeillie | Florida | R | 2026 | 21 |
| Cooper Allen | UNC Wilmington | R | 2026 | 21 |
| Jack Radel | Notre Dame | R | 2026 | 21 |
| Darin Horn | Coastal Carolina | R | 2026 (Sr.) | 21 |
| Ryan Oakes | Nevada | R | 2026 (Sr.) | 21 |
| Mathis Nayral | Kansas | R | 2026 | 21 |
- Eli Pillsbury, a senior lefthander with Jacksonville State, dominated Louisiana Tech last week. He doesn’t have big velocity sitting 89-91 mph, but he has interesting shape with a cut-ride look from the left side and two higher-spin breaking balls: a deathball slider and a mid-70s downer curveball that averages 17-18 inches of drop.
- Sometimes relievers make this list. Missouri State senior righthander Jason Schaaf racked up 25 whiffs over a pair of appearances. He threw 2.2 scoreless on Tuesday against Oklahoma State and then threw four innings against Dallas Baptist on Sunday. Schaaf’s low-90s fastball is well below-average, but his secondaries are strong with two breaking balls he spins in the 2800-3000 rpm range and a good changeup.
- Duke senior righthander Aidan Weaver took the loss against Florida State on Friday but pitched well, racking up 24 whiffs over 5.2 innings. Weaver sits 94-95 mph with cut-ride and steeper angles. He has an upper-80s gyro slider and a changeup in the 79-81 mph range.
- The 2027 college pitching class looks like it could be one of the best in recent memory. Chris Levonas and Ethan Lund are two top arms from that class who made the leaderboard this week. Both have been featured here multiple times and have excellent bat-missing stuff with a chance to start as professionals.
- A redshirt sophomore from UC San Diego, Steele Murdock had a good weekend and there’s some very interesting pitch data under the hood. His fastball sits 95-96 mph and touches 98 with above-average ride, moderate cut and nearly seven feet of extension. His primary secondary is a mid-80s slurvy slider that generated 18 whiffs this week.
- Max Bayles (Santa Clara) and Carson Turnquist (Cal Poly) are two more interesting West Coast 2026 arms. Bayles has true cut-ride shape on his fastball and 6.5 feet of extension. He has a high-spin deathball slider that misses lots of bats and a changeup with good vertical separation off his fastball. Turnquist, on the other hand, sits 93-94 mph and touches 97 mph with good angles on his fastball. He shows a trio of breaking ball shapes.
- Florida righthander Luke McNeillie played the role of bullpen ace this week as Florida went 4-0 against Top 25 opponents. McNeillie generated 21 whiffs over two appearances. He has loud stuff, sitting 97 mph on his four-seam fastball with a flat vertical approach angle. McNeillie’s primary secondary is a higher-spin cutter in the upper 80s, and he’ll show a slurvy slider in that band as well.
Hardest Throwers Of The Week
| PLAYER | SCHOOL | THROWS | DRAFT CLASS | MAX VELO |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jack Bauer | Mississippi State | L | 2028 | 100.2 |
| Chris Levonas | Wake Forest | R | 2027 | 99.9 |
| Jackson Barberi | Florida | R | 2027 | 99.7 |
| Ben Davis | Mississippi State | R | 2026 | 99.5 |
| Jackson Flora | UC Santa Barbara | R | 2026 | 99.1 |
| Grant Fontenot | Louisiana State | R | 2026 | 99 |
| Cody Brasch | Louisiana | R | 2026 | 99 |
| Cal Randall | UCLA | R | 2026 | 99 |
| Zach Edwards | Oregon State | R | 2026 | 98.9 |
| Joshua Whritenour | Florida | R | 2027 | 98.9 |
- Only one player officially hit 100 mph this week: Mississippi State Freshman Jack Bauer. The lefty made headlines as a high school player for throwing some of the hardest fastballs from an amateur lefthander in history. So far, he has struggled to acclimate to the college game with a 13.50 ERA over 3.1 innings.
- The Florida duo of Jackson Barberi and Joshua Whritenour once again make the list this week. Alongside McNeillie, the Gators have a trio of viable hard-throwing weapons in the bullpen.
- Cody Brasch is new to the list. He spent a season at the juco level and transferred to Louisiana prior to 2026. He shows loud stuff with real plus velocity and has struck out 38 batters over his first 27.1 Division I innings.
Freshman Five
Cal Miller, 2B, Utah
Miller had a strong week at the plate, ranking among the barrel leaders. He’s a draft-eligible sophomore in 2027 and has been very productive as a freshman. The plate skills and power are fringe-average, but he shows excellent angles on contact to boost his production.
Dylan Singleton, LHP, Notre Dame
Singleton enjoyed a breakout weekend for the Irish, generating 22 whiffs this week over two appearances. The freshman lefthander has worked out of the bullpen and has enjoyed success. Singleton’s fastball sits in the low 90s and he has two breaking ball shapes, but his changeup is his best pitch and drives his success.
Teddy Tokheim, OF, Stanford
It’s been a frustrating year for Stanford as it hovers at .500. However, Tokheim has been a bright spot. The freshman outfielder is hitting .413/.506/.853 with eight home runs. This week, Tokhiem went 8-for-17, showing power and plate skills hitting out of the two-hole for the Cardinals. Tokheim is 2027 draft-eligible as a sophomore.
Jeter Worthley, C, Nebraska
The Cornhuskers cracked the Top 25 this week and a large part of their success has been because of Worthley. The freshman catcher has hit .325/.465/.413 over 25 games, and despite not showing much power has been productive at the plate. Worthley is a draft-eligible sophomore in 2027 and could really take a big jump with added power in 2027.
Josh Proctor, OF, Oregon State
A 6-foot-5 freshman from the California prep ranks, Proctor has been a diaper dandy for the Beavers. He has hit .288/.398/.525 with four home runs over 23 games and looks like a major part of their lineup over the next two seasons. Proctor had a nice weekend, catching three barrels and going 6-for-13 with three walks.
