College World Series: Players to watch as Texas, Auburn, more go for title
By Jordan Shusterman
FOX Sports activities MLB Author
After which there have been eight.
It has been a wild few weeks filled with excessive drama and unbelievable upsets within the Division I baseball postseason, and the sphere has narrowed to eight groups that can compete for a nationwide championship June 17-27 at Charles Schwab Subject in Omaha, Nebraska.
Final week within the Girls’s School World Sequence, the Oklahoma Sooners softball group captured this system’s sixth nationwide championship after spending your entire season because the prohibitive favorites and clear No. 1 group within the nation.
In the meantime, in baseball, Tennessee — the group that led Div. I in each ERA and residential runs and captured the eye of the nationwide viewers all season — received’t be collaborating within the School World Sequence after shedding within the super-regional to Notre Dame. And final 12 months’s nationwide champion, Mississippi State, completed final within the SEC in 2022 and didn’t make the postseason in any respect.
This baseball factor, it’s arduous to foretell.
All of which is to say: These eight groups have taken some unimaginable routes to get up to now, and any of them might win all of it.
Listed here are the gamers to know earlier than the motion will get began Friday.
3B/RHP Jack Brannigan
Notre Dame (third CWS look, first since 2002)
Let’s start with the group that knocked off the mighty Vols. This postseason started in controversial trend, because the Combating Irish have been despatched to the regional hosted by Georgia Southern because the No. 2 seed, regardless of many analysts believing they deserved to host a regional. It clearly didn’t faze the Irish, as they dealt with the Statesboro area with ease earlier than heading into Knoxville and stunning the faculty baseball universe with the upset of the 12 months.
Brannigan has been an enormous a part of this unimaginable run, as he led the group in house runs with 12, together with a dramatic, go-ahead homer towards Tennessee, and began the double play within the ninth inning to get rid of the Vols:
Brannigan’s manufacturing on the plate is barely extra spectacular when you think about that MLB groups predominantly want him as a pitcher. Though he has pitched in simply eight video games this season (and none since Might 1), Brannigan’s upper-90s fastball and cruel slider have big-league groups extra intrigued by his potential as a dynamite reliever than as a 3rd baseman.
It appears unlikely that we’ll see him on the mound in Omaha, although, as he stays rather more essential to the Notre Dame offense at this stage of the season.
Oh, and yet one more factor: He likes to steal house. What can’t this man do?
Others to look at: DH Jack Zyska, LF Ryan Cole, LHP John Michael Bertrand, LHP Jack Findlay, RHP Liam Simon
1B Ivan Melendez
Texas (thirty eighth CWS look)
It’s arduous to imagine that I didn’t spotlight Melendez, aka The Hispanic Titanic, when previewing final 12 months’s School World Sequence, however I’m joyful to get a mulligan, because the Longhorns return to Omaha for a Div. I-record thirty eighth time.
Melendez’s uncooked energy is just jaw-dropping, a pure 80 on the 20-80 scouting scale and on par with any of essentially the most prodigious sluggers the faculty recreation has ever seen. And it doesn’t simply present up in batting apply; Melendez’s 32 house runs this season are essentially the most ever by a participant within the BBCOR bat period, surpassing Kris Bryant’s mark of 31 in 2013.
Melendez was recognized for his energy lengthy earlier than he arrived in Austin; he was a junior-college All-American at Odessa School in 2019 earlier than transferring to Texas for the 2021 season. He was glorious a 12 months in the past however leveled up in an amazing method in 2022, main Div. I in OPS (1.404) and, after all, dingers.
Whereas Melendez doesn’t supply a lot defensive worth, it appears awfully possible that some MLB group will name his title in Rounds 2-5 of subsequent month’s MLB Draft, and I can’t wait to see how his legendary energy interprets to professional ball.
Others to look at: RF Murphy Stehly, CF Douglas Hodo, SS Trey Faltine, 3B Skyler Messinger, LHP Pete Hansen, RHP Tristan Stevens
LHP Jacob Palisch
Texas A&M (seventh CWS look, first since 2017)
The Aggies have cruised up to now this postseason, going undefeated in regional and super-regional play as they return to Omaha for the primary time in 5 years. It is a very balanced roster with out overwhelming star energy, so I’m opting to place the highlight on a reliever in Palisch who has had an interesting trajectory in his school profession.
The Dallas native performed his first 4 seasons at Stanford earlier than returning nearer house to play for the Aggies in 2022, and he has been probably the greatest lefty relievers within the nation. Palisch additionally dominated within the prestigious Cape Cod League in the summertime of 2019 however was not chosen within the shortened 2020 draft and thus continued his school profession.
He’ll flip 24 in August, so Palisch is way older than what MLB groups are inclined to covet within the draft. That mentioned, he may very well be an intriguing choice within the later rounds for groups that suppose he might pitch his method right into a big-league bullpen somewhat shortly. Extra importantly for now, he’ll certainly be requested to get some enormous outs if the Aggies are to have a shot at profitable a nationwide championship.
Others to look at: LF Dylan Rock, 2B Ryan Targac, 1B Jack Moss, RHP Nathan Dettmer, RHP Micah Dallas
RHP Cade Horton
Oklahoma (eleventh CWS look, first since 2010)
Horton was a two-sport star at Norman Excessive College and dedicated to OU to play quarterback and baseball (as each a hitter and pitcher), which made him awfully troublesome for MLB groups to signal within the 2020 draft. His school profession took a flip when he wanted Tommy John surgical procedure in February 2021, wiping out his freshman 12 months and delaying his collegiate debut till March 29, 2022.
Since his return, Horton has performed each methods for the Sooners, getting ample time at third base and on the mound. On Might 21, he began towards Texas Tech and allowed eight runs, ballooning his season ERA to 7.94. Since then, nevertheless, he has posted a 2.55 ERA with 25 strikeouts and simply 5 walks in 17.2 innings pitched in three of crucial video games of Oklahoma’s season, together with Recreation 3 of the super-regional towards Virginia Tech.
Horton is peaking on the proper time and might be essential within the Sooners’ efforts to sluggish the top-tier offenses they’re going to face in Omaha.
As a result of he turns 21 in August, Horton is a draft-eligible sophomore. We all know he was extremely touted in highschool, however has he proven sufficient over the previous three begins to warrant a excessive choice on this draft? Or is he higher off going again to OU, pitching a full, wholesome and dominant season and making an attempt to be a slam-dunk first-rounder in 2023? How he performs in Omaha may influence that call.
Others to look at: SS Peyton Graham, 1B Blake Robertson, CF Tanner Tredaway, LF Kendall Pattis, LHP Jake Bennett
3B Drew Bowser
Stanford (18th CWS look)
The Harvard-Westlake College in Los Angeles has gotten loads of consideration over the previous decade for producing three of the perfect younger beginning pitchers in MLB: Lucas Giolito, Max Fried and Jack Flaherty. However it may quickly even be generally known as the highschool that produced Bowser, a power-hitting third baseman who has been having a monster sophomore season for the Cardinal.
Bowser was a extremely touted prospect at Harvard-Westlake and will have gone within the high two rounds out of highschool, had he wished to begin his professional profession. Nevertheless, his dedication to Stanford — an elite baseball program and the varsity that his mother, Yvette, an acclaimed TV producer, attended — was far too sturdy to lure him into professional ball, and now he’s probably the greatest gamers on the group some sportsbooks consider the favorite to win it all.
Bowser has hit 12 homers in his previous 16 video games, bringing his season whole to 18 and his OPS to .942. He nonetheless strikes out rather a lot, one thing he’ll certainly look to enhance upon as he enters his draft spring in 2023. However for now, he’s one of the vital harmful hitters within the School World Sequence, and he’ll be key for a Stanford group seeking to avenge its heartbreaking, walk-off loss to Vanderbilt in final 12 months’s CWS.
Others to look at: CF Brock Jones, OF/RHP Braden Montgomery, 1B Carter Graham, C Kody Huff, LF Eddie Park, RHP Alex Williams, LHP Ryan Bruno
3B Cayden Wallace
Arkansas (eleventh CWS look, first since 2019)
Wallace starred as a freshman on the 2021 Arkansas squad that spent a lot of the season because the No. 1 group within the nation earlier than shedding in dramatic trend to NC State within the super-regional. His offensive profile took one other step ahead this season, as he confirmed much more energy and minimize down on the strikeouts. He additionally performed almost each recreation on the scorching nook after primarily taking part in in proper discipline as a freshman.
Lots of the high school hitters on this 12 months’s MLB Draft include questions on the place they may play defensively in professional ball. However as a draft-eligible sophomore, Wallace stands out as an thrilling hitting prospect who can unquestionably stick and excel at an necessary place. Search for him to listen to his title known as on Day 1 of the draft after he’s completed serving to the Razorbacks chase a title in Omaha.
Others to look at: 2B Robert Moore, SS Jalen Battles, C Michael Turner, RHP Connor Noland, RHP Brady Tygart
1B Tim Elko
Ole Miss (sixth CWS look, first since 2014)
Elko gained nationwide consideration a 12 months in the past, when he returned from a torn ACL far sooner than anybody would’ve thought attainable to assist the Rebels make a deep postseason run. Regardless of his heroics, although, Ole Miss got here up simply quick, shedding to Arizona within the super-regional.
Elko returned to Oxford for his fifth 12 months afforded by the canceled 2020 season and has been probably the greatest hitters within the nation as soon as once more, slashing .302/.413/.656 with 22 house runs and numerous clutch hits alongside the way in which. Ole Miss was the No. 1 group within the nation earlier within the season, earlier than Tennessee took over for good, so there’s ample expertise on this squad.
However Elko is the driving drive, and he’ll have to maintain cashing in runs for the Rebels to make noise in Omaha.
Others to look at: SS Jacob Gonzalez, LF Kevin Graham, RHP Dylan DeLucia
1B Sonny DiChiara
Auburn (sixth CWS appearances; first since 2019)
In case you thought Melendez achieved cult-hero standing for his monumental dingers for Texas, the legend of Sonny D has arguably grown even greater. The 22-year-old slugger has been an absolute drive for the Tigers this spring, carrying an offense that in any other case lacks star energy to assist head coach Butch Thompson’s squad get again to Omaha.
As with Melendez, there was some query about how DiChiara’s manufacturing would translate after he transferred from Samford, the place he loved three glorious seasons towards SoCon competitors. However clearly, the SEC was no hassle for DiChiara, as he has put up even higher numbers in 2022: His .385/.554/.792 line is bested by solely three Div. I hitters, together with Melendez.
DiChiara has additionally been scorching scorching down the stretch, with six homers in his previous eight video games. He’ll undoubtedly be one of many fan favorites in Omaha, regardless of how far Auburn goes, and he may very well be an intriguing, later-round draft selection for a group that absolutely believes within the bat.
Others to look at: 3B Blake Rambusch, RHP Mason Barnett, RHP Blake Burkhalter
Jordan Shusterman is half of @CespedesBBQ and a baseball author for FOX Sports activities. He lives in D.C. however is a large Seattle Mariners fan and loves watching the KBO, which suggests he would not get plenty of sleep. You possibly can observe him on Twitter @j_shusterman_.
Get extra from School Baseball Observe your favorites to get details about video games, information and extra.
Notre Dame Combating Irish Texas Longhorns Stanford Cardinal Arkansas Razorbacks
