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College  | Story  | 5/22/2023

College Player, Pitcher of the Week

Craig Cozart      Vincent Cervino     
Photo: Joe Vetrano (Boston College Athletics)
May 22
Perfect Game/Rawlings Player of the Week:

Joe Vetrano, Boston College

Boston College has put together a season for the record books from a program standpoint and the 6-3/220 Joe Vetrano has been the cornerstone of their success. A lefthanded hitting first baseman, the junior from Shrub Oak, New York has been a consistent performer with the stick and his power to all fields is downright scary. Vetrano shows excellent plate discipline and can turn around heaters or sit on off-speed to do damage. During the Eagles’ series victory against ACC rival Notre Dame, the slugger went 6 for 13, scoring 3 runs, collecting a double, 3 home runs and he drove in 9 runners all told. For the season, his slash line is .306/.633/.393 while crushing 10 doubles, 18 round trippers and plating 51 RBIs so far. His club is the 6-seed in Durham for the ACC Tournament starting Tuesday, so be sure to watch him continue to lead his club to the NCAA Tournament.



Perfect Game/Rawlings Pitcher of the Week:

Tanner Hall, Southern Miss

Southern Miss has won 15 of their last 16 games, finished only a game out of 1st place in the Sun Belt and are in contention to be a regional host. While they have had their ups and downs in 2023, Tanner Hall has been the stabilizing force as the Friday night starter all season. The junior, RHP from Zachary, Louisiana is the consummate starting pitcher, with elite strike throwing skills and a power repertoire to go with his command. While he is just 6-1/186, he is as durable as they come and regularly gets his club into the last third of the game in position to win. Last Friday in his start against Louisiana, Hall went 8.0 IP allowing just 3 hits, no runs, 1 walk and struck out an impressive 12 batters on just 114 pitches. With the win, he pushes his season record to (11-3) with a 2.45 ERA in 14 starts over 88.0 IP, while holding opponents to a .203 OBA and a 100:30 strikeout-to-walk ration. Hall will go down as one of the all-time greats to don the Southern Miss jersey and has the numbers to back it up. For his career, he carries a 2.95 ERA with a (21-7) record in 32 career starts spanning 225.2 IP and an amazing 278:50 K-to-BB ratio.


May 15

Perfect Game/Rawlings Player of the Week:

JJ Wetherholt, West Virginia

The West Virginia Mountaineers are putting together one of the best seasons in program history. They currently have a record of (39-13), are No.12 in the Perfect Game Top-25 poll this week and most importantly have a 2-game lead in the Big-12 standings. They are a terror to deal with offensively and the guy setting the tone is JJ Wetherholt, the lefthanded hitter from Mars, PA. At 5-10/190 he is densely muscled and full of fast twitch and arguably the best blend of power and speed in the college game today. In four games last week, Wetherholt went 8 for 16, scoring 3 runs, collecting 2 doubles, 2 home runs, 2 stolen bases while driving in 4 RBIs. For the season, he now has a slash line of .466/.829/.530, with 21 doubles, 2 triples, 15 home runs, 56 RBIs and an impressive 35 stolen bases to go with it all. With his monster season, Wetherholt has pushed himself into being one of the front runners for the Golden Spikes Award.

Perfect Game/Rawlings Pitcher of the Week:

Hunter Hollan, Arkansas

While the Arkansas Razorbacks have had to mix and match with their pitching staff all year long due to injuries, the one constant has been Hunter Hollan in the rotation. The 6-5/200 LHP from Hallsville, TX has been the cornerstone on the mound that has allowed his club to ascend to No.2 in this week’s Perfect Game Top-25 poll and take control of the SEC West. In his Game 3 start against South Carolina last weekend, he delivered his team the series victory with his complete game effort. Going 9.0 IP, Hollan only allowed 5 hits, 1 earned run, 1 walk while striking out 10 batters on a total of 113 pitches. Armed with a low-90s fastball, a sweeping slider, and a fading changeup, he works from a low-3/4 arm angle to give hitters difficulty in putting good swings on the ball. For the season, the lefty has a 7-2 record with an ERA of 3.75 over 69.2 IP where he has allowed 65 hits, 26 walks while striking out 61 with an opponent’s batting average of .247 so far. As the Razorbacks make another push towards the postseason, Hollan will be vital to their success.
 



May 8

Perfect Game/Rawlings Player of the Week:

Tommy Troy, Stanford

The Stanford Cardinal had a huge weekend as they swept Pac-12 foe Arizona State and now hold a 3.5 game lead in the regular season standings. Setting the tone for his club on the offensive side of things was junior, IF/OF Tommy Troy. The 5-10/197 super athletic two-hole hitter is a star from Los Gatos, California and is pushing his way towards being a 1st round pick in the coming MLB Amateur Draft. In the three-game series last weekend, he went 6 for 13, scoring 7 runs, collecting 3 doubles, 3 home runs and driving in 6 runs. He continually comes through in clutch situations and has natural flare for the dramatic. On the year, Troy has built a slash line of .389/.685/.468 with 12 doubles, 3 triples, 10 home runs and has collected 33 RBIs and adding in 13 stolen bases.

Perfect Game/Rawlings Pitcher of the Week:

Xander Hamilton, Appalachian State

Very few arms have ever gone to Conway, SC and dominated the Coastal Carolina offense like Xander Hamilton did last Friday night for the Appalachian State Mountaineers. The 6-3/223 junior, RHP from Raleigh, North Carolina set the tone in the first shutout of the Chanticleers in 92 games. While he did scatter the zone quite a bit throughout, he was able to eliminate contact when he needed and made a tremendous amount of high leverage pitches to secure the 11-0 blowout. Hamilton went 8.0 IP, only allowing 1 hit, no runs but he did walk 6 batters to go with 15 Ks on a total of 115 pitches. The win pushed his record to 8-2 on the year with a 5.15 ERA over 12 starts. He has been a workhorse as well with 71.2 IP allowing 66 hits and a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 94:37.


May 1

Perfect Game/Rawlings Player of the Week:

Mac Horvath, UNC

The UNC Tarheels found themselves out of the Top-25 for the first time all season last week but bounced back with a big series win on the road at Virginia Tech. Doing the heavy lifting in their effort to keep pace in the ACC was infielder Mac Horvath. The 6-1/200 junior from Rochester, Minnesota is having a career year and is driving his name up the boards heading towards this year’s MLB Amateur Draft. In four games last week, Horvath went 9-16 for a .563 BA, scoring 7 runs, with a double, launching 5 home runs and collecting an amazing 19 RBIs. So far in 2023, he has a slash line of .316/.751/.426, with 18 doubles, 19 home runs, 56 RBIs and he has stolen 19 bags as well. He is in line to go 20-20-20 with doubles, homers and stolen bases, an amazing feat with at least four weeks left in their season.

Perfect Game/Rawlings Pitcher of the Week:

Jake Shirk, Wright State

The Wright State Raiders once again sit atop the Horizon League standings and won a tightly contested conference series against Oakland this past weekend. They won Game 2 by a score of (2-0) on the strength of a complete game effort by Jake Shirk on the mound. The 6-2/200 junior, RHP from Fort Wayne, Indiana is a talented arm with his high-level command, a fastball that reaches the mid-90s and advanced feel for his changeup. Shirk went 9.0 IP in his outing and only faced one batter over the minimum as he allowed 1 hit, no runs or walks and punched out an impressive 14 batters. He pushed his record to (4-4) on the season with a 4.74 ERA in 11 starts on a total of 62.2 IP and an outstanding 54:13 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Look for Shirk to be a cornerstone for the pitching staff as his club makes another run at the Horizon League crown.


April 24

Perfect Game/Rawlings Player of the Week:

Austin Deming, BYU

While the season results for the BYU Cougars has been a mixed bag to this point, the one thing they can count on is when Austin Deming is going to do something productive. The 6-0/200 righthanded hitting, infielder from Santa Clara, UT put together a massive week and lead the charge in their series sweep of UNC-Greensboro. In four games, he batted .705 (12-17) scoring 11 runs, collecting 4 doubles, 4 home runs and driving in a total of 15 RBIs. The physical third baseman now has a slash line of .436/.964/.492 on the season with 16 doubles, 14 home runs and driven in an impressive 50 runs so far. If the Cougars are going to make a move in the West Coast Conference, no doubt Deming will be the driving force.

Perfect Game/Rawlings Pitcher of the Week:

Payton Tolle, Wichita State

The Shockers lived up to their name this weekend as they dethroned perennial American Conference power East Carolina, sweeping them on the weekend and taking over first place in the standings. Their pitching staff was virtually perfect, tossing two shutouts and only giving up three runs the entire series. Setting the tone for his club in Game 1 was Payton Tolle, 6-6/250 LHP from Yukon, OK. He went 9.0 IP, allowing only 2 hits, no runs, no walks while striking out 10 batters on 108 total pitches. Tolle has put together a marvelous sophomore campaign thus far as he leads his team with a 7-1 record in 10 starts to date. He is carrying a solid 3.62 ERA in 59.2 IP, only surrendering 49 hits, with 2 complete games and has accumulated an impressive 66:13 strikeout to walk ratio. Wichita State has exceeded external expectations this year and with Tolle spearheading the pitching efforts, a return to the NCAA Tournament could be a reality in 2023.


April 17

Perfect Game/Rawlings Player of the Week:

LuJames Groover III, NC State

The NC State Wolfpack is starting to make moves in the ACC as they have won 2 of their last 3 series and are in position to be a host sight in the NCAA Tournament if take care of business down the stretch. In the middle of this recent surge has been the hot bat of LuJames Groover III, the 6-2/210 junior infielder from Morrow, GA. While he had a slow start to the season offensively by his standards, the talented slugger is coming up clutch in virtually every opportunity right now. In 4 games last week, he hit .600 as he went 9 for 15 with 6 walks, 8 runs scored, 3 RBIs on 3 solo home runs. For the season, he has raised his batting average to .338 with a SLG% of .525 and an OB% of .448 with 6 home runs and a total of 28 RBIs. He is metrically one of the best bat-to-ball hitters in the nation as he has a walk/hit by pitch to strikeout ratio of 30:14 on the year.

Perfect Game/Rawlings Pitcher of the Week:

Diego Barrera, Loyola Marymount

Loyola Marymount is enjoying a 3-game lead at the top to the West Coast Conference standings, and they have a clear-cut ace on the mound in Diego Barrera. The 6-0/165 southpaw from Chino Hills, CA is putting together a magical senior campaign as the Friday night starter for the Lions. Taking the ball in a huge matchup against Gonzaga, he threw 9.0 innings only surrendering 5 hits, no runs or walks and punched out 10 batters on a total of 110 pitches. The lefty is a control artist with an impressive 66:6 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 2023, making his whiff rate that much more impressive since opponents know he’s going to be on the plate. With his complete game victory last Friday, Barrera is now 6-1 in 9 starts, with a 1.44 ERA over 62.2 IP and only allowing 43 hits for an OBA% of .191 on the year.


April 10

Perfect Game/Rawlings Player of the Week:

Cole Jenkins, VMI 

The VMI Keydets (18-14) are having one of their best seasons in recent history, are in 2nd place in the SoCon and Cole Jenkins has been a major reason for the program’s resurgence. The 6-3/210 junior, outfielder from Mechanicsville, Virginia had a huge week as his club went (3-0) and scored a total of 35 runs. Jenkins went 8 for 14, scoring 6 runs, collecting a triple, 2 stolen bases, 4 home runs and added in 6 RBI. An outstanding overall athlete, he is capable of handling most any position on the field and his physicality really stands out with his power-oriented game. His slash line for the season is now .336/.664/.391 with 11 doubles, 8 home runs with 31 RBI and he has added in 5 stolen bases as well. If his club continues to sustain this level of play, you can be sure Jenkins will be in the heart of the action.

Perfect Game/Rawlings Pitcher of the Week:

Jackson Baumeister, Florida State

While wins have been tougher to come by than usual in Tallahassee lately, Jackson Baumeister has been a great story as he has emerged as their go to Game 1 starter. The 6-4/225 sophomore right-hander from Jacksonville, Florida put together quite possibly the best appearance of his career against the Clemson Tigers last Friday. He secured the only win of the weekend for his club going 7.0 IP, surrendering 4 hits, no runs, walking 2 and punching out a career best 14 batters. With the muscular frame of a durable starter, Baumeister uses a compact and repeatable delivery to generate his high-end repertoire. His fastball that routinely sits in the mid-90s, has reached the 98 mph in short stints and his slider has made huge strides emerging as a true wipeout pitch. For the season, he has an ERA of 3.72 and a record of 2-2 over 8 starts covering 36.1 IP and an impressive 54:16 strikeout-to-walk ratio. If FSU makes a run in the last half of the season, Baumeister will be a cornerstone for the staff.

April 3

Perfect Game/Rawlings Player of the Week:

Matt Shaw, Maryland

The Maryland Terrapins started off Big-10 Conference play by winning a huge road series at Iowa, thanks in large part to the offensive effort of Matt Shaw. The 5-11/185 junior infielder from Brimfield, Massachusetts was a preseason Perfect Game Second Team All-American and has lived up to the billing. The super-athletic hitter possesses elite bat speed and potentially the most power of any hitter in the nation as one of his home runs this weekend traveled a reported 500+ feet. For the week, he went 8 for 15 scoring 6 runs, with 4 walks, a triple, 2 home runs and driving in 10 runs. Maryland is the favorite to win the league and with Shaw and his .349 BA, 9 doubles, 10 home runs, 30 RBI and 10 stolen bases on the season, they should be there at the end.

Perfect Game/Rawlings Pitcher of the Week:

Juaron Watts-Brown, Oklahoma State

After being one of the most sought-after transfers in the offseason, Juaron Watts-Brown landed in Stillwater and has more than justified the interest he received during the process. The 6-3/190 RHP is an easy mover with an efficient delivery that allows him to create mid-90s fastballs and sustain his velocity late into games. On top of that, he possesses one of the best and most devastating breaking balls in the game right now. In his outing against the Texas Longhorns, he ended their 16-game win streak as he went 8.0 IP, only allowing 3 hits, 1 run, 3 walks and struck out 12. For the season, the preseason Perfect Game Third Team All-American, is 4-1, with an ERA of 2.61 in 41.1 IP and has an outstanding K:BB ratio of 67:17. The Big-12 is an unpredictable league this year but having Watts-Brown on the staff will surely help the Cowboys stay the course.


March 27

Perfect Game/Rawlings Player of the Week:

Dylan Crews, LSU

When you come into the season as the projected No. 1 pick in the upcoming MLB Amateur Draft, the typical player would feel immense pressure and may struggle with the expectations. Dylan Crews is the odds-on favorite to be that guy but has taken his game to otherworldly heights. The 6-0/200 junior from Longwood, Florida is the heart and soul of the No. 1 team in the land as he hits in the middle of one of the scariest offenses in college history. During his clubs (3-1) week, he went 11 for 16 to bat .688 while launching 4 home runs, score 9 runs and collect 9 RBIs with an OB% of .684. As impressive as his week was, his season stats are even more mind blowing. So far in 24 games, his slash line is .531/.988/.658 with 10 doubles, 9 home runs and 32 RBIs while walking 26 times and only striking out 12.

Perfect Game/Rawlings Pitcher of the Week:

Rhett Lowder, Wake Forest

The Demon Deacons have gone through quite a transformation on the mound in the last few years and the face of that evolution has been Rhett Lowder. The 6-2/200 RHP from Albemarle, North Carolina was the 2022 ACC Pitcher of the Year and starred with the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team last summer. Lowder is the ace on a pitching staff that leads the nation in team ERA, Ks per 9, is 2nd in the nation in hits allowed per 9 and 3rd in K:BB ration. To set the tone for Wake Forest’s first ever sweep of ACC rival Miami Hurricanes, Lowder went 7.0 IP, allowing 3 hits, no runs, 2 walks and he struck out 9 batters. For the season, he has made 6 starts accumulating a 5-0 record with an ERA of 1.42 over 38.0 IP, surrendering just 25 hits, 6 earned runs, 7 walks while punching out 48 batters.


March 20

Perfect Game/Rawlings Player of the Week:

CJ Kayfus, Miami

The University of Miami has surged to the top of the ACC standings at (5-1) after the first two weeks of league play. CJ Kayfus the 6-0/195 infielder from Wellington, Florida was a major reason for the Hurricanes perfect week where they scored a total of 44 runs in 4 games. On the week, he went 12-for-16 for a .750 BA, while scoring 7 runs, as he was walked 4 times, stole 2 bags, hit 3 home runs, and drove in a total of 8 RBI. After a slow start by his standards, Kayfus is now batting .355, slugging .658 with 6 doubles, 5 home runs and 15 RBI for the year. The Canes are playing their best ball of the season and are in the driver’s seat in the conference standings.

Perfect Game/Rawlings Co-Pitchers of the Week:

Hunter Owen, Vanderbilt

The Vanderbilt Commodores have made their way into the top-5 in our latest poll and are off to a flawless start in SEC play. The pitching staff has been leading the way in 2023, with Owen, the 6-6/260 LHP from South Portland, Maine, emerging as the staff ace. On Saturday in his outing against Ole Miss, he threw a complete game shutout on only 96 pitches, surrendering just 2 hits, 1 free pass while striking out an impressive 11 batters. Owen has now made 5 starts in 2023 and is 2-0 with an ERA of 2.20 over 28.2 IP, allowing 19 hits while walking 9 and punching out 35. The Commodores are off and running in SEC play, so expect to see more from Owen in the coming weeks.

Brandon Sproat, Florida

Brandon Sproat, the 6-3/215 RHP from Pace, Florida is off to an All-American start to the 2023 season and is already (4-0) in 5 starts thus far. His last start against the Alabama Crimson Tide was his best to date as he went 9.0 shutout innings and only allowed 1 hit, 2 walks and struck out 11 batters on 106 pitches. His club has surged to No. 2 in the country, are off to a good start in SEC play and look like national title contenders with Sproat leading the way on Friday nights. For the year, along with winning 4 of his 5 starts, he has an ERA of 2.73 over 29.1 IP, only allowing 12 hits, 14 walks while striking out 43 all told.


March 14

Perfect Game/Rawlings Player of the Week:

Connor Tate, Georgia

The University of Georgia had a great week as they went (4-1) and have been on quite a run lately with the offense leading the way. Connor Tate, the 6-3/210 outfielder from Bishop, Georgia, has been right in the heart of the action and a major reason the Bulldogs scored 63 runs this week alone. Over the 5-game schedule Tate went 12 for 20, scoring 9 runs with 4 walks, a double, 4 home runs and he collected 12 RBI. On the year, the graduate is batting .516, slugging .919, with an OBP of .610 to go with 7 doubles, 6 home runs and 22 RBI. The Bulldogs are clicking on all cylinders as they head into SEC play this weekend.

Perfect Game/Rawlings Pitcher of the Week:

Wyatt Hudepohl, Charlotte

The Charlotte 49ers have had mixed results so far in the early season but if Wyatt Hudepohl’s outing from last weekend is any indication, they are trending in the right direction. The 6-4/220 right-hander from Cincinnati, Ohio turned in a solid, complete game performance where he went 9 innings, allowing 5 hits and only 2 earned runs. But the most impressive part of the outing was the fact that he struck out 17 batters without surrendering a single walk and did all of this on just 108 total pitches. As the 49ers head into C-USA play this weekend, look for Hudepohl to lead the way on the mound.


March 7th

Perfect Game/Rawlings Player of the Week:

Wyatt Langford, Florida

For the second week in a row a Florida Gator is named Player of the Week as Wyatt Langford takes home the award coming off a monster 5 game stretch. The junior outfielder from Trenton, Florida was instrumental in his team’s series victory over instate rival Miami Hurricanes. Langford carried a batting average of .500 (10-20) on the week, scoring 9 runs, adding in 2 walks, 2 doubles, 4 home runs and a total of 8 RBI. Considered by the industry to have one of the most comprehensive 5-tool skill sets at the collegiate level, he continues to push himself towards the top of the upcoming 2023 MLB Amateur Draft.

Perfect Game/Rawlings Pitcher of the Week:

Kiefer Lord, Washington

The Washington Huskies are off to a tremendous 9-2 start to the season and Kiefer Lord has been a major factor in his team’s success. The 6-foot-3, 195-pound right-hander from San Carlos, California has really come into his own this spring, anchoring a pitching staff that is one of the nation’s most complete. In his last start, Kiefer threw 6 perfect innings, retiring 18 straight batters and 10 of those outs came via the strikeout. He uses his lively mid-90s fastball, which has approached 100 mph, to dominate hitters and backs that up with a sharp two-plane breaker. On the season he is 2-0 in 3 starts with an ERA of 1.59, only allowing 9 hits over 17 innings pitches with a sparkling 26:3 strikeout-to-walk ratio.


February 27th

Perfect Game/Rawlings Player of the Week:

Jac Caglianone, Florida

When there is talk of the next coming of Shohei Ohtani when referring to the skill set Jac Caglianone possesses, there must be some loud numbers to back it up. Well, based on the show he put on this week, the comparisons are quite honestly warranted. During their 5 games last week, he hit .476, scoring 7 runs, collecting an amazing 6 home runs, and driving in 10 runs. The power numbers are monstrous, and it is worth noting that that all three round-trippers he hit on Sunday registered at 100+ mph off the bat, the highest of which was an impressive 118 mph. By the way, he was also the starting pitcher for the Gators on Sunday and the southpaw was living in the upper-90s with his fastball.

Perfect Game/Rawlings Pitcher of the Week:

Noah Hall, South Carolina

Doing the heavy lifting in their 1-0 victory over Penn this weekend, Noah Hall was flawless as he went 8 innings pitch, allowing 3 hits, no runs, no walks, while striking out 12 batters on 98 pitches. After being drafted in the 20th round by the Brewers last spring, Hall decided to return to Columbia and made significant gains in every aspect of his craft. He has used his mid-90s heater, tight slider, and wipeout changeup to dominate opposing hitters this season so far. After two starts, he is 2-0 with an ERA of 0.68 in 13.1 IP, only allowing 5 hits, 1 earned run, 1 walk and he has struck out 16. Hall is a big reason his club is (8-0) in 2023 and a team in consideration for our top-25.


February 21

Perfect Game/Rawlings Player of the Week:

Nick Kurtz, Wake Forest

As a pre-season Perfect Game All-American and one of our staff’s picks to win this year’s Golden Spikes Award; Nick Kurtz had plenty of anticipation surrounding him on Opening Weekend. The 6-foot-5, 235-pound lefty more than lived up to the billing as he slashed .500/.684/1.500, launching 4 home runs, driving in 10 runs and his 7 walks are more than twice his strikeout total already. By the way, with his length and glove work, he is one of the best defenders in the nation as well. Kurtz and company went 4-0 on the weekend, as they scored 45 runs, hit 13 home runs, and only committed 1 error on defense.

Perfect Game/Rawlings Pitcher of the Week:

Paul Skenes, LSU

Talk about pressure and expectations, Paul Skenes had it coming from every possible angle this weekend. Being the most high-profile transfer in the nation, the Opening Day starter for the No. 1 team in the land and taking the mound in front of over 10,000 fans and countless MLB representatives in the stands, that can be daunting. All the 6-foot-6, 245-pound right did was go 6.0 IP, allowing 3 hits, no runs, 1 free pass while striking out an incredible 12 batters on 98 pitches. By the way, his first pitch of the game was a fastball at 99 mph and his last of the day was a heater at 98 mph. That is surely living up to the hype.
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