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College  | Story | 4/16/2016

Lauer deals, Flashes win big

Photo: David Dermer




Weekend Preview | National Notebook | Perfect Game Top 25 | Video Vault


Kent State 13, Eastern Michigan 3

What at first glance seemed to be a potential quality matchup of arms (Eastern Michigan's Davis Feldman had been solid all year for the Eagles) turned into a laugher as the Kent State bats came alive to the tune of 13 runs on 16 hits in a blowout win.

The big draw on Friday night was Kent State's junior left-hander Eric Lauer, pegged by many as a potential Day 1 draft choice this June. The 6-foot-3, 205-pound southpaw has a pretty ideal build for a pitcher, with well-proportioned strength and athleticism throughout. The delivery is easy and low-effort, but there is some funkiness in the arm action that could lead teams to be concerned about his long-term viability as a starting pitcher. He wraps his arm pretty deep behind his back at the furthest reach point of the arm circle, highlighting the wrap with a forearm-straightening stab before accelerating into release. While the acceleration is clean and the little funk does not inhibit his command, it's still a bit unorthodox. He gets over his front side well and lands online, repeating the delivery pretty consistently, though he will occasionally slow his arm down a noticeable amount on his off-speed pitches. Overall, it's a clean delivery with added deception.




The stuff was solid, if unspectacular. He worked 88-90 mph with his fastball throughout his six innings, bumping a few 91's throughout and one 92 in the first inning on my gun. He moves the fastball in and out pretty easily, showing at least average command of the pitch, and the overall ease of the delivery along with his athleticism may give the command an above average future. He showed five different pitches in this outing, but was mostly fastball/curveball. The curve is a solid pitch, with 2-to-8 slurvier shape and some sharpness in the mid-70s. He was able to keep the pitch down in the zone consistently, and got several strikes with it, both called and swung through.

The best secondary pitch from my perspective was his slider, and, though inconsistent, was the only secondary pitch that flashed above-average. It works in the low 80's with good diving tilt when he's on top of it, and can work as a swing-and-miss pitch to both righties and lefties. He threw a cutter or two that didn't do much, and a few solid-ish changeups that show slight fading action down in the zone. Overall, he struck out seven over six innings of work, allowing only two hits and one walk.

On the whole, Lauer is a pretty "safe" collegiate lefthander whose profile is one that often makes it to the major leagues in some capacity. He has the command and the arsenal to start, at least initially, and to teams who believe the stuff can take a bit of a step forward while retaining command, he's likely a second round draft choice.

With a score of 13-3 and 16 Kent State hits, it's pretty obvious that the Golden Flashes swung the bat really well. Several players jumped out, offensively.

Right fielder Luke Burch had a monster day, going 3-for-4 with two doubles, three walks and three stolen bases out of the leadoff spot. He's a plus runner with excellent feel to hit, putting his barrel on nearly everything he swung at and driving the ball both over the right fielder's head to the pull field and up the left-center field gap for his two doubles. He's a near-ideal leadoff hitter, with an advanced approach and advanced bat-to-ball skills with some legitimate extra base juice in his bat, to go along with the speed necessary to be a consistent stolen base threat.

Senior designated hitter Zarley Zarlewski has seemingly been raking in the MAC for nearly a decade now, though obviously it's only been four years. He added another three hits in Friday's game, including a double, along with a pair of RBI. While the profile may be a bit limited from a draft perspective, there's no denying that he can hit, commanding the strike zone and the barrel equally well and using the entire field with line drive, high-contact swing approach.

Sophomore third baseman Dylan Rosa is a name to keep an eye on for the draft in 2017, as the righthanded hitters possesses some of the best bat speed I've seen so far in 2016. He can struggle to recognize spin at times, but there's no denying the bat speed and strength he brings to the table, along with interesting defensive tools at third base. He has more than enough arm for the position and has quality athleticism as well. He's been a dominant force in the cleanup spot all season and doesn't look to be slowing down anytime soon.

True freshman catcher Pete Schuler has more than held his own offensively this year, hitting around .270 with solid on base skills and extra-base pop, but he stood out defensively just the same on Friday. He's a quality receiver who led Lauer well throughout the game, and was popping 1.88-1.95 consistently both in game and in between innings. He was listed on our Top 2018 Prospects list on the MAC preview back in January, and that certainly looks to be a good call so far.

It seemed as though the hits would never stop coming for Kent State, as they jumped on Davis Feldman early and never really took their foot off the gas pedal until the game was well in hand. Feldman, for his part, flashed some quality stuff and it's easy to see why he's had success in 2016 and has a firm grasp on the Friday job for Eastern Michigan. He's a well-built prospect with two projectable pitches in his fastball and slider, touching 91 with the former and showing sharp, late tilt with the latter.

Eastern Michigan shortstop Marquise Gil is a plus athlete with the range and quick-twitch necessary for the shortstop position, and has some serious wheels in the box as well, clocking a 3.88 seconds time down the line on a bunt and stealing second base with ease on the aforementioned 1.88 second pop from Schuler.

Kent State and Eastern Michigan will go back to battle on Saturday afternoon in game two of their series, while I'll be heading five minutes west of Ypsilanti to check in on Nebraska/Michigan. 



Arizona 4, Stanford 1

This is a critical series for two teams squarely in contention for the postseason. Stanford's freshman phenom Tristan Beck was the headliner but two elite infield defenses also stood out.

Beck looks every bit the part of a top of the first round monster. He has the perfect frame at 6-foot-4 and 160-pounds with plenty of room to add strength. His delivery is athletic and repeatable. If you'd like a bonus, he's also fiesty on the mound and wasn't afraid to show up the home plate umpire. Stanford pitching guru Rusty Filter will certainly coach Beck past that but you have to love the attitude.

Beck's stuff is easy and ferocious at the same time. He throws a very comfortable fastball at 88-92 mph and there is absolutely more in there. That pitch showcases Beck's pitching maturity as he never gets out of control looking for bigger velocity.

Beck sports a four-pitch mix and his slider (76-78 mph) was better than his curveball in this outing. His changeup was the best secondary by far and it has split-action at 80-83 mph. Even though that velocity is typically too high for that pitch, it still generated bad swings all night.  

If Tristan Beck were a stock, it would be time to mortgage the house. He has stuff, athleticism and projection. On top of that, he operates with a controlled aggression that is edgy but never crossed the line to become out of control. The bottom line is that Beck combines a unicorn-like pitching trifecta: big talent, competitiveness and acumen.

Arizona starter Nathan Bannister must be mentioned and he is a senior having the best year of his career under the tutelage of long-time Pac-12 pitching coach Dave Lawn. Bannister matched Beck pitch-for-pitch and took a two-hit shutout into the ninth. He was the most valuable performer in this key victory for the Wildcats.

The two aforementioned infield defenses in this game make both clubs really intriguing for the postseason. Arizona moved two outfielders (Ryan Aguilar and Cody Ramer) to the right side of their infield and the resulting range and athleticism has become a difference maker. Despite the lightning fast desert surface at Hi Corbett, Arizona is fielding an astounding .979.

Not to be outdone, Stanford is fielding an other-worldly .986 and this infield group combines outstanding range with a rare sure-handedness. Sophomores Mikey Diekroeger and Matt Winaker are athletic corner players. Tommy Edman has experience and instincts at shortstop while freshman Nico Hoerner was a human highlight reel at second base.

The most interesting part of Stanford's story is that they are doing this without ace Cal Quantrill. Quantrill is now 13 months removed from Tommy John surgery and it is important to remember that his two best pitches pre-injury were fastball and changeup.  One could assume that his production might return sooner than others since he won't need to find his breaking ball to be effective. If Cal Quantrill is available for the postseason then Stanford just became the absolute worst draw of this year's NCAA tournament.



National Notes

• Brendan McKay did it all on Friday in Louisville’s big 15-2 win over Clemson. He moved to 7-1 on the year by delivering seven two-hit innings while striking out eight, and he also went 3-for-5 at the plate with a triple, two runs scored and two driven in. Corey Ray did his job from the leadoff spot, going 3-for-4 with his 11th double of the year, three runs scored and a pair of stolen bases, giving him 30 on the season. Blake Tiberi also enjoyed a three hit game, one of those being his sixth home run of the year, and chipped in with four RBI.

• St. Mary’s is enjoying a very successful weekend, handing 16th-ranked BYU another loss while claiming the series. A day after Corbin Burnes continued to dazzle with his mid-90s heat, Johnny York nearly went the distance while moving to 4-3 on the year, providing 8 1/3 strong innings, scattering 10 base hits and a walk. One of those hits was a two-run shot off the bat of Colton Shaver, his ninth of the year, that pulled the Cougars within one in the sixth, but the Gaels tacked on three more runs in the sixth and seventh innings to pull away with the 7-4 win.

• Texas A&M’s Brigham Hill out-dueled Dakota Hudson as the Aggies claimed game one of the series on Friday with a big 10-3 win in Starkville. Hudson couldn’t slow the top half of Texas A&M’s potent offense, as the team’s Nos. 2-4 hitters (Nick Banks, Boomer White and Hunter Melton) went a combined 8-for-14. Banks in particular had a huge game, hitting two doubles and a home run with four total RBI. It should be noted that the game was close, 4-3, heading into the top of the ninth after the Bulldogs pushed across a run in the eighth inning to pull within one, but the Aggies bats erupted on relievers Ethan Small and Vance Tatum for six runs in the final inning that put the game well out of reach.

• After a rough start last weekend against LSU, Jordan Sheffield got back to his dominant ways, and then some, against Top 25 newcomer Kentucky. Sheffield went the distance tossing a shutout, allowing just five base hits and two walks while striking out 14 Wildcats in a 3-0 win for the Commodores.

• Shane Bieber of the 20th-ranked UC Santa Barbara Gauchos also delivered a complete game shutout on Friday, and he was particularly efficient in doing so. He allowed just four hits and a walk while fanning seven, and of the 102 pitches he threw 77 were strikes as UCSB beat CSUN 1-0.

• It was a rather rough day for ranked teams as No. 6 Florida State, No. 9 Oregon State, No. 13 North Carolina, No. 15 California, No. 22 Southern Miss and No. 24 Missouri State joined BYU, Mississippi State, Kentucky and Houston (read Jheremy Brown’s report on UConn/Houston here) as the ranked teams that lost on Friday.
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