THE WORLD'S LARGEST AND MOST COMPREHENSIVE SCOUTING ORGANIZATION
| 2,631 MLB PLAYERS | 16,402 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
2,631 MLB PLAYERS | 16,402 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
Sign in Create Account
Sign in Create Account
College  | Story | 4/4/2018

Midseason College Honors

Patrick Ebert
Mike Rooney
Photo: Illinois Athletics




Perfect Game Top 25 | Player/Pitcher of the Week | College Player Database

With seven weekends behind us and seven more to be played during the 2018 regular season we are officially at the halfway point. Conference tournaments and postseason play extends that season, important to point out considering conference play just began across the country. Because of that it's time to hand out some hardware, recognizing two full Midseason All-America teams as well as a Midseason Player, Pitcher, Freshman, Coach and Team of the Year.

Not surprisingly some of the nation's very best teams also boast some of the nation's very best players/performers. Six teams had multiple players listed on the two 17-team Midseason All-American teams, including No. 1 Florida (Jonathan India and Michael Byrne), No. 2 Stanford (Kris Bubic, Jack Little), No. 4 Oregon State (Adley Rutschman, Trevor Larnach) and No. 5 NC State (Brett Kinneman, Brian Brown). Stetson (Logan Gilbert, Brooks Wilson) and UNLV (Kyle Isbel, Bryson Stott) also have two players represented.

Of the 34 total players recognized, 23 play for teams that are either currently ranked in the Top 25 or were at some point this season.

A week or two ago it looked as though the Midseason Player of the Year was going to be Cal's Andrew Vaughn. However, another first baseman, Illinois' Bren Spillane, caught fire within the past month and surpassed Vaughn in almost every statistical category while leading Illinois to a 17-7 record. Although Illinois isn't ranked they have been considered for the Top 25 for several weeks after going a perfect 3-0 at the Dairy Queen Classic in early March with wins over three formidable Pac-12 opponents: UCLA, Arizona and Washington.

Spillane is among the nation's leaders in pretty much every significant offensive category. He leads the nation in total bases (100) and slugging percentage (1.149) and is tied for first in home runs, with Vaughn, at 14. He is second in the nation in both batting average (.494) and on-base percentage (.579), and his 38 RBI are tied for fifth-best. His name also appears among the leaders in hits, runs and doubles, making him the biggest threat at the plate so far during the 2018 season. Spillane has accounted for nearly half of the team's home runs and over a quarter of Illinois' total bases for a squad hitting .281 as a unit.

In addition to Vaughn, Florida's Jonathan India also received serious consideration.

The Midseason Pitcher of the Year is Casey Mize, who has not only been the most impressive pitcher from a performance perspective during the first half of the 2018 college baseball season, but he is also in the running for the No. 1 overall pick of the 2018 MLB Draft in early June. Similar to Spillane, Mize's numbers are thoroughly impressive, and his overall success is highlighted by the no-hitter he tossed in mid-March. That performance was one error from being a perfect game, as Mize himself did not allow any baserunners to reach, and it also marked the first of three straight performances with double-digit strikeouts.

Mize has recently out-dueled Texas A&M's Stephen Kolek and Mizzou's T.J. Sikkema and is currently 6-0 with a 2.11 ERA. In 47 innings he has allowed just 25 base hits with a remarkable 70-to-3 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Auburn is currently ranked 13th in the nation coming off of a series loss against Missouri, and Mize was the only player seriously considered for Midseason Pitcher of the Year honors.

Freshman of the Year honors go to Arkansas outfielder Heston Kjerstad, who leads a powerful Arkansas offense that currently ranks seventh in the nation in both batting and runs scored. Kjerstad is first on the Razorbacks in the triple slash categories (.396/.492/.679) as well as in hits (42), doubles (9), RBI (30) and total bases (72) while being tied for the team lead in homers, with three others, with seven.

Other players considered for Midseason Freshman of the Year honors include Kjerstad's teammate Casey Martin, LSU righthander Ma'Khail Hilliard and Auburn's Steven Williams, among a small handful of others.

You can always take a few different directions when recognizing the top coach. While there were no shortage of candidates, when having the discussions for the Midseason Coach of the Year one name came to the surface immediately: Stanford's David Esquer.

That isn't to say Stanford's success wasn't predicted, or expected, as the Cardinal opened the year ranked 10th and have steadily climbed ever since. They're currently ranked second, behind only the top-ranked Florida Gators, coming off of a series win over Oregon. Their early season slate, and the subsequent results, have been particularly impressive, with arguably the most challenging non-conference schedule with series wins against Cal State Fullerton, Rice, Michigan and Texas. With a pair of recent mid-week wins over Gonzaga and Santa Clara, Stanford is currently 22-3 as they prepare for another big weekend opponent in No. 21 UCLA in Los Angeles.

Not surprisingly the pitching staff is getting the job done, currently ranked second in the nation with a cumulative 2.21 ERA. The team's four starting pitchers – Tristan Beck, Kris Bubic, Erik Miller and Brendan Beck – are a combined 13-2, and their top two bullpen arms – Jack Little and Jacob Palisch – have 11 saves between them and have allowed only one run in over 40 combined innings of relief.

But what makes Stanford's success especially impressive is that they're winning as a unit, doing so in the first year without long-time head coach Mark Marquess. Esquer was no stranger to Stanford, having both played and coached for them previously, and he also is no stranger to winning, coming to Stanford with 525 career wins as Cal's head coach.

The Midseason Team of the Year is always an easy choice, awarded to the club that currently sits at No. 1 in the nation. That team is the Florida Gators, who opened the year as the top-ranked team and have yet to be knocked off that spot as they defend their National Championship. Head coach Kevin O'Sullivan is one of the best in the business, and the recruiting efforts he and his staff have made have formed an incredible amount of talent in Gainesville, not just this year, but over the past 10-15 years, and that wealth of talent should continue to flow given how highly ranked future recruiting classes are early in the process.

While the Gators have their signature collection of hard-throwing pitchers, highlighted by their ballyhooed, hard-throwing weekend rotation and one of the best closers in the nation, the offense looks significantly different this season from what it did a year ago. Third baseman Jonathan India is enjoying a huge season at the plate and is in the mix for the Golden Spikes Award as the nation's best college baseball player. Senior catcher J.J. Schwarz has re-found his power stroke while Will Dalton, Nelson Maldonado and Deacon Liput have been steady contributors on offense. Centerfielder Nick Horvath seemingly makes at least one highlight reel catch in every game, as the team's defense as a collective unit is also one of the nation's best.

Florida will continue to play in the always-challenging SEC with a huge target on their backs, and while it seems unlikely that they can play the entire season without suffering a weekend series loss, their objective this season is pretty simple: to repeat as National Champions.


Midseason Perfect Game/Rawlings College Baseball Awards:

Player of the Year: Bren Spillane, 1b, Illinois
Pitcher of the Year: Casey Mize, rhp, Auburn
Freshman of the Year: Heston Kjerstad, of, Arkansas
Coach of the Year: David Esquer, Stanford
Team of the Year: Florida Gators


Midseason Perfect Game/Rawlings College Baseball All-American Teams
Statistics for games played through Monday, April 2

First Team
Pos. Player School AVG OBP SLG R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB
C Adley Rutschman Oregon State .400 .491 .622 21 36 10 2 2 28 1
1B Bren Spillane Illinois .494 .579 1.149 32 43 13 1 14 38 12
2B Kody Clemens Texas .359 .477 .680 26 37 8 2 7 25 3
3B Jonathan India Florida .433 .542 .911 32 39 6 2 11 26 5
SS Tyler Frank Florida Atlantic .330 .458 .651 30 35 8 1 8 15 1
OF Kyle Isbel UNLV .390 .453 .707 33 48 9 3 8 34 4
OF Gage Canning Arizona State .447 .504 .737 26 51 11 8 2 20 4
OF Brett Kinneman NC State .336 .418 .750 25 39 6 3 12 36 3
DH Andrew Vaughn California .467 .598 1.011 34 43 8 0 14 39 2
UT Tristin English Georgia Tech .342 .379 .556 23 40 8 1 5 39 1


Pos. Player School ERA W-L CG SV IP H SO BB BAA
SP Casey Mize Auburn 2.11 6-0 1 0 47 25 70 3 .152
SP Nick Sandlin Southern Miss 1.31 4-0 0 0 48 27 73 6 .161
SP Mitchell Kilkenny Texas A&M 1.59 6-0 0 0 45.1 32 40 11 .199
SP Chris Holba East Carolina 1.35 6-0 0 0 40 32 42 10 .221
SP Kris Bubic Stanford 0.96 5-0 0 0 37.2 19 42 10 .150
RP Jack Little Stanford 0.00 0-0 0 9 20.1 8 24 4 .123
RP Michael Byrne Florida 0.38 1-0 0 7 24 15 22 2 .176
UT Tristin English Georgia Tech 3.43 1-0 0 1 21 23 20 2 .280


Second Team
Pos. Player School AVG OBP SLG R H 2B 3B HR RBI SB
C Ryan Jeffers UNC Wilimington .364 .476 .747 27 36 14 0 8 29 1
1B Rylan Thomas UCF .432 .507 .712 36 48 7 0 8 36 2
2B Gabe Holt Texas Tech .398 .514 .566 28 45 6 2 3 19 15
3B Luke Heyer Kentucky .376 .453 .792 29 38 9 0 11 34 6
SS Bryson Stott UNLV .395 .486 .629 34 49 16 2 3 19 7
OF Kevin Strohschein Tennessee Tech .415 .462 .729 27 49 11 1 8 35 0
OF Trevor Larnach Oregon State .347 .458 .694 21 34 10 0 8 36 0
OF Devlin Granberg Dallas Baptist .423 .537 .753 24 41 9 1 7 38 9
DH Kameron Misner Missouri .371 .522 .629 34 39 9 3 4 25 12
UT Aaron Schunk Georgia .303 .384 .404 27 33 7 2 0 17 2


Pos. Player School ERA W-L CG SV IP H SO BB BAA
SP Logan Gilbert Stetson 2.25 6-0 0 0 48 28 69 13 .169
SP Shane McClanahan South Florida 1.55 3-3 0 0 40.2 23 73 19 .160
SP Jake Irvin Oklahoma 2.27 5-0 0 0 43.2 26 50 13 .165
SP Brian Brown NC State 0.41 4-0 0 0 43.2 28 41 13 .187
SP Kyle Brnovich Elon 1.53 4-0 0 0 47 25 75 19 .156
RP Brooks Wilson Stetson 0.34 1-0 0 12 26.1 14 34 6 .156
RP Parker Caracci Ole Miss 0.89 2-0 0 6 20.1 18 38 3 .237
UT Aaron Schunk Georgia 0.71 1-0 0 3 12.2 8 16 1 .178



Give us your feedback
College | Recruiting | 11/16/2026

Head of the Class: No. 10 Mississippi State
Anthony Gambardella
Article Image
Complete 2027 Mississippi State Recruiting Class  10. Mississippi State Head Coach: Brian O’Connor | Recruiting Coordinator: Kevin McMullan Total Signees: 10 | Top 100 Signees: 6 Top 5 Recruits RK Name Pos. HT WT B-T High School Hometown ST 4 Connor Salerno LHP 6-4 225 R-L Sun Valley Indian Trail NC 26 Deuce Jenkins OF 6-1 210 L-L Jackson Academy Brandon MS 34 Sullivan Reed 3B 6-2 220 R-R Lamar Meridian MS 50 Kyler Meccage OF 6-2 192 L-L IMG Academy Bradenton FL 54 Devlan Daniel OF 6-0 215 S-R Indian Hill Cincinnati OH Head Coach Brian O’Connor and his staff are currently slotted at no. 10 in the Class of 2027 Recruiting Rankings, with six recruits that land inside the Top 60 according to the PG Player Rankings. The Bulldogs finished the 2026 season with an overall record of 43–19 and a 16–14 record in SEC play. Looking to add more firepower to the...
Read More
Tournaments | Story | 11/10/2026

14u National All State Scout Notes: Day 3

Donovan May
Article Image
14u National All State Scout Notes: Day 1 | Day 2 Cody Bloomfield ('31, FL) tallied three hits on Championship Monday and capped off an impressive weekend at the plate, finishing with a .455/.538/.636 slash line. Repeats a compact stroke and consistently gets the barrel to the baseball. Shows present strength in the hands and lower half with the ability to drive the ball from gap to gap. Mature all-fields approach continued to produce quality at-bats throughout the event.  Levi Munoz ('31, CA) worked 6.0 innings and struck out five in a strong start on the mound. Attacked hitters with a 77-80 mph fastball that showed life through the top of the strike zone and paired it with a mid-60s curveball featuring 12-to-6 shape. Worked ahead in counts throughout the outing and consistently controlled the tempo. Flashed present swing-and-miss stuff while maintaining command of the...
Read More
College | Recruiting | 11/10/2026

Head of the Class: No. 7 TCU

Quinton Hall
Article Image
Complete 2027 TCU Recruiting Class No. 7 TCU Head Coach: Kirk Saarloos | Recruiting Coordinator: John DiLaura Total Signees: 16 | Top 100 Signees: 5 Top 5 Recruits RK Name Pos. HT WT B-T High School Hometown ST 19 Cooper Goff OF 6-0 185 L-R Mountain Ridge Herriman UT 41 Andrew Carlson RHP 6-3 230 R-R Trinity Classical Academy Valencia CA 79 Joe Mendazona Jr C 6-3 200 L-R Central Monmouth OR 94 Cooper George LHP 6-3 175 L-L Long Beach Wilson Long Beach CA 98 Blake Ragsdale SS 6-0 175 R-R Lyons Twp Burr Ridge IL Head Coach Kirk Saarloos and his staff have put together another impressive recruiting class, landing at No. 7 in the Class of 2027 Recruiting Rankings. With 16 commitments spanning 11 different states, including five prospects ranked inside the Top 100 nationally, the Horned Frogs have made their presence felt across the country. Leading the offensive talent is PG All-American...
Read More
Draft | Prospect Scouting Reports | 11/10/2026

2027 MLB Draft Reports: 101-200

Tyler Henninger
Article Image
2027 MLB Draft Board: Top 200 2027 MLB Draft Reports: 1-100   101. Cooper Williams | LHP | LSU | L-L | Alvin, TX Williams is a lanky, projectable left-hander, standing at 6-foot-4, 200-pounds. A loose, whip arm hides the ball well into a tough low 3/4 slot. The fastball sits in the low-90’s. Both a sweeping slider and curveball are spun well. Williams shows strong pitchability with the ability to add and subtract. Strikes will need to improve if he is to stick as a starter long term. 102. Christopher Ramirez | SS | Tennessee | R-R | Corona, CA Ramirez was the WAC freshman of the year and followed it up with an even better sophomore campaign. The 5-foot-9, 170-pound shortstop has now transferred to Tennessee for the ‘27 season. The right-handed hitter Ramirez showcases premium contact skills, especially in-zone. The approach will get overly aggressive at times, resulting...
Read More
Tournaments | Story | 11/9/2026

14u National All State Scout Notes: Day 2

AJ Denny
Article Image
14u National All State Scout Notes: Day 1 Nicholas Gollatz (2031, Avondale, Pa.) of Team Northeast continued to put together quality at-bats on Day 2, going 3-for-4 with two RBI, a walk, and two stolen bases across two games. The right-handed hitter has been an on-base machine throughout the tournament, showing a mature approach with solid bat-to-ball skills and the ability to use the entire field. Gollatz rarely chases outside the zone and has been a consistent presence in the Northeast lineup as the team advances to bracket play. Here’s another look at ’31 OF Julian Diaz (OH), barreling this pitch for a double. Displays good balance in the box with a quick bat. #NatAllState @PG_OhioValley https://t.co/Bal1YW2aB7 — Perfect Game Youth (@PGYouthBB) November 8, 2026 Like his teammate, Julian Diaz (2031, Toronto, Ohio) of Team Northeast, also had a productive Day 2. The...
Read More
College | Recruiting | 11/10/2026

Head of the Class: No. 8 Tennessee

Geoff Billock
Article Image
Complete 2027 Tennessee Recruiting Class Head Coach: Josh Elander | Recruiting Coordinator: Ricky Martinez Total Signees: 11 | Top 100 Signees: 7 Top 5 Recruits RK Name Pos. HT WT B-T High School Hometown ST 1 Dylan Seward SS 6-0 177 S-R Norco Corona CA 9 Sebastian Wilson OF 6-0 200 L-R IMG Academy Chicago  IL 23 Max Hemenway SS 6-1 185 L-R IMG Academy Puyallup WA 27 Leo Nockley SS 5-8 165 L-R Wyoming Seminary Upper Plains PA 48 Caden Dawson OF 6-2 205 L-R Blessed Trinity Marietta  GA Coach Josh Elander and his staff add 11 signees with 9 out of the 11 cracking the top 200 in recently updated class rankings. This year’s recruiting class for the Vols is led by a serious crop of athletic short stops and the list does not end after the top five recruits. Headlining the group of recruits we have the number one overall player in the country named Dylan Seward. Sebastian...
Read More
College | Recruiting | 11/9/2026

Head of the Class: No. 9 Florida

Marcus Thomas
Article Image
Complete 2027 Florida Recruiting Class No. 9 Florida Head Coach: Kevin O’Sullivan | Recruiting Coordinator: Tom Slater Total Signees: 14 | Top 100 Signees: 4 RK Name Pos. HT WT B-T High School Hometown ST 8 Kinon Bastian OF 6-0 190 R-R The First Academy Winter Garden FL 24 Juan Diaz SS 6-0 180 S-R IMG Academy Hialeah FL 68 Rylan McMahan LHP 6-2 180 L-L Clay Green Cove Springs FL 75 Liam Dougherty RHP 6-2 200 R-R IMG Academy Hendersonville FL 112 Landon Green RHP 6-1 185 R-R TNXL Academy Clearwater FL The Gators once again find their way inside the top 10 with another strong 2027 recruiting class, led by Kinon Bastian. The outfielder has a 6-foot, 190-pound frame and plus athleticism with speed and strength. The PG All-American also shows some juice in the bat for the right-handed hitter. Bastian is joined by fellow All-American Juan Diaz, the 6-foot, 180-pound shortstop has an...
Read More
Draft | Prospect Scouting Reports | 11/9/2026

2027 MLB Draft Reports: 1-100

Tyler Henninger
Article Image
2027 MLB Draft Board: Top 200 1. Dylan Seward | SS | Norco | S-R | Eastvale, CA | Commitment: Tennessee Seward is a lean, athletic infielder with loud tools throughout the profile. The California prep is a switch-hitter with lightning quick hands. He has shown quality in-game power from both sides of the ball, despite a smaller build. There have been swing and miss issues with fastballs at times. Seward is a top of the class, 80-grade runner with the ability to steal bags often. He is a plus defender at shortstop with twitchy and fluidity. 2. Brendan Lawson | SS | Florida | L-R | Toronto, ON Lawson is a strong 6-foot-3, 215-pound infielder with massive offensive upside with a consistent track record. The left-handed hitting shortstop possesses easy raw power that translates well in-game. There is a strong feel to hit to go with the impact. The approach can become overly patient at times,...
Read More
Tournaments | Story | 11/8/2026

14u National All State Scout Notes: Day 1

Tyler Russo
Article Image
2031 C/OF Jace Winston (Fuquay-Varina, N.C.) had a really nice day at the dish as he picked up a couple hits in his first game, both well-struck, and then launched a bomb in game 2. He’s one of the more physical players here who can really impact the baseball already, and the consistency in which he’s hitting this fall is a great sign going into 2027. 2031 SS/RHP Weston Stalls (Blackstock, S.C.) came in for a couple innings of relief on the day and showed off the arm talent running the fastball up to 87. It’s a fast arm and he generates real life to the fastball, while the breaking ball is a good pitch as well.   ‘31 SS Parker Smith (NC) went 3-for-3 to open the weekend, this a line drive single the other way. 6’2/140 & can accelerate the barrel already, intriguing projection. #NatAllState @PG_Coastal https://t.co/Z7C5kDGdIM — Perfect Game...
Read More
General | General | 11/6/2026

Class of 2028 Rankings Update

Article Image
Read More
Loading more articles...
About Perfect Game :: Contact us :: Terms of Use :: Privacy Policy :: Testimonials :: Job Opportunities
Copyright 1994-2026 by Perfect Game. All rights reserved. No portion of this information may be reprinted or reproduced without the written consent of Perfect Game.