THE WORLD'S LARGEST AND MOST COMPREHENSIVE SCOUTING ORGANIZATION
| 2,384 MLB PLAYERS | 15,801 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
2,384 MLB PLAYERS | 15,801 MLB DRAFT SELECTIONS
Create Account
Sign in Create Account
College  | Story | 6/26/2018

Opportunistic Hogs take Game 1

Photo: Blaine Knight (Arkansas Communications)
 



2018 CWS Recaps: Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 | Day 4 | Day 5 | Day 6 | Day 7 | Day 8
2018 Honors: Vaughn leads '18 college awards | College All-Americans | Freshmen All-Americans

OMAHA, Neb. – The start to the 2018 College World Series finals had the pieces in place for what many had predicted could be a prolific scoring explosion. This despite TD Ameritrade’s ballyhooed propensity for low-scoring contests.

The finals presented a match up of two of the top offenses in the nation as both schools averaged well over seven runs per game this season and the two teams nearly compiled a thousand runs between them this spring. Arkansas has been batting .302 as a club and was tied for third in the county with 98 home runs. In fact, 36 percent of their run production (172 of 475) were generated via the long ball.

Not to be outdone, Oregon State had been hitting a third-in-the-nation .323, which not only was tops in the Pac 12 but was 33 points higher than any other team in the conference.

Of course both teams would have their aces on the mound in an attempt to extinguish each other’s incendiary bats, however, both arms were susceptible to generosity.

Despite Oregon State’s Luke Heimlich’s brilliance in the regular season, he had been battered about in Omaha. In his two appearances at the College World Series coming into Game 1, Heimlich allowed eight earned runs in five total innings while plunking three batters in the series opener alone. Arkansas’ Blaine Knight also has vulnerabilities despite his 13-0 record. Entering the game he had allowed 18 home runs, and with the run blowing out, the Beaver bats had the potential to add to their tally of 29 times they batted around in an inning.

Both pitchers started stunningly, with Heimlich and Knight each sitting down the other team’s lineup in order to start the game. However, in the second inning Knight wouldn’t be as fortunate.

Oregon State right fielder Trevor Larnach laced a ball down the right field line and advanced to second when the ball skirted to the wall. Knight rebounded to strike out out Adley Rutchman, who had been leading the CWS with 10 RBI, but the Arkansas junior starter ran into trouble once again against OSU’s designated hitter, Tyler Malone. Malone, who has menacingly hit three home runs while in Omaha, didn’t send another ball over the fence, but he was able to nub the ball into the void between the pitcher and shortstop to put runners on the corners via his infield hit.

Tenth-round draft pick Michael Gretler put the first run on the board with the next at-bat. He thwacked a 2-0 offering off the end of his bat up the middle, which somehow managed to out-avoid shortstop Jax Bigger’s outstretched mitt and bring in the first run. With two men on and only one out it didn’t bode well for Arkansas, but Knight resoundingly rebounded with a pair of strikeouts to end the inning and smother the scoring threat.

After a scoreless third inning, the fourth provided one of the most memorable moments in College World Series history.

Oregon State’s Trevor Larnach skied a ball to left which, 99 times out of a 100, if not more, would have been an uneventful lazy fly ball. However the sun blinded left fielder Heston Kjerstad who had no idea where the ball was. The ball landed behind him and bounded over the wall for a ground-rule double.

A line drive up the middle by catcher Adley Rutschman put the runners on the corners as the Beavers threatened to increase their lead. The next batter, Malone hit a ball feebly to Carson Shaddy at second base, which appeared to be a sure double play that would limit OSU’s overall scoring potential. However, shortstop Jax Biggers double-pumped his throw to first, which provided Malone the extra instant he needed to safely beat the ball to the base.

In a stunning twist of fate,  Rutschman, despite ducking under the relay throw to first, was called for interference, which not only removed Malone from first, but negated the run as Larnach was sent back to third. The next batter, third baseman Michael Gretler, struck out to end the inning, much to the furious dismay of Oregon State head coach Pat Casey who unquestionably didn’t agree with the momentum-changing call which occurred at second.

The inning ended with the Beavers maintaining their 1-0 lead.

While the call unquestionably adhered to the letter of the rule – Rule 8-4a: on any force play, the runner must slide on the ground before the base and in a direct line between the two bases… Penalty, with less than two outs, the batter runner, as well as the interfering runner shall be called out and no runners shall advance – the spirit of call was questioned by Casey after the game.

"Yeah, I don't agree with his explanation. It appeared Rutsch was doing everything he could to get out of the way. The ball left the guy's hand,” Casey lamented. “They weren't near one another, so I don't agree with the call … it did affect that inning. We had that run taken off the board right there, so that makes it tough. We've got a guy on first base with a two-run lead and one out.”

Up to the fifth, Heimlich had been dominant on the hill. His fastballs were precise and approaching triple digits, he had command of his slider and was seamlessly working side-to-side through the strike zone. That would soon change quickly and dramatically.

An innocent infield pop up started the inning and it appeared Heimlich would continue to dominate. Following a walk to second baseman Carson Shaddy, Jared Gates hopped one over the head over the outstretched arm of his first base counterpart, Zak Taylor, to put runners on the corners. Catcher Grant Koch singled through the right side to tie the game, 1-1.

That’s when the wheels completely fell off Heimlich’s wagon.

Heimlich plunked Biggers with a ferocious wild pitch that would’ve made Rick Vaughn envious. With the bases now loaded and Heimlich’s control rapidly going AWOL, a handful of Beaver relievers raced to the bullpen while Heimlich beaned another batter to gift Arkansas another run.

Without an available option ready to relieve him, Heimlich stayed on the mound. The next batter would’ve generated a much-needed out, but usually soft-handed second baseman Nick Madrigal juggled the ball on an apparent fielder’s choice which not only kept the bases loaded, but gifted the Razorbacks yet another run.

Christian Chamberlain was brought in to replace Heimlich, but he seemingly completed his warm-ups on the mound as he immediately issued a four-pitch walk that increased the lead to three. Fortunately for the Beavers he was able to quickly gain his composure and struck out the next two Arkansas batters to stop the bleeding.

Nevertheless, the damage was done. Arkansas had taken a 4-1 lead and that was all the effort they’d need to finish the game.

Knight was removed at the end of the sixth inning and his replacements were just as effective and fortuitous as he had been on the mound. Barrett Loseke and Matt Cronin earned the final nine outs by only allowing a pair of hits while striking out five.

While the most memorable on-the-field event was the interference play, which potentially turned the tide for Arkansas, the most meaning performance was that of Knight. Assuming it was his final appearance in a Razorback uniform, it was the pièce de résistance of a brilliant season in which he earned wins when facing four pitchers who were drafted in the first round of the 2018 MLB Draft (Casey Mize, Auburn; Brady Singer, Florida; Ryan Rolison, Ole Miss and Jackson Kowar, Florida). Knight earned his 14th win of the season, throwing six innings while only allowing a single earned run on seven hits with six strikeouts.

“I just gave him a hug and he said thank you. It was pretty simple. He knew exactly what I meant,” Arkansas head coach Dave Van Horn said of Knight after the game. “But you know, it was kind of surreal knowing that that was the last time he's going to probably step on the mound for us. I mean, it is.”

While Knight’s season is likely over, his teammates’ is most certainly not. The Razorbacks will be looking to earn their first national title Wednesday when the two teams tangle once again in Omaha. If Oregon State wins, the two will play a deciding game on Thursday.




College | Recruiting | 12/22/2025

Recruiting Notebook: December 22

Jheremy Brown
Article Image
Lucien Saint Cyr, INF, Class of 2026 Commitment: Bucknell Saint Cyr announced his pledge to Bucknell, giving the Bison an interesting blend of present tools and projection. Saint Cyr stands 6-foot-1 and offers room to fill in his medium frame, profiling in the middle infield defensively. The New York product starts wide at the base in the right-handed box, keeping his hands high behind the ear. He works into a subtle outward step load, firing through a compact barrel that showcases bat speed and gap-to-gap impact. For head coach Scott Heather and Bucknell, they land a high-quality Northeast infielder in the ’26 cycle, adding to a class that takes the quality over quantity approach. Patrick Diaz ('26, NY) 102 EV off the bat. Impact to the pull side. #PGNational @PGMidAtlantic @PG_Uncommitted pic.twitter.com/NN0L3FRdO9 — PG Showcases (@PGShowcases) July 9, 2025 Patrick Diaz,...
High School | General | 12/24/2025

2025 Year In Review: High School

Cam McElwaney
Article Image
IMG Academy Takes Home the National Title Every year IMG Academy comes into the spring with top-to-bottom one of the top rosters in the country and every year have the expectation of winning the national championship. Well in 2025 they did just that after finishing the spring 24-1, winning the High School Showdown, and winning 15 straight games to end their season. Their high end offensive ability was on full display throughout the year and they will once again be one of the most talented teams in the country in ’26 as they look to go back-to-back. Two Top-10 Picks in the MLB Draft Headline National Players of the Year It was another loaded crop that took home the National Players of the Year as both Ethan Holliday, the National Player of the Year, and Seth Hernandez, National Pitcher of the Year, heard their names called within the first-10 picks in the MLB Draft. Another first...
Draft | Rankings | 12/24/2025

Top 2027 Collegiate Draft Prospects

Isaiah Burrows
Article Image
With the 2025 cycle officially behind us and the calendar nearly flipping over to 2026, it is time to start looking ahead to the future. More importantly, start looking ahead to the next season of college baseball and what that may mean for draft-eligible players with big dreams of continuing their journey. While the 2026 MLB Draft is now on the horizon, we are looking ahead to the future even further – to see which players have already made impacts upon their arrival to college campuses. We have already dropped our 2028 Top 75 collegiate prospects board, but this one is our Top 100 college prospects who will be eligible for the 2027 class. These are the Top 100 players in our eyes for this group, and many of them have already shown up on campus and been impactful in many ways. Whether its our top-ranked player in Oregon State’s Dax Whitney or ninth-ranked William Schmidt...
Draft | Rankings | 12/23/2025

Top 2028 Collegiate Draft Prospects

Vincent Cervino
Article Image
The college players in the 2028 draft class have yet to step on campus, but they're positioned to make an immediate impact. Several high end talents either turned down significant money last year or honored strong college commitments, resulting in their arrival on campus this fall. The class is currently led by a trio of high-upside arms in Jack Bauer, Angel Cervantes, and Cameron Appenzeller. They are followed by a deep group of bats that rounds out a strong, high end Top-10. Rk. Name Level Pos. B-T School Hometown State 1 Jack Bauer C LHP L-L Mississippi State Frankfort IL 2 Angel Cervantes C RHP R-R UCLA Lynwood CA 3 Cameron Appenzeller C LHP L-L Tennessee Springfield IL 4 Brayden Jaksa C C R-R Oregon Fremont  CA 5 JD Stein C SS R-R Wake Forest Carmel IN 6 Mason Ligenza C OF L-L Pittsburgh Brockton PA 7 Ty Peeples C OF L-R Georgia Lavonia GA 8 Lucas Franco C SS L-R TCU Katy TX 9...
Juco | Story | 12/23/2025

2025 Year in Review: JUCO

Blaine Peterson
Article Image
Looking Back at the 2025 Top 10  Matt Barr (‘25 Niagara, ‘26 Minnesota Twins) Bursting onto the scene last winter, footage of an indoor bullpen rocketed Barr onto the radar of many. Explosive fastball reaches near triple digits with incredible spin numbers across the secondaries. Huge numbers at Niagara earned him the title of the first Juco player drafted in 2025. JC Vanek (‘25 Chipola, ‘26 Kansas City Royals) Just a professional hitter. Vanek for two years at Chipola was an impossible out. While there are questions if the power will ever reach what it takes to play first base at the big league level, the bat and quality defensive skillset at first base may carry. Donovan Becerra (‘25 New Mexico, ‘26 Texas Tech) One of the more high octane arms anywhere in the country last year. Can reach back for upper 90’s and has shown serious swing and...
Draft | Story | 12/22/2025

2025 Year in Review: Draft

Isaiah Burrows
Article Image
2025 Year in Review: Draft We’ve reached the end of the 2025 calendar year, and while we’ve already jumped in on the 2026 cycle with some of the fall events and post-draft content we’ve had here at Perfect Game, there’s still one more piece on the docket, and that’s the 2025 Year-In-Review piece here from the PG Draft staff.  The 2025 MLB Draft took place in July, when many highly talented players heard their names called and continued their journey through the game to the next level. There’s already been some of those names making noise in the minors and guys who are moving up prospect lists and becoming names to know for MLB fans digging deep into the future of their organizations. While we are going to “close the book” on 2025 with this article, these players still have many years ahead of them, and many blank pages to continue...
High School | General | 12/19/2025

Huntington Beach HS World Series Recap

Steve Fiorindo
Article Image
MVPitcher: Duncan McLeod The uncommitted junior toed the slab in three of the four games for Team Mick, tossing 3 2/3 innings.  Zero walks, zero hits and 6 punchouts for the lefty who was used both as a starter in the series clinching game 4 and he closed out game 3 on Friday in quick fashion.  McLeod was very efficient as well, needing just 42 pitches over all his outings.  In the game 4 start, over two innings he punched out 3, with one strikeout with all of his offerings.  The mid 80’s fastball regularly played up, set up with efficient use of the secondaries, with the breaking ball 73/74 and fading change-up 72-74.   Owen Bone (2026) at it again... Solo shot in the 5th to tie things up. Back to back days with a home run for Bone. #PGHS pic.twitter.com/2JC9qETI5h — Perfect Game California (@California_PG) December 13, 2025 MV Hitter: ...
Tournaments | Story | 12/19/2025

13u Tourney All-American Team

Jheremy Brown
Article Image
What a year it was in 2025 on the national landscape at the 13u level as Perfect Game continues to expand its reach around the country, providing an even bigger schedule of events coast-to-coast which has allowed players all over show out and gain their deserved recognition. Whether in Texas for the Houston 1000 or the 13u WWBA in West Palm Beach, we saw huge, eye opening performances from the players placed below, knowing that we could EASILY build a third team and likely a fourth without much effort.  As we do every year with this exercise, it's worth pointing out the trickiness of this age group and putting the teams together with the 13u group. While the players are all members of the Class of 2030, some are younger for the grade, which allowed them to play at the 12u level where's it's a smaller field, shorter mound distance and different bats, so we'll separate them out and...
Tournaments | Story | 12/18/2025

14u Tourney All-American Team

Tyler Russo
Article Image
Player of the Year: Asher Williams It was an incredible year for Williams that was rewarded with a trip to the 14U Select Fest, before some more impressive play in the fall. He came to the plate almost 250 times in PG tournaments throughout 2025 and reached base in well over half of them, hitting to a .500 AVG while slugging a 14U circuit best 12 bombs and driving in 113 runs. The numbers on the surface are ridiculous, but when you look at the high-level events he put them up in, it makes it even more impressive. Pitcher of the Year: Tristan Blalock Blalock earns this honor after a dominant 2025 where he struck out 85 batters in just 48.2 innings of work with a minuscule 1.58 ERA. This included several strong performances at many national level tournaments and showcases where he was able to bully some of the best hitters in the country. It’s hard not to fall in love with...
Draft | Story | 12/18/2025

PG Draft: Gut Feel Guys

Tyler Henninger
Article Image
While we are nearing the turn of the calendar to the 2026 year, that means we are just inching closer to the beginning of the season for many high school players and college baseball is on the horizon. We are prepping for a reshuffle of the 2026 MLB Draft Board as well here amongst the PG Draft staff. But before we get to that, we sat down and have each picked a couple of players who are in the mix to get selected in a couple of different buckets.  We have prospects who could go into the Top 30 picks or so, prospects who could be selected in the Top 5 rounds, and prospects who could go inside of the Top 10 rounds. With the draft quite far down the road and a lot of re-shuffling to be done as these players play themselves into certain spots on the draft board, our scouts picked some players who fit into these “buckets” who are gut-feel guys. These are the guys that our PG...
Loading more articles...