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College  | Story  | 12/15/2020

College Notebook: December 15

Vincent Cervino     
Photo: Matt McLain (UCLA Athletics)
Previous College Notebooks:

December 1: Auburn, Florida, Florida State, Louisiana State, Miami

December 8: Arkansas, Illinois, Maryland, Michigan, Purdue

Programs covered this week: Georgia Tech, Indiana, Louisville, North Carolina, Ohio State, UCLA

Georgia Tech

The Yellow Jackets feature one of the more unique rosters entering this spring given the trio of established returnees, second year players who got significant playing time in 2020, and talented newcomers to make a cohesive squad. They lost a couple of contributors to the five round draft but the returnees are headlined by Luke Waddell and Brant Hurter on the offense and pitching staff, respectively. Waddell is one of the more polished and complete offensive producers in the sport while the return of Hurter, who missed the 2020 campaign, gives them a qualified ACC arm to potentially start on Friday nights.



Expect the trio of returnees on the mound of Cort Roedig, Luke Bartnicki, and Andy Archer to be other competitors for big innings. Roedig is likely their top draft arm and was up to 97 mph this fall while Bartnicki is an uncomfortable low-90s lefty and Archer has been into the mid-90s himself. Jackson Finley was one of the stars of the fall with big time power and a 94-96 mph heater on the bump as he could be in store for a breakout. Dalton Smith, Sam Crawford, and Hugh Chapman will be relied on for significant innings while prized recruit Marquis Grissom Jr had a big fall too and, given his pitchability and big arm, could see big innings right away. Zach Maxwell is the x-factor as he’s got explosive, upper-90s stuff and a swing-and-miss slider as he continues to develop his mound presence.

The middle of the lineup combination of Stephen Reid, Andrew Compton, and Andrew Jenkins have massive power upside. Reid should fill the Baron Radcliff role from a year ago while Jenkins and Compton have been consummate performers dating back to high school with polished hit-power skill sets. Colin Hall and Tres Gonzalez are two returnees who made significant strides and both have played themselves into seeing a large number of at-bats. Vanderbilt transfers Chance Huff, a righthanded pitcher, and Justyn-Henry Malloy, a corner infielder, both figure to see time in their first years at Georgia Tech while the freshman duo of Kevin Parada and Jake Deleo have a chance to be special. Parada has star potential from an offensive standpoint and will split time with Jake Holland behind the plate and Deleo joins a crowded outfield group.

Indiana

Once again the Hoosiers project to be right in the thick of things atop the Big Ten and Jeff Mercer’s squad brings back a combination of veteran arms and bats along with guys who’ve made significant strides. Grant Richardson returning is a boon for the offense as he had, arguably, the top statistics in college baseball in 2020 while his athletic profile and offensive skill set profile in the middle-of-the-order anywhere. Also returning are rotation mates Gabe Bierman and Tommy Sommer who are both established conference starters with upper-80s to low-90s fastballs with a ton of strikes and competition.

If you’re looking for a name to take a significant step forward from a pitching perspective look no further than McCade Brown. Arguably the team’s top draft prospect, he’s always had fairly significant stuff and was able to turn in a great fall, really progressing in terms of being a pitcher and honing his craft. Braydon Tucker was the third starter in the 2020 rotation and he’ll also factor into a possible rotation spot or significant innings. Nathan Stahl and David Platt are primed for big innings in a myriad of roles while Ty Bothwell and Matt Litwicki really took steps forward in terms of stuff. True freshman Alex Logusch has a power slider and Grant Macciocchi will have a big role as a two-way player.

Offensively the team is going to run through Richardson but there is a ton of talent that returns and have improved over the course of the fall. Cole Barr is a steadying presence and has significant power in the righthanded box, while the combination of Hunter Jesse, Ethan Vecrumba, and Morgan Colopy should all see time in the outfield throughout the season. Paul Toetz redshirted in 2020 but he’s got real offensive potential, while there’s a trio of four-year transfers in Bobby Whalen, Jordan Fucci, and Jacob Southern, the latter two of which offer extensive track records of production. Brennan Rowe and Kip Fougerousse were two freshmen who took advantage of the fall, with Rowe potentially hitting his way into a starting role.

Louisville

With perennial championship hopes, the Cardinals look positively loaded once again and it starts with the impact offensive core they have returning in 2020. Alex Binelas is the headliner and he really turned it on toward the end of the fall as he missed the 2020 campaign with injury and currently projects as a potential first-rounder. The feel for contact, high exit velocities and power potential tell the story, while the return of Lucas Dunn can also not be understated. Henry Davis and Levi Usher also figure to be high draft picks, as Henry has a hose to go along with the ability to drive the ball both ways. Usher is a potential star in the making given the former PG All-American’s freaky tools, and he’s really improved in terms of his pitch selection and contact rate.

Senior Luke Smith is the only returning rotation starter from a year ago so there’s a good amount of innings up for grabs. Two guys who look like they’ll slot in nicely are former closer Michael Kirian and physical righty Glenn Albanese. Kirian has about as sparkling of numbers as you can have and really responded well this fall to being stretched out as a starter. Albanese made a big jump in terms of stuff as he pounded the zone with three pitches and worked into the mid-90s. Jack Perkins might have the best stuff on the staff and showed some improvement in terms of command while Carter Lohman also made some strides and figures for innings. Michael Prosecky made a bit of a velocity jump and should be in the starting mix while other arms poised for innings include Evan Webster along with junior college transfers Cameron Robinson and Luke Seed. Tate Kuehner offers some intrigue, as do freshmen arms Benjamin Wiegman and Riley Phillips, as both have shown low-90s fastballs and competitiveness.

Luke Brown is another returnee that should balance out the offense, as the outfielder likely garners draft looks while Dalton Rushing really hit his way into a significant role as he has a smooth swing and improved athleticism. Ben Metzinger took advantage of at-bats last spring while the group of Tim Borden, Logan Beard, Jack Payton, and Christian Knapczyk are all in the mix for time in the lineup. Tyeler Hawkins offers game changing speed in the outfield and junior college transfer Cooper Bowman is another good runner who can really defend. Jared Poland is one of the better two-way players in the country as there’s a real chance he can serve a swingman role as a starting infielder and come in to close games in the ninth.

North Carolina

The Tar Heels finish 2020 and head into next spring with two key strengths - the depth of their arms and their chance to be a very impressive defensive team. Experience immediately comes to mind when looking at the pitching staff as every pitcher who started a game returns. Joey Lancellotti figures to be the ace of this staff following his performance in that role in 2020, equipped with a mid-90s fastball and a power slider. The group of Max Alba, Connor Ollio, Will Sandy, and Caden O'Brien should all be in the mix for significant innings come next spring while the newcomers to the program have also been impressive. Max Carlson is an extremely polished true freshman who really had a dominant fall while the 6-foot-8 Tanner Quick has a big arm and massive upside. Fellow freshman Nick James has also made a velocity jump and figures to be a tough at-bat given a potential mid-90s fastball from a low slot lefty.

The offense loses Aaron Sabato to the pros but it returns a massive amount of its production from last season. Danny Serretti is one of their top draft prospects and he’s a consummate example of a traditional, consistent ACC shortstop both from an offensive and defensive perspective. Dylan Harris slots in centerfield again as he’s as surehanded as they come defensively while Caleb Roberts will see time both behind the dish and in the outfield. Eric Grintz is a power bat from the right side while Lancellotti will also see time in the lineup. A couple of transfers had good falls in Davidson graduate Brett Centracchio at first base and junior college transfer Justice Thompson in the outfield. Thompson made massive strides this fall as he’s got exciting tools and the chance to go well in the draft with a big spring.

Some of their young arms were mentioned above but there should be no shortage of chances for their freshman bats either as a number of them really stood out. Tomas Frick showed he’s really got significant offensive potential and may hit his way into the lineup this year. Mac Horvath was another heralded recruit who’s making an impact on the infield while Johnny Castagnozzi and Jack Riedel also had good falls.

Ohio State

When looking at projected pitching staffs, there might not be one in the Big Ten with more upside than Ohio State given their returnees. Seth Lonsway is the headliner from a draft perspective as he offered perhaps the best raw stuff in the 2020 class but returns to prove his command has improved. Both Lonsway and Garrett Burhenn both project near the top of the rotation and both had excellent falls, setting the tone for the rest of the pitching staff. Junior college transfer Jack Neely is massive physically, and has begun tapping into his massive potential this fall while Griffan Smith also returns to the rotation from a year ago. Bayden Root, Mitch Milheim, and senior Patrick Murphy should round out some innings while TJ Brock has monster potential with an electric arsenal that’s been as high as 99 mph this fall.

Fifth year senior Conner Pohl should be the anchor in the middle of the lineup with run-producing potential at first base while the emergence of Zach Dezenzo this fall has been notable. Dezenzo projects to slide over from third to shortstop where he’s made strides with his defensive ability and has the obvious size and offensive tools to produce. Brent Todys and Archer Brookman should both see time behind the plate while Nick Erwin and Colton Bauer are two guys who earned playing time with their performance.

Nathan Karaffa was a true freshman last year whose stats were a bit misleading in the spring, as he’s expected to play a big role. There are jobs up for grabs in the outfield, as the depth and amount of players on rosters this year could mean a number of platoons. The 2020 class was a strong recruiting class for the Buckeyes and two freshmen that have stood out this fall have been southpaw Isaiah Coupet along with toolsy outfielder Kade Kern, who has a chance to play right away in the outfield.

UCLA

The Bruins have been a national power for some time now and they’ll have one of college baseball’s deepest rosters in 2021. They lose first-rounder Garrett Mitchell and third-rounder Holden Powell, along with four recruits, but the amount of options John Savage has is staggering. The star for the Bruins is potential first-round pick Matt McLain, who was in the midst of a sophomore breakout when the shutdown happened. McLain’s tools have jumped nearly all around as he’s running better and acclimating better to shortstop along with the obvious offensive upside. Noah Cardenas is about as solid a defensive catcher you can have while being a sneakily underrated offensive performer and first baseman JT Schwartz is a pure hitter who’s hoping to come into some power. Senior Kevin Kendall is back and healthy and should see time in the infield along with Mikey Perez who had a fall breakout and can play all over the dirt. Jake Moberg and Michael Curialle are returnees likely to see good time as Moberg is a strong hitter and Curialle offers big power and a big arm from the left side.

All three members of the rotation return in Zach Pettway, Nick Nastrini, and Jesse Bergin. Pettway is as polished an arm as they come and certainly looked that way while Nastrini and Bergin were both into the mid-90s with good stuff. Sophomore Jared Karros looks to be another option to start games, as does Sean Mullen, who offers big stuff and looks to be the favorite to take over the back end of the bullpen. Michael Townsend and Kyle Mora offer experienced options to turn to in the bullpen while lefthander Daniel Caldwell made a bit of a velocity jump and should also see innings.

A number of first and second-year guys have impressed this fall and that starts with the trio of true freshman arms in Max Rajcic, Jake Brooks, and Kenji Pallares. Rajcic is one of the most polished true freshman arms in the sport with a quality arsenal, while the three of them are likely a glimpse at the UCLA rotation in a few years. True freshmen Kyle Karros and Daylen Reyes should also see some time in the infield while fellow first-year prospect Carson Yates is a physical corner outfielder with tools. Look for sophomores Emanuel Dean and Darius Perry to vie for playing time while other names to know include Jake Saum, Eli Paton, and two-sport athlete Jon Jon Vaughns, who is currently with the football team.
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