College | Story | 6/9/2021

College Player, Pitcher of the Week

Vincent Cervino

Photo: Garrett Irvin (Mike Mattina/Arizona Athletics)

Perfect Game College Report Database

June 9

Perfect Game/Rawlings Player of the Week: Niko Kavadas, Notre Dame

Kavadas and the Irish were one of the biggest stories of the weekend as Notre Dame outscored their opponents by a staggering amount of 50-5 over the course of three games played. The MVP of the Notre Dame Regional hit .600 on the week with five home runs, nine runs scored, and 13 RBI. He’s a power-hitting slugger with the home run capability that was clearly on display, as the Notre Dame offense is firing on all cylinders heading into the Starkville Super Regional.

Perfect Game/Rawlings Pitcher of the Week: Garrett Irvin, Arizona

Irvin had one of the more dominant performances of the week, holding a UCSB team that had scored 27 runs their two wins to zero in a complete game shutout. The left-hander absolutely filled up the zone and had all of his pitches working as it seemed he was never really under duress. The Tucson Regional MVP allowed just three hits, walked none, and struck out 10 as Irvin and the Wildcats are preparing to welcome Ole Miss to town for the Super Regionals.

June 2

Perfect Game/Rawlings Player of the Week: Jalen Battles, Arkansas

Battles played a huge role in the Razorbacks run to win the SEC tournament in Hoover this past week on both sides of the field. In four games, he hit .538 with five RBI and drew four walks. He hit a big home run as well versus Tennessee in the championship game. He’s well known for his glove at short and made several highlight-reel plays over the course of the week. He won the SEC tournament MVP and helped put an exclamation point on the Razorbacks’ season heading into Regionals.

Perfect Game/Rawlings Pitcher of the Week: John Baker, Ball State

Ball State didn’t make the Field of 64, but John Baker did everything he could as he earned both a save and a victory over the weekend against Miami (Ohio). In a doubleheader, Baker closed out the 1-0 final of the first game with three straight strikeouts before going the distance in a run-rule shortened game immediately after. Baker finished with eight innings pitched, 17 strikeouts, and just one earned run in what was certainly a heroic effort.

May 25

Perfect Game/Rawlings Player of the Week: Michael Turconi, Wake Forest

Turconi was a big piece of the Wake Forest offensive explosion in their upset sweep of Pittsburgh over the weekend. The left-handed hitting shortstop went 8-for-17 on the week with six runs scored and three home runs. All three of his home runs came in one game as the sweet-swinging lefty left the yard three times on Friday night; the shortstop is now hitting .292 with eight home runs on the season.

Perfect Game/Rawlings Pitcher of the Week: Austin Love, North Carolina

North Carolina ace Austin Love might have turned in the performance of his career in the Heels’ defeat of Georgia Tech to open the series, as he threw a complete game with 15 strikeouts and earned the win. Love has mid-90s velocity and is a bulldog on the mound as his ultra-competitiveness has been a boon for North Carolina this season. He struck out the last batter of the game to get to 15 and has a 3.51 ERA in 89 2/3 innings pitched this season.

May 18

Perfect Game/Rawlings Player of the Week: Ethan Long, Arizona State

Long has been on an absolute tear for the Sun Devils over the last month by hitting 14 home runs over the last calendar month. He was up to his usual power hitting ways this past weekend as the Sun Devils defeated Oregon State and rejoined the Top 25 rankings. Long hit four home runs in four games, including three against the Beavers on the weekend. Long hit two of those in the same game on Saturday and also hit the walk-off on Friday night to give Arizona State the victory in game one.

Perfect Game/Rawlings Pitcher of the Week: Andrew Abbott, Virginia

Abbott entered the 2020 season as one of the top fourth-year prospects in the country and he’s served as the de facto ace for the Cavaliers all season long. The southpaw leads the ACC in strikeouts and delivered what might have been the start of his career in, potentially, his final home game in Charlottesville. Abbott tossed 7 1/3 hitless innings, and the bullpen was able to close out the no-no for him, while striking out an absurd 16 batters in the process.

May 11

Perfect Game/Rawlings Player of the Week: Will Frizzell, Texas A&M

Frizzell had a monstrous weekend that played a large part in the Aggies' upset of Ole Miss, as the Texas A&M slugger had five home runs in four games. Frizzell went 9-for-16 (.600) with five home runs and 11 RBI on the weekend as he was seeing beach balls at the dish. The Aggies have an interesting case in terms of whether or not they end up making the tournament, but Frizzell’s been on a tear this season as he looks like one of the top seniors in this year’s draft thanks to his left-handed power.

Perfect Game/Rawlings Pitcher of the Week: Kevin Kopps, Arkansas

Kopps has been superhuman for the Razorbacks this season as he’s been the fireman out of the bullpen, totaling a number of impressive innings on the year. Against Georgia, Kopps finished with 7 1/3 shutout innings with eight strikeouts. Kopps has a miniscule ERA of 0.72 on the season to go along with 83 strikeouts in 49 2/3 innings total on the season. He’s got a dynamic slider as his out pitch and he’s done his job of embarrassing hitters for the No. 1 Razorbacks.

May 4

Rawlings/Perfect Game Player of the Week: Caden Grice, Clemson
The Clemson true freshman is a star emerging this season for the Tigers, as Caden Grice went absolutely nuts this weekend to the tune of a .692 batting average, four bombs, and 12 RBI in three games, which included a three-home run game on Friday. Grice entered college ball as one of the top two-way high school prospects and he seems to be establishing that he’s firmly a bat. Grice has massive power that’s beginning to play in a big way as he’s on his way to college baseball stardom.

Rawlings/Perfect Game Pitcher of the Week: Jordan Patty, Central Michigan
The debate over seven-inning no-hitters has been all the rage this season, but Patty showed something different in the way of a seven-inning perfect game. Patty punched out 11 while going seven full, needing just a brisk 77 pitches to do so. The Chippewas have enjoyed a breakout season in the MAC this year with Patty, along with rotation-mate Andrew Taylor, being a big reason why.

April 27

Perfect Game/Rawlings Player of the Week: Matheu Nelson, Florida State
The nation’s leading home run hitter, Nelson was able to add some comfort to his lead over the weekend with three home runs in three games as the Noles came out on top at Georgia Tech. The power has been prodigious for the third-year backstop as he’s not only been one of the more integral pieces to the lineup but also steadily raising his draft stock. Nelson’s accolades continue to pile up as he makes a charge towards a player of the year honor; he finished the weekend 5-for-10 with three home runs.

Perfect Game/Rawlings Pitcher of the Week: Landen Bourassa, San Francisco
Bourassa had the most dominant outing of the week, where he tossed a complete game shutout against Portland and collected 16 strikeouts during the process. Bourassa has been the Dons’ ace all season, tossing a lot of strikes and pitching to a 3.12 ERA on the season. It’s been a disappointing season after such a loud start with their series win over UCLA, but Bourassa’s stuff on Friday nights has been fun to watch, with his last start earning him Pitcher of the Week honors.

April 20

Perfect Game/Rawlings Player of the Week: Matt Goodheart, Arkansas
The Razorbacks had a good week, winning two midweek games and notching another SEC series victory under their belts as they defeated Texas A&M. Matt Goodheart is one of the more important players in the Razorbacks lineup and after missing time early in the year, he’s been a big reason everything is clicking. Goodheart exploded in four games this week, hitting .588 with four home runs, 10 RBI, and 10 runs scored. Goodheart had a monster week and Arkansas on the whole looks like a potent offense as we head toward the latter part of the year.

Perfect Game/Rawlings Co-Pitchers of the Week: Alek Jacob, Gonzaga & Elliot Carney, Wofford
There were two nine-inning no-hitters in college baseball last weekend courtesy of Alek Jacob of Gonzaga and Elliot Carney of Wofford. Jakob struck out 12 in a dominant outing as he comes from a low arm angle to really generate weak contact and uncomfortable at-bats. Carney was similarly unhittable for Wofford, striking out seven batters himself, though the last out of the game was a little nerve-wracking considering the left fielder almost overran the ball. This was the first no-hitter for Gonzaga since 1990 and Wofford’s first in the history of their baseball program.

April 13

Perfect Game/Rawlings Player of the Week: Jace Jung, Texas Tech
A First-Team Midseason All-American, Jung was on fire last weekend as Texas Tech was able to take a big series against in-state rival TCU. Jung, the younger brother of 2019 Rangers first round pick Josh Jung, is a big left-handed hitting slugger with monster power as his four home runs in three games were enough for him to tie Wes Clarke as co-national leaders in long balls. Jung is now up to over .400 for his batting average with 15 home runs as he capped the series victory with an exclamation point with his second three-homer game of the year on Sunday.

Perfect Game/Rawlings Pitcher of the Week: Matt Mikulski, Fordham
Mikulski was a hot name heading into the 2020 season in terms of draft buzz but opted to return to Fordham following the five-round draft. The southpaw completely reinvented himself over the long offseason as he’s back to climbing up boards and his latest performance was an absolute gem. Mikulski fired a seven-inning shutout against St. Bonaventure where he struck out 16 hitters and allowed just one hit on the day. Mikulski is once again the Pitcher of the Year favorite and he looks to be in midseason form.

April 6

Perfect Game/Rawlings Player of the Week: Jacob Melton, Oregon State
Melton was on fire for the Beavers, as the slugger finished with a line of .563 with four home runs on the week. More impressively might have been his line from the second game of the weekend series, when he collected four hits, which included a double and three home runs to his name. Three home runs in one game is certainly a rarity, but Melton was a massive part of the offense in a big victory for the Beavers.

Perfect Game/Rawlings Pitcher of the Week: Seth Lonsway, Ohio State
Lonsway has some of the best stuff in the entire country and he was entirely dialed in during his performance this weekend. The big left-hander works in the low- to mid-90s but has two banger off-speed pitches, which helped him to rack up 17 strikeouts in seven shutout innings. Lonsway pounded the strike zone and only allowed two hits and one walk over the course of the seven innings while showing some of the best swing-and-miss stuff we’ve seen all year.

March 30

Perfect Game/Rawlings Player of the Week: Daniel Susac, Arizona
The Wildcats had an explosive week of action as the offense surged for 51 runs over four games. Susac was leading the charge with some major home run power as the true freshman hit .555 with four home runs and 10 RBI just by himself. Susac was a major recruit in high school and has flourished in his first year in Tucson. He finished 10-for-18 with most of his damage coming in the first and last games of the week for Susac, as he had two multi-home run games.

Perfect Game/Rawlings Pitcher of the Week: Jack Leiter, Vanderbilt
Leiter secures back-to-back Pitcher of the Week honors following his complete game no-hitter last week. This go around Leiter “only” tossed seven innings of no-hit baseball in his follow-up performance as this is likely the best start to an SEC career that a player has had. A likely first-round pick come July, Leiter is now up to 16 no-hit innings in terms of his SEC performance as there’s no one in the country who looks as dominant or locked in as Leiter does right now.

March 23

Perfect Game/Rawlings Player of the Week: Robby Martin, Florida State
The Seminoles might have had the best week out of anyone in the country as they downed top-five ranked Florida at home for the first time since 2015, swept Miami on the road, and outscored opponents on the week by a count of 44-4. Martin was the key cog in their offensive explosion, hitting .550 on the week with three home runs. He knocked in twelve runs and scored nine of his own and Martin’s sweet left-handed swing will be crucial all season as there’s no doubting his importance to the lineup.

Perfect Game/Rawlings Pitcher of the Week: Jack Leiter, Vanderbilt
There wasn’t much debate with this selection as the Vanderbilt ace tossed a 16-strikeout, no-hit performance on Saturday against South Carolina. Leiter has showed really impressive stuff this season and all 16 strikeouts came on the fastball. He’s thought of as a slam dunk top-three pick, but Leiter will be jockeying with teammate Kumar Rocker all year in the race for the No. 1 pick. Leiter hit cruise control in this performance as he walked the first batter of the game and then quickly sat down every hitter who came up behind him.

March 16

Perfect Game/Rawlings Player of the Week: Cade Doughty, LSU
Doughty only had seven hits over the course of the last week, but five of them went out for home runs as he looks to be the catalyst in the Tigers’ lineup. He returned in the midweek after missing some time with injury and immediately homered to show the power is for real. The most impactful home run was definitely the three-run blast he hit on Saturday to tie the game in the bottom of the ninth, while Doughty collected 12 RBI in total over the five games.

Perfect Game/Rawlings Pitcher of the Week: McCade Brown, Indiana
Anytime you break your school’s record for strikeouts in a single game, there’s a good chance you’ll end up with a bunch of weekly awards. The right-hander looks to be one of the top arms in the conference from a draft perspective as he holds mid-90s heat to go with a hammer curveball. Brown did not allow a hit over seven scoreless innings while punching out 16 batters in what was ultimately a four-game sweep for Indiana as they ascended to No. 10 in the country.

March 9

Perfect Game/Rawlings Co-Players of the Week: Sal Frelick, Boston College; Kenyon Yovan, Oregon
The two players here had some monster numbers over the weekend and both were instrumental in their team’s upset series victories. Frelick had the monumental home run to cap an eight-run attack for Boston College to tie and eventually win the rubber match against Auburn while Yovan slugged four home runs during the week as Oregon swept four games at UC Santa Barbara. Frelick, a potential first-round draft prospect come July, hit .571 with three home runs and seven RBI while Yovan, who’s shown remarkable resiliency following his health issues a couple years back, hit .533 with four home runs and eleven RBI.

Perfect Game/Rawlings Pitcher of the Week: Ty Madden, Texas
The start of the week was a second straight gem from Texas ace Ty Madden as he threw a complete game shutout to win a 1-0 game vs. Houston on Friday night. Madden’s journey to first-round draft prospect is well-known as he’s one of the top pitchers across the country. He allowed just two hits on the outing while striking out 14 opposing hitters. Madden features a fastball that flirts with the upper-90s and one of college baseball’s best secondary pitches in a plus slider. This almost assuredly won’t be the only national recognition for Madden this year as he looks for a dominant junior campaign; for more on Madden see our firsthand look at him during opening weekend here.

March 2

Perfect Game/Rawlings Player of the Week: Wes Clarke, South Carolina
We’re two weeks into the season and Clarke has already been named the Player of the Week both times as the slugging power hitter was, once again, launching home runs during the week. Clarke tallied five long balls, eight RBI, and seven runs scored over just three games as the Gamecocks’ weekend series was shortened due to postponement. He’s been on an absolute tear to start the year and is a big reason why the Gamecocks are currently 6-0 and look like one of the best offenses in the nation.

Perfect Game/Rawlings Pitcher of the Week: Will Dion, McNeese State
Dion’s performance this week against Prairie View was so remarkable because of the obviously absurd strikeout total, but also with how few pitches he needed as well. Dion struck out 19 hitters in a complete game shutout that featured just three hits and one walk. The third-year left-hander has been a staple of the Cowboys’ staff the entire time as he’s always filled up the zone and struck out hitters at a high clip. Dion’s performance was part of a four-game sweep for McNeese State who got back on track following the opening weekend sweep on the road at Alabama.

February 23

Perfect Game/Rawlings Player of the Week: Wes Clarke, South Carolina
A third-year slugger with the Gamecocks, Clarke was off to a fantastic start to the 2020 season as he led the conference with eight long balls. It looks like the long layoff didn’t impact Clarke at all as he collected three home runs over the weekend, in which South Carolina swept Dayton. Clarke was 7-for-10 (.700) with five of those hits going for extra bases and hitting two of them in the same game on Saturday. In addition to the impressive hitting stats, Clarke collected nine RBI and walked five times without striking out all weekend.

Perfect Game/Rawlings Pitcher of the Week: Jordan Wicks, Kansas State
Wicks might have been the first pitcher to throw a pitch in the 2021 season and he twirled a gem against Oregon State on Opening Day. The southpaw was masterful for the Wildcats, needing just 102 pitches to throw seven shutout innings with 10 strikeouts. Wicks, the projected Big 12 Pitcher of the Year, earned a ton of notoriety with a strong summer and positioned himself as a day one draft prospect heading into the year. He only allowed three hits on the day and was in control from the first pitch in shutting down a Power 5 opponent.

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