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College  | Story | 12/26/2023

Year in Review: College

Craig Cozart
Across the Country

Consensus Pre-Season No. 1 LSU Tigers Earn 7th National Championship

It is safe to say that no team in the history of college baseball had the type of preseason hype that LSU garnered in 2023. Head coach, Jay Johnson put everyone on notice when he landed the top transfer arm and bat in Paul Skenes and Tommy White respectively. That was just the icing on the cake for a vaunted incoming class that included several top-100 prospects and other high end portal gems. The Tigers were pre-season ranked No. 1 in every poll and the season started off in dominating fashion as expected. They rolled through the non-conference segment and didn’t lose a series all year until the first weekend in May on the road at Auburn. After losing the following weekend series at home to Mississippi State, they lost their top ranking heading down the stretch. But the pitching staff found another gear and the bats continued to produce runs in bunches and LSU never looked back. The swept through the Regional and Super Regional and on the heels of back-to-back 11-inning victories would go on to defeat the Florida Gators in the Championship Series. The offense, led by Golden Spikes Award winner Dylan Crews finished 19th in the nation with a .308 BA, 2nd with 144 home runs, and 8th in the nation in scoring. While the talented pitching staff finished 2nd in the nation in Ks-per-9 and 10th in WHIP. Sometimes it can be difficult for a team with such talent and depth to come together in a cohesive manner, but this group won 54 games and brought the 7th National Title back to Baton Rouge. To top it all off, Paul Skenes and Dylan Crews were the first two picks in the MLB Draft, something that had never been accomplished previously. It will be interesting to see what this program can do for encore in 2024.


Wake Forest Demon Deacons Have the Look of a Perennial Power
The only club other than LSU to occupy the No. 1 spot in the top-25 poll in 2023, the Wake Forest Demon Deacons have the look and feel of a program that is here to stay. You would have to be an ardent Wake Forest fan to know that they made their first ever CWS appearance in 1949 and won the National Title in 1955. But it took them all the way until 2017 to make it to a Super Regional that they lost in three games to the Florida Gators. Fast forward to 2023 and head coach Tom Walter has all of the sudden positioned his program in such a way that they should contend for a trip to Omaha year after year. They seem like an unlikely story being an elite private institution where the academic rigor is challenging to say the least. Then, they play in one of the most hitter friendly parks in all of college baseball, but pitchers go there and thrive. RHP, Rhett Lowder went 15-0 and was a 1st round pick and returning stud, LHP Josh Hartle went 11-2. As a staff, the Deacs led the nation in team ERA, WHIP, Ks per 9, K-to-BB ratio, and hits allowed per-9. With their pitching lab and analytics staff, they continue to attract some of the top arms across the nation as seen with Chase Burns arriving in Winston Salem through the portal. While pitching surely moved to the forefront in 2023, Rake Forest as they refer to themselves offensively has long been run producing stalwart. With a team slash line of .301/.536/.425, they finished 5th in the nation with 13 home runs, 6th in scoring and 12th in slugging percentage. Potential No.1 pick in the 2024 MLB Draft, first baseman Nick Kurtz returns to the heart of another loaded lineup. This program seems to have found the right blend between offense and pitching, and they landed the top pitching transfer in Burns and top position transfer in Seaver King. So don’t be surprised if they eclipse their 54 wins from last season and are the top-ranked pre-season team heading into the new year.
 

Saarloos has TCU on the Verge of Becoming the next Lone Star Superpower
It is often a difficult task to take the reins of a program that has been highly successful and fill the shoes of a legendary head coach. Head coach Kirk Saarloos has not simply filled that role, he has continued to push the Horned Frogs to the point of being a superpower on the national landscape. They are making statements on the recruiting front by attracting elite high school talent and adding impressive hauls in the transfer portal world. In 2022, Saarloos’ first season at the helm, he led TCU to a Big 12 Championship and NCAA appearance on his way to being named Big 12 Coach of the Year. In year two, he guided his club to the Big 12 Conference Tournament championship and an eventual trip to the College World Series. You can see his leadership bleed into the fabric of the program as they have adopted a hard-nosed and aggressive style of baseball. They have accumulated 82 wins in the last two years and been one of the most balanced teams from an offensive and defensive analytics standpoint. The 2024 edition, on paper, looks like a club that should not only make its way back to Omaha but have a legitimate shot at bringing home the national title. With the return of Anthony Silva and Karson Bowen they have a tremendous offensive core and the addition of transfers Peyton Chatagnier and Payton Tolle only add to the depth of this potent lineup. Veteran Kole Klecker anchors a deep and talented pitching staff that became even more powerful with the additions of transfers Ben Hampton and Zack Morris. TCU’s administration is committed to baseball, it is one of the best funded in the country and there has never been more excitement about the future in Fort Worth.
 

Magical Run for the Clemson Tigers Cut Short
Erik Bakich and staff wasted no time making their mark in Tigertown as they returned the club to its usual place among the top programs in the nation. After two consecutive seasons of playing sub-.500 ball in the ACC, the Tigers went 4-0 in the ACC Tournament to take home the crown and secure the No. 4 National Seed in the NCAA Tournament. They hosted a regional for the first time since 2018 and returned to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2019. There was plenty of doubt outside the program as to how long the turnaround may take as they started ACC play with a 2-8 record. With the help of a 17-game win streak, they would go on to finish 2nd overall in the league with a 20-10 record. All told, they would win their last seven conference series of the year and win 20 of their last 21 ACC games. The magical run was unfortunately cut short when the Tennessee Vols took down Clemson 6-5 in a 14-inning thriller in the winner’s bracket of the regional. Then the next day Charlotte would knock them out in a 3-2 nailbiter. Showing the character and toughness of a championship club, the Tigers accumulated 44 total victories in 2023, 24 of which were come from behind. Having played the 9th toughest schedule in the nation, they surely earned their Top-10 ranking and National Seed honors. Junior Caden Grice was a major reason for the club’s success as he put together a career year and went on to be named the 2023 John Olerud Two-Way Player-of-the-Year. Freshman sensation, Cam Canarella was named ACC Freshman-of-the-Year and will lead another talented club onto the field to prove last year’s magical run is the new expectation in Clemson.

Oral Roberts’ Amazing Run to Omaha
When your club has the Summit Conference Player/Newcomer of the Year Jonah Cox, Pitcher of the Year Cade Denton and Defensive Player of the Year Mac McCroskey, one would assume it would be a banner season. That is exactly what head coach Ryan Folmar got from his team in his 11th season in Tulsa, OK. All told, the Golden Eagles saw an amazing 13 players receive All-League honors and they rode that deep talent to their first appearance in the College World Series since 1978. While they were just 10-8 to start the season in the non-conference segment, they would go 42-6 the rest of the way and finish with a program record 52 wins. One of the most well-rounded clubs in the nation, they would rank top-10 in the nation in fielding percentage (1st), W/L percentage (2nd), hits (2nd), batting average (7th), ERA (7th), WHIP (7th) and runs (9th). They swept through the Summit League Championship, outscoring their opponents 36-8 in three games and then swept through the Stillwater Regional taking down Oklahoma State, Washington, and Dallas Baptist. From there they went to Eugene, OR for the Super Regional where they lost Game 1 in heartbreaking fashion 9-8 to the Ducks. But Coach Folmars team showed its mettle by winning Game 2 by a score of 8-7 and then rolled to Omaha by taking the deciding game 11-6. They ended their amazing run by going 1-2 in the College World Series, defeating TCU in their first game and then would lose their following two against Florida and that same TCU club. In the world of extravagant budgets, NIL, and the transfer portal, seeing a team from the 28th ranked league in the nation makes this kind of run inspiring. These types of stories are what makes college baseball the greatest show on dirt.

Individual Highlights
Larger Than Life Paul Skenes Lives Up to Expectations
When your name is being mentioned with the likes of Stephen Strasburg, Garrett Cole, and Mark Prior, you know there are massive expectations. Gambling on himself, transferring from an elite service academy in Air Force and landing in Baton Rouge, Skenes weighed the risk and hoped for the biggest reward. His legend began in the fall at LSU when reports of his fastball reaching 102 mph came out and he had refined his delivery. On opening day of 2023, in front of a packed house and countless scout, he pitched 6.0 innings on just 98 pitches and struck out 12 batters. From there he never looked back, eating up innings with an ease we had not seen in years and leaving little doubt that he would be the No.1 pick in the coming MLB Draft. Leading the Tigers to their 7th National Championship, Skenes would finish 13-2 with an ERA of 1.69 on 122.2 IP, allowing only 72 hits and finishing with a mind-blowing 209-to-20 strikeout-to-walk ratio. His belief in himself led him to the pinnacle of college baseball and the Pittsburg Pirates made him the No.1 pick in the draft.

The Next Two-Way Sensation – Jac Caglianone
Longtime fans of the Florida Gators are no strangers to stud two-way athletes with Brad Wilkerson in the late ‘90s and Brian Johnson in the early 2010s. But as great as these players were, none of the fans had seen anything like the 6-5/245 beast named Jac Caglianone. While he had a nice freshman campaign, he didn’t pitch and broke into the lineup late, not many people outside the program anticipated what was to come in his sophomore year. But once fall practice started in Gainesville, the word started to spread about this lefthander that was delivering 100 mph heaters and launching behemoth home runs with exit velocities approaching 120 mph. Come spring it didn’t take long for the world to get to know “Cags” as he led the Gators march to the championship series in the College World Series. With a season slash line of .323/.389/.738 and setting a program and BBCOR era record in home runs with 33, as well as program records with 90 RBIs and 208 total bases. On the mound he finished 7-4 in 18 starts and accumulated 74.2 innings and punched out 87 batters. His efforts earned him consensus First Team All-American accolades and the ABCA National Position Player of the Year. Heading into 2024, he may be the front runner to be the first pick in the MLB Draft this July.

Dylan Crews-es to the Gold Spikes Award
When opposing teams looked down the lineup card when playing the LSU Tigers in 2023, they all identified Crews as the guy they weren’t going to let beat them. However, most of the time, they left the ballpark having seen that very thing happen. The pulse of arguably the most potent offense in the college game in 2023, he led his club to the promised land as they took home yet another National Championship. He collected a mass of personal awards along the way and none bigger than the Golden Spikes Award, given to the nation’s best player. In 71 games played, Crews reached base every game, finishing with a hard to fathom OB% of .567 and batted .426 as he accumulated 110 knocks. His 16 doubles and 18 home runs led him to a .713 SLG% as he collected 70 RBIs and was 6-6 in stolen bases for good measure. But as impressive as all his numbers were, the part of his game that was hardest to comprehend may well have been his strike zone discipline. For the year, he walked 71 times and got hit-by-pitch 14 times while only striking out 46 times for an almost 2-to-1 ratio on the plus side. His sensational season earned him the No. 2 pick overall in the MLB Draft as the Washington Nationals picked up one of the greatest college hitters of all time.

Ethan Petry Puts on a Freshman Performance for the Ages
Any fan that made the trek to Founders Park in Columbia, SC last spring and saw the 6-4/235 Petry stroll to the plate, they surely wouldn’t think he was a freshman based on his stature alone. Then seeing him swing the bat with fierce aggression and power, would cast that much more doubt in him just starting his college career. When it was all said and done, Petry has a shelf full of awards like being named Perfect Game’s Freshman of the Year and a consensus Freshman All-American across all publications. In 63 games he collected 83 hits for an impressive .376 BA with an OB% of .471 and a mammoth SLG% of .733 for the year. He broke the freshman University of South Carolina record for home runs with 23 and RBI with 75 all told. His performance landed him an invite to the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team Training Camp. As the Gamecocks continue their resurgence to national prominence, you can be sure Petry will be at the heart of the effort and the intimidating presence in the middle of their offense.

Happy Trails to Some Legendary Head Coaches
Mike Batesole – Cal State Northridge (1996-2002) Fresno State (2003-2022)
· Record (282-615) NCAA Tournament (18-12)
· College World Series (2008)
· 7 – WAC Tournament Championships
· 6 – WAC Regular Season Titles
· 1 – MWC Tournament Championship
· 2 – MWC Regular Season Titles
· 2 – Time Collegiate Baseball National Coach of the Year Award Winner

Paul Kostacopoulos – Maine (1997-2005) Navy (2006-2023)
· Record (1,017-705) NCAA Tournament (2-10)
· 1 – Big East Tournament Championship
· 1 – Big East Regular Season Title
· 2 – America East Tournament Championships
· 1 – America East Regular Season Title
· 2 – Patriot League Tournament Championships
· 2 – Patriot League Regular Season Titles
· 4 – Time Patriot League Coach of the Year

Tony Rossi – Siena (1970-2023)
· Record (936-1,190) NCAA Tournament (1-4)
· 5 – MAAC Championships
· 6 – Time MAAC Coach of the Year
· Siena Sports Hall of Fame
· Albany Twilight League Hall of Fame

Scott Berry – Meridian Community College (1997-2000) Southern Miss (2010-2023)
· D1 Record (500-265) NJCAA (185-58) NCAA Tournament (15-17)
· 4 – Conference USA Tournament Championships
· 5 – Conference USA Regular Season Titles
· 2 – NCAA Regional Championships
· 4 – Time Conference USA Coach of the Year
· 1 – Sun Belt Tournament Championship
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Select Festival Dates/Locations Announced

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    667 Progress Way | Sanford, FL 32771 | 319-298-2923  www.perfectgame.org | facebook.com/perfectgameusa | @PerfectGameUSA      FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE    PERFECT GAME ANNOUNCES DATES AND VENUES FOR   2026 SLATE OF SELECT FESTIVALS    Sanford, Florida (Tuesday, April 21, 2026) - Perfect Game, the world’s largest youth baseball and softball platform and scouting service, today announced dates and venues for its 2026 Select Festivals, a premiere series of invitation-only events showcasing many of the nation’s top young prospects at the 11U, 12U, 13U and 14U levels.    The Select Festivals provide elite players with a unique opportunity to compete alongside and against the best talent in their age group while experiencing a...
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