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College | Story | 1/17/2018

2018 College: Teams 26-40

Patrick Ebert

Photo: UCF Athletics

Preseason College Top 25 | Preseason All-American Team | 2018 College Baseball Preview Index

Rk.	Team	Conf.	Rk.	Team	Conf.	Rk.	Team	Conf.
26	UCF	American	31	Virginia	ACC	36	South Carolina	SEC
27	Southern Miss	C-USA	32	Dallas Baptist	MVC	37	Arizona	Pac-12
28	Auburn	SEC	33	South Florida	American	38	UConn	American
29	West Virginia	Big 12	34	Louisiana	Sun Belt	39	South Alabama	Sun Belt
30	Vanderbilt	SEC	35	Missouri State	MVC	40	Cal Poly	Big West

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26. UCF

Head Coach: Greg Lovelady
Conference: American Athletic
2017 Record: 40-22 (15-9 American)
2017 Finish: Tallahassee Regional

UCF showed some serious program momentum in 2017, winning 40 games, and they welcome power-armed righthander Cre Finfrock back to the program after he missed the 2017 season after having Tommy John surgery. The 2018 team is going to have a new look made up of JuCo transfers that have a history of success. Righthanders J.J. Montgomery and Jordan Spicer are expected to join the starting staff with returners Chris Williams and Joseph Sheridan, who combined to go 15-8 a year ago. They also have experience at closer as Bryce Tucker saved nine games in 27 relief appearances a year ago with a paltry 1.66 ERA. JuCo transfers will also be present in the starting lineup with outfielders Tyler Osik and Ramon Alejo. Alejo in particular has stood out so far and projects well as a disruptive leadoff hitter and center fielder. The offense will go as power hitting first baseman Rylan Thomas carries them, who hit .303-14-53 as a freshman and is one of the preseason favorites for conference player of the year. It may not take long for the Knights to crack the Top 25, especially if the new faces enjoy a seamless transition to Division I baseball.

27. Southern Mississippi

Head Coach: Scott Berry
Conference: Conference USA
2017 Record: 50-16 (25-5 C-USA)
2017 Finish: Hattiesburg Regional

Southern Miss should have no problem scoring runs, as they batted .307 as a team a year ago on their way to a 50-win season. If Matt Wallner played in the SEC or ACC as opposed to Conference USA his name may already be on a similar level to that of Seth Beer after an extremely productive freshman season that saw Wallner hit .336 with 19 home runs and 63 RBI. He also throws in the upper-90s off the mound but is a primary outfielder for the Eagles. Mason Irby, Hunter Slater and LeeMarcus Boyd are also among the more productive returning players on offense, and the team is excited about third baseman Luke Reynolds, a transfer from Mississippi State. The weekend starting staff will be completely new, fronted by Colt Smith who went 6-2 with a 3.36 ERA in a swing role last year. Preseason All-American side-arming closer Nick Sandlin went 10-2 a year ago with eight saves in 29 relief appearances spanning 56 2/3 innings. As a whole Conference USA is expected to be more competitive this year, and Southern Miss’ 2018 season will begin exactly where there 2017 season ended, at home against Mississippi State.

28. Auburn

Head Coach: Butch Thompson
Conference: SEC
2017 Record: 37-26 (16-14 SEC)
2017 Finish: Tallahassee Regional

The Tigers opened some eyes during the 2017 season, starting with a series sweep of the eventual National Champion Florida Gators as SEC play opened in mid-March before they ran out of steam down the stretch. Casey Mize is the headliner for this squad, a powerful righthanded pitcher whose name could be in the mix for the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft. Mize not only has the size and stuff of a staff ace, but his results from a year ago match his profile, going 8-2 with a 2.04 ERA and an eye-popping 109-to-9 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Draft-eligible sophomore Davis Daniel gives head coach Butch Thompson a second power arm in the weekend rotation, and senior Calvin Coker is sure to see plenty of time on the mound as well. The lineup returns six regulars from a year ago, and the team is especially hopeful sophomores Conor Davis and Will Holland can take another step forward while seniors Josh Anthony, Jay Estes, Luke Jarvis and Dylan Ingram provide stability. Keep an eye on freshmen pitchers Tanner Burns, Jack Owen and Ryan Hoerter, as well as first-year catcher Steven Williams, who could all make an impact from Day 1.

29. West Virginia

Head Coach: Randy Mazey
Conference: Big 12
2017 Record: 36-26 (12-12 Big 12)
2017 Finish: Winston-Salem Regional

West Virginia made it to the postseason last year for the first time since 1996 as head coach Randy Mazey has the Mountaineers trending upward with an increased emphasis on recruiting and development. Outfielder Darius Hill returns to lead the offense after two strong seasons in which he has collectively batted .324 with 34 doubles, seven home runs and 86 RBI. The team should be strong up the middle with Ivan Gonzalez behind the plate, Kyle Gray and Jimmy Galusky manning the middle infield and the speedy Brandon White in center field. Staff ace B.J. Myers returns for his senior year after leading the staff in innings with 97 2/3 a year ago. Sophomore two-way talents Alek Manoah and Isaiah Kearns are expected to assume the other two weekend starting spots, as Manoah owns the team’s best fastball that can peak in the mid-90s while Kearns will double as the team’s designated hitter. Braden Zarbinsky is also a two-way threat, leading the team in batting (.336) as a freshman while recording six saves as the team’s closer. Dave Serrano was hired as the team’s new pitching coach in the offseason and it will be interesting to see what impact he has on the staff.

30. Vanderbilt

Head Coach: Tim Corbin
Conference: SEC
2017 Record: 36-25-1 (15-13-1 SEC)
2017 Finish: Corvallis Super Regional

The 2018 season will be an interesting one for the Commodores as they are going to have a lot of turnover for a team that initially didn’t live up to lofty preseason expectations and yet finished the year with a somewhat surprising Super Regional finish. Gone are the team’s stars, Kyle Wright and Jeren Kendall, but back are first baseman Julian Infante, who hit .315-11-66, and staff ace Patrick Raby, who went 10-4 with a 2.73 ERA. Drake Fellows and Chandler Day also return with 115 innings combined innings, while lefthander Jackson Gillis is primed for an increased role. There is a lot of potential with the starting lineup, but also a lot of question marks. Alonzo Jones has transitioned to center field and shortstop Connor Kaiser looked much better on the Cape this past summer, yet the two hit .221 and .222 respectively as sophomores. Three freshmen that could make immediate contributions are Jayson Gonzalez, Philip Clarke and Pat DeMarco, three pieces of a deep and talented recruiting class. How the team fares early in the season as part of their challenging non-conference schedule will go a long way in answering many of the questions the team has going into the year.

31. Virginia

Head Coach: Brian O’Connor
Conference: ACC
2017 Record: 43-16 (18-12 ACC)
2017 Finish: Fort Worth Regional

It’s hard to leave a Brian O’Connor coached team out of the Top 25, and while they did enjoy a successful 2017 season, several of the key pieces that propelled them to that success are gone. Jake McCarthy (.338-5-36 with 27 stolen bases) and Cameron Simmons (.352-9-57, nine steals) are back, a pair of athletic outfielders who could be in store for even bigger seasons, and second baseman Andy Weber has also looked strong in the summer and fall since last season. Those three alone will keep the Virginia offense dangerous. The key to the Cavs’ success will be their starting pitching, and that begins with towering lefthander Daniel Lynch, who posted a 5.00 ERA across 14 starts a year ago and appears to have turned a corner, honing his three-pitch mix that includes an upper-80s to low-90s fastball. Big things have been expected from Derek Casey since he stepped on campus, and while he went 5-2 with a 3.79 ERA last year, also making 14 starts, the staff expects him to take another step forward as a junior. Evan Sperling, who made 10 starts last year, could claim the third weekend starting spot with Bennett Sousa and Chesdin Harrington also securing prominent roles.

32. Dallas Baptist

Head Coach: Dan Heefner
Conference: Missouri Valley
2017 Record: 42-21 (15-6 Missouri Valley)
2017 Finish: Fort Worth Regional

With a 42-21 season Dallas Baptist has now enjoyed 40-win seasons each of the last four years (and six of their last seven), winning the Missouri Valley Conference tournament in three of those four seasons. Although the team lost two big position players in first baseman Austin Listi and shortstop Camden Duzenack, the rest of the lineup returns from a group that hit .299 with 97 home runs as a team a year ago. The team’s best returning hitter is outfielder Devlin Granberg, and he’s joined by three other hitters that hit over .300 with at least nine home runs: Matt Duce, Jameson Hannah and Tim Millard. Catcher Garrett Wolforth (.289-7-27) isn’t far behind those marks. Also back are the team’s three starting pitchers, righthanders M.D. Johnson and Ray Gaither and lefthander Jordan Martinson, a trio that combined went 21-10 with a 4.79 ERA and accounted for half of the team’s innings. There are some holes in the bullpen to fill after losing their two main late-inning options, but this is usually an area of strength for DBU, and righthanders Travis Stone and Jimmy Fouse are both back after finishing second and third respectively in appearances.

33. South Florida

Head Coach: Billy Mohl
Conference: American Athletic
2017 Record: 42-19 (14-11 American)
2017 Finish: Gainesville Regional

After Mark Kingston left to become the new head coach at South Carolina, the program promoted from within, identifying pitching coach Billy Mohl as the next man to get the job done in South Florida. He has a nice piece to start with in redshirt sophomore Shane McClanahan, a lefthanded pitcher who has flirted with triple digits and is on the short list of players to be considered for the first overall pick in the draft. Also back is senior righthander Peter Strzelecki, who doesn’t throw nearly as hard as McClanahan but had the team’s lowest ERA (2.42) a year ago among their starters. Closer Andrew Perez is also a familiar face, recording six saves in 27 relief appearances as a sophomore. The starting lineup has the potential to score a lot of runs in what should be a very competitive season in the American Athletic Conference. Chris Chatfield, Garrett Zech and Duke Stunkel will line up from left to right field with David Villar and Joe Genord manning the infield corners. Stunkel and Zech should cause havoc with their speed at the top of the order with the other three providing the pop, combining for 24 home runs a year ago.

34. Louisiana

Head Coach: Tony Robichaux
Conference: Sun Belt
2017 Record: 35-21-1 (19-10-1 Sun Belt)
2017 Finish: Did not play in postseason

The strength of this team will fall on the shoulders of two young junior hurlers, lefthander Hogan Harris and righthander Nick Lee. Harris was the more effective of the two a season ago, going 5-2 with a 2.66 ERA while Lee went 6-4, 5.12. However, Lee had the much stronger freshman campaign (he was named a Freshman All-American), and both will make it tough on opposing teams in the Sun Belt to score runs. Making it even more difficult is the return of senior closer Dylan Moore, who has 38 career saves and has made it nearly impossible for teams to come back when behind late in games. And if senior lefthander Gunner Leger returns at some point during the season after undergoing surgery last summer that would be a huge boost given his impressive three-year career for the Cajuns (23-10, 2.45 ERA). While the pitching should take care of itself, the offense has a lot more questions, as the versatile Kennon Fontenot (.270-6-29) and power hitting catcher Handsome Monica (.215-4-19) will be the two most productive returning hitters. Those two will likely be surrounded by a cast of newcomers, freshmen and transfers, particularly in the outfield.

35. Missouri State

Head Coach: Keith Guttin
Conference: Missouri Valley
2017 Record: 43-20 (18-1 Missouri Valley)
2017 Finish: Fort Worth Super Regional

Missouri State lost only one conference game all season, and it was their last game of the regular season to Illinois State, losing to the Redbirds twice more in the MVC championship. However, they knocked off Arkansas, in the Fayetteville Regional, the team that had ended the Bears’ season in 2015, to advance to the Super Regionals for the second time in three years. While slugging third baseman Jake Burger is no longer with the team, hard-hitting shortstop Jeremy Eierman is, with similar first-round aspirations. Eierman’s numbers (.313-23-68) were just as good, if not better, than Burger’s, while also stealing 17 bases and committing only 10 errors. Outfielder Hunter Steinmetz is also back, giving MSU a second productive returning hitter. The pitching staff will endure even more turnover, although 6-foot-6, 240-pound righthander Dylan Coleman gives Missouri State a second player who could be drafted in the early rounds thanks to his size and stuff, even if the results have been inconsistent. Bullpen ace Jake Fromson was dominant in 76 innings a year ago, while senior righthander Austin Knight (59 innings in 2017) and sophomore lefty Nate Witherspoon (42 innings) also stand to gain more time on the mound.

36. South Carolina

Head Coach: Mark Kingston
Conference: SEC
2017 Record: 35-25 (13-17 SEC)
2017 Finish: Did not play in postseason

Big things were expected from the Gamecocks to open the 2017 season, but injuries and underachieving performers, particularly on offense, led to a tough stretch during the second half of the season. That ultimately led to the hiring of Mark Kingston, who arrived after a successful run at South Florida. The talent still remains in Columbia, and the team’s projected Friday and Saturday starters is a good place to start as Adam Hill and Cody Morris look to build off of successful 2017 seasons. For the most part that is where the familiarity on the pitching staff ends with a lot of new arms ready to assume key positions. Projected closer Eddy Demurias posted a 1.86 ERA in 48 1/3 relief innings at Miami-Dade College last year after beginning his college career at Florida, while freshmen righthanders Logan Chapman and Carmen Mlodzinski are promising new recruits. The offense has a lot more returning pieces and overall experience, led by draft-eligible sophomore Carlos Cortes, who led the team in home runs (12) and RBI (41). The two new key pieces in the everyday lineup with be second baseman Noah Campbell and center fielder Kyle Jacobsen, the top two prospects from their eighth-ranked recruiting class.

37. Arizona

Head Coach: Jay Johnson
Conference: Pac-12
2017 Record: 38-21 (16-14 Pac-12)
2017 Finish: Lubbock Regional

The 2018 season was full of streaks for the defending CWS runner-ups, opening the season 16-4 before being swept at the hands of Oregon State in Corvallis. In fact, they were swept two other times during the Pac-12 conference slate, and they also swept three series of their own, leading to a rather up-and-down campaign. Despite losing a couple of big bats the offense should still be strong, led by their corner infield duo of Alfonso Rivas and Nick Quintana, who will bat third and fourth respectively after hitting .371-7-63 and .293-6-38 in 2017. Center fielder Cal Stevenson returns to provide a spark at the top of the offense and he looked strong in the fall. The pitching staff has more questions than answers without starting ace J.C Cloney and bullpen ace Cameron Ming, but Cody Deason has the size (6-3, 212) and stuff (low/mid-90s fastball, power curveball) to be a legitimate Friday starter and he’ll be given that opportunity to open the season. Michael Flynn should be a good fit as the team’s closer after going 5-0 with a 3.29 ERA in a swing role a year ago, and how Tylor Megill and Randy Labaut fare could ultimately determine the Wildcats’ success.

38. Connecticut

Head Coach: Jim Penders
Conference: American Athletic
2017 Record: 33-25 (14-10 American)
2017 Finish: Did not play in postseason

UConn has some interesting talent scattered across their roster, with a pair of promising starters and two key pieces up the middle on defense. The weekend staff has three lefthanders, the first two of which are highly-touted prospects for both this year’s draft and next. Tim Cate will go Fridays, with very good command of a fastball/curveball 1-2 punch, and his curveball is one of the single best pitches available in this year’s draft class. Sophomore Mason Feole will go on Saturdays, armed with a 1-2 punch on his own that includes a changeup. The third lefty is Chase Gardner, a 6-foot-6, 240-pound transfer that went 7-1 with a 2.56 ERA in 14 starts at Marin last spring. P.J. Poulin, who made 19 appearances a year ago, including five starts, is expected to be the team’s closer this year. Shortstop Anthony Prato and catcher Zac Susi are the top returning position players for the Huskies, and the coaching staff is predicting a big season out of Susi after he stood out on the Cape last summer. The team has returning players at nearly every position other than third base, a position previously occupied by three-year starter Willie Yahn.

39. South Alabama

Head Coach: Mark Calvi
Conference: Sun Belt
2017 Record: 40-21 (22-8 Sun Belt)
2017 Finish: Hattiesburg Regional

South Alabama won the Sun Belt in walkoff fashion last year, their first conference title since 2005, and made the NCAA Tournament for the third time in five years. Star outfielder and Preseason All-American Travis Swaggerty, is ready to once again lead a potent offense, one that finished sixth in the nation a year ago in runs scored and batted .304 as a team. Swaggerty was responsible for a good deal of those runs, hitting .356-11-60 while stealing 19 bases. His speed is his best tool, with solid tools across the board and first round potential for this June’s MLB Draft. Most of the lineup is intact, and four of the team’s top run producers – Swaggerty, Dylan Hardy, Brendan Donovan and Wells Davis – are all juniors that combined for 39 home runs and 193 RBI as sophomores. For as good as the offense is the pitching staff has some serious question marks. The team’s top two starters, and their closer, have all graduated. The top returning pitchers are senior righthander Tyler Carr, who went 7-2 with a 4.64 ERA over 77 2/3 innings, and sophomore lefthander Andy Arguelles, who went 3-3 with a 5.37 ERA over 55 1/3 frames.

40. Cal Poly

Head Coach: Larry Lee
Conference: Big West
2017 Record: 28-28 (16-8 Big West)
2017 Finish: Did not play in postseason

Cal Poly missed the NCAA Tournament in 2017 after going 28-28 overall, but they did go 16-8 and finished second in a very competitive Big West Conference. They won all but one of their weekend conference series, losing to conference champion Long Beach State in early May, and overall rebounded well from their 8-16 non-conference schedule over the first two months of the season. While losing their top two starters, Spencer Howard and Erich Uelmen, won’t be easy to overcome, they are getting back 6-foot-3, 210-pound righthander Jared Zill back, who missed most of 2017 due to injury but went 8-4 with a 2.95 ERA over 97 2/3 combined innings as a freshman and sophomore. Last year’s closer, Michael Clark, will serve as the team’s Friday ace, with Trent Shelton and Bobby Ay taking the other two weekend spots. The offense will be paced by conference player of the year favorite Alex McKenna, who can do a little bit of everything as his .360-5-31 line and 13 stolen bases may suggest, and he also didn’t commit a single error in center field. Overall the Mustangs return seven of nine regulars in the starting lineup, including shortstop Kyle Marinconz and catcher Nick Meyer.

Also considered: Georgia Tech, Baylor, Nebraska, Oklahoma State, Iowa

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Perfect Game Staff

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