Just as he had done all spring for the Maryland Terrapins, rising junior right-hander Michael Shawaryn dealt for the Stars and Stripes for his first three innings on the mound. Facing the minimum of nine batters over his first three, Shawaryn ran into some trouble in the top of the fourth as he walked a couple -on fastballs just off the glove side black- to go along with a couple of base hits.

Listed at 6-foot-3, 211-pounds, Shawaryn possesses big time stuff on the mound and as impressive as his arsenal is, it’s his ability to locate to either side of the plate with intent that’s truly impressive. Through the early portion of his outing Shawaryn was in complete control with his fastball command, spotting to whichever side of the plate he wanted to throw his heavy fastball. Sitting comfortably in the 92-94 mph range once touching 95 mph, Shawaryn is able to generate a tremendous amount of extension at release and is something that adds to that impressive fastball life.

His overall delivery add deception as the Maryland ace throws from a lower three-quarter arm slot with whippy action through the back, the final piece as to why he’s able to create such late sink. Shawaryn finished the outing with four strikeouts and picked them up both with his slider and fastball, looking and swinging. 

The combination of life, command, and velocity would probably be enough for Shawaryn to get through a lineup but he features the same advanced command of his slider, a pitch that worked in the upper-70s and peaked at 82 mph. Shawaryn is able to manipulate the velocity of the pitch while still maintaining the late biting life on the pitch and command to either side of the plate. And though he only flashed a changeup once or twice it looked like a third quality pitch at 85 mph with similar late sinking life as his fastball down in the zone from the same arm slot.

If you got out of your seat for even the slightest moment or got caught up in a side conversation there’s a good chance you missed Oregon State’s Drew Rasmussen. In for Shawaryn and looking to pick up the last out of the fourth with two runners on, the strongly 6-foot-1, 220-pound Rasmussen did just that and did so on just four pitches. 

Rasmussen began the spring working out of the Beaver’s bullpen before transitioning to a starting role so coming in at the backend of games is something he’s done at the collegiate level. With his power build comes power stuff as he shows a fast right arm and incorporates his strong lower half into his delivery well. A starter during his prep days, Rasmussen has a strong feel for a full three-pitch mix, something he utilizes when he needs to work through a lineup more than once. Saturday afternoon called for just one batter and after starting him with a 95 mph fastball, Rasmussen showed two sharp sliders at 84 and 85 mph along with another heater at 94 mph, picking up the last out of the inning via strikeout.

Logan Shore made his USA debut after arriving just a day or two prior and threw four shutout innings en route to his first win of the summer. The ace on a loaded University of Florida pitching staff this spring, Shore shows a full and fluid arm action coming through the back and like Shawaryn generates nice extension out his front side allowing him to live low in the zone.

Shore lived in the 90-94 mph range with his fastball over his outing with solid running life to his arm side and showed the ability to locate well to his glove side. There’s slight effort at release from Shore but it doesn’t inhibit his command nor does it fluctuate his velocity. He does a nice job of staying online with his lower half and finishing towards the plate, something that helps his three-pitch mix all the more effective.

Shore possesses one of the better changeups in the entire 2016 draft class and it’s an offering that shows true swing and miss life. Thrown in the 80-82 mph range, Shore stays quick with his arm action through the backside while showing the same release point on it as he does his fastball. He does a nice job of turning over his changeup to generate plenty of late sinking life and lives low in the zone with both his changeup and fastball which results in plenty of ground ball contact.

Though the changeup is Shore’s bread and butter offering, he also shows a nice feel for his slider, a low-80s pitch that shows short depth and gives him a solid third pitch to keep hitters off balance.  

Zack Burdi came in for Team USA after Winthrop left-hander Matt Crohan allowed an infield single but allowed two base hits of his own despite sitting mostly 98 and 99 mph with his fastball. With one out and Chinese Taipei threatening still in the top of the ninth, Coach Ed Blankmeyer called on Texas A&M right-hander Ryan Hendrix to preserve the victory. Just as he did his outings prior, Hendrix came out and showed an advanced feel for his sharp breaking ball, striking out both of the batters he faced with the pitch. With just a couple of fastballs thrown in the 91-92 mph, Hendrix relied primarily on his curveball, a pitch that showed plus life and depth up to 84 mph. Not afraid to double up or even triple up on the pitch, Hendrix -a rising junior- generated plenty of empty swings with the pitch and picked up both his strikeouts with whiffs on the pitch.

If you’ve been reading these recaps then you’ve come across the names of Louisville’s Corey Ray and Texas A&M’s Nick Banks quite frequently. The main reason for this is due to their innate ability to put the barrel on the ball as they continue to rack up base hits and each extended their hit streaks to seven games. Serving as USA’s leadoff hitter, Ray seems to do nothing but get on base as he finished 2-2 with an opposite field line drive single on the first pitch of the game before doubling in his third trip to the plate. A plus-runner, Ray quickly turned his double into a triple essentially as he stole third base, his eighth theft of the summer.

With Ray standing on second base and two outs, the left-handed hitting Banks strode to the plate and as he’s done throughout the onset of the summer.  Banks lined an outer half fastball sharply over the shortstops head for a line drive single into left-center, plating the first run of the game.

After doubling off the Blue Monster in left field the night prior left-handed, University of Florida outfielder Buddy Reed took his first reps of the summer right-handed and didn’t seem to miss a beat. A plus-runner who is full of fast-twitch athleticism, Reed put down a sac bunt in his first at-bat before doing some real damage in his next plate appearance. Putting an exclamation point on a five run second inning for the Collegiate National Team, Reed lined a single to the left of the shortstop, scoring two runs, which would prove to be key at the end of the game.

Also picking up an RBI in that second inning was Clemson’s Chris Okey, a 6-foot, 180-pound backstop from Altamonte Springs, Florida. Okey is coming off a big spring for the Tigers with the bat and while he hasn’t reached full steam offensively this summer, he’s continued to excel behind the plate, a characteristic he’s become renowned for since his prep days. Taking a majority of the innings behind the plate, Okey is an advanced receiver who moves lightly on his feet while consistently squaring up dirt balls off his chest. Over his first five games of the summer, Okey threw out five would-be base stealers and is consistently in the low-2.0s with his throws.