On College Baseball’s Opening Weekend, the two big winners were Long Beach State and Oklahoma State. Both programs are contenders to host Regionals this season, but to start on the road against Top 5 programs in Mississippi State and Vanderbilt was a tough challenge. For both the Dirtbags and Pokes coming out of those road games with series wins is very impressive.
No surprise, both schools saw themselves leap in this week’s NCBWA Top 25 Rankings.
NCBWA Top 25 Rankings (As of 2/21/2022)
1) Texas - Last Week: 1
2) Ole Miss - LW: 6
3) Arkansas - LW: 4
4) Stanford - LW: 5
5) Oklahoma State - LW: 13
6) LSU - LW: 8
7) NC State - LW: 11
8) Arizona - LW: 10
9) Vanderbilt - LW: 2
10) Mississippi State - LW: 3
11) Florida State - LW: 15
12) Oregon State - LW: 18
13) Notre Dame - LW: 9
14) Long Beach State - LW: Not Ranked
15) Tennessee - LW: 16
16) Georgia - LW: 22
17) Florida - LW: 7
18) Georgia Tech - LW: 24
19) TCU - LW: 20
20) Virginia - LW: 17
21) Texas Tech - LW: 14
22) Miami (Fla.) - LW: Not Ranked
23) UCLA - LW: 21
24) Liberty - LW: Not Ranked
25) Maryland - LW: Not Ranked
NCBWA Hitter of the Week:
Tommy White, NC State
NC State’s Tommy White made quite the first impression. Against Evansville, the true Freshman hit 9-for-14 with five home runs and 12 RBI.
NCBWA Pitcher of the Week:
Hunter Barco, Florida
The #36 ranked prospect, LHP Hunter Barco, put on a show in Florida’s Opening Day, striking out 11 batters in six scoreless innings. Barco only allowed one hit and one walk on 88 pitches.
Other Noteworthy Performances:
LSU’s Jacob Berry collected a hit in each game against Maine, going 6-for-14 with two home runs.
Florida State’s LHP Bryce Hubbart, #48 in the Average Draft Rankings, struck out 13 in five scoreless innings against James Madison.
Locally, Illinois-Chicago’s LHP Nate Peterson struck out 13 over seven innings in a win over New Mexico State.
Draft Watch Board Notes
Logan Tanner, C, Mississippi State
Logan Tanner had a quiet weekend offensively against Long Beach State. Tanner went 3-for-12 (all singles) and picked up 3 RBI starting all three games.
Capturing some film of the Saturday game, I didn’t get a chance to see a big highlight for Tanner. He did have a throwing error on a bunt single, allowing a base runner to reach third before scoring in the next at-bat. So maybe I saw a lowlight, but there was still plenty to like about Tanner even when the game got out of hand for Mississippi State.
Defensively, I came away impressed with how Tanner presents a target for his pitchers and frames for the home plate umpire. In a couple of seasons, robot umpires will turn this skill into nothing, but Tanner does a solid job of helping his pitchers get calls. The strike zone was wide in this game, and Tanner was routinely framing outside corner pitches well enough to give the impression they were strikes even if they were an inch or two off the plate.
Tanner got to a two-strike count in each plate appearance I saw, which is an opportunity to see how he fares attempting to put the ball in play. In his first two at-bats, Tanner had a runner in scoring position. Both times, Tanner managed to hit groundballs up the middle resulting in a groundout, but it did generate an RBI for him. It’s not sexy, but White Sox fans have come to know watching someone like Jose Abreu pick up similar RBIs in that manner. In an age where we too often see hitters overswing with two strikes gunning for the big home run, Tanner was disciplined enough to focus on making sufficient contact and getting the runner from third to score. That’s a positive attribute in my book.
Dylan Beavers, OF, Cal
I’m glad that MLB is getting into hosting an Opening Weekend tournament. It opens up more opportunities to have cross-conference matchups and get early looks at key draft prospects. Watching Cal against Houston on Opening Day, Dylan Beavers didn’t have an exciting box score going 0-for-4 with a run scored and IBB. He did get robbed of extra bases with a spectacular catch by Houston’s Samuel Tormos.
In the next three games against #19 TCU, San Diego State, and Gonzaga, Beavers went 5-for-12 with three home runs and five RBI. We can watch a couple of Beavers' home runs, thanks to Twitter.
Speaking with those in attendance for the tournament, Cal’s coaching staff shared how often Beavers puts in extra work and his high baseball IQ. Focusing on fine-tuning his swing.
Defensively, Beavers was playing in right field against Houston. He didn’t get a lot of action but has good range and a strong enough arm to stick in that corner. Hopefully, more of Cal’s games will be available via stream or broadcast to see more of Beavers. I’m intrigued about his potential, and after the first four games, Beavers is off to a great start.
Games I’m Watching This Weekend
Gonzaga vs. Cal State Fullerton - Friday, 9:00 PM CST (ESPN+)
I’ve been told to check out the #59 ranked prospect, RHP Gabriel Hughes. After running into trouble allowing two runs in the second inning against New Mexico on Opening Day, Hughes bounced back quite nicely with a final line of 6 IP 4 H 2 ER 10 K 1 BB. Mid-90’s fastball is what I’m hoping to see from Hughes against Cal State Fullerton.
#17 Florida vs. Georgia State - Friday, 5:30 PM CST (SEC+ Network)
Hunter Barco will make his second start against Georgia State, and it’ll be worth seeing if he can reproduce his Opening Day performance. While paying attention to Barco, I’m keeping an eye on OF Jud Fabian. A lot was written about Fabian last year and his uneven 2021 season to watch him return to Florida with the hope of improving his draft stock (and thus his signing bonus). Opening Weekend against Liberty, Fabian went 1-for-9 with a double.
#4 Stanford vs. #3 Arkansas - Saturday, 6:00 PM CST (FloSports)
We get another Top-10 game this weekend when Stanford and Arkansas face each other in the Round Rock Classic. Three potential first-rounders will be on display with Stanford OF, Brock Jones against 2B Robert Moore and 3B Cayden Wallace.
