The fourth weekend of college baseball started yesterday. Last night we updated some of the bigger names that were on the mound Friday, but some other pitchers ranked late-first to second round, also had good games as seen below. The schedule for the top college players this weekend can be found here. Check out the draft preview posted here and the recap of the third week’s action here. Just a reminder, the Pirates pick #9 and #14 in this year’s June amateur draft, so for the duration of the college season, leading up to draft day, we are following the players closely that are ranked in that range.
Indiana State left-hander Sean Manaea, finally got back on the mound after missing his start last week due to the entire weekend being canceled by snow and cold weather. Going up against Mercer today, he went six innings for the win, allowing two runs on three hits and two walks, while striking out eight batters. Manaea threw 97 pitches, 64 were for strikes.
Colin Moran from North Carolina took on Wake Forest today. He came into the game with just one extra base hit on the season, a double. The third baseman started off the game today with homers in both the first and second innings. He finished the game 3-for-5, with six RBI’s, two walks and three runs scored, as NC won 20-6. While he wasn’t hitting for any power prior to tonight, Moran was still getting on base at a nice clip(.507 OBP after tonight) and he has struck out just two times all year, showing excellent plate patience and discipline.
Sn Diego’s Kris Bryant had hit six homers over his last six games coming into today. He continued that torrid pace in the first game of today’s doubleheader. Playing against Saint Louis, Bryant went 3-for-5, with a homer and a double, as San Diego rolled to an 11-3 win. He scored twice and drove in two runs. In game two against Holy Cross, the third baseman didn’t see much to hit. He had three walks and was hit by a pitch, finishing the night 0-for-1, with four runs scored.
From late Friday night in Hawaii, Marco Gonzales has another strong outing for Gonzaga. The left-hander allowed one run over eight innings, giving up four hits, no walks and he struck out five batters. Gonzales improved to 3-1, 2.10 in 30 innings, with 27 strikeouts and just four walks.
A new player to watch, who really impressed tonight, is Jonathan Gray from Oklahoma. The 6’4″ RHP hit 100 MPH tonight against UCLA in his start. He threw seven shutout innings, recording eight strikeouts, while working in the 94-100 MPH range all nigh. According to Aaron Fitt from Baseball America, who was at the game, he was showing a nice slider and changeup tonight as well. Gray was considered a late first round pick to start the year, but there is buzz now that he could be moving into the top 10 area.
Tom Windle, a lefty starter for Minnesota, threw a no-hitter last night against Western Illinois. Coming into the season, he was rated as a late first round pick, but with a performance like this and with the struggles of some players ahead of him, he could move into the Pirates range with their second first round pick. Here is a pre-season profile for him from Minor League Ball. Baseball America rated him 19th overall among draft-eligible college players in their pre-season rankings.
Jason Hursh from Oklahoma State pitched a terrific game yesterday against Loyola Marymount. The sixth round pick of the Pirates in 2010 went eight innings, allowing one run on two hits and two walks, with seven strikeouts. Hursh is 1-0, 2.00 in four starts, holding batters to a .196 average in 27 innings. He projects as a second round draft pick.
