D1 - State Of College Baseball: Midseason Report
Last weekend marked the midway point of the college baseball season, so in lieu of our usual Weekend Preview, we're stepping back to look at the big picture with our Midseason Report. Over the last few days, we unveiled our Midseason Field of 64 Projection and our Midseason College Top 150 Prospects list. Today, we present our Midseason All-America team and make our picks for various major awards and top storylines of the first half.
Midseason All-America Team: Position Players
Stats through April 9. Team was selected by D1Baseball editors Aaron Fitt and Kendall Rogers.
Pos. Player, School Year AVG/OBP/SLG AB R H HR RBI SB
C Paul DeJong, Illinois State Jr. .417/.493/.775 120 31 50 11 35 2
1B Will Craig, Wake Forest So. .423/.516/.815 130 41 55 12 51 1
2B Scott Kingery, Arizona Jr. .477/.510/.727 132 41 63 4 27 7
3B David Thompson, Miami Jr. .344/.433/.649 131 25 45 9 44 1
SS Alex Bregman, LSU Jr. .341/.422/.630 138 34 47 7 32 21
OF Nick Banks, Texas A&M So. .425/.481/.583 120 30 51 3 22 5
OF Ian Happ, Cincinnati Jr. .394/.519/.673 104 19 41 7 22 5
OF DJ Stewart, Florida State Jr. .312/.525/.624 109 38 34 9 31 4
DH Dansby Swanson, Vanderbilt Jr. .372/.482/.642 137 48 51 5 31 12
UT Brendan McKay, Louisville Fr. .289/.430/.378 90 19 26 1 14 2
Midseason All-America Team: Pitchers
Pos. Player, School Year W L ERA G SV IP H BB SO
SP Taylor Clarke, College of Charleston Jr. 6 1 1.69 8 0 53.1 37 8 72
SP Carson Fulmer, Vanderbilt Jr. 6 1 1.89 9 0 57 39 23 81
SP Alex Lange, LSU Fr. 6 0 1.39 8 0 51.2 38 20 61
SP Dillon Tate, UC Santa Barbara Jr. 4 3 1.34 8 0 60.2 33 16 67
RP Tyler Jay, Illinois Jr. 4 1 0.79 18 8 34 18 3 39
UT Brendan McKay, Louisville Fr. 5 0 2.03 11 4 40 18 13 55
Midseason Top Player
Alex Bregman, ss, LSU
Bregman has been so good for so long that it's easy to take him for granted. But he has rather quietly been college baseball's best all-around player in the first half of the season.
Alex Bregman (LSU)
Alex Bregman (LSU)
Bregman doesn't lead the nation in any major offensive categories, and his .341 batting average may pale in comparison to Scott Kingery's .477. But he has robust offensive numbers nonetheless, hitting .341/.422/.630 with seven homers, 13 doubles and 32 RBIs. His secondary numbers might be even more impressive. Bregman ranks as the nation's fifth hardest player to strike out, with just six strikeouts and 19 walks in 34 games. He's not known for blazing speed, but he is an extremely intelligent baserunner who has been more aggressive on the basepaths this year, ranking fifth in the nation with 21 steals in 25 tries. He also ranks 11th with 87 total bases.
LSUInterlockingBregman is doing all that offensively while playing incredible defense at the demanding and crucial shortstop position. He has just one error this season, giving him an absurd .994 fielding percentage. And he is the unquestioned leader of one of college baseball's best teams, the 29-5 LSU Tigers. No player in the country has a better combination of hitting ability, power, speed, elite defense at a premium position and leadership qualities for an marquee club.
-Aaron Fitt
Midseason Top Pitcher
Dillon Tate, rhp, UC Santa Barbara
UCSB's Dillon Tate has been more than special so far. (Kendall Rogers)
UCSB's Dillon Tate has been more than special so far. (Kendall Rogers)
Incredibly high expectations can be very difficult to deal with, but don't tell that to UC Santa Barbara junior righthander Dillon Tate. After showing electric stuff with the USA Collegiate National Team last summer, Tate was expected to be one of the nation's premier arms, but out of the bullpen. Well, head coach Andrew Checketts made the bold, and smart, decision to move the big-time righthander to the weekend rotation. It's a move that continues to pay dividends.
Tate has been outstanding so far this spring. In a recent outing I saw, Tate was explosive. He was 93-95, and up to 96, with his fastball, and a devastating and late-cutting 84-86 mph slider. Meanwhile, his downward fading changeup was 82-84 and all those plus offerings were in addition to a 79-80 mph curveball that had good depth.
UCS Santa Barbara logoYep, Dillon Tate is that good, and it's more than just stuff. He's been very consistent as the staff ace for the Gauchos. He's made eight starts this season, tallying 67 strikeouts and walking just 16, while also having a 1.34 ERA in 60.2 innings. Tate has 9.94 strikeouts per game and has tossed two complete games, one of those last weekend against stud catcher Taylor Ward and Fresno State.
Tate has lived up to the hype, and folks, that's not an easy chore to accomplish.
-Kendall Rogers
Midseason Top Freshman Player
K.J. Harrison, 1b/c, Oregon State
Oregon State catcher K.J. Harrison (Shotgun Spratling)
Oregon State catcher K.J. Harrison (Shotgun Spratling)
Harrison was an elite recruit for the Beavers, ranking as the best prep prospect to come out of the state of Hawaii in years. But interestingly, he struggled to make consistent contact on the showcase circuit heading into his senior year, and some scouts regarded his defense behind the plate as his biggest strength, rather than his bat. Harrison flashed plus raw power even in high school, but his ability to utilize that power as a freshman for Oregon State has made him the nation's most feared freshman hitter.
Oregon State logoThrough 31 games, Harrison leads the young Beavers in batting (.361), slugging (.664), home runs (seven) and RBIs (32). He is tied for the Pac-12 lead in RBIs and ranks second in the conference in slugging and homers. Harrison is simply an offensive dynamo, a worthy heir to Michael Conforto's Oregon State legacy.
-Aaron Fitt
Midseason Top Freshman Pitcher
Alex Lange, rhp, LSU
LSU freshman righthander Alex Lange. (Kendall Rogers)
LSU freshman righthander Alex Lange. (Kendall Rogers)
Speaking of high expectations and playing in a pressurized environment, how about LSU freshman righthander Alex Lange? When the Tigers lost All-American righty Aaron Nola to the draft last summer, they knew some new and inexperienced arms would have to rise to the occasion, or else. And boy, did Lange step up.
The talented righthander pitched well the first few weeks, but made his strongest impression at the Houston College Classic in front of more than 12,000 fans with an absolute gem. Lange will sit anywhere from 90-94 with his fastball, which is commanded on both sides of the plate. He also possesses a quality changeup, and will throw a hard and quality 80-81 mph curveball.
LSUInterlockingLange serves as LSU's ace and has tallied 61 strikeouts and 20 walks, while also carrying a 1.39 ERA in 51.2 innings, with opponents hitting the youngster at a very low .208 clip. Most impressive? Lange's success hasn't tapered off in SEC play. He has a 1.26 ERA in four SEC starts, along with 35 strikeouts in 28.2 innings.
Pretty good
for a freshman.
-Kendall Rogers
Midseason Top Coach
Rob Childress, Texas A&M
Putting what A&M has done so far this spring into perspective makes what they're doing right now even more astonishing.
Rob Childress has Texas A&M's players feeling good heading into the second half. (Kendall Rogers)
Rob Childress has Texas A&M's players feeling good heading into the second half. (Kendall Rogers)
The Aggies are one of the hottest and best teams in the country at this point in the season. They are 31-2, are in terrific shape to earn a national seed on Memorial Day, and they're 9-2 in the rigorous Southeastern Conference. And that coming from a team that was not only picked to finish in the middle of the pack in conference, they also lost their No. 1 pitcher in lefthander Tyler Stubblefield because of an ACL injury before the season began. Then, fellow lefty AJ Minter, who replaced Stubblefield as the staff ace, was lost for the season because of an elbow injury. So, yes, the Aggies have amassed an incredible 31-2 record without their two-best pitchers, thanks in part to junior righthander Grayson Long stepping up and a surprisingly power-armed and deep bullpen putting the clamps on opposing teams late in games.
Texas AM logoChildress and the Aggies still have plenty of unfinished business to take care of the rest of the season, but Childress and assistant coaches Will Bolt and Justin Seely have done a tremendous job of keeping the Maroon & White clicking on all cylinders despite some significant personnel setbacks.
Five More Coaches
Southern California logoDan Hubbs, USC: Patience is a virtue for Hubbs and the Trojans. It's been a long time coming, but it finally looks like the Trojans will get that lengthy hiatus - since 2005 to be exact - of postseason berths done with in just over a month. Hubbs has done a terrific job with this USC club, entering this weekend's UCLA series with a 25-7 overall record and a top-10 ranking.
Arizona State Sundevils logoTracy Smith, Arizona State: We knew the Sun Devils had some talent, especially on the mound. But this program needed a culture change and Smith and his staff have helped provide that in rapid fashion. ASU has an overall record of 21-9, and are off to a great 9-3 start in the Pac-12. National seed, anyone?
Oklahoma State University logoJosh Holliday, Oklahoma State: Holliday was groomed by some of the best coaches in college baseball, so perhaps we shouldn't be surprised that he's experiencing a wealth of success with the Cowboys. Holliday has the Pokes atop the Big 12 standings and on a collision course with the College World Series at 23-9 overall, 7-2 in league play.
UCS Santa Barbara logoAndrew Checketts, UC Santa Barbara: We certainly expected the Gauchos to have a solid club. We debated their merits before the season, and in the end, decided to rank a few more teams ahead of them in our Preseason D1Baseball Top 25. Well, whoops? Checketts has done some amazing things at UCSB, and his club sits at 24-7 overall. Now, let's get this program a big-time stadium.
Illinois Fighting Illini logoDan Hartleb, Illinois: The Big Ten was expected to have a golden spring, and Illinois was part of that equation. The Fighting Illini had lofty expectations entering the season, and haven't had a single issue meeting them. Tyler Jay continues to be a dominant force out of the bullpen, while lefthander Kevin Duchene has a gaudy 0.64 ERA in 42 innings, along with 47 strikeouts and three walks. Illinois is 26-6-1 overall and is staring at a potential regional host in a few weeks.
-Kendall Rogers
Most Surprising Team
Aaron's Pick: Nevada
Of all the teams that have earned spots in the D1Baseball Top 25 rankings over the course of the season, Nevada is the one I least expected. The Wolf Pack haven't made a regional in 15 years. They made progress in Jay Johnson's first year as coach in 2014, going 31-27 overall (winning six more games than they did the year before), but they still finished .500 in the Mountain West, five games out of first place.
Nevada's Ryan Howell is a power threat in the middle of the lineup. (Shotgun Spratling)
Nevada's Ryan Howell is a power threat in the middle of the lineup. (Shotgun Spratling)
After eight weeks, Nevada is already closing in on last year's win totals, with a 26-7 overall record and a 12-3 conference mark, tying it for first place in the MWC with San Diego State. We figured Nevada would have a dangerous offense, and that has been the case: The Wolf Pack leads the nation in doubles, ranks eighth in slugging and 20th in scoring. First-team preseason All-American Austin Byler is among the national leaders in slugging (.727), which is no surprise. But we did not expect teammate Ryan Howell, a junior-college transfer, to put up even gaudier numbers: .373/.455/.754, 10 HR, 46 RBI. (Shotgun Spratling profiled the Byler-Howell duo in March). And we certainly did not expect Nevada to lead the Mountain West in ERA, which it currently does with a 3.65 mark. Give pitching coach Dave Lawn plenty of credit for getting the most out of this under-appreciated crop of arms.
Kendall's Pick: Missouri
Making the transition to a new conference can be a tough task. Making a transition to the SEC can be a nightmare. Well, that's exactly what happened to the Missouri Tigers the past two seasons, which is why they were picked to finish near the bottom of the league standings this season.
Missouri's Tanner Houck has been filthy this season. (Kendall Rogers)
Missouri's Tanner Houck has been filthy this season. (Kendall Rogers)
Instead, though, the Tigers have made quite a remarkable turnaround. The Tigers are ranked in the D1Baseball Top 25, and have a 22-12 overall record to go with an 8-5 league mark - well on track to make the postseason at this point. The biggest key for Missouri has been the emergence of a pair of starting pitchers in righthanders Reggie McClean and Tanner Houck (We broke down Houck in this feature).
McClain is a junior-college transfer who sits in the upper-80s and into low-90s, and possesses a big-time changeup, while Houck is one of the better freshman pitchers in the country. Houck will get up to 93-94 with his fastball and often uses a dominant slider to punch hitters out. That duo is one of the best in the country, while hard-nosed righthanded closer Breckin Williams brings filthy stuff out of the bullpen.
The Tigers won't be confused with the LSU Tigers in the offensive department, but their one-two punch on the mound, along with Williams, can go up against anyone.
Five More Surprises
Southern California
Southern California logoWe've written plenty about the Trojans' return to national prominence - Eric Sorenson chronicled their rise again just yesterday. Nobody expected USC to be quite this good, ranking in the top 10 nationally - after all, the Trojans haven't made a regional since 2005. But we did consider them for our preseason Top 25 and project them to make a regional heading into the season, so their success is not an enormous shock.
Coastal Carolina
Coastal Carolina Chanticleers logoAll the talk in the Big South heading into the season was about Liberty, which nearly hosted a regional a year ago and returned plenty of talent. But the Chanticleers have re-established themselves as the top dog in the conference thanks to an explosive offense and a gritty pitching staff.
Iowa
IowaLogoHeading into the season, we pegged the Hawkeyes to finish ninth in the loaded Big Ten Conference. Needless to say, we wouldn't have dreamed that Iowa would be sitting alone atop the conference at 6-0, with a series sweep of defending champion Indiana. Even more surprisingly, the Hawkeyes are in great position for their first regional berth since 1990, with a 21-8 overall record and a No. 37 RPI.
Long Beach State
Long Beach State logoThe Dirtbags lost five of their top six hitters and the entire weekend rotation from last year's regional team. They headed into the season with 19 newcomers on the roster, and we picked them to finish seventh in the Big West heading into this spring. Instead, Long Beach is 18-10 overall, 4-2 in the conference and No. 20 in the RPI. We projected the Dirtbags as a No. 2 seed in our midseason Field of 64. Never saw that coming.
California
Cal Golden Bears logoI was mildly intrigued by Cal's talent heading into the spring, but I couldn't quite get myself to buy into the notion that the Golden Bears could contend in the rough-and-tumble Pac-12, and I picked them to finish ninth in the league in the preseason. The Golden Bears are off to a strong start in conference play at 8-4, and they are 21-9 overall with a real shot to get back to their first regional since their 2012 Omaha trip, when the administration tried to kill the program.
-Aaron Fitt
Most Disappointing Team
Kendall's Pick: Oregon
Oregon hopes to find a way to finish strong. (Shotgun Spratling)
Oregon hopes to find a way to finish strong. (Shotgun Spratling)
Remember when the Ducks were 13-2 after the St. John's series win, and also had a road series win over UC Santa Barbara? At that point, George Horton's club was ranked near the Top 10 and it looked like a huge season was in store. Well, that was pretty much the last week we've been able to say that.
The Ducks have struggled immensely since that St. John's series, losing three-straight Pac-12 series to pen league play to California, Arizona State and Arizona. Then, UO took another step back last weekend by getting swept at home by an OK Michigan State club with just nine runs in three games.
Oregon logoWe were a little skeptical about Oregon's offense entering the season, and that hunch has proven to be correct. UO is hitting just .253 as a team overall and in conference play. The bad news is we don't see Oregon's offense making some miraculous turn for the better, but this pitching staff has a chance to make things interesting down the stretch with lefthander Cole Irvin (3.52, 30.2) having premium potential. Irvin has an ERA over nine in conference play, so that must improve beginning this weekend against the Beavers.
Oregon has an RPI of 117, and despite going to UCSB for a three-game series, also has a non-conference strength of schedule that ranks 149th nationally, along with the 117th overall SOS.
Aaron's Pick: Clemson
Clemson's Matthew Crownover is having a great season. (Aaron Fitt)
Clemson's Matthew Crownover is having a great season. (Aaron Fitt)
It was the third week of the season and Clemson entered the series finale against rival South Carolina even in the series. It could either be a case of the same old result, or the Tigers could flip the script once and for all. Righthander Brody Koerner took matters into his own hands, tossing a four-hit shutout (chronicled here) to lead the Tigers to a series win over the Gamecocks.
At that point, the Tigers were 7-3 overall and were riding high following that series victory over South Carolina, and I tweeted that they looked like they were simply a better team than the Gamecocks. In the podcast, I insisted that Clemson is legitimately very good. Whoops. Since that weekend, Clemson has gone 9-14, losing series to NC State, Notre Dame and Wake Forest. They're just 16-17 overall and 7-8 in the ACC, and they need to make a real run to make it back to a regional.
Clemson Tigers logoStarting pitchers Matthew Crownover (1.33, 54 IP) and Zack Erwin (2.70, 53.1 IP) are bright spots, especially Crownover, whom we considered for the Midseason All-American team. But otherwise, this team has struggled with consistency on the mound, and Koerner has not been able to replicate his early success, stumbling to a 6.42 ERA. Tyler Krieger (.370) has been a real bright spot offensively, and Clemson's offense has been decent overall but not as good as it should be, considering how athletic, physical and experienced the lineup is.
The Tigers played much better baseball in a home series win over North Carolina last weekend, but now they must show they can play well consistently. Series against Boston College and Duke over the next two weekends are critical, and they afford Clemson an opportunity to build some momentum heading into the stretch run.
Five More Disappointments
Texas
Texas logoThe Longhorns entered the season expected to get back to the College World Series. And you know what, this team has all the pieces to make that so during the second half of the season. But things haven't gone as planned so far this spring. For starters, the 'Horns were supposed to have a much improved offense. And early on, this unit showed glimpses of that. However, shortstop C.J. Hinojosa has struggled mightily with a batting average around .200, and this team is now hitting .247 overall. Toolsy outfielder Ben Johnson has been a real bright spot, but Hinojosa and others must step up, along with the weekend rotation, to finish on a positive note and make the postseason.
Virginia
University of Virginia logoThe Cavaliers, along with the Longhorns, are a team that I really feel like could finish the season on a strong note, but some things will need to happen. Virginia opened the season ranked No. 3 nationally, and thanks to injuries and inconsistency, just haven't gotten into a groove. Athletic outfielder Joe McCarthy still isn't back from an injury and to make matters worse, Robbie Coman is TBA for this weekend's series against Georgia Tech after taking a ball to the face earlier this week. Add to that righthander Josh Sborz, who was expected to be a huge part of this team's success this spring, being more hittable than usual, and you don't really have a recipe for success thus far.
Alabama
Alabama Crimson Tide logoHere's another team that could finish the second half of the season strong. Honestly, the Tide might be our best bet from this group to surge forward. There's no doubt that 'Bama, sitting just 16-15 overall after being ranked well into the Top 25 to begin the season, has been a disappointment. However, this is a team that began SEC play with a road series win over Mississippi State before facing the murderer's row trio of Texas A&M, Florida and LSU. Geez, that's brutal. The good news is the Tide hasn't come close to reaching their offensive potential, and that sets the stage for a potentially strong finish with Casey Hughston and Mikey White leading the way.
Tennessee
Tennessee logoDave Serrano's Volunteers certainly have a chance to turn the ship around the second half of the season, but you almost wonder - even now - if the ship has already sailed too far away. The Vols did take the series opener against Missouri Thursday night, and a series win over the Tigers could be huge. But we're talking about a team with an overall record of 15-14, and still an extremely difficult schedule left to navigate. The saving grace for the Vols could be an RPI of 48, which is pretty good considering what has transpired so far this season. There's still a chance
but it's slim looking at the remaining slate.
Stanford
Stanford logoThe Cardinal has had an abysmal campaign thus far, and some keep pointing to the injury losses of Cal Quantrill and Marc Brakeman to somehow validate a poor 12-18 overall record and yes, an 0-9 mark in the Pac-12 Conference. Well, that's all fine and dandy, except for that little fact that Stanford is hitting .241 as a team. And on top of that, if A&M can overcome the losses of Stubblefield and Minter, why can't Stanford, which has plenty of talent, at least put together a respectable overall resume. That's baffling, and we don't see this team finishing the season incredibly strong. This, of course, being a club that we strongly considered ranking heading into the season. Whew.
-Kendall Rogers
Five Biggest Stories Of The First Half
1. The home run is back.
The new lower-seamed balls dominated the early-season talk in college baseball. The balls were intended to increase home run levels in response to the lack of power that resulted from the advent of the BBCOR bats, and so far the mission has been successful. The NCAA's midseason trends report showed that home runs are up 39 percent from the same period a year ago, from 0.36 homers per game to 0.50 per game. Even though scoring is up just 5 percent, the return of the long ball has infused some excitement back into the game. It's just nice to go to a ballpark and know that there is a realistic chance you could see a home run or two (or 12, in Belmont's case).
2. Texas A&M is a machine.
Texas AM logoNo team had a better first half than Texas A&M, which started the season an amazing 24-0 and carries a 31-2 record into Week Nine. Early on, it was easy to discount the hot start as the product of a soft, home-baked nonconference schedule, but the Aggies kept winning through a trip to the Houston College Classic, and they have kept winning in SEC play, with series victories against Auburn, at Alabama, Missouri and at Kentucky. It hasn't been a murderer's row of SEC opponents either, but 31-2 is 31-2. That is awfully difficult to do.
3. The Big Ten is living up to the hype.
Big 10 logoAs part of our season preview coverage, Michael Baumann wrote an in-depth piece about the rise of the Big Ten, which has steadily gained momentum in recent years with Purdue and Indiana hosting regionals, and the Hoosiers breaking through to Omaha in 2013. We predicted this year would be the best yet for the conference, which we projected to send four teams to regionals for the first time in the 64-team era. Well, that estimate now looks too conservative. We project five Big Ten teams to make regionals in our midseason Field of 64, and two of them (Illinois and Maryland) to host. The Illini, Terrapins and Nebraska are currently ranked in the D1Baseball Top 25, and Indiana was ranked earlier this season. Iowa, Ohio State, Michigan and Michigan State all look like bona fide regional contenders. It's going to be a fun finish in the Big Ten.
4. Dillon Tate's rise to the top of draft boards happened in a flash.
UCSB's Dillon Tate is special to watch. (Kendall Rogers)
UCSB's Dillon Tate is special to watch. (Kendall Rogers)
Tate, UC Santa Barbara's talented righthander, really made a name for himself last summer with USA Baseball's Collegiate National Team, but he had never started a college game heading into this spring, and he entered the season as the No. 15 prospect on the D1Baseball Top 150 College Prospects list. It only took a week for him to insert himself squarely into the very early discussion for the No. 1 overall pick, as he opened the season in the rotation and showed dominant stuff from the get-go. Kendall Rogers and Shotgun Spratling both chronicled Tate's rise in the last week.
5. Best individual performance: Drew Rasmussen's perfect game.
Oregon State's Drew Rasmussen (Scobel Wiggins)
Oregon State's Drew Rasmussen (Scobel Wiggins)
Don't expect any player to top Rasmussen for the individual performance of the year. The Oregon State freshman threw a perfect game in Week Six against Washington State, the first Pac-12 perfect game since 1973 and just the third Division I perfect game in the last dozen years. The electric righthander struck out 10 and needed just 103 pitches to complete his perfect game, and he went to a three-ball count just twice in the game.
D1 - State Of College Baseball: Midseason Report