Innholdsfortegnelse for February 2024 i Baseball America

1 WAKE FOREST Last season: 54-12 (22-7 ACC), reached College World Series Final 2023 ranking: No. 3. Coach (record at school): Tom Walter (420-339-1, 14 seasons) THE GOOD NEWS Wake Forest returns a key group of players from last year’s team, which led the program to its first College World Series appearance since 1955. It starts with all-ACC first baseman Nick Kurtz, who hit .353/.527/.784 with 24 home runs and 69 RBIs. On top of his ability with the bat, Kurtz is also a great defender. Sophomore shortstop Marek Houston had a modest year offensively, but he is a plus defender with silky-smooth actions and a sound game clock. His offense took a step forward this fall. Shifting focus to the mound, junior lefthander Josh Hartle will anchor the rotation. He is perhaps the best…

TEAM TO BEAT: TCU While the Horned Frogs came within two wins of the College World Series finals last season, it wasn’t always smooth sailing. Entering May, TCU was just 23-20 but went 21-4 over the final two months and swept through the Big 12 Tournament with ease before knocking off Arkansas on the road in regionals and Indiana State in super regionals. Now, expectations are even higher for TCU despite the losses of first-rounder Brayden Taylor and six others in the draft. But the Frogs were busy in the portal. Anthony Silva and Karson Bowen are another year older after remarkable first-year campaigns, while Wichita State transfer Payton Tolle provides pop in the lineup and is equally talented on the mound. Kole Klecker showed in Omaha why he’s got…

TEAM TO BEAT: OREGON STATE Oregon State has all the pieces to return to Omaha and be the last team standing. Led by potential No. 1 overall draft pick Travis Bazzana, its offense will be incredibly potent. The lineup will also feature Washington State transfer Elijah Hainline, power-hitting first baseman Mason Guerra, the talented outfield trio of Gavin Turley, Micah McDowell and Brady Kasper and star freshman infielder Trent Caraway. Mitch Canham’s pitching staff is also plenty deep, with a rotation headlined by Arizona transfer Aiden May. Junior workhorse Jacob Kmatz is an advanced strike-thrower who will man the Saturday starter spot, and senior righty Jaren Hunter rounds out the weekend rotation. PLAYER OF THE YEAR: TRAVIS BAZZANA, 2B, OREGON STATE The Australia native made an immediate impact as a…

BUD HARRELSON MADE HIS MARK WITH METS FOR THREE DECADES Bud Harrelson, a scrappy big league shortstop, major league coach and manager and later part owner of the independent Long Island Ducks, died on Jan. 11. He was 79. Harrelson is best known for his association with the Mets and is the only person to take part in both of the franchise’s World Series championship teams. He was a slick-fielding shortstop for the 1969 Miracle Mets and third base coach for the 1986 champions who won 108 games. The Mets signed Harrelson out of San Francisco State in 1963. In 1967 he assumed regular shortstop duties in New York as a 23-year-old. The mid-’60s Mets were rich in pitching talent—Tom Seaver, Nolan Ryan, Jerry Koosman, Tug McGraw—that would propel them…

MEET THE WOMEN WHO ARE BLAZING A TRAIL IN THE INDUSTRY. The idea is a simple one: get more women involved with baseball. But this task is easier said than done. You have to grow the game at every level and provide opportunities for women as they get older to continue playing the sport that they love. Enter Justine Siegal, founder of Baseball For All. Siegal earned her doctorate in sports psychology and went on to have a highly successful career coaching baseball. She even broke the barrier as the first woman to serve as a coach for an MLB organization back in 2014 for the Athletics. However, her mission wasn’t over. After growing up playing baseball, she wanted to give other women the same opportunity. She founded Baseball For…

Iowa righthander Brody Brecht unleashed 100 mph fastballs from the Dell Diamond mound on Feb. 25, 2023. The Hawkeyes had traveled to the Round Rock Classic in Austin, Texas, where the weather was warm, but the crowd of purple-and-yellow LSU fans was not. Brecht was in a constant battle with the strike zone, walking the first batter, giving up his only hit, then walking a third. Following a mound visit, Brecht struck out the side in order to end the first inning. The sophomore’s start was short-lived, but he struck out six in 3.1 innings and limited the nation’s No. 1 team and eventual national champion to one hit in the process of handing the Tigers their first loss of the season. It wasn’t perfect—Brecht’s eight walks resulted in two…

TEAM TO BEAT: IOWA The Hawkeyes haven’t won the Big Ten since 1990 but enter this year as the preseason favorites, fronted by a powerful pitching staff. With juniors Brody Brecht and Marcus Morgan leading the way and sophomore Cade Obermueller set to join them in the rotation, the Hawkeyes have a trio of big arms to throw at opponents each weekend. If they can harness their big pure stuff just a bit more—all three have had control issues in their careers—they could be one of the best rotations in college baseball. Seniors Cade Moss and Michael Seegers bring steady hands up the middle at catcher and shortstop, respectively, and outfielders Kyle Huckstorf and Sam Petersen will lead the offense. This is probably the most hyped season of Iowa baseball…

Last year was a perfect example of how great college baseball can be. The 2023 season was loaded with generational talent and an LSU super team that managed to live up to almost impossible expectations. It had an all-time classic game in Omaha. LSU edged Wake Forest in extra innings thanks to an all-time classic College World Series play by Tigers first baseman Tre’ Morgan and a walk-off home run from Tommy White. LSU ace Paul Skenes battling Wake’s Rhett Lowder lived up to any and all expectations. Television ratings—if you care—were up as well. This year has multiple loaded teams, led by Wake Forest. There are big-time stars, including Southeastern Conference standouts White and Florida’s Jac Caglianone. LSU also has a shot to become the rare repeat champion. College…

FORMER BALLPLAYERS REFLECT ON PRO SUCCESS AND FAILURE Bryce Fehmel played all over the infield at Agoura Hills (Calif.) High. He played third base and second base early before settling in as starting shortstop as an upperclassman. Where he didn’t appear often was on the mound, though he would close out the occasional game. Fehmel chose to play for Pat Casey at Oregon State, initially signing as an infielder. “I saw myself as an infielder because I could compete and give you a good at-bat,” Fehmel said. “But as the pitching got tougher, that same success wasn’t showing.” Fehmel was also part of a 2016 OSU freshman class that included future first-round infielders Nick Madrigal and Cadyn Grenier. Things started to get late early for Fehmel during the fall of…

Each year, Baseball America surveys MLB scouting directors for their votes on our Preseason College All-America team. This year, a total of 13 scouting departments participated, giving a solid cross-section of how scouts view the college talent heading into the 2024 season—and the draft. As BA has done since 1981, we ask scouting directors for their opinions because we’re attempting to look to the future with this team. Our end-of-season College All-America Team rewards results, but this one is a preview of the top college talent in the nation. SECOND TEAM C Caleb Lomavita, California 1B Blake Burke, Tennessee 2B Travis Bazzana, Oregon State 3B Cam Smith, Florida State SS Anthony Silva, TCU OF Seaver King, Wake Forest OF Cam Cannarella, Clemson OF Jace LaViolette, Texas A&M SP Brody Brecht,…

TEAM TO BEAT: WAKE FOREST After appearing in its first College World Series since 1955, Wake Forest is poised to make a return trip to Omaha and potentially hoist the national championship trophy. The Demon Deacons are loaded on both sides of the ball. Offensively, it starts with hulking first baseman Nick Kurtz, who hit .353/.527/.784 with 24 home runs last season. He will be supported by center fielder Seaver King, shortstop Marek Houston, catcher Tate Ballestero and third baseman Adam Tellier. Wake Forest boasts arguably the best rotation in the country, led by lefthander Josh Hartle, the most advanced strike-thrower in the nation who owns a true five-pitch mix. Righthanders Chase Burns and Michael Massey round out the rotation with pure power. PLAYER OF THE YEAR: NICK KURTZ, 1B,…

TEAM TO BEAT: LSU In 2023, the Tigers lived up to their immense promise as preseason favorites by winning the national championship. LSU doesn’t enter 2024 with nearly as much hype, but that doesn’t mean it’s not still a title favorite. All-American third baseman Tommy White returns to lead the offense, and LSU will be looking for some younger players like sophomores Jared Jones and Paxton Kling to take on bigger roles. Perhaps the biggest key will be the new-look middle infield. Michael Braswell transferred from South Carolina and will take over at shortstop, while Josh Pearson is set to move from the outfield to second base. On the mound, LSU went to the transfer portal to add starters Gage Jump (UCLA) and Luke Holman (Alabama), who both project to…