Throughout the 2023 draft cycle, arguably no high school arm was as big a riser as Joey Volchko. This spring for Redwood High School (Visalia, Calif.), Volchko was flat-out dominant, and amassed a perfect 4-0 record to go along with a minuscule 0.26 ERA. In his 27 innings, Volchko struck out a whopping 67 hitters en route to being named the East Yosemite League’s most valuable player.

In the lead up to the draft there was serious first round buzz surrounding Volchko, but just like any Stanford signee, it would have taken a lot for Volchko to forgo his commitment. The Cardinal have perhaps the most impressive track record of any major program when it comes to getting their commits on campus, and they have not lost a recruit to the draft since 2017. 

As the No. 37 overall prospect on the BA 500, Volchko is the highest ranked player to make it to a college campus. He attacks from a straight-over-the-top arm slot and possesses an electric four-pitch arsenal that includes a fastball, slider, curveball and changeup. Volchko will pitch in the 91-94 mph range with his heater and will consistently touch 95 and 96. It is very heavy out of the hand with ample life through the zone. Volchko throws two distinct breaking balls with the better of the two being his mid-80s slider. He has above average command of the offering and induces plenty of swing and miss thanks to its sharp, late break. 

While the slider is a borderline plus pitch, Volchko’s high-70s curveball is also above average. It has plenty of depth with big, 12-to-6 shape and some teeth, and it’s easy to see it becoming a true plus pitch in the not-so-distant future. Volchko’s changeup is currently the least polished pitch in his repertoire, but it shows promise as a potentially effective offering in the future. His command has been a bugaboo in the past and is still a bit inconsistent at times, but it has taken a sizable step forward in the last year.  

At 6-foot-4, 210 pounds, Volchko provides the Stanford staff with elite clay to mold. He is high-waisted with long levers and has plenty of physical projection. He just turned 18 in June and will naturally add strength to his frame as he continues to age. Volchko has an incredibly high ceiling and it is easy to foresee him eventually pitching in the high 90s.

Following the departures of Quinn Mathews (4th round, St. Louis Cardinals) and Joey Dixon (7th round, Houston Astros), Stanford heads into the fall practice cycle with two gaping holes in its rotation. The Cardinal do return a handful of quality arms, but Volchko has the opportunity to earn a coveted weekend starter spot. His eventual role is yet to be seen, but whether it is as a starter, bullpen arm, or both, Volchko this spring will get his fair share of innings on the mound.

It is nearly impossible to project what Volchko will be when he is next eligible for the draft in 2026, but he has a chance to be the highest Stanford arm selected since Kris Bubic was drafted 40th overall in 2018.

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Background

Following a dominant 2022 summer circuit, Cameron Johnson entered the 2023 season as one of the most decorated prep arms in his class. The towering 6-foot-5 lefthander spent the first three years of his high school career at Bishop McNamara in his home state of Maryland, but transferred to national powerhouse IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla., for his senior season. 

Johnson was excellent this spring for the Ascenders, and pitched his way to a 6-0 record with an impressive 43-to-12 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 27 innings. Johnson ranked as the No. 43  prospect on the BA 500,  and drew significant day one draft interest, but he decided to honor his commitment to the defending national champion Louisiana State Tigers. 

What He Brings To Campus

Johnson’s calling card is his thunderous, high-90s fastball that plays even harder than its already premium velocity. He hides the ball incredibly well, essentially throwing it from his back pocket, and attacks from a low, three-quarters slot. Johnson’s heater explodes out of his hand and gets on opposing hitters quickly. It has plenty of life through the strike zone and is a strong 60-grade offering.

While Johnson relies heavily on his fastball, he supplements it with an effective, low-80s slider. For the most part, Johnson maintains the same arm speed as he does on his fastball, though it will slow down at times. Currently, the slider is an above-average offering but has plus potential down the road. It has sharp, two-plane break and generates its fair share of swing and miss against both right and lefthanded hitters. Johnson’s slider is especially lethal against lefthanded hitters—both given the movement of the pitch and his release point.

One key for Johnson going forward to maximize his upside will be the development of a third pitch. He has a changeup in his arsenal, but he throws it sparingly and lacks feel for it. Mechanically, Johnson could sit deeper on his back side which would lead to him adding a touch more of velocity and allow his fastball to flirt with triple digits. Johnson lives around the strike zone and has shown above average command of his offerings. He is largely a finished product physically, but his 6-foot-5, 240-pound frame is fantastic clay with which LSU can work.

As for Johnson’s role in 2024, LSU’s weekend rotation is largely set in stone as the Tigers will rely on Alabama transfer Luke Holman (7-4, 3.67 ERA), Thatcher Hurd (8-2, 5.68 ERA), and one of Griffin Herring (5-2, 3.93 ERA), Nate Ackenhausen (2-1, 3.52 ERA) or Micah Bucknam (0-0, 11.57 ERA). Bucknam is coming off an impressive summer in the Cape Cod League where he worked a 3.94 ERA over the course of three starts. However, LSU coach Jay Johnson has shown he isn’t afraid to rely on his true freshmen in past years so expect the big lefty to log meaningful innings next spring.

Looking towards the 2026 draft, Johnson has early first round upside and has a chance to be the top arm in the entire class.

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Roch Cholowsky has long been a popular name within scouting circles and is perhaps the most advanced incoming freshman in all of college baseball.

The 6-foot-2, 193-pound shortstop was ranked as the No. 42 overall player on the final Baseball America Top 500 draft rankings, but was always viewed as a tough sign due to his strong commitment to UCLA. While Cholowsky received significant interest in the top two rounds of the draft, he chose to head to Westwood and play for coach John Savage. 

A product of West Coast power Hamilton High School, in Chandler, Ariz., Cholowsky was a two-sport standout. On the gridiron he was a dual-threat quarterback with an offer from Notre Dame, but most notably he was the Huskies’ star shortstop on the diamond. Cholowsky was named the 2023 Gatorade Arizona Baseball Player of the Year after hitting .466 with 11 home runs and 35 RBI, and led his team to a 26-5 record and a state championship.

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For college baseball fans, there are several two-sport athletes to follow on the gridiron this fall. This list looks quite a bit different than it did a year ago, however, after a few high-profile two-sport athletes this summer dropped football to focus on baseball. That group includes Clemson’s Will Taylor, Virginia’s Jay Woolfolk and Iowa’s Brody Brecht, all rising juniors. That trio held the top three spots on last year’s list and would have topped the list again this year—though in a different order. Brecht enters the fall projected as a first-round pick, Taylor looks like a top-two round pick and Woolfolk spent the summer with USA Baseball’s Collegiate National Team.

But just because those three stars won’t be on the gridiron this fall doesn’t mean there aren’t some two-sport standouts to watch. Here are the top 20 baseball players in college football to watch this fall. Not everyone on this list plays baseball in college but most do, and all undeniably have the talent to be college baseball stars.

1. Grant Gray, UCLA

Gray initially went under the radar in baseball circles because of his football prowess, but that’s changed over the last year. He got a lot of attention from scouts in the spring and ranked No. 70 in the draft class. He was rated as a four-star wide receiver as well and his commitment to playing both sports ultimately led to him going undrafted. He’s not listed on UCLA’s week one depth chart, but he has the talent to make an impact for the Bruins this fall. On the diamond, he’s a plus runner, has solid feel at the plate and offers big offensive upside.

2. Sam Horn, Missouri

Horn last year arrived at Missouri to much fanfare as both a baseball and football prospect. He ranked No. 106 in the 2022 draft class as a righthander and was rated as a four-star quarterback. He saw limited action in either sport as a freshman, however, appearing in one football game and throwing 4.1 innings for the Tigers. In the fall, he was behind a veteran starter on the depth chart but was set to play a much larger role on the diamond. He made two early season appearances and ran his fastball up to 97 mph on Opening Weekend in his debut against TCU but a forearm strain he suffered the next weekend ultimately proved to be the end of his season. Horn has high-end upside on the mound thanks to his big arm and promising offspeed offerings. He’s this fall again fighting for time on the football field and goes into the season in competition to be the starting quarterback.

3. Duce Robinson, Southern California

Robinson last spring got a lot of buzz as he made it clear he wanted to play college football and professional baseball. He committed to USC and was ranked No. 156 in the 2023 draft class. He went unpicked, however, and now is set to play both wide receiver and outfield for the Trojans. He caught three passes for 44 yards in USC’s opener last week against San Jose State. On the diamond, his premium athleticism and big raw righthanded power make him an exciting prospect.

4. John Rhys Plumlee, UCF

Plumlee started his college career at Mississippi, where he put his premium speed to use as a quarterback and outfielder. He’s continued that play at UCF after transferring two years ago. He in 2023 started all but one game on the diamond for the Knights and hit .286/.384/.505 with 10 home runs and 18 stolen bases, all while missing just one football practice. His plus speed and athleticism play well in baseball, and he impacts the game in a variety of ways. This fall, he’ll again lead the UCF offense as starting quarterback as the team moves into the Big 12. While others on this list are better pro prospects in either baseball or football, Plumlee is the most accomplished active college baseball/football player.

5. JonJon Vaughns, UCLA

Vaughns has premium athleticism and has put that on display at UCLA as a linebacker and outfielder. He’s played in all 32 of the Bruins’ football games over the last three years and twice last season led the team in tackles. On the diamond, he started 34 games this spring and hit .236/.386/.466 with 10 home runs. He enters the fall as a starting linebacker for the Bruins and could again play a big role for the baseball team this spring.

6. Jack Lausch, Northwestern

Lausch was a two-sport star in high school and was initially committed to Notre Dame to play both baseball and football. He only had a walk-on football offer, however, so when Northwestern offered him a scholarship as a quarterback, he changed his commitment. He has plenty of upside on the diamond as an outfielder and ranked No. 212 in the 2022 draft class. He has a compact swing, a good approach at the plate and power potential in his 6-foot-2 frame. Lausch last fall appeared in one game for the Wildcats but this year is expected to play a larger role.

7. Robby Ashford, Auburn

Ashford in high school became just the third player to be invited to the Under Armour All-America Game for both baseball and football, following Kyler Murray and A.J. Brown. His athleticism gives him significant upside in both sports, and he ranked No. 231 in the 2020 draft, but he didn’t see much action in either sport at Oregon before transferring to Auburn and he hasn’t been a part of the Tigers’ baseball program. Ashford last year played his way into the starting quarterback job but again enters this fall as the backup, though reportedly he will still have a significant role in the offense.

8. Blake Shapen, Baylor

Shapen was one of the top two-sport athletes in the 2020 class and ranked No. 371 in the draft class. After redshirting as a freshman, Shapen in 2021 broke out late in the season after Baylor’s starting quarterback was injured. He led the Bears to a win in the Big 12 championship game and then earned honorable mention all-conference honors in 2022. Shapen’s athleticism plays well at shortstop, and he was an Under Armor All-American in baseball during high school, but he hasn’t gotten a chance to show those skills in college. He again is slated to be the Bears’ starting quarterback this fall.

9. Carson Beck, Georgia

Beck early in his high school career committed to Florida to play baseball before his football recruitment picked up. He ended up at Georgia just to play quarterback and is now taking over as the starter for the two-time reigning national champion. On the diamond, he had high-end potential. With a big, physical build and righthanded power potential, he could have been a prototypical corner outfielder.

10. Joey Velazquez, Michigan

Initially committed to Ohio State to play baseball, Velazquez ended up on the other side of the rivalry when Michigan offered him an opportunity to play football as well. He’s played a limited role as a linebacker but has gotten more action as an outfielder. His athleticism plays well on the diamond, and he has a strong lefthanded swing. Last spring, he hit .245/.337/.401 with seven doubles and four home runs in 48 games (38 starts).

11. DJ Uiagalelei, Oregon State

Uiagalelei has long been focused on football (he was the top quarterback recruit in the 2020 class), but he also previously showed significant upside on the diamond as a righthander. So much upside, in fact, that the Dodgers this summer drafted him in the 20th round despite not playing baseball in college. In high school, he ran his fastball into the low 90s and with his big frame (6-foot-4, 250 pounds), it’s easy to see the upside. But Uiagalelei passed on signing with the Dodgers and is set to be Oregon State’s starting quarterback after transferring to Corvallis following three years at Clemson.

12. Tywone Malone, Ohio State

Malone has a unique profile as a defensive end and first baseman. He is listed at 6-foot-4, 303 pounds and was the top-rated football recruit in New Jersey in the 2021 class. He in June transferred to Ohio State after two years at Ole Miss. He saw action in 13 games last fall for the Rebels but saw more limited time on the diamond in Oxford, going 5-for-19 over the last two years. He has prodigious power on the diamond but he this month told reporters in Columbus that he is giving up baseball to focus on football.

13. Stone Blanton, South Carolina

Blanton was initially committed to Mississippi State to play baseball before settling on South Carolina with the intention to play both sports. After playing in 12 games last fall for the Gamecocks, however, he chose to focus on football and this fall, as a sophomore, opens the season as the starting middle linebacker. On the diamond, his big, physical frame, athleticism and raw power made him a prototypical corner outfielder.

14. Conner Weigman, Texas A&M

Weigman was a high-level two-sport player coming out of high school and had interest in playing both quarterback and infield. But his ability on the gridiron has kept him away from baseball since he arrived in College Station. He last fall took over as the Aggies starting quarterback midway through his freshman year and he’ll lead them again this fall. On the diamond, his arm strength played well and he had a strong righthanded swing.

15. Levi Gazarek, Bowling Green State

Gazarek has been a big contributor for the Falcons both in baseball and football. He last fall started 11 games as a tight end for BG. On the diamond, he’s an imposing righthander at a listed 6-foot-4, 250 pounds. He missed the spring due to injury, but in 2022 made 16 appearances (five starts) and went 2-3, 7.90 in 42.1 innings.

16. Devin Neal, Kansas

Neal was a highly rated running back and outfielder as a high schooler in Kansas and wanted to play both sports in college, leading him to KU. In his first two seasons with the Jayhawks, he’s rushed for 1,797 yards and 17 touchdowns and this year was named preseason all-Big 12. He played in seven games on the diamond as a freshman before deciding to focus only on football. As a baseball player, his athleticism and bat speed stood out.

17. Cam’Ron McCoy, Eastern Michigan

McCoy has a powerful arm that plays well on the mound and also has earned him a chance to play quarterback for the Eagles. He last fall did not appear in a game in his first season with the team. He’s appeared in 10 games on the diamond over the last two years, including two starts, but wildness limited his role in the spring. His fastball gets into the low 90s, but he’ll need to improve his control to get more out of it.

18. Nate McCollum, North Carolina

McCollum was a high-level two-sport player coming out of high school and had a chance to play both outfield and wide receiver at Georgia Tech. But he wound up focused on football and last year started nine games as a redshirt sophomore for the Yellow Jackets. Following a coaching change, he transferred to UNC and enters this season in the mix to start at wide receiver. On the diamond, his plus speed and quick hands stood out.

19. Sawyer Robertson, Baylor

Robertson, the son of former Expos prospect Stan Robertson, drew interest as both an outfielder and quarterback when he was coming out of the Texas prep ranks. He committed to Mississippi State with the intention of playing both sports but did not play baseball before transferring after last fall to Baylor. The redshirt sophomore is listed as Shapen’s backup to open the season for the Bears.

20. Jimmy Rolder, Michigan

Rolder was initially committed to Illinois to play third base before his football prospects exploded during his senior year of high school and suddenly multiple Big Ten schools were offering him as a linebacker. He ended up at Michigan, where he last year appeared in 13 games, made 14 tackles and was named the team’s co-special teams freshman of the year. On the diamond, he had a powerful righthanded swing, but he’s now focused on football.

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The 2022 version of the team was one of the most talented scouts had seen in years. It featured Paul Skenes, Dylan Crews, Wyatt Langford, Jacob Wilson, Rhett Lowder, Kyle Teel, Jacob Gonzalez, Enrique Bradfield Jr. and Brayden Taylor—nine of the top 20 draft picks in July.

The same was not true of Team USA in 2023. That’s because the 2024 draft class looks like a down group compared to a historic 2023 group.

West Virginia second baseman JJ Wetherholt leads the field thanks to his precocious lefthanded bat. There are still plenty of intriguing players on this year’s top 10 ranking, though each player comes with a few more question marks that will need to be addressed during the fall and next spring season. 

Team USA played two five-game series this summer against Taiwan and Japan and went 7-3 overall, sweeping Taiwan and losing their series 3-2 against Japan. 

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Wake Forest currently has five of its players ranked inside the top 45 of the 2024 top 100 draft rankings: Nick Kurtz (1), Chase Burns (9), Seaver King (17), Michael Massey (36) and Josh Hartle (42). While Kurtz, Massey and Hartle have been Demon Deacons for the entirety of their collegiate careers, Burns and King will don the black and gold for the first time in 2024. Burns, a righthanded fireballer, comes to Winston-Salem by way of Tennessee. King was the best non-Division I player in the country last spring and starred for Division II powerhouse Wingate (N.C.). 

Kurtz has a chance to be the highest draft pick in program history and the first top-five overall pick since righthanded pitcher Kyle Sleeth was selected third overall in 2003. The hulking 6-foot-5 first baseman is one of the premier hitters in college baseball. Across two seasons (110 games), Kurtz has a career .345 average with 24 doubles and 39 home runs. What might be most impressive is his 111-to-88 walk-to-strikeout ratio thanks to Kurtz’s professional approach. He has plus power to all fields, is an outstanding pure hitter and is an excellent defender.

While Kurtz is perhaps the best hitter in the 2024 draft class, Burns might be the best pitcher. The 6-foot-4 righthander’s calling card is his fastball, a pitch that averaged 96.2 mph in 2023 and topped out at 102. He supplements his fastball with a hellacious slider that generated a whopping 61% miss rate last spring. After spending the better part of the 2023 season in the bullpen, Burns figures to be the centerpiece of a loaded Wake Forest rotation.

King is an outstanding athlete fresh off a monster 2023 season in which he hit .411 with 20 doubles and 11 home runs. He has an explosive operation at the plate and has turned in 70-grade run times. King earned a spot on Team USA’s Collegiate National Team and figures to slot in at second base or in the outfield this spring. 

Hartle (11-2, 2.81 ERA) and Massey (3-1, 2.59 ERA) project to round out Tom Walter’s stellar 2024 rotation. Hartle has impeccable control and a true five-pitch mix with his curveball being his best offering, while Massey has thunderous stuff and a lethal fastball-slider combination. He spent all of 2023 appearing in relief, but this spring projects to make the jump into the rotation. 

Five first-round draft picks would be unprecedented, but so is having this amount of high-end talent on a single roster. There will once again be considerable buzz surrounding Wake Forest heading into the 2024 season, but the Demon Deacons have proved they thrive under the spotlight.

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This ranking is based on a number of factors: how the player projects as a prospect, their track record and the impact they will have at their new school.

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After 2022 saw star players like Tommy White and Paul Skenes enter the transfer portal, the 2023 window also saw numerous high-end prospects searching for a new home.

Winners

Wake Forest

After guiding the Demon Deacons to their first College World Series appearance since 1955, Tom Walter and his staff this offseason put together one of the best transfer portal classes in the country. The headliner is former Tennessee righthander and potential top-10 overall draft pick Chase Burns (5-3, 4.25 ERA). Armed with a fastball that tops out at 102 mph and a plus slider, Burns has arguably the best stuff of any pitcher in all of college baseball. On the other side of the baseball, the Deacs added former Wingate (N.C.) superstar Seaver King. King is an uber-athletic infielder who hit .411 last spring with 36 extra-base hits, and he hit .424 across 59 at-bats in the Cape Cod League. 

The coaching staff also brought in a couple of nice supplemental pieces in reliever David Falco (4-1, 3.88 ERA) and the ever-versatile Adam Tellier (.317/.394/.515) to round out the class. With a loaded transfer class and an abundance of returning talent, Wake Forest will once again be in the national championship conversation.

Texas A&M

The Aggies made perhaps the biggest individual splash of any school this transfer cycle, as they landed two-way superstar Braden Montgomery. On top of a riding fastball that flirts with triple digits, Montgomery is coming off a stellar sophomore campaign at the plate in which he hit .336 with 14 doubles, 17 home runs and 61 RBIs. He has plus power from both the right and left side as well as a borderline 80-grade arm in right field. Montgomery figures to slot into the heart of the Texas A&M lineup and next July he has a chance to be selected within the first five picks. The Aggies also added Ali Camarillo, a former standout at Cal State Northridge. Camarillo is a silky smooth defender at shortstop with great feet, clean actions and an above-average arm. Last spring he hit .371 with 25 extra-base hits and profiles to be an impact bat for Jim Schlossnagle. 

Finally, Eldridge Armstrong makes his way to College Station after a strong sophomore season at San Diego State in which he pitched his way to a 3.24 ERA with 46 strikeouts across 41.2 innings. He has an effective fastball-slider combination that generates plenty of swing-and-miss, and he projects to be one of the more effective relievers in college baseball. After making a regional last season, the Aggies are well-positioned to make their second College World Series in the last three years. 

Tennessee

After making the College World Series for the second time in three seasons, Tennessee this offseason reloaded on both sides of the baseball. Offensively, Tony Vitello and his staff brought in three high-impact bats in Billy Amick, Dalton Bargo and Cannon Peebles. Amick is fresh off a monster sophomore season at Clemson in which he hit .413 with 17 doubles, 13 home runs and 63 RBIs in 46 games. He has above-average power to all fields and consistently hammers the baseball into either gap. Amick this spring will likely slot in at third base. Bargo had a strong freshman season for Missouri, hitting .279 with six doubles and five home runs, but this summer in the Appalachian League he hit an impressive .357 with 11 extra-base hits. He split time between catcher and first base this summer, but his bat alone will keep him in the lineup every day. Cannon Peebles had one of the best true freshmen seasons of anyone in college baseball as he hit .352 with 11 doubles, 12 home runs and 50 RBIs. The switch-hitting catcher has above-average power from both sides, and this spring he figures to be the Vols’ go-to backstop. 

On the mound, Vitello brought in a potential weekend starter in sidewinder A.J. Causey (5-2, 5.07 ERA) and a lights-out reliever in Nate Snead (1-2, 3.16 ERA). Causey attacks from an incredibly difficult-to-pick-up sidearm slot with both his slider and changeup being potential plus pitches. Last spring, he notched 89 strikeouts across 76.1 innings pitched and is likely to be Tennessee’s Sunday starter. Snead is armed with a lethal fastball-slider combination and projects to hold down the back end of the bullpen. His fastball averages 94.2 mph, tops out at 99 and has plenty of life through the zone, while his slider last spring generated a miss rate of 57%. With an exciting blend of new and returning talent, Tennessee again is in great shape to make a run at the national championship.

Other winners: Arkansas, Florida State, Georgia, LSU, Oklahoma

Losers

Alabama

While the Crimson Tide brought in a number of players who should contribute immediately, it also lost a handful of key members from its 2023 team. Most notably, Friday starter Luke Holman (7-4, 3.67 ERA) and star infielder Colby Shelton (.301/.419/.729, 25 HR) transferred to LSU and Florida, respectively, while reliever Kade Woods (4-1, 5.52 ERA) will be joining Holman in Baton Rouge. Brock Blatter struck out 12 across eight innings of work last year and is headed west to Southern California, while outfielder Max Williams, who hit .316 with 26 extra-base hits this summer in the Northwoods League, is going to Florida State. However, between Rob Vaughn at the helm and the talent he was able to bring in via the transfer portal, Alabama is still in a good spot heading into 2024. 

North Carolina State

After losing Tommy White to the transfer portal after the 2022 season, the Wolfpack enter the 2024 season with big shoes to fill positionally. After leading the team with a .352 average and 50 RBIs, freshman catcher Cannon Peebles entered his name into the transfer portal and ended up at Tennessee. Wiry shortstop Payton Green transferred to Georgia Tech after a strong sophomore campaign in which he hit .274 with 12 doubles, 10 home runs and 45 RBIs, while sophomore outfielder Will Marcy transferred to Memphis after hitting .302 with 12 doubles and five home runs. In what is a change of pace from previous years, NC State will head into 2024 with more depth on the mound than at the plate.

Wichita State

Although Wichita State is well-positioned for the future with Brian Green as its head coach, it lost nearly every major contributor from the 2023 team to the transfer portal. Star two-way player Payton Tolle (9-3, 4.62 ERA, .311/.361/.538) is now at TCU and its best reliever in Nate Snead (1-2, 3.16 ERA) is at Tennessee. Additionally, lefthander Jace Miner (2-0, 2.05 ERA) transferred to Oklahoma and a pair of sluggers in Chuck Ingram (.362/.437/.579) and Garrett Pennington (.307/.372/.560) took their talents to Kansas State and North Carolina State, respectively. The Shockers have gaping holes to fill on both sides of the baseball but even with all of the talent lost from last season, Green will have his group competing for all of 2024.

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1. Travis Bazzana, 2B, Oregon State 
Team: Falmouth Commodores 
Age: 20 

Why He’s Here: .500/.548/.893 (14-for-28), 11 R, 2 2B, 0 3B, 3 HR, 10 RBIs, 2 BB, 7 SO, 2-for-3 SB

The Scoop: With the batting title within his sights, Bazzana put up one of the best weeks of the summer, going 14-for-28 and producing 21 total runs between his 11 runs and 10 RBIs. Bazzana passed Bourne’s Derek Bender on the final day to capture the batting title by one point with an average of .375. Bazzana was helped by arguably the best single-game performance in a decade last Friday when he went 6-for-7 with two doubles, two home runs, six runs scored and eight RBIs. The potential No. 1 overall pick for 2024 led Falmouth into the playoffs with one of its better teams in recent memory. (GP) 

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