PERFECT GAME CROSSCHECKER'S TOP TEN LIST
WEEK 15: 4/14/08 - 4/20/08
 
SENIOR CLASS: Top 10 Closers
Thursday April 17, 2008
It’s never surprising to see seniors closing in college baseball. Their age and experience, along with the coach’s confidence in their ability, lend themselves to the role. Closers tend to be developed at all levels of baseball rather than simply crowned, and that takes time.

So it’s understandable that a disproportionate number of the dominating closers in college this spring are seniors, with Georgia’s Josh Fields leading the way. Southern Mississippi lefthander Tyler Conn has been every bit as dominant as Fields, with a perfect 0.00 ERA and a nation-leading 12 saves. Conn, who was a starter as a junior college sophomore before moving to the bullpen as a junior, relies more on deception and a changeup than on raw power.

Creighton’s Pat Venditte continues to defy conventional description of a reliever, as he’s a finesse pitcher from the left side and a power pitcher from the right side. The switch-pitcher leads the Missouri Valley Conference in both innings pitched and strikeouts, despite not starting a game all season. Think about that for a moment.

Next to Fields, the two senior relievers with the best raw stuff on the accompanying list are Richmond’s Alex Hale, who actually entered college as a catcher, and Oklahoma’s Jake McCarter, a fifth-year senior who has already been drafted four times. Both throw in the low 90s.
Rank Player School Accomplishment
1 Josh Fields Georgia 1-1, 0.00, 10 SV, 17 IP/5 H/33 SO
2 Pat Venditte Creighton 3-2, 2.73, 5 SV, 52 IP/61 SO
3 Tyler Conn Southern Miss 1-0, 0.00, 12 SV, 20 IP/14 H/31 SO
4 Rob Wooten North Carolina 1-1, 0.64, 3 SV, 27 IP/17 H/35 SO
5 Alex Hale Richmond 4-0, 3.21, 3 SV, 28 IP/39 SO
6 Tim Erickson Lamar 4-1, 1.94, 6 SV
7 J.J. Crumbley Florida Gulf Coast 5-2, 1.83, 3 SV, 32 IP/29 SO
8 Adam Moser UNLV 4-4, 2.67, 4 SV, 30 IP/34 SO
9 Nick Gaudi Pepperdine 3-0, 2.39, 9 SV, 21 IP, 24 SO
10 Jake McCarter Oklahoma 1-0, 5.32, 9 SV
-- DAVID RAWNSLEY Top Ten List Archives