Early Impressions
We’re three weeks into the college season, and I thought it would be a good time to take a quick look at some of the notable players making some early noise this season. There are obviously going to be a lot more than the ones I list below, so I welcome you to contact me with any others that have caught your eye in particular.

When previewing the college baseball season, one of my quick notes commented at how I felt Georgia Tech could be propelled more in thanks to their solid starting weekend staff. So far, so good, as David Duncan, Eddie Burns and Zach Von Tersch are collectively 6-0 (each is 2-0) in nine starts with a 1.66 ERA. The staff overall is 12-1 with a 1.80 ERA, and closer Chris Hicks is the only pitcher on the staff with an ERA over four (6.14), and even then he has five saves in seven appearances. Freshman shortstop Derek Dietrich as expected has made an immediate impact for the Yellow Jackets, leading the team in home runs (4) and RBI (13).

The Texas Longhorns, a team that you would figure would put up some gaudy power numbers given their lineup, has only seven home runs as a team, and centerfielder Jordan Danks is the only player with more than one (2). Brandon Belt however does have 21 RBI with nine doubles, and I don’t think anyone thinks their bats will remain quiet for much longer.

Kentucky’s Scott Green has continued the strong impression he made in the Cape Cod League last summer by posting a 28 to 0 strikeout to walk ratio over his first 18 innings of work. He has been on a limited pitch count, going 74, 83 and 77 pitches in his first three starts respectively in an attempt to bring him back slowly as he continues to slowly but surely build up his arm strength after having Tommy John surgery a couple of years ago.

Jason Kipnis, one of my preseason sleepers, is currently making the most noise in the dangerous Arizona State lineup, hitting .405 with six home runs, 22 RBI, 42 total bases and a slugging percentage right at 1.000.

The number one team in the country, the Arizona Wildcats, are proving to be extremely strong in all facets of the game. Their most lethal hitter, first baseman C.J. Ziegler, has eight home runs and 19 RBI so far, while their sophomore closer, Jason Stoffel, has notched a save in each of his five appearances. The weekend starting staff has been extremely effective, with lefty David Coulon having the best start of the trio that includes more prominent draft-eligible prospects Preston Guilmet and Ryan Perry. Coulon is 3-0 with a 2.45 ERA and a 26 to 4 strikeout to walk ratio in just over 18 innings of work.

I had the chance to see Pepperdine’s Eric Thames in person two weekends ago, and was impressed by his overall approach to hitting. While I noted that scouts are waiting for his power to emerge, he does already have four home runs this year after not hitting a single dinger all of last year. He also has four doubles and three triples, which may give you an idea of his ability to consistently drive the ball to the gaps.

Long Beach State’s pitching staff has been shutting opponents down pretty effectively so far this spring, taking a few series from some pretty impressive opponents. Senior Andrew Liebel has been the most pleasant surprise, although despite pitching extremely well, he has yet to record a decision. The bullpen has been good enough at least to carry many of his strong performances to victories, as the Dirtbags boast six members of their bullpen that have at least three appearances that have yet to give up an earned run.

Going back to Liebel, he has benefited from some big scouting crowds, somewhat due to Long Beach State’s opponents, and he has made the most of those opportunities by throwing in the 89-94 range with a very good cuveball and changeup to round out his repertoire.

Continuing the West Coast swing, first baseman David Cooper and second baseman Josh Stain of Cal have formed arguably the most formidable one-two punch so far this season, with 11 home runs and 35 RBI between the two. They have helped propelled Cal to a 9-1-1 start, which includes several victories against prominent national opponents.

UC Irvine had their streak of four consecutive shutouts snapped last Friday by Tulane’s Shooter Hunt, who returned the favor and shut down the Anteaters offense. They rebounded well over the weekend to take the final two games of the series, and are off to a 10-1 start. UC Irvine’s staff has been incredibly impressive so far, with a cumulative 1.38 ERA.

Keep an eye on redshirt freshman Bryan Morgado of Tennessee, who was a talented recruit coming out of high school but missed all of last year due to Tommy John surgery. So far he is 2-1 on the season with a 0.86 ERA, sporting a 31 to 5 strikeout to walk ratio over 21 innings of work.

Saving the best for last, a pair of sluggers that are different in stature and style are tearing up opposing pitchers so far this season.

Roger Kieschnick is batting .429 with a 1.000 slugging percentage thanks to seven dingers, two triples and seven doubles, giving him a whopping 56 total bases while driving in 24 runs.

Georgia shortstop Gordon Beckham has been virtually unstoppable, both offensively and defensively, and he’s been wrecking havoc on a few of the more nationally dominant programs that includes series against both Arizona and Oregon State. All he’s doing is hitting .543 with a slugging percentage over 1.000 with six home runs in his first 46 at-bats. He crushes mistakes with very good bat speed and made three highlight plays in a nationally televised game versus Oregon State. Beckham is a player I’ve felt before has serious potential to end up being selected among the top 10-15 picks in the draft, and after proving his merit with a wood bat last summer on the Cape, he could be among the draft’s top five overall selections if he continues to post impressive numbers.

The thoughts and opinions listed here do not necessarily reflect those of Perfect Game USA. Patrick Ebert is affiliated with both Perfect Game USA and Brewerfan.net, and can be contacted via email at pebert@brewerfan.net.