2020 College Baseball Breakdown: ACC Coastal Division
The calendar is still a few days from February and there’s snow on the ground in the Northeast – must be just about time for College Baseball season!
Let’s take a look at the state of the ACC Coastal Division.
NORTH CAROLINA
North Carolina has been one of the best programs in the ACC under the great Mike Fox, who’s taken the Tar Heels to the College World Series 7 times. Over the past 4 years, the Heels have averaged 41 wins and 19 ACC wins, while finishing in 1st place in the Coastal Division 2 out of the last 3 seasons, but had a down year in 2019. Heading into 2020, Fox will look to help his team bounce back from their 3rd place finish in 2019 this upcoming season. Here are a few of the key players to watch for:
- Aaron Sabato is a draft eligible sophomore who is an outstanding right handed power hitting first baseman. He set a Freshman record by hitting 17 home runs and .358 in ACC play on his way to being named the ACC Freshman of the Year in 2019. He has the potential to hit his way into being a first round draft pick as he’s ranked among the top 35 draft prospects according to Baseball America and MLBpipeline.
- Danny Serretti is a switch hitting sophomore that was the starting shortstop as a freshman in 2019. He hit .299 on the season and is an athletic slick fielding shortstop that if he can continue to improve as a hitter has a solid chance at being a potential 1st Round Pick in 2021.
- Joseph Charles a right handed pitcher is one of the top incoming freshmen in the ACC. He was graded as a 10 by Perfect Game and was a Perfect Game All-American in 2018 as well as a 25th Round Draft Pick of the New York Mets in 2019. He was clocked as high as 96 mph at the 17U WWBA event.
MIAMI
Miami has averaged 38 wins over the past 4 seasons including 18 ACC wins. In his first season as the head coach, Gino DiMare did an excellent job, winning 41 games overall, and helping guide his team to within a win of sharing the Coastal Division title with Georgia Tech. Here are a few of the top players to watch:
- Adrian Del Castillo is a sophomore catcher/outfielder that bats from the left side and he might be the best college hitter in the 2021 draft class as he’s already considered a top 10 draft prospect for 2021 according to Baseball America and Perfect Game. As a Freshman in 2019 he led the Hurricanes in batting average (.331), hits, doubles, and RBI (72). He also has shown he can hit for power with 12 HR without much swing and miss. He was named as a 2nd team all ACC-selection.
- Freddy Zamora a right handed hitting shortstop with good athleticism. He has the skills to be an above average defensive shortstop with a plus arm. He’s continued to show improvement as a hitter and he has the potential to possibly be a first round draft pick if he can continue to show improvement as a hitter.
- Slade Cecconi is a right handed pitcher that’s a draft eligible sophomore that shows promise as a potential starter with plenty of upside. He uses a fastball/slider combo and looks like a power pitcher but will need to improve his command in order to hopefully pitch his way into the first round in June. He’s a top 40 draft prospect according to both Baseball America and Mlbpipeline.
- Chris McMahon is a right handed pitcher that performed well this summer for Team USA’s Collegiate National Team and was up to 98mph in the fall. He uses a fastball/changeup combo to go along with solid control. He has the potential to pitch his way into the first round as he’s another top 40 draft prospect according to both Baseball America and Mlbpipeline. Along with Cecconi they help to give Miami a solid 1-2.
VIRGINIA
Virginia has averaged 35 wins and 16 ACC wins over the last 4 seasons under legendary head coach Brian O’Connor. The past few seasons have been somewhat disappointing though, as Virginia has missed out on making it to the College World Series tournament in consecutive tilts. The Cavaliers will be looking to change that this season. Here are a few of their top players to watch:
- Nate Savino is a freshman left handed pitcher that decided to forego the chance of perhaps being the top left handed prep pitcher to be taken in the 2020 draft to go the college route. He has some of the best stuff among all high school pitchers in the 2020 draft class with a really good fastball slider combo. He has the chance to be an impact player as soon as the season starts with a very good chance to be in the weekend rotation early on.
- Mike Vasil a sophomore right handed pitcher that might be one of the top pitchers for the 2021 draft class. He battled his way back from an arm injury and was able to start 12 games for the Cavaliers with mixed results. He was considered one of the best pitchers in the country as a prep pitcher but his stuff may have taken a step back in 2019. He’s got a nice fastball-curveball combo and will look to bounce back in 2020. He is considered a top 25 overall player for the 2021 draft according to Baseball America and Perfect Game.
- Andrew Abbott a left handed reliever is one of the best in the country and has a good chance to be the first reliever taken in the 2020 draft. He pitched for Team USA last summer. He’s primarily a 2-Pitch pitcher that dominates using a low to mid 90s fastball and a power breaking ball that’s a mix between a curveball and a slider. There has been some talk this winter of perhaps moving him into the rotation, where if he were to succeed in that role his draft stock could move up quite a bit. As it stands he’s still a Top 100 or better draft prospect for 2020 according to both Baseball America and Mlbpipeline.
- Nic Kent a right handed hitting second baseman was one of the best hitters on Virginia last season. He is the returning leader in Average, OBP, Runs, and Stolen Bases. He’s been somewhat of an under the radar type player but if he can build on his 2019. He could be an early round pick in 2021.
- Chris Newell is a freshman left handed hitting outfielder that was an Under Armour All-American, and he could be a first round pick in a few years as part of the 2022 Draft Class. Newell is an athletic, toolsy outfielder that projects to be an above average fielder thanks to his strong accurate arm. He has also shown above average power, but will need to prove he can hit for average if he’s to reach his potential of being a first round pick in a few years.
GEORGIA TECH
Georgia Tech has averaged 35 wins over the last 4 seasons under Danny Hall, averaging 14 ACC wins during that time. In 2019 they were the top team in the Coastal Division having won 19 ACC games for the first time since 2011. Some of their top players to watch are:
- Luke Waddell is a left handed hitting shortstop that hit .315 in ACC play in 2019 he also made the Team USA Collegiate National Team this past summer and is considered to be a top 100 draft prospect according to Baseball America.
- Baron Radcliff is a left handed power hitting outfielder that is the returning HR and RBI leader for Georgia Tech. He has a strong frame and plenty of power and is considered to be a top 100 draft prospect according to Baseball America.
- Brant Hurter a left handed pitcher, he led the team in ERA and opponents batting average against in 2019 while making 9 starts with a 10.8 K/9. He was given a grade of 10 by Perfect Game and is considered the top draft prospect for 2020 at Georgia Tech by Perfect Game.
- Zachary Maxwell is an exciting freshman right handed pitcher that was clocked at 98 mph at one showcase and was drafted by the Yankees in the 30th round in 2019. He is considered to be one of the top 10 college pitchers in the 2022 draft class, and a top 20 overall college draft prospect by Baseball America.
DUKE
Duke has averaged 35 wins, and 15 ACC wins over the last 4 seasons under Chris Pollard. They’ve made it to 2 consecutive Super Regionals and have plenty of talent. In 2019 they lost 10 more games than they had the year before in 2018. 2020 could be a crossroads seasons but I feel Pollard has been able to get the most out of his teams and they continue to be one of the tougher opponents regardless of their record. Here are a few of their top players:
- Bryce Jarvis is a right handed pitcher that led Duke in strikeouts in 2019 and is among the top 100 college draft prospects for 2020 according to Baseball America. He was the Morgantown Regional MVP after tossing a career high 8 shutout innings while striking out a career high 11 batters.
- Ethan Murray is a right handed hitting shortstop that impressed as a freshman. He started 58 games at shortstop and led the Blue Devils in on base percentage while hitting .321 in ACC play on his way to earning Freshman All-American honors.
- Michael Rothenberg is a junior switch hitting catcher that has been a full time starter pretty much from the time he started playing at Duke. In 2019 he led the Blue Devils in HR’s and RBI’s.
PITTSBURGH
Pitt has averaged 25 wins and 10 ACC wins over the past 4 seasons, but they had a new coach (Mike Bell) in 2019 and only managed to win 8 games in the ACC. They will look to have a better season in 2020. Their top player to watch is:
- Braxton Roxby a right handed pitcher that was a weekend starter in 2019. He wasn’t very highly touted coming out of high school but he was able to record 2 complete games against ACC competition while going 4-2 and posting a solid K/9 rate of 11.0. He made the top 300 draft prospects list for 2020 according to Perfect Game.
VIRGINIA TECH
Virginia Tech has averaged 22 wins and 8 ACC wins over the past 4 seasons. They got a new head coach in 2018 in John Szefc and they’ve shown improvement and will look to continue to improve in 2020. Here’s their top player to watch:
- Ian Seymour is a junior left-handed pitcher that led the Hokies in Wins, Strikeouts, and Innings while posting a 4.24 ERA with a 10.2 K/9 in ACC Play. He is a Top 40 College Draft Prospect according to Baseball America.
Check back soon for more advanced looks around College Baseball.
