2020 College Baseball Breakdown: SEC West
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 perennial powerhouse SEC West.
LSU
LSU has averaged 44 Wins and 18 SEC Wins and the Tigers have a great chance to once again be one of the top teams in the SEC. In 2020 they will try and make it to their 6th College World Series appearance under legendary head coach Paul Mainieri. Here are a few of the top players to watch:
Daniel Cabrera a junior left-handed hitting outfielder with the ability to hit for plus power, he was a freshman All-American and played for Team USA’s Collegiate National Team in the summer of 2018. His batting average took a step back in 2019 and he had more strikeouts which means he will need to focus on making more consistent contact in 2020 but he did set a career high in HR’s and is the returning leader in plenty of offensive categories for the Tigers. He will be the top hitter on a young and talented LSU LSU Tigers team and has the potential to be a 1st Round Pick if he can improve his ability to hit for contact. He is a Top 50 or better draft prospect according to Baseball America, Perfect Game, and MLB Pipeline.
Cole Henry is a Sophomore right-handed pitcher that’s draft eligible and he will be the Friday night starter for LSU. Henry has a chance to go in the early rounds and there’s an outside chance that he could pitch his way into first round consideration if he performs well against some of the top competition he will be going up against in the SEC. He mixes speeds effectively and will also use a curveball as his best secondary pitch. He’s a Top 70 or better Draft Prospect for 2020 according to Baseball America, Perfect Game, and MLB Pipeline.
Jaden Hill a sophomore right-handed pitcher that might be the best out of this talented LSU weekend starting rotation. In fact he was the first pitcher out of the group to be named to the weekend rotation as a freshman but missed most of the season due to a shoulder ailment. When healthy he’s shown the ability to command the strike zone with his fastball/changeup combo. He’s a top 50 or better draft prospect for the 2021 draft class according to Baseball America and Perfect Game and his stock might go up even more if he can stay healthy and perform.
Landon Marceaux a sophomore right-handed pitcher that will probably be LSU’s Sunday starter he was perhaps the most highly touted starter of all the pitchers in the weekend rotation but put didn’t perform as well as anticipated but still was able to hold his own and finish strong down the stretch. He still has plenty of upside and he might be able to put it all together on a more consistent basis in 2020. He’s still considered a top 30 draft prospect for 2021 according to Baseball America and Perfect Game.
Maurice Hampton a freshman right-handed hitting outfielder and the #1 college position player for the 2022 draft class according to Baseball America. Mo is a tremendous athlete that is a 2-sport athlete having played football on the LSU Tigers National Championship team as a defensive back. He can run and hit and has the strength to hit for power as he develops. There is a ton of upside and lots of high expectations for Maurice Hampton heading into 2020 as he had a chance to be an early round draft pick in 2019 but opted to play college ball. He’s a top 25 or better draft prospect for 2022 according to Baseball America and Perfect Game.
ARKANSAS
Arkansas has averaged 41 wins and 16 SEC wins to go along with 2 consecutive College World Series appearances under legendary head coach Dave Van Horn, and those averages would be even higher if it weren’t for a disastrous 2016. This season, Arkansas will try to make it to its third straight College World Series appearance in Omaha with the hope of capturing their first championship. Here are a few players to watch for:
Heston Kjerstad a junior left-handed hitting outfielder and 2-Time All-SEC selection helped Arkansas make it to back to back College World Series appearances and was a member of Team USA’s Collegiate National Team this past summer. He has plenty of power and provides the thunder in the Razorbacks lineup and has a great chance of being a mid first round pick in 2020, he’s a Top 25 or better draft prospect according to Baseball America, MLB Pipeline, and Perfect Game.
Casey Martin a junior right-handed hitting shortstop that was also a 2-Time All-SEC selection which helped Arkansas make it to back to back College World Series. He is a plus runner with some pop and actually performed better than Kjerstad his freshman year but wasn’t as dynamic in his sophomore season. He has a chance to possibly get drafted earlier than Kjerstad if he can show improvement across the board and produce similar or even better numbers than he did as a freshman. He’s a Top 30 or better draft prospect for 2020 according to Baseball America, MLB Pipeline, and Perfect Game.
Casey Opitz a junior switch-hitting catcher that’s known for his outstanding arm, he led the SEC in runners thrown out. He was a member of Team USA’s Collegiate National Team and has a good chance to be one of the first few catchers taken in this year’s draft class. He is a top 50l college draft prospect according to Baseball America.
Matt Goodheart a junior left-handed hitting DH he transferred San Jacinto JC in 2018 and became an All-SEC selection in 2019 after leading the Razorbacks in Batting Average and On Base Percentage.
Patrick Wicklander is a sophomore left-handed pitcher that was one of the best strikeout pitchers on Arkansas (2nd on the team) and finished 2nd among all SEC freshman. He pitched his way into the weekend rotation and made 6 starts to go along with 3 SEC Wins. Wicklander offers plenty of promise and is already a top 100 Prospect for the 2021 Draft Class according to both Baseball America and Perfect Game.
MISSISSIPPI STATE
Mississippi State has averaged 44 Wins and 18 SEC Wins over the past 4 seasons. In 2019 under new head coach Chris Lemonis Mississippi State had one of it’s best seasons reaching 52 Wins for the first time since 1989, and making it to the College World Series. There are lots of high expectations for the Bulldogs heading into 2020. Here are a few of their top players to watch for:
J.T. Ginn a sophomore right-handed pitcher that was a former 1st round draft pick of the Los Angeles Dodgers in 2018 he did not disappoint as a freshman in the SEC. Along with Ethan Small Mississippi State’s Friday starter and Milwaukee Brewers 1st round pick in 2019 they formed one of the best 1-2 punches in the SEC. He won SEC Freshman of the Year honors and finished 2nd on the team in Wins and Strikeouts. He will now be Mississippi State’s Friday starter and he has an excellent chance at being an early to mid first round draft pick if he can prove his durability this season. He’s considered a Top 40 or better Draft Prospect according to Baseball America, Perfect Game, and MLB Pipeline.
Justin Foscue a junior right-handed hitting infielder that split time between second base and third base on his way to earning All-American honors as a sophomore. Foscue spent this past summer as a member of Team USA’s Collegiate National Team. He saw a majority of time at second base while with Team USA and might see more time there as a pro. He helped Mississippi State make it to back to back College World Series appearances. He is a Top 70 or better draft prospect for 2020 according to Baseball America, Perfect Game, and MLB Pipeline.
Jordan Westburg a junior right-handed hitting shortstop and arguably the most talented infielder on Mississippi State’s roster. Westburg did not perform as well with the bat as Justin Foscue or Tanner Allen but he is the best defender on the team and along with Foscue form one of the best double play tandems in the country. Westburg has shown flashes at times with the bat as he did once tie a College World Series record with 7 RBI in one game as a freshman. If he can show more consistency with the bat there’s a chance he could play his way into first round consideration as he’s a Top 60 draft prospect or better according to Baseball America, Perfect Game, and MLB Pipeline.
Tanner Allen a Junior left-handed hitting first baseman that garnered plenty of attention, he was an All-SEC selection as well as an All-American as a sophomore. This past summer he was a member of Team USA’s Collegiate National Team. He’s considered a Top 60 Draft Prospect for 2020 according to Baseball America.
MISSISSIPPI “OLE MISS”
Ole Miss has averaged 41 Wins and 17 SEC Wins over the past 4 seasons under head coach Mike Bianco. The Rebels have a tough task ahead trying to replace 2 of the best defensive players they had a year ago at Catcher (Cooper Johnson) and at Shortstop (Grae Kessinger), but their talented young arms have more experience heading into 2020. Here are a few of their top players to watch:
Doug Nikhazy a sophomore left-handed pitcher that still might not get enough love from the rankings just yet, but he looked really good against Clemson in the College World Series pitch tournament. Nikhazy also led Ole Miss in ERA as a freshman while also setting a school record for strikeouts for a freshman. He was one of the few Freshman to make Team USA’s Collegiate National Team this past summer and is a top 65 or better Draft Prospect for 2021 according to Baseball America and Perfect Game.
Gunnar Hoglund a sophomore right-handed pitcher and former 1st Round Draft Pick of the Pittsburgh Pirates. He was the Sunday starter for the Rebels last season and although his numbers weren’t great, he still has the talent to be considered a potential 1st Round Pick. Hoglund is a Top 20 or better Draft Prospect for 2021 according to Baseball America and Perfect Game. He will need to show more of that talent this season.
Jerrion Ealy a freshman right-handed hitting outfielder is considered to be one of the best athletes in all of college baseball and could have been an early round draft pick in 2019. Ealy was a 31st Round Draft Pick of the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2019 and was both an Under Armour and Perfect Game All-American in 2018. He was considered the top player in the state of Mississippi and was a 2-sport athlete that was able to make it onto Mississippi’s football team as a running back. He is a top 15 or better college draft prospect for 2022 according to Baseball America and Perfect Game.
Tyler Keenan a junior left-handed hitting third baseman is somewhat of an under the radar draft prospect as he’s not considered to be a Top 100 Draft Prospect. He should still garner some attention as he lead Ole Miss in HR (15) and RBI (66). He was also a freshman All-American in 2018.
Connor Walsh a freshman right-handed hitting shortstop is considered a potential first round draft pick for the 2022 draft and was one of the best high school shortstops in the state of Florida. He should be able to make an impact almost immediately filling the hole at shortstop left by Grae Kessinger. He is a top 25 or better college draft prospect according to Baseball America and Perfect Game
TEXAS A&M
Texas A&M has averaged 42 Wins and 16 SEC Wins over the last 4 seasons under head coach Rob Childress. They have plenty of talented arms that if they can get the run support have the talent to make a decent run in the SEC and possibly earn the chance to host a regional. Here are a few players to watch:
Asa Lacy a junior left-handed pitcher figures to be Texas A&M’s Friday Night Starter for the first time as he was the Saturday starter in 2019. Lacy performed extremely well and impressed enough people to earn a spot on Team USA’s Collegiate National Team this past summer. His best pitch is his plus or better fastball that sits in the mid 90s. He mixes his secondary pitches well which include a changeup, curveball, and slider, but he has had plenty of success with his fastball and usually uses that to help get ahead of hitters. He is a Top 10 or better Draft Prospect for the 2020 Draft according to Baseball America, Perfect Game, and MLB Pipeline.
Christian Roa a junior right-handed pitcher doesn’t garner close to as much attention as Asa Lacy does but he’s performed well in big situations and has a chance to be a weekend starter for the Aggies. His best performance of 2019 came against Vanderbilt as he got the Win after having tossed seven shutout innings while striking out 7 batters. He’s considered a Top 100 Draft Prospect for 2020 according to Perfect Game.
AUBURN
Auburn has averaged 35 Wins and 13 SEC Wins while improving every year under head coach Butch Thompson. In 2019 the Tigers made it to their first College World Series appearance in Omaha under coach Thompson and while they’ve lost some key players from that squad they’ve still got a good chance to be a solid team in the SEC this season. Here are a few players to watch:
Tanner Burns a junior right-handed pitcher has a chance to be one of the top college pitchers taken in the first round in 2020. He took over last year as Auburn’s Friday night starter, replacing Casey Mize and he was dominant early on in the season but struggled with shoulder tightness which lead to durability questions. If he can stay healthy and pitch like he did early last season for a whole season he has a chance to be an early to mid 1st Round Pick. He’s a Top 30 or better draft prospect according to both Baseball America and MLB Pipeline.
Steven Williams a junior left-handed hitting outfielder didn’t have the best numbers a year ago but did prove for the 2nd straight year that he’s a clutch performer in the College World Series tournament. If he can hit for a better average and continue to display his above average power (2nd on Auburn in HR in 2019) on a more regular basis he has a good chance to make it as an early round draft pick. He is currently a top 70 college draft prospect according to Baseball America.
Ryan Bliss a sophomore right-handed hitting middle infielder, he started every game as a freshman last season and was one of Auburn’s top performers. He ranked 2nd on the team in batting average and runs and was 3rd on the team in Hits, RBI’s, and Stolen Bases. He is a top 100 prospect for the 2021 draft according to both Baseball America and Perfect Game.
ALABAMA
Alabama has averaged 27 wins and 9 SEC wins. They had a new coach in Brad Bohannon in 2018 and have shown some improvement to go along with some solid recruiting classes over the past few seasons and will look to improve again in 2020. Here are a few of the top players to watch for this season:
Tyler Gentry is a junior right handed hitting outfielder that made a smooth transition from Walters State CC to the SEC in 2019 having hit .310 in SEC conference play and has a smooth swing and a solid hit tool that helped him to lead Alabama in Average, Hits, HR, Slugging, Total Bases, and Runs. He is a Top 100 College Draft Prospect according to Baseball America.
T.J. Reeves is a sophomore right-handed hitting outfielder that impressed with a very nice power and speed combo. As a freshman he tied for the lead in Runs and Stolen Bases and ranked 2nd in HR and Slugging for the Crimson Tide. Reeves was one of the most impressive players at the Northwoods Dream Showcase this past summer and is considered a Top 100 draft prospect for 2021 according to both Baseball America and Perfect Game.
Tyler Ras is a utility player that has a chance to be an early round pick in 2021. He pitched his way into a weekend starters role and made 10 starts as a hitter. He had the best ERA as a starting pitcher amongst all of Alabama’s starting pitchers and ranked third on the team in innings pitched. He is a Top 50 College Draft Prospect for 2021 according to Baseball America.
Myles Austin was one of the top prep shortstops to come out of Georgia as he was an Under Armour All-American, and a 20th Round pick of the Milwaukee Brewers in 2019.
He has a great chance to be a starter at shortstop this spring and be an impact player as well. He’s considered a Top 50 Draft Prospect in 2022 according to both Baseball America and Perfect Game.
