2020 College Baseball Breakdown: ACC Atlantic Division
Well folks, here we are: NCAA College Baseball season is here (tomorrow). Sure, it just snowed in much of the region we’re about to profile, but hey – playing in unsavory weather is part of the package for collegiate athletes.
Let’s take a look at the ACC Atlantic Division.
LOUISVILLE
Louisville has been the pride of the ACC for quite some time, as Dan McDonnell has become a college coaching legend and one of the all-time greatest coaches in the ACC. Over the past 4 seasons Louisville has averaged 48 wins, including an average of 21 ACC wins. The cardinals have won 4 out of the last 5 Atlantic Division titles including making a trip to the College World Series in 2019, the 5th overall appearance for McDonnell. Here are some of the key players for Louisville:
Reid Detmers a left handed pitcher was the top pitcher in the ACC in 2019 winning the ACC Pitcher of the Year while being the team’s Friday starter. He has an excellent fastball/curveball combo and is considered to be an early half of the first round talent according to both Baseball America and MLBpipeline.
Bobby Miller a right handed pitcher came on strong down the stretch while working his way from the bullpen to being perhaps Louisville’s best pitcher in the College World Series tournament. His best performance came when he threw 8 hitless innings against East Carolina to help lead the Cardinals to the College World Series. He has a nice fastball/slider combo and has the talent to perhaps pitch his way into the first round, he is a top 50 draft prospect according to Baseball America and MLBpipeline.
Alex Binelas a left handed hitting sophomore was one of the best hitters on Louisville in 2019 and has the chance to develop into a future first round talent for the 2021 draft class. He has good bat speed and makes loud contact. He hit for the cycle against Alabama A&M as a Freshman last season.
Luke Smith a sophomore right handed pitcher was yet another impressive starting pitcher for Louisville and he helps provide them a chance to have the best starting rotation in college baseball. He was extremely impressive in his start against Vanderbilt in the College World Series and will look to build on the momentum and experience he’s gained from pitching in big situations like that.
FLORIDA STATE
Florida State is without legendary head coach Mike Martin who retired after the teams incredible run that saw them make it all the way to Omaha. Their new head coach is Mike Martin Jr. who has been an assistant coach with FSU since 1998. The program had averaged about 43 wins and 16 ACC wins over the last 4 seasons under the legendary Mike Martin Sr. and it will be interesting to see how the younger Martin does in his first season at the helm. Here are a few of their top players.
CJ Van Eyk is a right handed pitcher and a potential first round draft pick in the 2020 draft class. He impressed as a Sophomore but really started to come into his own in the second half of the season. He’s got a nice fastball, curveball, changeup combo.
Nander de Sedas is a switch hitting shortstop that was considered to be one of the best players in his recruiting class but struggled to hit for average. He’s a plus defender in the field and has plenty of solid raw power that plays in games but didn’t play as much as it could due in part to his struggles to make consistent contact. If he has a good spring he could play himself into potential 1st Round consideration. Tons of raw talent but will need to show improved contact. He’s from the same high school as Francisco Lindor and when he’s on he might remind some people of Lindor. De Sedas is a top 50 college draft prospect for the 2020 draft according to Baseball America.
Elijah Cabell is a right handed power hitting outfielder with impressive power hitting, but similar to De Sedas he will need to improve his contact skills. He is a top 100 college draft prospect for the 2020 draft according to Baseball America.
Reese Albert is a left handed hitting outfielder that might have the best hit tool among all FSU hitters. He leads all returning FSU hitters in home runs with 16 and proved clutch having hit 2 home runs against LSU in the Baton Rouge Super Regional last year. He was a 3rd team All-ACC selection in 2019.
Mattheu Nelson is a right handed hitting Catcher that is a solid defender with the ability to hit. Nothing really flashes other than his defense at times but he’s an incredibly smart player that knows how to play the game the right way and proved it by starting 54 games at catcher as a freshman. His on base percentage ranked second on the team behind Drew Mendoza.
NC STATE
NC State has averaged about 40 wins and 17 ACC wins over the last 4 seasons under head Elliott Avent. They’ve been one of the top teams in the ACC Atlantic division finishing in the top 2 in back to back seasons. Here are a few of the top players to watch for this season:
Patrick Bailey a switch hitting catcher has all the tools to become an above average major league catcher. He’s been a fixture with Team USA since his prep days and has shown an ability to hit for power while demonstrating above average to plus defensive skills. Baseball America, Perfect Game, and MLB Pipeline all have him ranked as a top 20 or better talent for the 2020 MLB Draft.
Tyler McDonough a switch hitting sophomore might not be a well known commodity yet but he had an excellent freshman season in 2019. He played perfect defense in centerfield, and also lead the team in stolen bases while finishing 3rd on the team in batting average and RBI’s on his way to earning 2nd team All-ACC Honors. He also led all ACC freshman in hits.
Nick Swiney a left handed reliever, he led the Wolfpack in strikeouts with 95 over 56.2 innings pitched (15.1 K/9) in 2019. He also went 7-1 with a 4.61 ERA. He has a lot of upside but will need to continue to improve his command.
CLEMSON
Clemson has averaged 42 wins over the past 4 seasons, including about 17 ACC wins with Monte Lee at the helm. Although 2019 was somewhat disappointing with it being the first time they missed the 40 win plateau although they did manage to make it to their 4th straight Regional, they will look to rebound in 2020. Here are a few of the top players to keep an eye.
Jonathan French a Freshman catcher, was their top recruit. A right handed hitter with plus raw power that’s yet to show up in games, those that are fans of French see an above average defender with the ability to hit for power and average. He was a 30th Round pick of the Cleveland Indians and earned a grade of 10 by Perfect Game.
Davis Sharpe a right handed pitcher and designated hitter as a freshman for Clemson. He was the only freshman considered a finalist for the John Olerud award due to his ability to contribute as a weekend starter. He was named a freshman All-American and earned a grade of 10 by Perfect Game.
Sam Weatherly a left handed reliever who was one of the best relievers for Clemson in 2019 is considered a top 100 draft prospect according to Perfect Game. He led Clemson in batting average against in 2019.
Bryar Hawkins a right handed hitter is the top returning hitter for the Tigers and he has shown the ability to hit for power while hitting .324 in ACC conference play.
WAKE FOREST
Wake Forest has averaged 33 wins and 15 ACC wins over the past 4 seasons under head coach Tom Walter. 2017 was one of the best seasons for Wake Forest as they made it to the Super Regionals of NCAA College World Series Tournament. They will look to get back to the Tournament in 2020. Here are a few of the players to watch this season:
Bobby Seymour a junior left-handed hitting first baseman was the ACC Player of the Year in 2019 after hitting .377 while leading the country in RBI’s on his way to making countless All-American Honors. He has shown an ability to grow as hitter with more of an all fields approach with power that’s present and continues to develop. He is a Top 100 College Draft Prospect according to Baseball America.
Jared Shuster a junior left-handed pitcher was a weekend starter in 2019 but really made a bigger name for himself after going 4-0 with a 1.36 ERA in the Cape Cod League this past summer. He’s a Top 100 College Draft Prospect according to Baseball America.
Ryan Cusick a sophomore right-handed pitcher started off his freshman season in 2019 pitching out of the bullpen but earned his way into a role as a starting pitcher. He led Wake Forest in wins and has a nice fastball/slider combo. Cusick is considered a top 100 draft prospect for 2021 according to both Baseball America and Perfect Game.
NOTRE DAME
Notre Dame has a new head coach this season in Link Jarrett, he had served as the head coach at UNC Greensboro for the past seven seasons. His goal will be to get Notre Dame back to the College World Series tournament for the first time since 2015. The Fighting Irish have averaged 25 wins and 12 ACC wins over the last 4 seasons. Here are a few of their top players to watch:
Joe Boyle a junior right handed pitcher for Notre Dame was used primarily as a reliever his first 2 seasons and hasn’t pitched many innings due to struggles with his command but he’s continued to show improvement and impressed in both the Northwoods and Cape Cod League. He has some of the best velocity in the country having touched 102 mph in the Northwoods League in 2018, and 101 mph in the Cape in 2019. He has a chance to be an early round pick and perhaps pitch his way into the first round. He’s a top 60 draft prospect for 2020 according to Baseball America and MLBpipeline.
Niko Kavadas a junior third baseman that bats from the left side, he has shown the ability to hit for power (12 HR, .517). In 2019 he led the Fighting Irish in HR, Slugging, RBI, OBP, OPS, and Total Bases. He has a similar body type to Kyle Schwarber and might have the talent to be an early round pick.
BOSTON COLLEGE
BC has averaged 27 wins and 11 ACC wins over the last 4 seasons under Mike Gambino. 2019 was a solid season for Boston College as they went 31-27 with a nice 14 win improvement from the year before. Some of the top players to watch are:
Sal Frelick a left-handed hitting outfielder that hit .367 as a freshman in the ACC while earning 2nd team All-Conference honors. He has a really good hit tool that might allow him to hit his way into the top 5 rounds if not higher depending on how well he plays this season.
Mason Pelio a right-handed pitcher that was named as an ACC Freshman All-American after starting 13 games for Boston College. He does a good job of mixing speeds with his best secondary pitch being his changeup. He earned a grade of 10 by Perfect Game.
Cody Morissette a left-handed hitting shortstop that also impressed with his bat while earning 2nd team All-ACC honors, he doesn’t have the prep track record of Frelick but hit .320 as a Freshman last spring.
