OXFORD, Miss – “The damn baseball looks like a grapefruit out there to this guy.”

Those words from the grandstand were lobbed from a fan wearing a blue Gators cap. The platitude landed on Florida star Jac Caglianone as the player walked from the visiting Florida dugout to exit the Swayze Field playing surface.

Caglianone, listed at 6-foot-5 and 245 pounds, just greeted the complement with a hint of a smile. With number 14 on his back, Caglianone resembled an NFL tight end with broad shoulders and a narrow waist. The twenty-year-old presented an imposing figure.

Then he approached wearing a disarming, easy smile. The hulking figure was exceedingly polite. Earlier that day, he had murdered several baseballs.

“He’s the biggest, strongest kid on the field,” Florida head coach Kevin O’Sullivan said.

O’Sullivan had just watched that biggest, strongest kid smack three home runs in a Saturday doubleheader. Caglianone would hit another one the following day, giving him four home runs for the series and a national-best 17 for the season. And oh yeah, Caglianone also started that Sunday game as the pitcher, something he has done each weekend all season.   

Recruited as a premium pitcher to Florida, Caglianone didn’t pitch last season as he recovered from Tommy John surgery. That injury hurt his draft stock out of high school and certainly contributed to his arrival as a collegian.

Caglianone was expected to sit out last season completely, and he did so as a pitcher. However, the Tampa native impressed enough with his bat to get a start at designated hitter in a series against the eventual SEC champion Tennessee. In the second at-bat of his first start, he homered. He became a lineup mainstay the rest of the way, finishing with a .288/.339/.528 slash line and seven home runs. He homered twice against Oklahoma at the Gainesville Regional and found his way onto the All-Regional team.

This season, healthy enough to pitch, he earned a job in the weekend rotation. In 29 innings, he has allowed only 15 hits and 11 runs. The sophomore southpaw has struck out 35 and walked 18. He’s 3-0 with a 3.41 ERA in his six starts.

That would be impressive enough as a pitcher. But there has been as much buzz from striking baseballs as striking out batters. Caglianone is batting .400/.462/.971 with 17 homers, seven doubles, and a triple while splitting time between first base and moving to designated hitter on days he pitches. He routinely has exit velocities over 110 mph. The ball just sounds different off his bat.

“My approach has always been to hit a ball hard,” Caglianone said. “So, yeah, my exit velo has been pretty high for a while. I’ve got 120 (mph) once this year and some 118s.”

“He’s just different,” O’Sullivan said. “We’ve had some really good hitters over the years. He’s right there with them. I’m so glad he’s only a sophomore so we still have him for another year.”

“This is the first time I’ve seen him,” Ole Miss head coach Mike Bianco said after Saturday’s game. “He’s special. We watched him for 10 at-bats and still don’t know what to throw him. He hits everything. He hits fastballs, breaking balls. We only threw changeups because we’ve seen him hit enough home runs on changeups. And what a first base he plays (defensively).”

While his prowess as a two-way threat is fascinating from the outside, managing his workload is a big part of the story.

“It is definitely a lot tougher in college than I thought it would be,” Caglianone said of managing both pitching and hitting. “The coaches do a great job maintaining my arm.”

“We really take it easy on his throwing, especially with in and out,” O’Sullivan said. “On strike threes, we only throw to third (base) so he doesn’t touch the ball very much. He’s been doing it his whole life, so this is not something he’s never done.”

One person who can relate in some ways to what Caglianone is doing is former Ole Miss two-way standout Stephen Head. A star at Ole Miss from 2003-2005 and a professional player from 2005-2011, Head pitched and played first base for the Rebels well enough to be SEC Player of the Year in 2004.

“It’s hard not to notice what he’s doing,” said Head, who now works as a crosschecker for the Los Angeles Dodgers. “I mean, to be that talented on both sides of the ball.”

Head detailed some of the ways he protected his arm during his playing days, limiting throwing as an infielder in practice and in games, similar to how Florida does with Caglianone.

Head did feel there are some advantages two-way players have. One example is there are twice as many opportunities to experience pressure. If you handle it properly, that can be a benefit.

“If you are batting with two outs in the bottom of the ninth,” Head explained. “That’s no different than pitching in that situation. I think it’s a benefit because you are ready for any situation.”

When asked if he had any advice for a player following his path nearly twenty years later, he offered this retort.

“He doesn’t look like he needs much of my advice,” Head said with a laugh. “I’d say, just continue to do what he’s doing and be smart about it. You have to know how to take care of your body to be able to perform like that every time. It’s a pretty tough balance. There were days when I started a game on Sunday where I was gassed. You have to figure out that balance to do your job, be a college kid, and be a teammate. It’s a harder thing to balance than if you are just playing one side of the ball.”

And that’s the uncertainty as his career progresses after he completes his term as a Gator.

The 2024 draft is out there, and while the prevailing thought on Caglianone entering the season was a mound future thanks to his high-90s velocity, his power production is hard to ignore.

“Growing up I was always like a hitter who pitched,” Caglianone said. “Coming to college, I’ve become more like a pitcher who can hit. I guess that’s what I’d say right now.”

The velocity on the mound is eye-catching. And while there have been bouts with command—he walked eight Sunday—he also had a nine-strikeout, one-walk game. When he’s locating, this is a tantalizing pitching prospect. And remember, he is working his way back after surgery kept him out last season. There’s plenty of development left to happen.

Then you watch him hit. Or, in my case, you hear him hit. That thunderous impact when his bat smashed the ball stuck with me, and the mountainous exit velocities backed that up.

So where is his future? On the mound or at the plate?

“That’s the million-dollar question,” said a grinning O’Sullivan. “It will be nice to see how it all unfolds.”

But maybe he won’t have to choose. While no one should have to live up to Shohei Ohtani’s exalted status, at least now there’s a precedent that playing both is possible.

Even if he wanted to, Caglianone can’t escape the Ohtani comparisons.

“It’s hard not to (pattern his game over Ohtani),” he said. “In Gainesville, they’ve got the ‘Jactani’ thing going on. It’s surreal. I’m not rushing anything. Especially on the pitching aspect of things, coming off Tommy John.”

Caglianone paused and looked around the emptying ballpark. His focus quickly returned, and he smiled and blurted out the answer he had originally planned…

“I plan to do both as long as I can.”

And based on what we’ve seen thus far, that may just be a long time from now.

D1Baseball.com is your online home for college baseball scores, schedules, standings, statistics, analysis, features, podcasts and prospect coverage.

BOX SCORE - PLAYS - CUMULATIVES: Bishop Gorman | Huntington Beach

CARY, N.C. – Huntington Beach (Huntington Beach, Calif.) held off a late rally by Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.) to win, 3-2, in the semifinal round of the 2023 National High School Invitational (NHSI) presented by the Greater Raleigh Sports Alliance on Friday.

The win sends the Oilers (3-0) to the tournament title game for the first time since they won it all in 2016. Bishop Gorman (2-1) falls into consolation play for their NHSI finale.

Huntington Beach scored a run in the first, fourth, and sixth innings to slowly build a 3-0 lead in the semifinal. That lead dwindled to one in the bottom of the sixth, when Bishop Gorman rallied for a pair of runs before Oilers reliever Colin McNiven stranded the tying run on second with a clutch punch out. McNiven returned to the mound for the seventh and worked around a two-out single and stolen base to lock down the win.

Dean Carpentier was responsible for most of the Huntington Beach offense, going 4-for-4 and scoring a run. The shortstop­–whose four hits tie him for the NHSI tournament record with 13 others–led off the game with a double and scored the opening run on a Ralphy Velazquez sacrifice fly before adding singles in the third, fifth, and seventh. Bradley Navarro (1-for-2, RBI) and Colby Turner (1-for-2) had the only other two hits for Huntington Beach. Bishop Gorman out-hit the Oilers, 10-6, led by two-hit days from Burke Mabeus (2-for-3), Anthony Marnell IV (2-for-3, RBI), and Aiden Pollock (2-for-3).

Brad Grindlinger (1-0) started on the mound for the Oilers and scattered five hits over four scoreless innings, working out of several jams to keep the Gaels off the scoreboard and earn the win. Bishop Gorman’s James Whitaker (0-1) was handed the loss after allowing two runs in four innings of work. McNiven (1) was clutch over the final two innings to earn the save.

GAME HIGHLIGHTS

• Huntington Beach applied pressure early and cashed in for the game’s first run when Dean Carpentier led off with a double and later scored on a Ralphy Velazquez sacrifice fly.
• Two consecutive walks put a pair on with none out for Bishop Gorman in the second, but Huntington Beach catcher Trent Grindlinger picked a runner off to help his brother Brad Grindlinger escape unscathed.
• After two quick outs in the Bishop Gorman third, the Gaels rallied for two straight hits but Brad Grindlinger coaxed a fly out to keep it a 1-0 lead for the Oilers.
• A walk and hit-by-pitch put two runners on for Huntington Beach’s Bradley Navarro, who roped an RBI single back up the middle to put the Oilers up 2-0 in the fourth.
• Bishop Gorman put together another two-out rally in the fourth until Brad Grindlinger got out of the jam by inducing a foul out with two runners on to maintain the two-run lead for the Oilers.
• Maddox Riske snuck a ground ball down the left field line and hustled for a double to start the Bishop Gorman fifth, but Huntington Beach reliever Wyatt Thomas got three clutch outs without allowing a run to score.
• Huntington Beach grew its lead to three in the top of the sixth on a sacrifice fly by Brian Trujillo, plating pinch-runner Trevor Goldenetz.
• The Gaels offense awakened in the sixth to get within a run. Burke Mabeus split the right-center field gap for a double to start the inning and scored on Gunnar Myro’s RBI single to trim the Bishop Gorman deficit to two.
• Anthony Marnell IV hit an RBI single to right field to score Bishop Gorman’s second run and make it a 3-2 game in the bottom of the sixth, but Huntington Beach reliever Colin McNiven picked up a big strikeout to stop the bleeding.
• Trailing by a run with two outs in the bottom of the seventh, Bishop Gorman’s Burke Mabeus singled and stole second base but was stranded on a game-ending groundout.

NOTABLE INFORMATION

• With their RBIs in Friday’s contest, Gunnar Myro (Bishop Gorman) and Ralphy Velazquez (Huntington Beach) are tied for the tournament lead with six runs driven in.
• Huntington Beach’s Dean Carpentier joins a list of 14 players, including New York Yankees shortstop Anthony Volpe, as the only players with four hits in an NHSI game.
• With his two-hit day, Bishop Gorman’s Aiden Pollock maintained his .500 batting average at the NHSI.
• Bishop Gorman had not allowed a run in tournament play until Huntington Beach scored in the top of the first on Friday. The Gaels’ tournament-ERA sits at 1.29
• Huntington Beach is now 2-2 all-time in NHSI semifinal games and 17-6 overall in tournament play.

ON DECK

Huntington Beach advances to the NHSI title game against JSerra Catholic (San Juan Capistrano, Calif.) on Saturday, with first pitch set for 4:30 p.m. ET. Bishop Gorman will wrap up its tournament by taking on Doral Academy (Miami, Fla.) at 5:00 p.m. on Friday afternoon.

All games of the 2023 NHSI will be streamed on USABaseball.TV and @USABaseballTV on YouTube.

SOCIAL MEDIA

Stay tuned with all of the action at the 2023 National High School Invitational by following @USABEvents on Twitter and @USABaseball on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Fans and media can use #NHSI23 in their posts.

Box | Plays | Cumulative: JSerra

CARY, N.C. -- JSerra Catholic picked up four runs in the top of the first inning, and it was all 18U National Team alum Matthew Champion needed as the Lions move on to the championship game of the 2023 National High School Invitational presented by the Greater Raleigh Sports Alliance.

JSerra will face Huntington Beach High School in the final on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. ET. The Oilers defeated Bishop Gorman 3-2 in the second semifinal.

Champion was solid on the mound, striking out four batters and scattering six hits over his complete-game effort. He picked up the win, giving up one run in the bottom of the third on a double-play ball. Offensively, the Lions came out swinging in the first inning, tagging Santa Margarita starter Hayden George with four runs. Charlie Caruso led the offense on the day, going 2-for-3, while Dominic Smaldino tallied two RBIs with his 1-for-2 day.

For Santa Margarita, Logan de Groot (2-for-3) picked up two hits, including a leadoff double to deep left-center in the bottom of the seventh inning, but the Eagles could not come up with a clutch hit with runners on base against Champion. Brennan Bauer was stellar in relief of George. Coming on in the second inning, he pitched six innings of scoreless relief, striking out two and giving up just two walks and two hits.

GAME HIGHLIGHTS

• JSerra leadoff Andrew Lamb started the game with a walk, and Trent Caraway pushed him to third with a single through the right side to put runners on the corners with one out. Jonathan Mendez then sent the first pitch he saw to right field to score Lamp, and the Lions took an early 1-0 lead.
• Dominic Smaldino contributed a two-RBI single up the middle, and Jackson Summers tallied an RBI-walk to cap a four-run first inning for JSerra in the top of the first inning.
• Santa Margarita scratched a run across the plate in the bottom of the third to make it 4-1. Tyler Ankrum led off with a single and moved to third on a single from Blake Balsz before crossing the plate on a double-play ball from Blake Wilson.
• JSerra threatened again in the top of the sixth inning with runners on second and third with one out, but Brennan Bauer got out of the jam. Luke Lavin tagged out the runner from third on a failed suicide squeeze play and Luke Johnson backhanded a hard ground ball to throw out the runner to end the inning still trailing 4-1.
• Santa Margarita’s Logan de Groot launched the first pitch he saw to deep left center for a leadoff double in the bottom of the seventh inning, but Champion shut the door to advance JSerra to the championship game.

NOTABLE INFORMATION

• Matthew Champion picked-up the complete-game victory for JSerra Catholic with a dominant outing. He struck out five batters and gave up just one run in his seven innings of work.
• Charlie Caruso led the offense for JSerra, finishing 2-for-3, while Dominic Smaldino came through with the big, two-RBI single in the first inning.
• Santa Margarita starting pitcher Hayden George was chased following the first inning after he surrendered four runs on three hits. He struck out two batters in his one inning of work.
• Brennan Bauer was stellar in relief for the Eagles, giving up just two hits and two walks over six innings of work and striking out two batters.
• Logan de Groot led the offensive effort for Santa Margarita on the day, finishing 2-for-3 with a double.

ON DECK

• JSerra Catholic will face Huntington Beach in the championship game of the 2023 NHSI on Saturday at 4:30 p.m. Huntington Beach was victorious over Bishop Gorman, 3-2, in the second semifinal.
• Santa Margarita will face Blessed Trinity in a consolation matchup at 6 p.m.

All games of the 2023 NHSI will be streamed on USABaseball.TV and @USABaseballTV on YouTube.

SOCIAL MEDIA

Stay tuned with all of the action at the 2023 National High School Invitational by following @USABEvents on Twitter and @USABaseball on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Fans and media can use #NHSI23 in their posts.

Box | Plays | Cumulative: Brother Rice | JSerra Catholic

CARY, N.C. -- Dmitri Susidko came up with two huge squeeze bunt RBIs and seven other Lions tallied hits as JSerra Catholic beat Brother Rice 8-0 in the quarterfinals of the 2023 National High School Invitational presented by the Greater Raleigh Sports Alliance.

JSerra Catholic advances to the semifinals where they will face Santa Margarita on Saturday at the National Training Complex in Cary.

The Lions were dominant on offense and defense on Thursday night, scoring three runs in the second and sixth innings and a pair in the third. Meanwhile, starting pitcher Ben Reimers and reliever Darius Lukowski combined to scatter three hits over seven innings and striking out four batters in a shutout. Reimers struck out three and gave up just one walk in the victory.

Brother Rice starter Jackson Natanek surrendered five runs (four earned) and walked four batters to suffer the loss on the night. Tadgh Callaghan, Mike Dematteo, and Jack Gilmartin all pitched in relief. Dematteo gave up three runs on four hits in his 0.1 inning relief effort.

Ryusei Fujiwara paced the Lions’ offense, going 3-for-3 with 2 RBIs, and Trent Caraway also contributed a multi-hit night going 2-for-4 with an RBI on a night where eight different JSerra Catholic batters tallied a hit.

GAME HIGHLIGHTS

• Dmitri Susidko put JSerra Catholic on the board in the bottom of the second inning thanks to a squeeze bunt, scoring Brandon Change to put the Lions up 1-0.
• With runners on second and third with two outs in the bottom of the second, Ryusei Fujiwara pushed a two-RBI single to extend JSerra Catholic’s lead to 3-0.
• JSerra Catholic’s Jonathan Menedez doubled to left field to lead off the bottom of the third inning and would come around to score on a wild pitch to make it 4-0 in favor of the Lions.
• Dmitri Susidko picked up his second RBI of the night on his second squeeze bunt to give JSerra a 5-0 lead in the bottom of the third inning.
• The Lions tacked on another three runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to put the game out of reach at 8-0 thanks to a wild pitch, a Trent Caraway triple off the left-field wall, and a Marcus Greis RBI-single up the middle.
• Brother Rice tried to rally, putting two runners on in the top of the seventh inning, but a fly out to left ended the game, 8-0.

NOTABLE INFORMATION

• Ryusei Fujiwara went a perfect 3-for-3 with two RBIs for the Lions, pushing his tournament average to .571.
• Both of Dmitri Susidko’s two RBIs came from a squeeze bunt, scoring runs in the second and third innings for JSerra Catholic.
• Ben Reimers earned the win for JSerra Catholic, giving up just three runs in six innings and striking out three batters.
• Brother Rice starter Jackson Natanek suffered the loss after surrendering five runs (four earned) and walking four in 2.1 innings.
• Tadgh Callaghan gave up three runs on four hits in his 0.1 outing for Brother Rice.
• Five different Crusaders pitched in hits on the night, including singles from pinch hitters Danny Durkin and Connor Lyons.

ON DECK

• JSerra Catholic advances to face Santa Margarita Catholic in the NHSI semifinals on Saturday at the National Training Complex.
• Brother Rice will face a to-be-determined opponent in consolation action on Saturday.

All games of the 2023 NHSI will be streamed on USABaseball.TV and @USABaseballTV on YouTube.

SOCIAL MEDIA

Stay tuned with all of the action at the 2023 National High School Invitational by following @USABEvents on Twitter and @USABaseball on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Fans and media can use #NHSI23 in their posts.

Box | Plays | Cumulative: Huntington Beach | Calvary Christian

Ralphy Velazquez and Tony Martinez contributed half of Huntington Beach’s hits, and Nathan Aceves gave up just one run in five innings on the mound as the Oilers defeated Calvary Christian 8-3 in the quarterfinals of the 2023 National High School Invitational presented by the Greater Raleigh Sports Alliance.

Huntington Beach will face Bishop Gorman in the semifinals on Saturday. This will mark the second straight year the Oilers made it to the semifinals of the NHSI.

With the game tied at one apiece after the first inning, Huntington Beach took control of the game by scoring four runs in the third, a run in the fourth, and two runs in the sixth. Velazquez went 3-for-4 with an RBI and a triple, and Martinez went 2-for-2 with a double out of the nine-hole to combine for half of the Oiler hits. Aiden Espinoza (0-for-2) and Bradley Navarro (1-for-4) both contributed two RBIs on the day as six different batters brought a runner in.

JT Long led the Calvary Christian offense with a 2-for-3 day, but only Liam Peterson would add an RBI to his stat line with an RBI-single in the bottom of the first.

Aceves got the win, striking out four batters in his four innings of work. He gave up just one run and one walk on the day. The Oilers bullpen was strong, too, as Wyatt Thomas and Gavin Pacheco combined to strike out four batters and give up two unearned runs in the final three innings of the game. Peterson suffered the loss for the Warriors after giving up five runs in 2.2 innings.

GAME HIGHLIGHTS

• The first three batters came to the plate for Huntington Beach in the top of the first inning, and the Oilers took a 1-0 lead. A walk, a hit-by-pitch, and a wild pitch put runners on second and third for an RBI-groundout to short by Ralphy Velazquez.
• Calvary Christian tied the game in the bottom of the first thanks to an RBI-single by Liam Peterson, scoring Keeton Burroughs from second base after he legged out an infield single on the eighth pitch of his at-bat to get the rally started.
• Bradley Navarro came up to the plate with the bases juiced in a tie game in the top of the third inning and delivered for Huntington Beach, lining a ball back up the middle for a two-RBI single to give the Oilers a 3-1 lead.
• Tony Martinez picked up an RBI-single up the middle, and Dean Carpentier followed with an RBI-double down the left-field line to cap a four-run top of the third inning for the Oilers, giving Huntington Beach a 5-1 lead.
• Ralphy Velazquez led off the top of the fourth with a stand-up triple to deep right centerfield and came around to score on a sacrifice fly from Aidan Espinoza to give Huntington Beach a 6-1 lead.
• Calvary Christian loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the fourth inning but Huntington Beach’s third baseman, Tony Martinez, put his body on the line, taking a grounder to the chest before throwing out Andrew Tess to end the threat.
• Huntington Beach scratched two more runs across in the top of the sixth inning thanks to an Adrian Espinoza sacrifice fly and a Colby Turner single to left field, putting the Oilers up 8-1.
• Calvary Christian plated runs in the bottom of the sixth and seventh innings on a wild pitch and an error, but its offense was not able to overcome the Oilers, with a final score of 8-3.

NOTABLE INFORMATION

• Huntington Beach’s Ralphy Velazquez led all hitters on the day with a 3-for-4 day, with a triple, an RBI and a run scored.
• Tony Martinez went 2-for-2 in the nine-hole for the Oilers, picking up an RBI-double and contributing stellar defensive play on the hot corner.
• Nathan Aceves picked up the win for Huntington Beach after striking out four batters in his four innings pitched. He spread out five hits and gave up just one run and one walk in his appearance.
• Wyatt Thomas and Gavin Pacheco combined to strike out four batters in relief for Huntington Beach but surrendered two unearned runs due to Oiler errors.
• Calvary Christian’s Liam Peterson suffered the loss, giving up five runs on five hits and five walks. He struck out five in his 2.2 innings of work.
• Grayson Gibson gave up three runs on five hits in his relief appearance for the Warriors.

ON DECK

• Huntington Beach advances to face Bishop Gorman (2-0) in the semifinals of the 2023 NHSI on Saturday. This is the second straight appearance in the semifinals for the Oilers after advancing last year.
• Calvary Christian will face a to-be-determined opponent in consolation action on Saturday.

All games of the 2023 NHSI will be streamed on USABaseball.TV and @USABaseballTV on YouTube.

SOCIAL MEDIA

Stay tuned with all of the action at the 2023 National High School Invitational by following @USABEvents on Twitter and @USABaseball on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Fans and media can use #NHSI23 in their posts.

Box | Plays | Cumulative: St. Xavier | Santa Margarita

CARY, N.C. -- St. Xavier’s Jake Gregor and Santa Margarita’s Sammy Cova battled back and forth in an old-fashioned pitcher’s duel on Thursday, but a Logan de Groot sacrifice fly proved to be the difference in a 2-1 victory for the Eagles at the 2023 USA Baseball National High School Invitational presented by the Greater Raleigh Sports Alliance.

With the win, Santa Margarita (2-0) moves on to the semifinals on Saturday at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary. They will face the winner of Brother Rice and JSerra Catholic.

St. Xavier (1-1) outhit the Eagles 7-3 on the day, but Cova would not budge. He struck out seven batters and only walked one batter in a complete-game, one-run victory. Gregor was solid as well, striking out four and giving up two runs (one earned) in his six innings of work. He also contributed offensively, being responsible for the Tigers’ only run of the game thanks to his RBI-single in the sixth.

GAME HIGHLIGHTS

• Blake Balsz led off the bottom of the first inning with a triple down the right-field line before his courtesy runner, Lucas Owens, came around to score on a Luke Lavin RBI-groundout to give the Eagles a 1-0 lead.
• Blake Wilson legged out an infield single and advanced to third on an error and groundout for Santa Margarita. Logan de Groot then lifted a sacrifice fly to left field to bring Wilson across the plate and extend the Eagles’ lead to 2-0.
• Xavier’s starting pitcher Jake Gregor came through with a clutch two-RBI single to put the Tigers on the board in the top of the sixth. Landon Akers and Cooper Smith kickstarted the rally with back-to-back two-out singles before Gregor pushed a ball through the right side to make the score 2-1.
• Santa Margarita tried to respond in the bottom of the sixth, but the Tigers escaped a bases-loaded jam by Gregor, forcing a fly out to center.
• Ryan Comella tried to kickstart a rally in the top of the seventh with a leadoff single and eventually got to third base, but Cova and the Eagles’ defense was too much, closing out the victory with a strikeout.

NOTABLE INFORMATION

• Sammy Cova started on the mound for Santa Margarita and pitched a complete-game victory, striking out seven batters on the day.
• Xavier starting pitcher Jake Gregor suffered the loss after giving up two runs (one earned) and striking out four in his six-inning outing.
• Landon Akers led all batters on the day with a 2-for-3 day for St. Xavier.

ON DECK

• Santa Margarita will match up against the winner of Brother Rice and JSerra Catholic in the semifinals on Saturday.
• Xavier will play in a consolation game Saturday against a to-be-determined opponent.

All games of the 2023 NHSI will be streamed on USABaseball.TV and @USABaseballTV on YouTube.

SOCIAL MEDIA

Stay tuned with all of the action at the 2023 National High School Invitational by following @USABEvents on Twitter and @USABaseball on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Fans and media can use #NHSI23 in their posts.

BOX SCORE - PLAYS - CUMULATIVES: Bishop Gorman | Bishop Verot

CARY, N.C. – Bishop Gorman (Las Vegas, Nev.) scored five runs in the first inning and Kaden Soder threw a complete-game shutout en route to a 5-0 win over Bishop Verot (Fort Myers, Fla.) in the quarterfinal round of the 2023 National High School Invitational (NHSI) presented by the Greater Raleigh Sports Alliance on Thursday.

With the win, Bishop Gorman (2-0) secures its spot in the semifinal round. Bishop Verot (1-1) falls into consolation play.

The Gaels did all of their scoring in the top of the first, putting four runs on the board before recording an out. The first five batters reached base for Bishop Gorman in the opening frame as the squad tallied four hits to score its five runs. Aiden Pollock (2-for-4) paced the Bishop Gorman offense in the contest, notching the only multi-hit game of the day for either side. Easton Shelton (1-for-3, RBI) and Blake Mabeus (1-for-3, RBI) added RBI hits for the Gaels. Bishop Verot had four hits from four different players, including Owen Rardin (1-for-3), who followed yesterday’s two-hit game with another knock today.

Soder (1-0) was lights-out on the bump for Bishop Gorman, allowing just three hits in the complete-game effort. He struck out four and did not walk a single batter, inducing a trio of key double plays to maintain his shutout in the fourth, sixth and seventh innings. Fidel Alviar (0-1) suffered the loss for Bishop Verot after permitting five runs (four earned) in the first inning. Jason Bello turned in a stellar relief performance for Bishop Verot, pitching the final six innings and allowing just three hits.

GAME HIGHLIGHTS

• Maddox Riske and Aiden Pollock hit back-to-back singles to open the top of the first and–after a hit-by-pitch loaded the bases–Easton Shelton brought them both home with a single to left to give Bishop Gorman a 2-0 lead.
• With runners on the corners and no outs in the top of the first, Bishop Gorman’s Burke Mabeus blooped a double to left field to make it a 3-0 lead for the Gaels.
• Bishop Gorman capped its busy opening frame by scoring another two runs on a balk and a throwing error as its lead grew to 5-0.
• After going down in order in its first two trips to the plate, Bishop Verot had a golden opportunity to score in the third. Hanlon and Owen Rardin led off the inning with singles and advanced into scoring position on a bunt, but Bishop Gorman’s Kaden Soder picked up two strikeouts to halt the threat.
• Bishop Verot had a leadoff runner on base again in the bottom of the fourth and sixth innings, but Bishop Gorman starter Kaden Soder induced key double plays in each frame to maintain his shutout.
• For the third time in the game, the leadoff batter reached base for Bishop Verot in the seventh on a single by Maddix Simpson. But, as he did in the fourth and sixth frames, Bishop Gorman’s Kaden Soder coaxed a double play to erase the baserunner and then got the final out on a flyout to secure the 5-0 win.

NOTABLE INFORMATION

• Through two games, the Bishop Gorman pitching staff has not allowed a run. The Gaels are outscoring opponents, 14-0.
• Bishop Gorman’s Aiden Pollock will take a .500 batting average (4-for-8) into the NHSI semifinal round. Pollock has also scored three runs and driven in one.
• Owen Rardin (Bishop Verot) is now 3-for-5 at the plate through the first two games of tournament play.
• Bishop Verot’s Jason Bello pitched the final six innings on Thursday and did not allow a run, striking out five without issuing a walk.
• The quarterfinal game appearance was Bishop Verot’s first in its third trip to the event.
• Bishop Gorman will make its first trip to the NHSI semifinal round.

ON DECK

Bishop Gorman advances to the NHSI quarterfinal against the winner of Calvary Christian (Clearwater, Fla.) vs. Huntington Beach (Huntington Beach, Calif.) on Friday. Bishop Verot falls into consolation play.

All games of the 2023 NHSI will be streamed on USABaseball.TV and @USABaseballTV on YouTube.

SOCIAL MEDIA

Stay tuned with all of the action at the 2023 National High School Invitational by following @USABEvents on Twitter and @USABaseball on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Fans and media can use #NHSI23 in their posts.

BOX |  PLAYS |  CUMULATIVE: Calvary Christian | Jesuit

CARY, N.C. -- Calvary Christian took advantage of four Jesuit errors in a 3-1 victory over Jesuit as both starting pitchers battled back and forth all night in the opening round of the 2023 National High School Invitational presented by the Greater Raleigh Sports Alliance.

With the win, Calvary Christian (1-0) advances to face Huntington Beach (1-0) in tomorrow’s quarterfinal.

The name of the game was pitching, as both starters were in control from the jump. Calvary Christian’s Hunter Dietz (1-0) picked up the win, striking out seven batters and giving up just three hits in his five innings of one-run ball. Noble Meyer (0-1) suffered the tough-luck loss after giving up two hits and three unearned runs. He finished with 10 strikeouts in seven complete innings.

Both teams combined to tally just five hits. JT Long (1-for-3, RBI) and Alex Monile (1-for-3) were the only Crusaders to get a hit off Meyer. For Jesuit, Ryan Cooney (1-for-4), Levi Jones (1-for-3), and Meyer (1-for-2) were the only hitters to pick up hits.

GAME HIGHLIGHTS

• Jesuit’s Ryan Cooney led off with a single, and Levi Jones followed with a double to the left-center gap to put two in scoring position in the bottom of the first inning. The Crusaders then scratched one across the plate on an RBI groundout from Brock Leitgeb to take an early 1-0 lead.
• Calvary Christian loaded the bases in the top of the third thanks to an error, a single by Alex Monile, and an Andrew Tess walk, but Jesuit escaped the jam to hold on to its lead, 1-0.
• Calvary Christian took the lead in the top of the sixth inning thanks to three Jesuit errors. With runners on second and third, a fielding and throwing error by the Crusader second baseman pushed two runs across the plate to take a 2-1 lead.
• With a runner on second base, JT long tacked on the third run of the fifth inning with an RBI-single to center to score Blake Opie as Calvary Christian took a 3-1 lead.

NOTABLE INFORMATION

• Calvary Christian’s starting pitcher Hunter Dietz (1-0) picked up the win, striking out seven batters and giving up just one run on three hits in five innings.
• Noble Meyer (0-1) suffered the tough-luck loss for Jesuit, giving up three unearned runs in a complete-game effort. Meyer struck out 10 batters for the Crusaders and surrendered just two hits and two walks.
• Landen Maroudis (1) picked up the save for Calvary Christian after two innings of perfect relief, striking out two.
• Jesuit suffered defensively as the team surrendered four errors on the day.

ON DECK

• Calvary Christian moves on to face Huntington Beach in the quarterfinals on Thursday.
• Jesuit will face Basha in a consolation matchup.

All games of the 2023 NHSI will be streamed on USABaseball.TV and @USABaseballTV on YouTube.

SOCIAL MEDIA

Stay tuned with all of the action at the 2023 National High School Invitational by following @USABEvents on Twitter and @USABaseball on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Fans and media can use #NHSI23 in their posts.

BOX SCORE - PLAYS - CUMULATIVES: Houston County | JSerra Catholic

CARY, N.C. – Dominic Smaldino hit a walk-off sacrifice fly to lead JSerra Catholic (San Juan Capistrano, California) past Houston County (Warner Robins, Ga.), 4-3, in the opening round of the 2023 National High School Invitational (NHSI) presented by the Greater Raleigh Sports Alliance.

The win puts the Lions in the NHSI quarterfinal for the first time in their second tournament appearance.

After falling into a quick 3-0 hole in the first, JSerra (1-0) scored a run in each of the first three innings and entered the bottom of the seventh locked in a 3-3 tie. Two singles and an intentional walk loaded the bases for Smaldino, whose fly ball into foul territory was caught to bring home Ryusei Fujiwara for the winning run.

The Lions’ offense was paced by Trent Caraway (2-for-4), who had two hits, a stolen base, and a run scored. Fujiwara (1-for-4) scored a game-high two runs, including the winning run in the bottom of the seventh. Jonathan Mendez (1-for-2), Smaldino (1-for-3), and Dmitri Susidko (1-for-3) all drove in runs for JSerra. Houston County (0-1) mustered just three hits in the contest. Drew Burress, Kai Decker, and Anthony Dunford had the knocks for the Bears, who also drew three walks.

Josh Hollis (1-0) was lights-out in relief for JSerra, pitching five innings of two-hit ball to earn the win. Hollis struck out two batters and walked just one in his five shutout frames. Ryker Chavis got the start for Houston County and weathered some early trouble to pitch six solid innings, allowing three runs on six hits. The southpaw struck out six batters in the outing. Houston County’s Landon Tankersley (0-1) suffered the loss, allowing the winning run in his 0.2 innings on the mound.

GAME HIGHLIGHTS

• Houston County came out of the gates firing in the top of the first, drawing two walks before Anthony Dunford hit an opposite-field double to put Houston County in front by a run before recording an out.
• Kai Decker made it a two-run lead for Houston County with a towering sac fly and Anthony Dunford later scored on an error as the Houston County lead became 3-0 in the top of the first.
• JSerra scratched a run across in the bottom of the first on a two-out RBI-double by Jonathan Mendez, who blooped a full-count pitch into right field to trim the JSerra deficit to 3-1.
• JSerra’s Dmitri Susidko perfectly executed a squeeze bunt in the bottom of the second to plate Tyler Dunning and get JSerra within a run at 3-2.
• Trent Caraway used heads-up baserunning to tie the game at three for JSerra, scoring a run as his teammate got picked off first base.
• JSerra had a chance to take a lead when Tyler Dunning led off with a single and reached third with one out in the bottom of the fourth, but Houston County’s Ryker Chavis notched a strikeout and groundout to halt the threat and keep the game tied.
• Ryker Chavis again picked up a massive strikeout to escape a jam in the bottom of the fifth, stranding the go-ahead run just 90 feet away and maintaining the tie score.
• Singles by Ryusei Fujiwara and Trent Caraway and an intentional walk loaded the bases for JSerra in the bottom of the seventh, and Dominic Smaldino delivered with a walk-off sacrifice fly to give the Lions a 4-3 win.

NOTABLE INFORMATION

• JSerra’s Brandon Chang had two of the team’s five stolen bases. Trent Caraway, Tyler Dunning, and Dmitri Susidko also swiped bags for the Lions.
• Josh Hollis pitched an economical five innings for JSerra, needing just 54 pitches to get through five frames.
• JSerra had eight hits from seven different players in the win.
• Ryker Chavis was clutch in several big moments throughout the contest, allowing baserunners to reach in five of his six innings but only permitting three to cross home plate.
• JSerra improves to 5-1 all-time at the NHSI and 1-1 in tournament openers.

ON DECK

JSerra advances to the NHSI quarterfinal against Brother Rice (Chicago, Illinois) on Thursday. Houston County will take on Hagerty (Oviedo, Fla.) in consolation play.

All games of the 2023 NHSI will be streamed on USABaseball.TV and @USABaseballTV on YouTube.

SOCIAL MEDIA

Stay tuned with all of the action at the 2023 National High School Invitational by following @USABEvents on Twitter and @USABaseball on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Fans and media can use #NHSI23 in their posts.

BOX  |  PLAYS |  CUMULATIVE: Hagerty | Brother Rice

CARY, N.C. – Brother Rice starting pitcher Cole Van Assen tossed a complete-game gem, and the Crusaders scored five runs in the middle frames in a 5-0 victory over Hagerty High School in the opening round of the 2023 National High School Invitational presented by the Greater Raleigh Sports Alliance.

Brother Rice (1-0) will face the winner of the Houston County and JSerra Catholic game on Thursday in the quarterfinals.

The Crusaders chased Hagerty (0-1) starter Garrett Baumann with a three-run fourth inning and padded its lead with two more runs in the bottom of the fifth. Amir Gray (2-for-2, RBI) and Bryce Nevils (2-for-3) paced the Brother Rice offense out of the two and three holes in the lineup, combining for four of the team’s eight hits on the day. Aidan Nohava was responsible for the game-winning run with his two-RBI single off the third-base bag in the fourth.

Van Assen needed just 86 pitches to advance the Crusaders to the next round, striking out seven batters and walking none to pick up the victory. Baumann suffered the loss after giving up three earned runs over his four innings of work on the mound.

GAME HIGHLIGHTS

• Amir Gray singled and Bryce Nevils doubled to left center to put runners on second and third with one out for Brother Rice on Hagerty starter Garrett Baumann. And Aidan Nohava delivered by drilling a pitch off the third-base bag to bring them both around and take a 2-0 lead over Hagerty in the fourth inning.
• Gavin Triezenberg sent a pitch back up the middle for an RBI-single to score Aidan Nohavacap and cap a three-run fourth inning for Brother Rice.
• Lance Moon walked, stole second, and advanced to third on a single by Chris Daugherty before scoring on a wild pitch in the bottom of the fifth to put Brother Rice ahead 4-0.
• Amir Gray lifted a sacrifice fly to left field to score Chris Daugherty from third as Brother Rice took a commanding 5-0 lead over Hagerty in the bottom of the fifth inning.

NOTABLE INFORMATION

• Cole Van Assen got the win after a masterful performance on the bump. He struck out seven batters and walked none in the complete game, 86-pitch performance.
• Hagerty starter Garrett Baumann (0-1) gave up three runs on five hits in the loss. Topping out at 95 mph, he struck out six over four innings.
• Daniel Beldowicz surrendered two runs in 0.1 innings of relief for Hagerty; meanwhile Jeremiah struck out two and gave up just one hit in his 1.2 innings of work.
• Amir Gray (2-for-2, RBI) and Bryce Nevils (2-for-3) tallied four of the eight hits for Brother Rice on the day, joining Hagerty’s Adam Ciccone (2-for-3) as the only players with multiple hits in the game.
• Aidan Novaha’s (1-for-3, 2 RBIs) two-RBI single in the bottom of the fourth inning served as the game-winning run.
• The Crusaders were aggressive on the basepaths, tallying four stolen bases on the day for Brother Rice.

ON DECK

• Brother Rice will face the winner of the Houston County and JSerra Catholic in a quarterfinal matchup on Thursday.
• Hagerty will face the loser of the Houston County and JSerra Catholic matchup in a consolation game on Thursday.

All games of the 2023 NHSI will be streamed on USABaseball.TV and @USABaseballTV on YouTube.

SOCIAL MEDIA

Stay tuned with all of the action at the 2023 National High School Invitational by following @USABEvents on Twitter and @USABaseball on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Fans and media can use #NHSI23 in their posts.

BOX SCORE - PLAYS - CUMULATIVE: Basha | Huntington Beach

CARY, N.C. – Ralphy Velazquez drove in four runs to help Huntington Beach (Huntington Beach, Calif.) to a 6-3 win over Basha (Chandler, Arizona) in the opening round of the 2023 National High School Invitational (NHSI) presented by the Greater Raleigh Sports Alliance.

The win secures the Oilers’ (1-0) spot in the NHSI quarterfinal round.

Velazquez (3-for-4, 4 RBIs) was the key cog in the Huntington Beach offense on Wednesday, providing their first run in the opening inning, the go-ahead hit in the second, and an insurance run in the seventh. The Oilers, who tallied six hits in the win, also got a strong offensive showing from Bradley Navarro (2-for-3, RBI) who had a pair of knocks and added a sacrifice fly. Basha (0-1) collected seven hits in the defeat, led by Alex Dabrowski’s (2-for-3, RBI) two-hit day.

Huntington Beach’s Carson Lane (1-0) started for Huntington Beach and scattered seven hits over four innings of work, limiting damage multiple times to allow just three runs earn the win. Bradyn Barnes (0-1) started for Basha and suffered the loss after surrendering four runs in three innings. Tyler Bellerose (1) entered out of the Huntington Beach bullpen and fired three hitless frames to earn the save.

GAME HIGHLIGHTS

• Huntington Beach jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first. Dean Carpentier drew a leadoff walk, Linkin Garcia roped a double, and Ralphy Velazquez knocked in the game’s first run with an RBI-groundout.
• Both teams rallied for three runs with two outs in the second, starting with Basha in the top of the frame. An RBI-single by Adam Dabrowski and a two-run infield hit by Gavin Smith put the Bears in front 3-1.
• Huntington Beach loaded the bases with none out, and after going down on two strikeouts, struck for three runs on a bases-loaded walk and a two-run single through the right side by Ralphy Velazquez to take a 4-3 lead in the bottom of the second.
• Basha squandered a pair of scoring chances in the fourth and fifth innings, leaving a combined five runners on in the two frames. Huntington Beach’s Carson Lane escaped a two-on, two-out situation in the fourth before Tyler Bellerose got out of a bases-loaded jam in the fifth.
• Huntington Beach tacked on another run in the bottom of the fifth on a sacrifice fly by Bradley Navarro.
• Ralphy Velazquez continued his hot day in the bottom of the sixth, splitting the gap in left-center field for an RBI-double to put Huntington Beach in front by three.
• Huntington Beach’s Tyler Bellerose finished off the win with a hitless seventh inning to lock down the 6-3 win.

NOTABLE INFORMATION

• Linkin Garcia and Ralphy Velazquez each doubled in the opening round win, the only two extra-base hits in the contest.
• By walking twice and hitting a double, Huntington Beach’s Linkin Garcia reached base three times in Wednesday’s win.
• Basha’s Gavin Smith drove in two runs, joining Huntington Beach’s Ralphy Velazquez as the only two players with multiple RBIs.
• Six different players scored a run for the Oilers.
• Huntington Beach pitchers escaped trouble for most of the afternoon, stranding nine Basha runners on base.
• Basha played a crisp game defensively, committing zero errors in the defeat.
• Huntington Beach is now 5-1 all-time in NHSI opening round games.

ON DECK

Huntington Beach takes on Calvary Christian (Clearwater, Fla.) in the quarterfinal round on Thursday. Basha will play Jesuit (Portland, Ore.) in consolation play.

All games of the 2023 NHSI will be streamed on USABaseball.TV and @USABaseballTV on YouTube.

SOCIAL MEDIA

Stay tuned with all of the action at the 2023 National High School Invitational by following @USABEvents on Twitter and @USABaseball on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Fans and media can use #NHSI23 in their posts.

BOX  |  PLAYS |  CUMULATIVE: Bishop Verot  |  Aquinas

CARY, N.C. -- Bishop Verot plated four runs in the top of the third inning, and Aidan Knaak tossed a gem for the complete-game 4-1 victory over Aquinas in the first round of the 2023 National High School Invitational (NHSI) presented by the Greater Raleigh Sports Alliance.

With the win, Bishop Verot (1-0) advances to face the winner of Blessed Trinity and Bishop Gorman on Thursday.

Knaak was stellar on the mound for the Vikings, striking out nine batters in his seven innings of one-run baseball. Offensively, Matthew Turner (2-for-3, RBI) and Owen Rardin (2-for-3) paced Bishop Verot with multiple hits on the day, while eight of the Viking hitters tallied a hit.

Owen Egan (2-for-3) accounted for half of the Aquinas hits, with Eric Bitonti (1-for-3, RBI) and Esteban Olazaba (1-for-2) tacking on the other two. However, Egan suffered the loss on the mound, giving up four earned runs in 3.0 innings and striking out four batters for the Falcons.

GAME HIGHLIGHTS

• Bishop Verot’s Grayson Carpenter led off the game with a first-pitch single and advanced to second on a sacrifice bunt. But Aquinas left fielder Esteben Olazaba ended the early threat, throwing out Carpenter at home to end the top of the first inning.
• Aquinas starting pitcher Owen Egan surrendered four runs in the top of the third inning to the Vikings, courtesy of an RBI-single by Matthew Turner, an RBI-fielder’s choice by Jason Bello, an RBI-walk by Fidel Alviar, and a sac fly to center by Joey Lawson to put Bishop Verot up 4-0.
• Joey Lawson crushed a double to right-center to lead off the top of the sixth inning for Bishop Verot, but Aquinas reliever Bradley Gilbert got out of the jam with a pair of strikeouts.
• Aidan Knaak gave up a leadoff single to Aquinas’ Esteben Olazaba in the bottom of the sixth inning but struck out back-to-back pinch hitters on six consecutive called strikes.
• Aquinas’ Eric Bitonti laced a two-out double down the right-field line to score Esteben Olazaba to put the Falcons on the board in the top of the seventh, but still trailed the Vikings 4-1.
• Bishop Verot loaded the bases in the top half of the seventh inning on reliever Josh Torres but a heads-up double play by Landon Young and Eric Bitonti kept the Falcons within three heading into the bottom half of the seventh.

NOTABLE INFORMATION

• Aidan Knaak (1-0) was dominant on the mount for Bishop Verot, tossing a complete game on day one of the NHSI. He struck out nine batters and surrendered just one walk and one earned run.
• Aquinas starting pitcher Owen Egan (0-1) gave up four runs on five hits in his three innings of work. He struck out four batters in the loss.
• Matthew Turner (2-for-3, RBI) and Owen Rardin (2-for-3) contributed multi-hit days for Bishop Verot, tallying four of the team’s nine hits.
• Eight of the nine batters in the Bishop Verot lineup tallied hits on the day.
• Owen Egan tallied half of the Aquinas hits on Wednesday, going 2-for-3. Eric Bitonti and Esteban Olazaba were the only other Falcons with a hit on the day.

ON DECK

• Bishop Verot advances to the second round of the NHSI and will face the winner of Blessed Trinity and Bishop Gorman.
• Aquinas will face the loser of Blessed Trinity and Bishop Gorman in a consolation game on Thursday.

All games of the 2023 NHSI will be streamed on USABaseball.TV and @USABaseballTV on YouTube.

SOCIAL MEDIA

Stay tuned with all of the action at the 2023 National High School Invitational by following @USABEvents on Twitter and @USABaseball on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Fans and media can use #NHSI23 in their posts.

BOX SCORE - PLAYS - CUMULATIVES: Doral | St. Xavier

CARY, N.C. – Ty Starke tossed a two-hit, complete-game shutout to propel St. Xavier (Louisville, Ky.) past Doral Academy (Miami, Fla.), 1-0, in the opening round of the 2023 National High School Invitational (NHSI) presented by the Greater Raleigh Sports Alliance.

Starke and Doral’s Frank Menendez were locked in a pitcher’s duel all morning long, exchanging zeroes until St. Xavier (1-0) finally cracked the scoreboard in the bottom of the sixth. After Zach Marks singled and later advanced to third on a throwing error, Cooper Smith lifted a sacrifice fly to plate the game’s first and only run. Starke returned to the mound for the seventh and worked around a two-out error to secure the 1-0 victory.

The two teams combined for just five hits in the game, with St. Xavier accounting for three of them. Marks (1-for-3), Landon Akers (1-for-3), and Luke Wright (1-for-2) had the hits for St. Xavier, while Doral’s (0-1) hits came from Adrian Santana (1-for-3) and Wilfred Gonzalez (1-for-3). Akers hit a double in the fourth which was the only extra-base hit of the day for either side.

Starke (1-0) allowed just two hits and none after the third inning in his shutout performance. Doral reached on an infield single in the third and did not have another baserunner until a two-out error in the seventh, as Starke struck out five and did not walk a batter to earn the win. Menendez (0-1) suffered the tough-luck loss after throwing six innings without allowing an earned run, striking out six and allowing just three hits.

GAME HIGHLIGHTS

• Doral Academy put together a two-out rally in the top of the first on a single by Wilfred Gonzalez and an Alejandro Ludeiro hit-by-pitch. However, Ty Starke coaxed an inning-ending fielder’s choice to keep it scoreless.
• Frank Menendez set the tone for his strong outing on the mound in the bottom of the first, striking out the St. Xavier side to start his day.
• After both sides went down in order in the second, Doral’s Adrian Santana legged out an infield single in the top of the third but got picked off to halt the scoring threat.
• St. Xavier’s first baserunner came on a one-out double by Landon Akers in the bottom of the fourth before a fly out and strike out helped Frank Menendez escape unscathed.
• A two-out single by Luke Wright gave St. Xavier another baserunner in the bottom of the fifth but Frank Menendez ended the inning by inducing a ground out to shortstop.
• St. Xavier finally opened the scoring in the bottom of the sixth when Zach Marks singled, advanced to third on a throwing error, and scored on Cooper Smith’s sacrifice fly to center field to give St. Xavier a 1-0 lead.
• With two outs and a runner on first in the top of the seventh, Xavier’s Ty Starke capped his stellar performance by coaxing a game-ending fly out to left to finish off the 1-0 win.

NOTABLE INFORMATION

• St. Xavier’s Ty Starke’s complete-game shutout was the 31st in the history of the NHSI.
• Frank Menendez carried a perfect game into the fourth inning before St. Xavier’s Luke Wright roped a one-out double to right center field.
• Neither Frank Menendez and Ty Starke walked a single batter in the game.
• Three of the five combined hits in the game were infield singles.
• St. Xavier remains in title contention with a 1-0 record, while Doral drops into consolation play at 0-1.

ON DECK

St. Xavier will take on Santa Margarita Catholic (Rancho Santa Margarita, Calif.) in the quarterfinal round on Thursday, while Doral will play T.C. Roberson (Asheville, N.C.) in consolation play.

All games of the 2023 NHSI will be streamed on USABaseball.TV and @USABaseballTV on YouTube.

SOCIAL MEDIA

Stay tuned with all of the action at the 2023 National High School Invitational by following @USABEvents on Twitter and @USABaseball on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. Fans and media can use #NHSI23 in their posts.

CARY, N.C. – The World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) announced today that Team USA received a wild card bid into the IX WBSC Women’s Baseball World Cup. The event will span two years and begins with the group stage, where the U.S. will participate in Group A from August 8-13 in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada. The top three teams from both groups will advance to the IX WBSC Women’s Baseball World Cup Finals in 2024.

"We are excited to have received a bid to the upcoming Women’s Baseball World Cup,” said Women’s National Team Program Director Ann Claire Roberson. “Since competing in our last international tournament in 2019, our program has only gotten stronger and is poised to compete for another gold medal. We look forward to beginning the identification process and building a world championship-caliber team.”

The USA Baseball Women’s National Team has medaled in six of the eight WBSC Women’s Baseball World Cups since the tournament’s inception in 2004. The U.S. earned gold in the first two editions of the event in 2004 and 2006, posting a 10-2 combined record. After winning bronze medals in 2008 and 2010, the stars and stripes claimed silver in 2012 and 2014. Overall, the Women’s National Team owns five gold medals in international competition, most recently earning a first-place finish at the 2019 COPABE Women’s Pan-American Championships.

The Women’s National Team identification process will take place at the USA Baseball Women’s National Open from July 7-9. The event is open to female baseball players born in 2007 or earlier. Players will be divided into teams and compete in games and workout sessions, where they will be evaluated by the national team coaching staff. At the conclusion of the event, the coaching staff will select a minimum of 35 players from the Women’s National Open to participate in the Women’s National Team Training Camp.

Training Camp will take place immediately following the Women’s National Open from July 10-13, where 20 women will be selected to represent Team USA in the IX WBSC Women’s Baseball World Cup group stage.

The location for the Women’s National Open and Training Camp will be announced at a later date.

The IX WBSC Women’s Baseball World Cup group stage will include two groups made up of 12 nations. The U.S. will compete in Group A in Thunder Bay, Ontario, while Group B will be held in Miyoshi City, Japan. The U.S. is the ninth team to qualify for the group stage, joining Australia, Canada, Cuba, France, Japan, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and Venezuela. The final three countries will qualify at the Asia Qualifier in May. The top three finishers from the group stage will advance to the IX WBSC Women’s Baseball World Cup Finals in 2024, also set to take place in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada.

LUBBOCK, Texas – Like a young Mick Jagger, Roc Riggio strutted and preened halfway between second base and third, raising his hands and hopping along on his tiptoes as if he were running through hot coals, or trying to maintain his balance on a high wire. Like Jagger, Riggio is a natural showman who looks born for the big stage — and that home run trot against Arkansas last year came on the biggest stage of Riggio’s baseball career to date, his first taste of Division I postseason action in the wild Stillwater Regional.

Riggio did his talking with his bat as well as his swagger. When it mattered most, in the postseason, Riggio was a force of nature that entire week, finishing the regional 15-for-27 with five doubles, four home runs and 15 RBIs in five games. For Oklahoma State’s 5-foot-9, 180-pound dynamo, that performance was truly a coming-out party on the national stage.

“He has an internal will to convince himself he can do something that physically, you look at him and say you shouldn’t be able to do, but he decides he’s going to do it. And sometimes he has to recruit emotion and energy and feed off of things to do it,” Oklahoma State coach Josh Holliday said. “I saw it firsthand in our regional last year in Stillwater for four or five days. I saw a kid that drew energy from everything, from the other team’s fan base to the opponent, to the moment and all areas in between. And I think he’s just learning how to try to be a consistent performer without being so reliant upon that. But he’s a unique player and I’m just really glad he’s ours.”

A day after the official SportsCenter Twitter account posted the clip of Riggio’s home run prance with the caption, “Roc Riggio was feeling himself on his lap around the bases,” Riggio homered again — and this time he sprinted all the way around the bases and straight into the dugout at full speed. It was brilliant showmanship, even if it continued to infuriate the Arkansas fans on Twitter who decided Riggio was too flamboyant for their taste.

“It doesn’t bother me at all. I know that fans are fanatics. They’re not the ones playing the game, they have no idea what it’s like to be a ballplayer,” Riggio told D1Baseball of the interplay with fans who don’t like his style. “So we like it. We enjoy it. It fuels me, because I love this game, I love when the eyes are on me, I love when people hate me. On the field, I like being hated, that’s fine. Off the field, I respect everyone, I love everyone around me.”

Because Riggio is such a lightning rod, many casual college baseball fans might not know much more about him than that. His personality is so outsized that it can overshadow just how darn good he is at playing baseball.

A blue-chip recruit out of high school in Thousand Oaks, Calif., Riggio drew plenty of pro interest as a dynamic undersized hit machine in the mold of Nick Madrigal, Robert Moore or Dustin Pedroia. But he was determined to honor his commitment to Oklahoma State, where he was slowed a bit during his first fall by a left shoulder injury. Coming off that injury, it took him a little time to really find his stride as a freshman last year, but his torrid postseason performance gave him a very strong final line of .295/.413/.519 with 11 homers, 14 doubles and 47 RBIs, earning him first-team Freshman All-America honors. Riggio has more raw power than Madrigal and Moore, with an extremely strong lower half that he utilizes very well. But his hands are truly special as well, and they play a major role in his eye-opening power (which he showed off Saturday in Lubbock with a big three-run homer to center field to help lead OSU to its lone victory in a series at Texas Tech).

“His bat speed readings are elite, some of the highest ones you’ll see,” Holliday said. “So that’s a bat speed-driven swing, tremendous timing, and a very natural bat path that creates good loft.”

Riggio has continued to elevate his game as a sophomore, hitting .311/.480/.635 with five homers, seven doubles and 16 RBIs through 21 games. He has significantly improved his plate discipline, drawing 20 walks against 21 strikeouts so far after posting a 34-58 K-BB mark last year.

Oklahoma State’s Roc Riggio dons the Cowboy hat after homering in 2022

“It’s more controlled. I came in here as a free swinger,” Riggio said. “I didn’t have a solidified approach, and now having guys like [assistant coaches] Matt Holliday, Robin Ventura, Jordy Mercer, Rob Walton, our whole coaching staff, they’ve all haven’t changed my swing, they’ve just implemented a different approach in my mindset and I’m more of a controlled aggressive approach, and so when I’m not hitting the ball that good, I know what I’m doing wrong. And then when I get back into that mindset of where I have a good approach, I feel very confident to play.”

Josh Holliday said Riggio is “a rhythm player” who has really found his rhythm over the last 10 games or so. His improved patience at the plate has made him a great fit as the catalyst atop the order after usual leadoff man Zach Ehrhard went down with injury. Riggio’s energy is boundless and contagious; even on a routine ground ball to the first baseman, Riccio always runs his hardest down the line.

“He’s just a blood and guts, competitive, all-in, passionate kid. And he plays with a confidence and a little bit of a freedom that makes him who he is, and you never want to take that away from your players if they have it. But he’s also learning how to manage it and he’s doing a good job, and he’s playing great second base,” Holliday said. “And he’s stinging the ball, and he’s a fire-starter. With Ehrhard being out, who was the other component of the top of the order, those two guys did such a great job by the end of last year. Roc’s kind of had to carry the load as far as triggering the offense at the start for the other guys to finish it.”

Riggio has also become a very exciting defender at second base, a position he is still learning. He said he was a catcher his whole life growing up, and he played some corner outfield as well as catcher in high school, only seeing action on the infield dirt for half of his senior season.

“Last year was my first full year playing infield, and I’ve improved a lot,” Riggio said. “I’ve had a lot of guys helping me out. I have a lot of guys who have got my back, and I believe I’m one of the best infielders in college baseball. And despite a few hiccups here and there, a few bad hops, I think that our middle infield, our third baseman Aidan Meola, [shortstop] Marcus Brown, [utilityman] Brennan Holt — even the guys who aren’t playing are really good defenders. And so as long as we keep playing good defense we will be in a really good spot.”

This past weekend at Texas Tech, Riggio made multiple standout plays, showing excellent range on a diving play in the 43 hole then popping up and making a quick transfer and good throw to first for the out. He also showing great instincts at a key moment Saturday; with runners at first and second with no outs, Brown made a brilliant diving stop on a hot shot up the middle and flipped to Riggio for the force at second. Riggio faked a throw to first, then whirled around and fired a strike to third to throw out the lead runner, who had made too big a turn around third.

“I think he’s an incredibly under appreciated second baseman, his totals last year were remarkable. He played a high, high percentage second base,” Holliday said. “He’s had a couple of tough chances this year. There’s a couple of errors in there that were tough chances on balls that did awkward things, but he’s a ballplayer. That’s all there is to it, he turns the double play well, he leaves his feet awfully well. He’s alert and talkative and very much engaged on every pitch. He’s my kind of player.”

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BOX SCORE - PLAYS - CUMULATIVE

MIAMI, Fla. – Team USA fell to Japan, 3-2, in front of a sold-out crowd in the title game of the World Baseball Classic on Tuesday night at loanDepot Park. The U.S. finished the tournament with a 5-2 record in the fifth edition of the event.

After the U.S. grabbed an early lead, Japan (7-0) jumped in front in the bottom of the second and held the lead for most of the game. Team USA threatened throughout the game, outhitting Japan 9-5 and getting within a run entering the ninth inning, but was unable to scratch the tying run across.

Trea Turner continued his record-breaking performance in the World Baseball Classic by getting the scoring started for the U.S. on Tuesday. With one out and nobody on in the bottom of the second inning, Turner launched his fourth home run in the past three games to give Team USA a 1-0 lead. The 406-foot blast to left, which was Turner’s fifth, tied him for the most home runs in a single World Baseball Classic (Seung Youp Lee, 2006), and broke the U.S. record for RBIs in a single tournament with 11.

Japan tacked on two runs in the bottom of the second, but U.S. reliever Aaron Loup entered the game with the bases loaded and was able to limit the damage to keep the game within striking distance at 2-1.

The stars and stripes squandered a scoring chance in the top of the third, drawing a pair of walks to put two on with two out for their hottest hitter in Turner. But he was unable to deliver this time, striking out to strand the baserunners.

Japan tacked on another run in the bottom of the fourth on a solo homer to take a 3-1 lead, and Team USA threatened again in the fifth and seventh innings. Singles by Mookie Betts and Nolan Arenado got the U.S. crowd on its feet in the top of the fifth, but an inning-ending fly out halted the rally and kept the U.S. deficit at two. Pinch-hitter Jeff McNeil led off the top of the seventh inning with a four-pitch walk and Betts singled to put two on with no outs, but a fly out and double play ended the threat.

Kyle Schwarber got the U.S. back within a run in the bottom of the eighth. The lefty fouled off six consecutive pitches before smoking the 10th pitch of the at-bat into the upper deck in right field for his second home run of the tournament to cut Team USA’s deficit to one.

McNeil drew a walk to lead off the top of the ninth against Shohei Ohtani, but a double play ball from Betts and a Trout strikeout ended Team USA’s tournament with a silver medal.

Betts (2-for-5) and Turner (2-for-4, HR, RBI) paced the offense with multi-hit games, while Schwarber’s (1-for-3, HR, RBI) homer provided the only other run. Trout (1-for-5) picked up a hit for the sixth consecutive game and reached base in all seven games of the tournament, the only U.S. player to do so.

Starting pitcher Merrill Kelly (0-1) lasted 1.1 innings and surrendered two runs on three hits to suffer the loss. The stars and stripes got solid work out of the bullpen, which allowed just one run over the final 6.2 innings pitched. Kyle Freeland provided the bulk of the work in relief, turning in three innings of one-run baseball. Jason Adam, David Bednar, and Devin Williams all pitched scoreless innings.

Trout and Turner both represented Team USA on the All-Tournament Team for their standout performances. Trout batted .296 with a homer and seven RBIs for the stars and stripes, reaching base at a .406 clip throughout tournament play. Turner hit a tournament-leading and record-tying five homers and drove in a team record-setting 11 runs, batting .391 and leading the team with a 1.483 slugging percentage.

BOX SCORE - PLAYS - CUMULATIVE STATS

MIAMI, Fla. – Trea Turner continued his World Baseball Classic tear with two home runs, and the U.S. hit a team-record four blasts to lift Team USA to a 14-2 win over Cuba in the semifinals on Sunday night at loanDepot Park. With the win, the U.S. clinches its spot in Tuesday’s title game and will aim to defend its world title against the winner of the second semifinal between Japan and Mexico.

The United States will appear in the World Baseball Classic championship game for the second straight tournament after beating Puerto Rico in the 2017 title game.

After falling behind 1-0 in the top of the first inning, the U.S. offense wasted no time taking a lead it would not relinquish on the night. The stars and stripes scored in each of the game’s first six innings and seven of their eight turns at bat overall, marking the first time in Team USA’s history that it scored in six straight innings at the World Baseball Classic.

Paul Goldschmidt started the scoring for Team USA in the first with a two-run shot to go up 2-1. The 112 mph-home run drove in the 13th and 14th first-inning runs for the stars and stripes in the tournament, giving them the second-most all-time in a single World Baseball Classic (Korea, 19 in 2009).

The U.S. left the yard again in the second inning, this time off the bat of Turner. After hitting a go-ahead grand slam in Saturday’s quarterfinal, Turner stayed hot and crushed another no-doubter, a 428-foot solo shot to left, to increase Team USA’s lead to 3-1. Turner became only the second U.S. player in history to hit home runs in back-to-back World Baseball Classic plate appearances, joining his U.S. hitting coach, Ken Griffey Jr. (2006 vs. South Africa).

Nolan Arenado singled in the bottom of the third before a hit-by-pitch and a walk loaded the bases for Pete Alonso, who roped an RBI-single to left to plate Team USA’s fourth run. The lead grew to 5-1 on a sacrifice fly by Tim Anderson, bringing Kyle Schwarber home for the second run of the inning.

Cuba added a run in the fifth, but Team USA’s offense continued to pour it on in the middle innings, scoring another two runs in both the fourth and fifth innings to take a commanding 9-2 lead. St. Louis Cardinals teammates Arenado and Goldschmidt were in the middle of the scoring, as Goldschmidt drew a walk and came around to score on Arenado’s RBI-triple down the right field line in the fourth. Arenado–whose triple gave the U.S. a tournament-leading six three-baggers–later scored on a wild pitch before Goldschmidt smoked a two-run single in the fifth for the seven-run advantage.

The U.S. outburst continued into the bottom of the sixth after Will Smith began the inning with a double and Jeff McNeil drew a walk to bring Turner to the plate. He continued his dominant two-game stretch, demolishing a three-run blast to left to extend the lead to 12-2.

Mookie Betts and Mike Trout combined to score another run for Team USA in the sixth, as Betts singled and scored on a line-drive double from Trout. After entering as a pinch runner in the seventh inning, Cedric Mullins put the finishing touches on the victory with a solo homer on the first pitch he saw in the bottom of the eighth for the team’s fourth longball of the night to make it 14-2.

Adam Wainwright (2-0) got the start for the United States and withstood a stressful first inning before settling down to toss four frames of one-run ball. Wainwright, who now owns a 2.25 ERA in tournament play, scattered five hits and struck out one batter to earn the win. Miles Mikolas followed Wainwright and pitched four solid innings of relief, allowing just one run and striking out three before Aaron Loup got the final three outs in the top of the ninth to advance Team USA to the finals.

The stars and stripes tallied 14 hits for the second night in a row. Betts (3-for-6) and Turner (3-for-5, 2 HR, 4 RBI) combined for almost half of the knocks, while Arenado (2-for-3, RBI) and Goldschmidt (2-for-5, HR, 4 RBI) also contributed multi-hit games. Mullins (1-for-1, HR, RBI) homered in his only at-bat, becoming the seventh U.S. player to homer in tournament play.

Including Saturday’s quarterfinal win over Venezuela, the U.S. scored 23 runs on 28 hits over the past two games.

Following Turner’s two-homer night on Sunday, he now owns the U.S. record for most home runs in a single World Baseball Classic (4) and is tied with Griffey Jr. and David Wright for the most RBIs in a single tournament (10). He is also the tournament leader in homers and is tied for the most RBIs.

Team USA returns to action on Tuesday night for the World Baseball Classic title game against the winner of Mexico vs. Japan. First pitch is set for 7:00 p.m. ET at loanDepot Park in Miami, Florida, and the game will be televised on Fox Sports 1.

BOX SCORE - PLAYS - CUMULATIVE STATS

MIAMI, Fla. – Trea Turner launched a go-ahead grand slam in the top of the eighth inning to lift Team USA to a 9-7 quarterfinal win over Venezuela on Saturday night at loanDepot Park. The U.S. secured its spot in the World Baseball Classic semifinal round with the win.

It will be Team USA’s second-consecutive trip to the World Baseball Classic semifinal round and its third overall.

Trailing by two runs in the top of the eighth, the United States (4-1) put together a furious rally capped by Turner’s grand slam to take the lead. Tim Anderson drew a leadoff walk, Pete Alonso hit a pinch-hit bloop single, and J.T. Realmuto was hit by a pitch to load the bases with nobody out for Turner. After a pitching change, Turner fell behind 0-2 before crushing a grand slam deep over the left-field wall to put Team USA in front for good, 9-7.

Turner’s grand slam was the third in Team USA’s history at the World Baseball Classic and the first since David Wright’s slam against Italy in 2013.

The U.S. kicked the game off with five consecutive hits in the top of the first to take an immediate 3-0 lead in the quarterfinal matchup. Mookie Betts led off the game with an infield single and came around to score when Mike Trout blooped a single to center field and Venezuela’s Ronald Acuña Jr. made a throwing error to advance the runners. Trout was then plated on an RBI-knock by Paul Goldschmidt, and–after a Nolan Arenado single put runners on the corners–Kyle Tucker singled up the middle to bring home Goldschmidt.

It was the first time the U.S. had five consecutive hits without recording an out in a World Baseball Classic game since 2006 against South Africa.

Venezuela (4-1) responded by scoring twice in the bottom of the first to trim its deficit to one. Then, the stars and stripes put a leadoff batter on for the third time in the first four innings in the top of the fourth to kick off another run-scoring frame. Kyle Schwarber pulled a base hit past the shift into right field and advanced to third on a throwing error before scoring on a Betts sacrifice fly, making it 4-2 in favor of Team USA.

With two outs and nobody on, Tucker added to the red, white, and blue’s lead in the top of the fifth. The lefty launched a 1-1 pitch over the wall in right to give the U.S. a 5-2 advantage, becoming the fifth different player to homer for Team USA in the tournament.

Venezuela capitalized on wild U.S. pitching and timely hitting to take a 6-5 lead, scoring four runs in the bottom of the fifth and taking the lead for the first time in the game. The lead grew to 7-5 on a solo shot in the bottom of the seventh before Turner’s heroics capped Team USA’s four-run eighth inning.

Lance Lynn started on the mound for the United States and pitched four solid frames in a no-decision, allowing just two runs in the bottom of the first. Lynn finished his night by striking out the potential game-tying run in the bottom of the fourth for one of his two punch-outs on the night. David Bednar (1-0) earned the win after allowing a run in an otherwise uneventful seventh. Adam Ottavino and Devin Williams each recorded two strikeouts in scoreless innings, and Ryan Pressly (2) turned in a perfect ninth to earn his second consecutive save.

Team USA’s offense showed up on Saturday night and pieced together 15 hits, a tournament high for the stars and stripes. All nine players in the starting lineup collected a hit in the win, including Tucker (3-for-5, HR, 2 RBI). Arenado (2-for-5), Goldschmidt (2-for-5, RBI), and Realmuto (2-for-3) also had multi-hit games for the United States. Turner (1-for-3, 4 RBI) and Tucker both had multiple-RBI games for the red, white, and blue, who had four extra-base hits.

Team USA is back in action on Sunday night against Cuba (3-2) in the World Baseball Classic semifinal round. The first pitch is set for 7:00 p.m. ET at loanDepot Park in Miami, Florida, and the game will be televised nationally on Fox Sports 1.

LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. — Georgia Tech went into a series finale against rival Georgia in desperate need of some quality innings from its starting pitchers after getting just 5.2 innings combined with 11 runs allowed from Dawson Brown and Josiah Siegel in losses in the first two games of the series.

Fourth-year sophomore righthander Jackson Finley gave the Jackets exactly that in a 4-1 win over the Bulldogs.

He threw four innings, giving up two hits and one run with two walks and four strikeouts, throwing 39 of his 62 pitches for strikes. He also worked out of a real jam in the fourth inning, when Georgia scored one and threatened for more with two men on and one out. Strikeouts of Parks Harber and Cole Wagner got him out of it.

“I thought it was huge,” Georgia Tech head coach Danny Hall said of Finley’s outing. “He pitched out of a jam in his last inning and that’s just good for him. I think it’s a good confidence booster for him. We’re asking him to do a lot, so just happy that he got out of that inning and then we can just kind of keep building from there.”

On its face, that outing doesn’t necessarily stand out, but it was precisely what Georgia Tech needed to set up the rest of the game, as relievers Ben King and Terry Busse took it home from there.

There’s a lot to like about Finley, starting with his performance through four starts. In 17.2 innings, he’s given up 13 hits and three earned runs with four walks and 11 strikeouts. His ERA sits at 1.53.

But beyond that, Finley just looks the part of a Friday starter. He’s got a solid frame at 6-foot-4 and 222 pounds and a four-pitch mix headlined by a low-90s fastball that will touch the mid 90s. And it only helps that he’s now two years removed from the Tommy John surgery that cut short his 2021 season and limited him in 2022.

The thing about it is that he can’t really be Georgia Tech’s Friday starter, though. He doubles as one of the Yellow Jackets’ best hitters — he ranks second on the team in average at .426 and leads the team with seven homers and 22 RBIs — and the coaching staff wants to give him a day off after he pitches. So Tech tried using him as the Sunday starter originally, then moved him up to Saturday last week against Notre Dame, which kept him out of the lineup Sunday.

Now that he’s gone through a few weeks of pulling double duty, Finley is learning more and more each time out about how he has to manage his body and all the other considerations that come along with being a two-way player.

“It has definitely been a little bit of a challenge, just keeping the body in shape,” Finley said. “It’s a lot more taxing, I’d say, but now that I’m starting to get more of a routine, I’m getting used to it and it’s getting a little easier.”

Finley hasn’t gone more than five innings or 82 pitches in any of his four starts, but that should change as time goes on. The coaching staff is being intentional about building him up so that he can be a workhorse once conference play is in full swing.

“That’s what we’re trying to get to, kind of taking it week to week, (and) 60-something (pitches) this week, so hopefully we can get him 70-plus, 75 and then just kind of start building him as we go,” Hall said.

Finley feels like that’s the way he’s headed as well.

“The pitch counts have been pretty steady now in the 60s and 70s, so as long as the arm keeps feeling good, I’ll be able to stretch it each outing,” he said.

A true Friday guy (even if he doesn’t pitch on Fridays) is what the team needs him to be, frankly, because circumstances have been such that Georgia Tech is really looking for answers on the mound.

This was always going to be an area of concern for the Yellow Jackets after they lost every pitcher who started more than four games last season and every pitcher who threw more than 39 innings.

Since this season started, the injury bug has also bitten. Logan McGuire, a high-ceiling righthander who might have actually turned out to be Tech’s Friday starter at some point this season, went down after throwing just 1.1 innings in a start two weekends ago against Tennessee Tech. Additionally, lefthander Camron Hill has been out since the second game of the season, and while his initial role was going to be as a reliever, it further hindered the team’s depth.

Neither of those injuries are expected to be season-ending at this point, but it does mean it’s on everyone else to help keep things afloat until the unit is back at full strength.

Finley is certainly doing his part.

Photo credit: GT Athletics/Danny Karnik

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