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Kade Anderson (Photo by Eddie Kelly/ ProLook Photos)
With the help of 64Analytics.com, Baseball America is back to highlight 10 college players who produced standout data in Week 8. Here are five hitters and pitchers who caught our attention this past week.
Hitters
Andrey Martinez, INF/OF, Bethune-Cookman
No player in the country matched Andrey Martinez’s raw output last week. The Bethune-Cookman slugger recorded a nation-leading 11 hits in 18 at-bats—including six home runs for another national high—and drove in 12 over a four-game stretch. The Barranquilla, Colombia native more than doubled his season homer total (now 10) and slugged an absurd 1.722 while posting a .667 on-base percentage. At 24 years old, Martinez has emerged as a tone-setter for one of the SWAC’s top teams, batting .380 with 35 RBIs in 26 games. With Bethune-Cookman locked in a tight race with Florida A&M, his bat is arriving at the perfect time.
Cam Kozeal, 1B, Arkansas
Cam Kozeal was a hitting machine last week during Arkansas’ historic sweep of Missouri, a series in which the Razorbacks broke the program record for runs scored. The Vanderbilt transfer went 9-for-13 with three extra-base hits and a 1.385 slugging percentage while continuing to anchor the offense for the No. 1-ranked team in the country. Kozeal has emerged as one of the SEC’s most impactful transfers thanks to a full-fledged breakout in Fayetteville. The sophomore is hitting .408 on the season, has already matched his career highs in home runs (five) and doubles (eight) and has set a new personal best with 31 RBIs. He’s done it all while sharpening his plate approach, trimming his strikeout rate from 19.16% to just 13%.
Bryce Hughes, SS, Texas Southern
Bryce Hughes was a menace on the basepaths again last week, stealing six bases across three games to bring his season total to 35, second-most in the country behind only VMI’s Owen Prince (40). The Texas Southern shortstop man went 7-for-12 at the plate (.583) with a .667 on-base percentage and .917 slugging percentage, adding six runs and four RBIs. Hughes has now played 33 games and been caught stealing just once. His ability to get on base and wreak havoc continues to make him one of college baseball’s premier disruptors.
Bryce Molinaro, 3B, Penn State
Bryce Molinaro caught fire in Week 8, launching four home runs in 15 at-bats and driving in six while posting a .669 wOBA. The Penn State slugger’s offensive explosion was backed by data, as he led the nation in wRCE (9.90) for the week according to 64Analytics. On the season, Molinaro now ranks No. 92 nationally in wRCE, signaling that his big week wasn’t just noise, but a step forward in what could become a true breakout stretch.
Michael Diaz, OF, Grand Canyon
Michael Diaz delivered one of the most impactful offensive performances of Week 8, going 8-for-14 with four home runs and 16 RBIs across four games. The Grand Canyon slugger posted a .937 wOBA, 265 wRC+ and 9.40 wRCE, which ranked second in the country behind only Molinaro. Diaz’s combination of power and timely hitting fueled a massive week at the plate and helped to further Grand Canyon’s push for the postseason.
Pitchers
Kade Anderson, LHP, LSU
Kade Anderson turned in his best outing of a super season in Week 8 when he threw the first nine-inning, complete-game shutout by an LSU pitcher since 2018 against a potent Oklahoma lineup. Anderson struck out a career-high 14 against just two walks and allowed five hits while throwing 135 pitches. LSU head coach Jay Johnson said it was a no-brainer to allow his ace to finish out the game, calling it “one of easiest decisions we’ve had in a tight game this year.”
The draft-eligible sophomore showed off his entire arsenal, commanding a mid-90s fastball, a high-whiff-producing changeup which he threw in all counts, a slider and an impressive curveball that exceeded 2,900 rpm. Anderson owns a 2.85 ERA with 75 strikeouts to 12 walks in 47.1 innings across eight starts heading into Week 9.
LJ Mercurius, RHP, UNLV
LJ Mercurius was nearly untouchable in his outing last week, spinning a complete-game shutout with 12 strikeouts, no walks and just three hits allowed against Mountain West foe and in-state rival Nevada. The UNLV righty’s 41% K-BB rate underscored how dominant he was in the zone, and his 14.99 wRAE ranked second in the nation behind Anderson. It was one of the most efficient and overpowering performances anywhere in college baseball, as he and Anderson were the only Division I pitchers in Week 8 to throw complete-game shutouts and two of five who threw a complete game.
Kellen O’Connor, LHP, Cincinnati
Kellen O’Connor was sharp and efficient in a complete-game win last week at Texas Tech, allowing just one earned run on six hits over nine innings. The Cincinnati lefthander didn’t walk a batter and struck out five, generating a 9.72 wRAE total that was one of the tops in the nation. A transfer from Cal State Bakersfield, O’Connor has handled the step up in competition seamlessly and is now carrying a 3.98 ERA across 31.2 innings on the season. His command and durability have made him a key piece of the Bearcats’ pitching staff as they look push into the NCAA Tournament in a competitive Big 12.
Antoine Jean, LHP, Houston
Antoine Jean was electric in two appearances last week, recording 13 strikeouts across five shutout innings while allowing just two hits and one walk. The Houston lefthander converted 13 of his 15 outs via strikeout en route to a 23.4 K/9, 0.60 WHIP and 12.93 wRAE—one of the most dominant lines in the nation during Week 8. A senior and former Alabama transfer, Jean has consistently missed bats this season, generating elite whiff rates on all three of his secondary pitches: slider (41%), curveball (58%), and changeup (57%). He’s firmly in the conversation for Big 12 Pitcher of the Year and has emerged as a target for pro teams as a senior signee.
Jamie Arnold, LHP, Florida State
Jamie Arnold bounced back in a big way in Week 8, striking out 10 batters over five scoreless innings while allowing just two hits against a Wake Forest lineup that went on to score 29 runs over the next two games. After giving up eight runs across 8.2 innings in his previous two starts, the Florida State lefty found his rhythm again, flashing the swing-and-miss stuff that made him one of the nation’s most dangerous arms earlier this spring. He posted an 18.0 K/9, 0.80 WHIP and 10.42 wRAE, showing signs of dominance, particularly with his devastating slider, a pitch that has been his most consistent whiff-generator when he’s locked in. When Arnold’s sequencing is sharp, he can miss bats with all three pitches, and this week proved just that.
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