Baseball has become more and more reliant on the numbers, a trend that has aggressively trickled down to the college level, where the vast majority of programs have invested in analytically-driven staff members to help guide recruiting and game decisions.
This has corresponded with a boom in available college data, which Baseball America will be highlighting this year with the Freak Sheet, a collection of the most impressive performances from a numerical standpoint.
Hitters
Jayson Jones, DH, Oklahoma State
A transfer from Arkansas who appeared in just 43 games and hit below the Mendoza line over the last two seasons, Jones has performed well since joining his new team and moved into a more prominent role as a result. The Cowboys designated hitter showed off his impressive power at Globe Life Field, where he launched a ball a whopping 460 feet to straight-away left. The ball left the bat at 116 mph.
Clay Burdette, DH, Xavier
Burdette is making his Freak Sheet debut thanks to an at-bat that produced an out. Burdette in the first inning of an 8-3 loss to Oregon State punished a ball at a jaw-dropping 118.1 mph exit velocity. In 2024, only four major league teams hit a ball 118 mph or harder. Eleven pro teams have never reached that mark in the 10 years since Statcast began tracking batted-ball data. You can read more about soaring exit velocities in college baseball here.
Brody Donay, C/DH, Florida
Armed with some of the best power in the 2025 draft class, the Florida designated hitter and catcher is off to a blistering start to the season. The 6-foot-5 slugger, who has comfortably double-plus raw power, launched three home runs on opening weekend with none traveling less than a projected 415 feet. Donay could generate serious draft intrigue if he can demonstrate better feel to hit, which was well below-average last season.
Cam Cannarella, OF, Clemson
We’re including Cannarrella on this list for something he did in the field rather than at the plate. On Opening Day, the double-plus defender managed to track down a ball hit at 103.3 mph off the bat and a 21-degree launch angle to straight-away center, metrics that produced a .625 batting average in the major leagues in 2024. The junior outfielder is one of this year’s premium draft prospects.
Tristan Bissetta, DH, Clemson
Bissetta is the Tigers’ second player on this week’s Freak Sheet after the power hitter turned in one of the top bat speeds in the country on Opening Day. Bissetta uncorked an 87.9 mph swing, which is staggering considering only eight MLB players recorded bat speeds of 87.9-88.0 mph last year: Seiya Suzuki, Pedro Leon, Aaron Judge, Yordan Alvarez, Ryan Mountcastle, Marcel Ozuna, Edwin Rios and Hunter Renfroe.
Pitchers
Brian Curley, RHP, Georgia
The Bulldogs’ closer became something of an overnight sensation in the first week of college action after sticking his tongue out while checking on the runner at second before sealing the win against Kennesaw State on Tuesday. It’s what Curley did over the weekend, though, that really should have caught people’s attention, as he grabbed 99 mph with his heater after a lengthy pause in a funky delivery. Curley has seen his velocity tick up after transferring from VCU, where he topped out at 96 mph last year. He has the makings of an electric college closer.
Ryan Osinkski, RHP, Virginia
A 6-foot-6, 235-pound flamethrower who’s in his third college season and second with Virginia, Osinski makes the Freak Sheet after he also touched 99 mph over the weekend. The righty pitched to a 4.80 ERA in 30 innings out of the Cavaliers’ bullpen last year and struggled to miss bats (just 13 strikeouts against 14 walks). He’s off to a much better start in that category this year with five punch outs in 3.1 innings.
Liam Peterson, RHP, Florida
The Gators are confident they have a true ace in Peterson, a sophomore righty who reinforced his coaches’ belief in him on opening night with a dominant 11-strikeout showing. The metrics out of Peterson’s season-opening outing were excellent. He averaged 21.5 inches of induced vertical break on his fastball and backed the pitch up with a sharp bullet slider that drew a 50% whiff rate. Peterson ranks among the top pitchers in the 2026 draft class.
Dax Whitney, RHP, Oregon State
The Week 1 Freak Sheet would be incomplete without Whitney, who is one of the most promising freshman arms in the nation this year. The young righthander dominated in his debut, striking out eight in five scoreless frames. He occasionally grabbed 98 mph and roughly 20 inches of induced vertical break with his fastball and backed up the pitch with a high-spin slider and sharp 12-6 curveball.
Liam Doyle, LHP, Tennessee
The Tennessee junior southpaw had everything working in his Volunteer debut against Hofstra, as Doyle punched out 11 in five one-hit innings. The Ole Miss transfer produced a 67% whiff rate, including 18 swings and misses with a standout fastball that ranks among the best in the class. While Doyle mainly relied on his heater to blow past an outmatched Hofstra squad, his slider, changeup and cutter were also very effective, drawing a combined four whiffs on 13 total attempts.
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