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Jared Jones (Mike Janes/Four Seam Images)
Power hitting and pitching took center stage in the third week of the college season that featured several massive home runs, exit velocities and power heaters on the mound.
Baseball America is back with the Freak Sheet to highlight five hitters and pitchers who produced standout data in Week 3:
Hitters
Jared Jones, 1B, LSU
Regarded as one of college baseball’s most powerful batters in 2025, LSU first baseman Jared Jones showed off his pop in a big league ballpark on Feb. 26 in a 7-3 win over then-No. 18 Dallas Baptist. The righthanded swinger recorded two hits against the Patriots, a 112.5 mph single and a 112.0 mph double.
He’ll have to sustain it over a much larger sample of games, but Jones has cut his strikeout percentage to an impressive 10.1% through 14 contests after posting a 25.8% rate a year ago. Whether he can swing and miss less this season will be the most significant factor in determining his draft stock as he possesses near-top-of-scale power but a more questionable hit tool.
Jake Bennett, DH, Dallas Baptist
The ranked midweek showdown between Dallas Baptist and No. 3 LSU produced several Statcast standouts. Patriots designated hitter Jake Bennett also makes the Freak Sheet after he set the game high in home run distance (438 feet) and ranked second behind Jones in exit velocity (112.1 mph).
Bennett also produced some of the quickest swings in the game with bat speeds as high as 81.2 mph. Bennett, his teammate Joey Nerat and Jones were the only players to record multiple 80-plus mph swings.
Dale Francis, 1B, Gardner Webb
Gardner Webb first baseman Dale Francis put together the top performance of Week 3 when he slugged four home runs in a game against Appalachian State on March 1. You can read about his historic performance in detail here.
It should come as little surprise that Francis led all Division I players in 64Analytics.com’ s Weighted Run Created Efficiency (wRCE) metric, which is college-adjusted versions of the Runs Created statistics used to evaluate professional players.
Francis has demonstrated above average power over the last several years, mostly at the Division II level. He returned to Division I this season and is off to a scorching hot start.
Grant Jay, C, Dallas Baptist
The Patriots snagged a second spot in this week’s Freak Sheet thanks to catcher Grant Jay’s jaw-dropping power. Jay homered three times in four games throughout the third week of the season, including multiple towering shots that traveled at least 415 feet.
As of March 6, Jay needs just five home runs to break Austin Listi’s Dallas Baptist career record. Jay has hit 21 home runs in each of the last two seasons and already has seven in 12 games in 2025.
Gavin Kilen, 2B, Tennessee
Tennessee second baseman Gavin Kilen’s name already had plenty of helium on draft boards heading into the season thanks to overwhelmingly-positive rumblings about him out of the Vols’ preseason camp. The Louisville transfer has validated that praise and then some so far this season, as he’s batting .511 with seven home runs, three triples, four doubles, 19 RBIs and more than four times as many walks (14) as he has strikeouts (three).
Kilen crushed two home runs, a triple and a double on March 1 against Rice and posted exit velocities of 109.6 (game high), 102.8, 100.1 (twice) and 95.1 mph.
Pitchers
Jordan Stephens, RHP, Georgia
We’ve already featured Georgia closer Brian Curley on Freak Sheet this season after the righty touched 101 mph with his fastball. Now its his bullpen-mate, sophomore righty Jordan Stephens, making his debut on the list. A transfer from Tifton (Ga.) Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College, Stephens looked dominant in a ninth-inning appearance against Florida Gulf Coast when he hit 100 mph with his fastball and struck out the only batter he faced.
Stephens has sat 97-99 with his fastball, which he throws 78% of the time, in five appearances with the Bulldogs this year. The righty also offers a slider.
Tanner Franklin, RHP, Tennessee
When the Volunteers added former Kennesaw State righty Tanner Franklin to their roster over the offseason, they knew quickly that the flamethrower would be able to contribute as a high-leverage reliever, a role he’s filled beautifully so far this season.
Franklin, who grabbed 101.7 mph with his heater over the weekend, has 15 strikeouts against one walk, a save and just two earned runs allowed in 8.2 innings on the season.
Riley Kelly, RHP, UC Irvine
There’s no shortage of scouting interest in UC Irvine junior righty Riley Kelly, who made just 12 total appearances in his first two seasons with the Anteaters due to injuries.
While he lacks polish and must demonstrate considerably better command, Kelly has several standout pitch shapes in his arsenal, which includes a low-to-mid 90s fastball, a 3,000-rpm curveball which he can manipulate to have more depth depending on how hard he throws it and a budding changeup, which is currently a distant third offering but has looked quite sharp to start 2025.
Kelly owns a 3.00 ERA in nine innings (all in relief) so far this season. He’s walked nine and struck out six, which points to his volatility.
Tyler Bremner, RHP, UC Santa Barbara
You wouldn’t have known it if you just looked at his final line from the contest, which included just four strikeouts in seven innings, but UCSB ace Tyler Bremner was back to his bat-missing ways in his third—and by far best—start of the young season. The righty delivered seven innings of one-run ball and produced a whiff an inning on his changeup alone.
Bremner could be gearing up to take off after his most recent outing, as he managed just three innings in each of his first two starts.
He certainly looked the part of an early first rounder against Fresno State.
Liam O’Brien, RHP, Hawaii
Hawaii seems to have found a weapon in Gonzaga transfer righthander Liam O’Brien, who has made five appearances this season, including two starts, while allowing just one run to score in 17.1 innings.
O’Brien exclusively relies on two pitches: a low-to-mid 90s fastball and tight low-to-mid-80s curveball, the latter of which has produced a loud 55% whiff rate and strong 34% chase rate so far this year.
O’Brien is one of the main pieces in a Rainbow Warriors pitching staff that has impressed so far this year. It ranks No. 39 nationally in ERA, No. 12 in WHIP, No. 29 in strikeout to walk ratio and No. 28 in hits allowed per nine innings. The group’s continued success could lead it to an at-large bid out of a very competitive Big West conference.
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