Travis Bazzana, Ryan Johnson Highlight NCAA Week 6 Standouts (Hot Sheet)

Michael Anderson, 1B, Rhode Island

Class: 2025

What He Did: 5-for-6 (.833), 3 R, 12 RBI, 2 HR, 1 3B, 2 2B

Anderson more than made the most of his one game last week, turning in a record-setting performance in which he collected five hits to tie the program record and drove in a new program-best 12 runs. After hitting a two-run double in the third inning and a two-run triple in the fourth, Anderson belted an opposite field, three-run home run and a pull-side grand slam in back-to-back innings. He would eventually close out his historic performance with an RBI double in the seventh inning. A power-over-hit first baseman, Anderson has an uphill bat path to go along with plenty of natural strength. He has shown the ability to consistently get the ball up in the air with authority, but especially to the pull side. Anderson came into last Tuesday hitting a modest .231, but he raised his average more than 60 points to .293. He will look to finish out this season strong before spending his summer on the Cape. -PF

Travis Bazzana, 2B, Oregon State

Class: 2024

What He Did: 8-for-16 (.500), 10 R, 11 RBI, 6 HR, 3 BB, 0 K

Bazzana’s been riding a hitting hot streak essentially since he started playing college baseball. Last week he homered six times to eclipse his previous single-season homerun record (11) and his 14 homers on the season put him tied for third among all D-I hitters. Additionally, Bazzana has a four-game leadoff homer streak and is currently hitting .467/.581/.1.054 with a 19.7% walk rate and a 9.4% strikeout rate. He’s currently one of the most dangerous hitters in college baseball who makes contact, will take a walk and is now homering among the elite sluggers in the game. The only reason he has just five stolen bases is because he’s spent so much time trotting casually around in infield this spring. He was a 1-1 contender entering the season and that’s even more the case now. –CC

Dixon Black, 3B, Wofford

Class: 2024

What He Did: 7-for-15 (.467), 8 R, 11 RBI, 3 HR, 1 3B, 4 BB, 2 K

Black continued his hot stretch at the plate this week and scattered seven hits across four games. He logged at least one knock in every game this week, but his best performance came in Saturday’s doubleheader against The Citadel in which he went a combined 4-for-8 with nine RBIs, three home runs—including a grand slam—and an RBI triple. The senior third baseman is hitting .425/.505/.750 with 14 extra-base hits, and is one of the most dangerous hitters in a Wofford lineup whose .367 cumulative average ranks first nationally. -PF

Chase Burns, RHP, Wake Forest

Class: 2024

What He Did: 7 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 12 K

Burns and Smith continue to match each other with impressive outings week after week and that remains the case for week 6. Burns struck out 12 Louisville batters in seven innings last Friday and has now struck out 10 or more batters in five of his six starts—he still managed eight strikeouts in the one game against Dayton where he didn’t get to double digits. After 37.1 innings Burns is still averaging 98 mph on his fastball and he has a miss rate north of 60% with his upper-80s slider and his slower low-80s breaking ball. After a few games early in the season with higher walk totals, Burns has gotten his walk rate down to 8.7% which is more in line with his career mark and, in the context of the 2024 college pitching class, a standout figure. –CC

Corey Collins, C/OF, Georgia

Class: 2024

What He Did: 11-for-17 (.647), 8 R, 13 RBI, 6 HR, 1 K

A former blue chip prospect in high school, Collins has largely struggled since a productive freshman campaign back in 2021. However, the veteran slugger is in the midst of a major bounce back season and could be on his way to the best season of his lengthy college career. Collins last week homered in three of his four games, including two multi-home run games. After going 4-for-5 with three home runs and eight RBIs in a midweek win over Presbyterian, Collins on Sunday went 2-for-3 with two more long balls to help propel the Bulldogs to a marquee sweep of Alabama. Collins is ultra-physical at 6-foot-3 and 236-pounds and possesses plus bat speed to go along with plus power to the pull side. This season he has flashed a more advanced approach than in year’s past, and has particularly feasted on fastballs to the tune of a 96% contact rate. Collins is now hitting .425/.615/1.175 and 10 of his 17 hits are home runs. -PF

Charlie Condon, 3B/OF, Georgia

Class: 2024

What He Did: 8-for-16 (.500), 7 R, 8 RBI, 4 HR, 1 2B, 2 BB

Condon has not-so-quietly played his way into the 1-1 conversation thanks to a video game-like start to the 2024 season. This past weekend was his most difficult test yet, and it’s safe to say he passed with flying colors. After a strong midweek game against Wofford in which he went 2-for-5 with a double and a home run, Condon this weekend went 6-for-11 with three home runs and five RBIs. In the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader, Condon slugged a pair of long balls including a game-winning, two-run blast that came against talented reliever Alton Davis II. While Condon is 6-foot-6, he has a uniquely compact and quiet operation for someone his size. He does a nice job of keeping his long levers in sync and boasts plus bat speed with double-plus game power to boot. Condon does not sell out at all to get to his thunderous power, and he also has an advanced feel for the barrel with a plus hit tool. He has played all over the diamond defensively and while his long-term home is still unknown, Condon has flashed some athleticism with present arm strength. Both his .517 average and 17 home runs lead the country, and his case to be selected first overall will only get stronger as long as he continues to perform against high-level SEC pitching. -PF

Collier Cranford, SS, Kansas

Class: 2024

What He Did: 6-for-16 (.375), 3 R, 9 RBI, 1 HR, 1 3B, 2 2B, 3 K

The LSU transfer continued his solid start to the season with a strong week that was headlined by a 4-for-5 game against Central Florida in which he had seven RBIs and hit for the cycle. Cranford had a mostly quiet week otherwise, though he did drive in the Jayhawks’ lone run in the second game of Saturday’s doubleheader. Cranford does not have an overwhelming tool set, but so far this season he has flashed an advanced feel for the barrel and contact ability to the tune of a 95% in-zone contact rate. We’re still less than halfway through the season, but Cranford is well on track to set new career-highs in every major offensive category. The veteran infielder is currently slashing .318/.374/.534 with six doubles, three home runs and 20 RBIs. -PF

Braden Davis, LHP, Oklahoma

Class: 2024

What He Did: 7 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 12 K

Davis struck out a career-best 12 batters in seven no-hit innings against West Virginia on Friday. He combined with Reid Hensley to throw the ninth no-hitter in Oklahoma history and the second combined no-hitter for the program. A 5-foot-11, 175-pound lefthander, Davis throws a fastball in the 90-92 mph range, a low-80s slider and a low-80s changeup. He got swings and misses on all three pitches last Friday, but particularly the fastball (9) and slider (7) and lowered his season ERA from 5.09 to 3.90 in the process. –CC

Brian Holiday, RHP, Oklahoma State

Class: 2024

What He Did: 9 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 14 K

One week after striking out 11 batters in eight innings Holiday threw a complete game against TCU and struck out a career-best 14. He allowed two earned runs on four hits and no walks while throwing 113 pitches and now has a 1.87 ERA in 43.1 innings with a 30.5% strikeout rate and 4.8% walk rate. Holiday spent the 2023 season with Central Florida JC where he was the most outstanding pitcher of the college world series and has brought excellent strike throwing and swing-and-miss stuff to the Cowboy pitching staff. Holiday has a shorter frame at 5-foot-11, 200 pounds but he attacks the bottom of the zone with a 90-93 mph fastball that has been up to 95 and throws two distinct breaking balls—a low-80s slider and a mid-70s 12-to-6 curve with impressive depth and finish. –CC

Ryan Johnson, RHP, Dallas Baptist

Class: 2024

What He Did: 9 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 15 K

Johnson threw a complete game and allowed just one run on four hits while racking up 15 strikeouts last Friday against Sam Houston. The 6-foot-6, 215-pound righthander now has three games this season with 13 or more strikeouts and is third in the country with 64 strikeouts—behind Winthrop’s Riley Huge (71) and Wake Forest’s Chase Burns (68). The 15 strikeouts in this game were a career-best for Johnson, who has posted a 1.93 ERA in six starts and 42 innings. Despite a fastball that sits in the mid-90s and gets up to 98 Johnson pitches off his 80-mph slider nearly half the time and used that breaking ball to finish seven of his 15 strikeouts while generating 16 whiffs. –CC

Justin Lamkin, LHP, Texas A&M

Class: 2025

What He Did: 7.1 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 BB, 12 K

Lamkin bounced back from a rough start last week and allowed just one run on two hits with a career-high 12 strikeouts across 7.1 innings. He commanded his low-90s fastball well, and was able to generate nine swings-and-misses with the pitch. It has natural run to the arm side with a little bit of sink and jumps out of his hand from a low-three quarter slot. Lamkin’s high-70s slider—which is especially effective against lefthanded hitters—flashed long, sweeping action with a touch of vertical bite and has the look of a potential plus pitch in the not-so-distant future. Lastly, Lamkin features a low-80s changeup that plays well off his fastball and flashes late tumbling life. This year, Lamkin has a 1.48 ERA with 44 strikeouts to just eight walks across 30.1 innings. He is one of the premier sophomore arms in the country and a potential top-two round draft pick in 2025. -PF

Cole McConnell, OF, Louisiana Tech

Class: 2024

What He Did: 7-for-20 (.350), 6 R, 8 RBI, 4 HR, 1 2B, 1 BB, 7 K

McConnell was named the Conference USA hitter of the week for the second time this season after tallying seven hits and four homers in five games. He went hitless in a midweek game against LSU, but went 5-for-12 against Jax State in a weekend series including a Saturday game where he went 3-for-3 with three home runs. The fifth-year senior is hitting .376/.439/.806 with 10 home runs—the most he’s hit in a single season. –CC

Dominic Pieto, RHP, Long Island

Class: 2024

What He Did: 8 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 17 K

Pieto has had a whirlwind of a season in just six games. He allowed 10 earned runs and gave up five home runs in his season-opening game against Florida International but last Friday against Norfolk State he threw eight shutout innings and struck out a Long Island record 17 batters. He allowed just two hits and one walk in his historic start and tied Hagen Smith for the second-most strikeouts in a single game this season. On the year Pieto has a 5.50 ERA in 34.1 innings with a 32% strikeout rate and 10.2% walk rate. He pitches in the upper 90s and has topped out at 93 mph. –CC

Justin Sinibaldi, LHP, Rutgers

Class: 2024

What He Did: 9 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 9 K

Sinibaldi on Friday turned in the best start of his college career as he threw a complete-game shutout in which he struck out nine and walked just one against Connecticut. The 6-foot-5 lefthander pounded the strike zone with his entire arsenal that consists of a low-90s fastball, high-70s/low-80s slider and mid-80s changeup. Sinibaldi makes up for his lack of stuff with advanced pitchability, though he did turn over a few quality changeups. He has a short arm stroke and attacks from a three-quarters slot, and is a particularly tough at-bat for lefthanded hitters. Sinibaldi has pitched his way to a 3.04 ERA and boasts an impressive strikeout-to-walk ratio of 40-to-4 across 41.2 innings. -PF

Hagen Smith, LHP, Arkansas

Class: 2024

What He Did: 6 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 12 K

Another week, another Hagen Smith gem. After 12 strikeouts and six shutout innings Smith pushed to 62 strikeouts on the season (4th among D-I pitchers) and has not allowed a run since the first inning of a March 1 game against Murray State for the top-ranked team in the country. Smith’s 56.9% strikeout rate remains the best strikeout rate for a pitcher in the country ahead of Chase Burns (49.3%) in the No. 2 spot. He continues to dominate with a mid-90s fastball and a mid-80s slider that’s among the best pitches in the country. Opposing batters are hitting .070/.086/.123 against the slider with a 63% miss rate, 44 strikeouts and one walk. –CC

Payton Tolle, LHP/1B, TCU

Class: 2024

What He Did: 9 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 3 BB, 15 K

Tolle had a few rough outings to start the season but has been dialed in of late. Last Friday against Oklahoma State he threw a complete game shutout and struck out a career-high 15 batters. That was also the most strikeouts in a game for a TCU pitcher since Kyle Winkler struck out 15 against Air Force in 2011. Tolle dominated the zone with a low-90s fastball and low-80s slider in this outing and attacked hitters from a low arm slot. He touched 96 with his fastball in this game and was touching 93 mph in his final inning and threw a season-high 128 pitches. Tolle now has a 3.73 ERA in six starts and 31.1 innings with a 38.5% strikeout rate and 11.2% walk rate. –CC

Cole Warehime, 1B Southeast Missouri

Class: 2024

What He Did: 7-for-9 (.778), 4 R, 9 RBI, 2 HR, 1 K

Warehime has logged just 19 career at-bats, but he landed himself on this week’s hot sheet thanks to a 5-for-6, nine RBI showing on Saturday in which he slugged two grand slams. His nine RBIs matched Southeast Missouri’s single-game record, and the third-year sophomore will look to log more at-bats as the season progresses. While his sample size is small, Warehime this year is 7-for-16 with two home runs and nine RBIs across five games. -PF

Kyson Witherspoon, RHP, Oklahoma

Class: 2025

What He Did: 7.2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 11 K

A former standout for Junior College power Northwest Florida State, Witherspoon has shined this spring for the Sooners. After firing five shutout innings in relief last week against TCU, the sophomore righthander on Saturday allowed only one run and struck out 11 across 7.2 innings in relief. Both were new career-highs, and Witherspoon has allowed just two earned runs across his last five appearances (17.2 IP). He features an explosive mid-90s fastball that plays well up in the zone thanks to its riding life, but his bread-and-butter is a sharp mid-80s slider that flashes two-plane break. It has a 37% miss rate this season and opposing hitters are slashing a measly .091/.200/.091 against the offering. Witherspoon has a short arm stroke with above-average arm speed and this season has pitched his way to a 1.33 ERA with 30 strikeouts to 12 walks across 27 innings. -PF

Blake Wright, 3B, Clemson

Class: 2024

What He Did: 13-for-22 (.591), 10 R, 21 RBI, 6 HR, 2 BB, 5 K

Wright had the best week of any hitter in the country and drove in a whopping 21 runs across five games. He homered in four of the five—including a three home run game against Presbyterian—and has crushed nine long balls in his last 10 games. Wright was also a main reason as to why No. 2 Clemson was able to sweep No. 12 Florida State. On Saturday, Wright crushed a game-tying grand slam in what ended up being an eight run bottom of the ninth inning, while on Sunday he hit what wound up being the game-winning grand slam. The senior infielder has plus hand speed at the plate with a borderline plus hit tool. He has an extremely advanced feel for the barrel, and so far this season has an overall in-zone contact rate of 93%. Wright has shown the ability to drive the baseball with authority to all fields and also handles himself well on the dirt. He is hitting an impressive .365/.407/.779 with a career-high 13 home runs and a nation-leading 40 RBIs. Wright projects to be a day two draft choice this July. -PF