College Baseball Week Eight Standouts: Jackson Baumeister Strikes Out 14

Image credit: Florida State righthander Jackson Baumeister (Photo courtesy of Florida State)

Unsettled weather across the country made for a strange schedule this past week, but there were still plenty of gems on the mound and clutch performances at the plate. Two top arms in the 2023 draft class continued to cement themselves as potential day one picks, a true freshman shined in the Northeast and the best performance of the entire weekend may have belonged to a Division II player.

Jackson Baumeister, RHP, Florida State

Baumeister turned in the best start of his Florida State career on Thursday night against Clemson, throwing seven shutout innings with 14 strikeouts while allowing just three hits. He ran his fastball up to 97 mph but held his premium velocity throughout the entire outing and pitched comfortably in the 92-95 mph range. Baumeister’s best pitch this outing was his sharp curveball that had a fair amount of depth to it. It generated 10 swings and misses (83% miss rate) and kept the Clemson hitters off balance all night. The draft-eligible sophomore profiles as a starter at the next level and could hear his name called within the first two rounds of this year’s draft. Baumeister’s ERA currently sits at a respectable 4.60 with 40 strikeouts to 14 walks in 29.1 innings pitched. 

Cade Kuehler, RHP, Campbell

The junior righthander was almost untouchable in his start against Presbyterian, as he worked six shutout innings, collecting 13 strikeouts while walking two and allowing just one hit. Kuehler’s fastball-slider combination was particularly lethal, and with both pitches working for him he was able to induce 24 swings and misses. Kuehler’s fastball is his best weapon and it showed elite shape with plenty of carry and mid-to-upper-90s velocity on Thursday night. He paired it with his slider that flashed plus at times, and the slider is a pitch Kuehler continues to develop as he attempts to prove himself as a potential starter at the next level. After the outing, Kuehler’s ERA shrunk to 2.74 and his strikeout-to-walk ratio is now 65-to-16 in 46 innings pitched. 

Aiven Cabral, RHP, Northeastern

Prior to Saturday’s start, Cabral had already emerged as one of the best arms on Northeastern’s pitching staff and was coming off a quality start against Monmouth in which he threw six shutout innings on March 31. However, this weekend Cabral went the distance, twirling a complete game shutout against Delaware in which he notched seven strikeouts, walked none and allowed four hits. Cabral lived around the strike zone as he has all season, avoiding hard contact all afternoon. His fastball sits in the upper 80s to low 90s, but he hides the ball extremely well and it is a pitch that runs away from lefthanded hitters and into the hands of righthanded hitters. Cabral’s best secondary offering is a developing slider that profiles as a potential plus pitch down the road. Cabral is an athletic mover with plus arm speed and more velocity likely on the way. He has a fantastic strikeout-to-walk ratio of 42-to-2 in 41.2 innings this season to go along with a 1.74 ERA. 

Luke Sinnard, RHP, Indiana

Indiana had its biggest series of the season this past weekend, taking on a talented Iowa club. Facing a potential series loss after dropping the opening game, Sinnard stepped up in a major way for the Hoosiers, tossing six shutout innings in which he struck out 13 Hawkeyes and walked none. The imposing 6-foot-8 righthander throws from a near over-the-top slot and boasts an effective four-pitch mix. Both his slider and curveball are plus pitches, and each provides a different look for opposing hitters. Sinnard’s slider has sharp two-plane break, while his curveball has 12-to-6 shape with an unbelievable amount of depth. Sinnard also has advanced feel for all of his offerings, making his arsenal even more impressive. After Saturday’s start, Sinnard now has a 3.68 ERA with 61 strikeouts to just nine walks in 44 innings pitched. 

 

Ryan Dromboski, RHP, Pennsylvania

Drombroski was magnificent in his Sunday start against Princeton—he did not allow an earned run across 7.2 innings pitched, while setting a new program record with 15 strikeouts. The sophomore righthander has a fairly short arm action and attacks from a three-quarter slot. Drombroski’s fastball has been up to 95 mph this spring with effective arm-side run at times, but his calling card is a slider that boasts a miss rate greater than 50%. It is a pitch he’s comfortable throwing to both righthanded and lefthanded hitters and it dives out of the strike zone while garnering its fair share of ugly swings and misses. After his Easter Sunday gem, Drombroski now has a 2.80 ERA with 53 strikeouts in 35.1 innings pitched. 

Ethan Petry, INF, South Carolina

The legend of Ethan Petry continued to grow this week—the true freshman went 4-for-9 with nine RBIs. Most notably, he went 2-for-3 with two home runs and eight RBIs in the Gamecocks’ opening game against LSU and deposited a 99 mph Paul Skenes fastball way over the left field fence. It was Skenes’ first home run given up of the 2023 season, but the 6-foot-4 freshman wasn’t done yet; in the fifth inning he broke the game open for South Carolina with a grand slam against a low and inside breaking ball. Petry is the favorite for the national freshman of the year award, and now has a ridiculous .442 average to go along with 15 home runs and 51 RBIs.  

Jake Gelof, 3B, Virginia

Gelof was a huge reason as to why Virginia was able to pull off a key ACC series sweep of Miami, as he went 7-for-14 with a double, a triple, three home runs and nine RBIs across three games. The junior third baseman’s best performance came in Sunday’s finale, as he went 2-for-4 with two home runs. Gelof’s swing is one that is tailored to consistently get the ball up in the air with plenty of back spin and it’s an operation that has worked well for him throughout his college career. Gelof is currently on pace for his best season yet, as he has a .372 average with 14 doubles, 12 home runs and 53 RBIs (first in the nation).

Jacob Jenkins-Cowart, OF, East Carolina

The 6-foot-6 Jenkins-Cowart made the most of his 10 at-bats for the week, going 5-for-10 with a triple, three home runs and six RBIs. Coming off a series loss to Houston, East Carolina needed a big bounceback week and Jenkins-Cowart helped provide that with his 3-for-5, three-home run performance against North Carolina State in front of a packed Clark-LeClair Stadium on Tuesday night. He has a majestic lefthanded swing and is able to keep his front side anchored while generating explosiveness in his back hip that allows him to drive the barrel through the zone. Since March 14 he is 20-for-50 (.400) with four doubles, one triple and six home runs. On the season, Jenkins-Cowart is now hitting .333 with 10 doubles, eight home runs and 26 RBIs in 31 games played. He is a premier prospect in the 2024 draft class and has a chance to be selected within the first 50 picks. 

Cole Jenkins, OF, Virginia Military Institute

In Friday’s doubleheader against Western Carolina Jenkins hit four home runs in one day and drove in six runs for the Keydets. VMI has one of the more underrated offenses in the country with a .335 average, 82 doubles, 10 triples and 42 home runs. Jenkins has been one of its best hitters with a .336 average and his four-home run outburst thrust him into the team lead with eight. 

Brady Ware, LHP/DH, University of Indianapolis (Division II)

The most impressive performance of the week belonged to Ware, who attends Division II University of Indianapolis, a member of the Great Lakes Valley Conference. In Friday’s game against Drury (Mo.), Ware threw a no-hitter on the mound and struck out 11 while also hitting for the cycle and driving in five runs. The graduate student from Poway, Calif. has a 2.76 ERA with 26 strikeouts in 16.1 innings pitched on the mound this season and a .315 average with 10 extra-base hits at the dish.