10 Breakout Hitters of the 2022 College Baseball Season

Justin Boyd, OF, Oregon State

Boyd last season hit .301/.395/.411 in 73 at-bats, but this season he’s taken his production to a new level as a full-time player. He’s hitting .364/.503/.509 with as many walks (29) as strikeouts (29) and 16 stolen bases in 19 tries, helping give Oregon State one of the most dynamic lineups in the country. 

Sonny DiChiara, 1B, Auburn

DiChiara was a very productive player in his time at Samford. He hit 41 home runs in three seasons there, after all. But despite transferring up to play in the SEC at Auburn, his numbers have gotten better this season and he’s become a sensation on The Plains. He’s hitting .452/.595/.946 with 13 doubles, 11 home runs and twice as many walks (30) as strikeouts (15).

Jake Gelof, 3B, Virginia

One season after hitting .252/.336/.468 with four home runs, all of which came in the ACC Tournament or later, Gelof is hitting .398/.503/.894 with 10 doubles, 14 home runs and 54 RBIs. And as far as family bragging rights go, his home run and RBI totals are already greater than his older brother Zack, a second-round pick last year, had in any single season at Virginia. 

Jake Hyde, OF, Georgetown

Georgetown has shown itself to be an improved club in 2022, and Hyde has been a big part of that turnaround. As a freshman in 2021, he hit .159/.245/.205 in a trying season that saw the Hoyas hit just .195/.290/.246 as a team. This season, he’s hitting .371/.465/.765 with 11 doubles, 13 homers and 36 RBIs. 

Jack Hurley, OF, Virginia Tech

Hurley had a nice freshman season at Virginia Tech in 2021, hitting .251/.354/.411 with 10 doubles and six homers, but this season he’s come into his own as one of college baseball’s biggest threats. He’s hitting .431/.500/.853 with 14 doubles and 10 home runs, and after striking out 64 times and walking 18 all last season, he’s walked 15 times and struck out just 23 times in a half season so far this year. 

Dominic Johnson, OF, Kansas State

One of the elite speedsters in the 2020 prep class, Johnson started his career at Oklahoma State, but went just 2-for-13 during his freshman campaign. After transferring to Kansas State, he’s hitting .392/.455/.600 with 15 doubles and seven stolen bases in nine tries. 

Trey Lipscomb, 3B, Tennessee

Lipscomb is the ultimate player development story on this list. In his first three seasons at Tennessee, Lipscomb had a total of 69 at-bats. But this season he’s broken out and become as big a threat as any player in the vaunted Volunteers lineup by hitting .373/.446/.831 with 13 home runs and 51 RBIs. 

Ben Metzinger, 3B, Louisville

In Metzinger’s first three seasons at Louisville, he got just one taste of being a lineup regular, and that came in 2020, when he hit .349 in 11 games before the season was canceled. He earned a place as a regular in 2022 and suffice it to say that he’s run with the opportunity, as he’s hitting .344/.478/.720 with 13 home runs, 41 RBIs and more walks (31) than strikeouts (24), all while going a perfect 8-for-8 in stolen bases. 

Derek Orndorff, OF, Liberty

Orndorff began his career with two seasons at Penn State before landing at Division II Seton Hill (Pa.), where he played two more seasons and capped off his time there hitting .353 with 15 home runs. After transferring back up to Division I to play at Liberty, he hasn’t missed a beat despite seeing better pitching. He’s hitting .355/.528/.785 with 12 home runs, and he even led the country in homers for a stretch in March. 

Murphy Stehly, UTL, Texas

Stehly is enjoying a breakout as a fifth-year senior at Texas. After two seasons at Orange Coast (Calif.) College, Stehly had one home run in 90 total at-bats in his first two seasons in Austin before coming into his own this season. As the perfect complement to Ivan Melendez in the Longhorns’ lineup, Stehly is hitting .438/.480/.774 with 14 doubles and 10 home runs.