Chase Burns, Jac Caglianone Highlight NCAA Week 4 Standouts (Hot Sheet)
Image credit: (Photo by Danny Parker/Four Seam Images)
The College Hot Sheet has returned for the 2024 season. Like our pro Hot Sheet that runs during the minor league season, we’re recognizing some of the top performers from around the country in college baseball after each weekend of play. Carlos Collazo and Peter Flaherty contributed to the College Hot Sheet this week. Players are listed in alphabetical order.
You can find our updated 2024 draft rankings here. All of our college coverage each week during the season can be found here.
Kade Anderson, LHP, LSU
Class: 2025
What He Did: 5 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 2 BB, 13 K
Anderson turned in the best start of his young career last Wednesday. He did not allow an earned run while notching an impressive 13 strikeouts across five innings. The freshman lefthander relied heavily on his fastball-curveball combination, but did mix in a few mid-80s changeups. Anderson’s heater sat in the 91-94 range and topped out at 95. He dominated with it, especially up in the zone, and it generated 10 swings and misses. It showed riding life through the zone and consistently got over the barrel of opposing hitters. Anderson’s high-70s curveball flashed almost a true 12-to-6 shape with plenty of depth and sharp, downward bite. Anderson this season is 2-0 with a minuscule 0.64 ERA and has 26 strikeouts across 14 innings pitched. He profiles as one of the premier sophomore-eligible prospects in the 2025 draft and has day one upside. -PF
Blake Barthol, 2B, Coastal Carolina
Class: 2024
What He Did: 9-for-19 (.474), 8 R, 13 RBI, 6 HR, 1 2B, 6 BB, 4 K
Barthol had arguably the best week of any hitter in the country and crushed six home runs with 13 RBIs. He homered in four of Coastal’s five games, but his best performance came on Saturday in which he went 3-for-4 with three home runs and six RBIs. Barthol got off to a slow start this season, but is 17-for-37 (.459) since Feb. 24 and is hitting .356/.506/.915 with a team-leading nine long balls. He has quickness in his hands and a steep swing that is geared toward getting the ball up in the air. A draft-eligible sophomore, Barthol is an intriguing name to keep an eye on this season. -PF
Noah Beal, RHP, Fresno State
Class: 2024
What He Did: 7 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 12 K
Beal on Friday shut down UC Irvine—who earlier in the day scored a ridiculous 32 runs—to the tune of 12 strikeouts across seven shutout innings. Beal has neither premium stuff nor overwhelming velocity, but he mixed his pitches well and kept Anteater hitters off balance. He turned over a couple of nice changeups that flashed tumbling action and a bit of fade to the arm side. His sweepy slider also generated a handful of swings and misses. Beal has plus pitchability, and this season has pitched his way to a 4.50 ERA with a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 29-to-2 across 22 innings. -PF
Chase Burns, RHP, Wake Forest
Class: 2024
What He Did: 6 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 14 K
Burns turned in his best start of the season in a highly-scouted matchup against Duke on Saturday. He struck out a season-best 14 batters in just six innings while showcasing a pair of 70-grade pitches with his 98 mph fastball and upper-80s slider. The slider was his primary swing-and-miss offering in this look and was used to finish 10 of his 14 strikeouts, though the fastball was a consistent weapon and miss pitch at the top of the zone. He’s making a case to be the first pitcher selected in the draft. More to come from this Burns outing and this Wake-Duke series later this week. -CC
Will Butcher, 1B, Troy
Class: 2024
What He Did: 5-for-15 (.333), 7 R, 7 RBI, 3 HR, 5 BB, 4 K
Will Butcher has been one of the top run producers in the country so far. He currently tops D-1 hitters with 33 after adding seven more RBIs last week. His big effort of the weekend was in Friday night’s game against Indiana. The 6-foot-2, 229-pound slugger went 3-for-5 with three home runs. After 17 games Butcher is hitting .387/.530/.823 with six home runs, a 14.5% walk rate and 15.7% strikeout rate. –CC
Jac Caglianone, LHP/1B, Florida
Class: 2024
What He Did: 6 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 4 BB, 9 K
The two-way sensation on Sunday extended his scoreless innings streak to 12 with six shutout hitless innings against Saint Mary’s. Caglianone’s trademark fastball sat in the 94-97 range and flashed run and ride through the zone. His control of the offering was a little scattered, but he was still able to generate eight swings and misses while not having the best feel for the pitch. Caglianone’s changeup is plus, and on top of getting great separation off his heater will flash late tumbling life. He showed advanced feel for his mid-80s cutter-slider hybrid and manipulated its shape well. Interestingly enough, it was shorter and tighter against lefthanded hitters while flashing a longer, sweepier look against righthanded hitters. It was plenty effective against both, and garnered seven swings and misses.
On the day, Caglianone generated an impressive 21 swings and misses which was good for an overall miss rate of 48%. In an effort to improve his command and control, Caglianone this offseason made a handful of mechanical adjustments that early on have paid off. He tightened up his delivery, shortened his arm stroke and slightly lowered his release height. Through 15 innings starts, the 6-foot-5 Adonis has pitched his way to a 1.80 ERA with 27 strikeouts and eight walks. -PF
Brooks Caple, RHP, Lamar
Class: 2024
What He Did: 7.2 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 11 K
A 6-foot-6, 230-pound righthander, Caple pitched into the eighth inning last weekend against UMBC and struck out a season-best 11 batters while doing so. He didn’t allow a run or walk in this outing and now sits with a 1.88 ERA, 37.1% strikeout rate and 5.6% walk rate. Caple has a four-pitch mix that includes a fastball around 90, a mid-80s cutter/slider, a top-down curveball and a low-80s changeup. The fastball and cutter were his most effective pitches in this look and the two he went to most often. He generated eight whiffs with each. –CC
Blake Cyr, 2B, Miami
Class: 2025
What He Did: 8-for-16 (.500), 8 R, 11 RBI, 3 HR, 4 BB, 3 K
After a slow seven-game stretch to start the season, Cyr broke out in a big way this week. He started the week with a bang, going 2-for-3 with a home run and five RBIs against Stonehill. In Saturday’s thrilling come-from-behind win over Virginia, Cyr went 3-for-5 and blasted the game-winning grand slam. To put the cherry on top of what was a fantastic week, Cyr on Sunday went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run. The sophomore second baseman packs plenty of impact in his 5-foot-11 frame and plays with an infectious energy and swagger. He has day one upside in 2025. -PF
Caden Favors, LHP, Wichita State
Class: 2024
What He Did: 7 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 10 K
Just a week after the best outing of his career against Utah Tech, Favors was once again brilliant against Long Beach State. He stacked 10-strikeout efforts in back-to-back games and while he didn’t follow up with another complete game effort, he did throw seven shutout innings and allowed just two hits and two walks. Favors now has a 1.59 ERA in four starts and 28.1 innings with a 30.4% strikeout rate and 5.2% walk rate. He pitches heavily off his fastball and likes to attack the zone and used the heater to finish off nine of the 10 punchouts he had in this outing. –CC
Henry Ford, 1B, Virginia
Class: 2025
What He Did: 10-for-24 (.417), 10 R, 10 RBI, 3 HR, 1 2B, 2 BB, 5 K
A big and physical first baseman and true freshman, Ford has found himself immediately in the middle of Virginia’s lineup and has acquitted himself nicely through his first 15 games. He’s slashed .410/.500/.770 on the season with six home runs—three of which came during the last week including a two-homer game against George Washington. Ford has an unorthodox swing that features a slight bucket stride and leg lift to get started and a high back elbow, but he’s already shown an ability to homer to all fields and has impressive raw power. –CC
Devin Futrell, LHP, Vanderbilt
Class: 2024
What He Did: 9 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 7 K
Futrell entered the weekend coming off a rough start against Texas where he allowed seven hits—including three home runs—and seven earned runs in just two innings. He bounced back against Illinois State on Sunday in a big way and threw a complete game shutout while working around five hits and no walks with seven strikeouts. Despite pitching in the 89-90 mph range with his fastball, Futrell didn’t allow a hit until the fifth inning and did a nice job mixing and matching with an upper-70s slider and upper-70s changeup to keep hitters off balance. While Futrell’s stuff isn’t overpowering, he is one of the better strike throwers in the country and currently has just a 2.3% walk rate. –CC
Blake Helmstetter, LHP, Fairfield
Class: 2024
What He Did: 7 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 9 K
Helmstetter has split time early in 2024 as a reliever and starter. He got the nod in Sunday’s game against Florida Gulf Coast where he threw seven shutout innings and racked up a season-best nine strikeouts without allowing a hit, walk or run. Helmstetter is far from imposing on the mound with just a 5-foot-7, 170-pound frame, but he retired the first 18 batters he faced in this outing and did a nice job filling up the zone with a fastball/slider/changeup trio. The lefty doesn’t typically get a ton of swings and misses but his slider has been an effective pitch early this year against lefties. He did a nice job attacking the top of the zone with his fastball in his most recent start. –CC
Luke Holman, RHP, LSU
Class: 2024
What He Did: 6 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 10 K
We’re still waiting for Holman to allow a run this season. He’s started four games and thrown 24 innings and yet to allow a single one—earned or unearned. That’s quite literally all you can ask of a pitcher. He’s also done this while posting a 47.1% strikeout rate and 4.7% walk rate. In his most recent game against Xavier he sat in the low 90s and generated 13 whiffs with his slider. –CC
Gage Jump, LHP, LSU
Class: 2024
What He Did: 5 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 10 K
Jump is still being stretched out and has thrown only 13.1 innings in three starts and four games so far this spring. Last weekend against Xavier he put together his best start of the year. He recorded double-digit strikeouts for the first time in 2024 and had his 92-94 mph fastball in great form. The pitch features riding life from a lower release point and he used it to generate 13 whiffs—mostly coming at the top and above the zone—compared to four on his low-80s slider. Pitching deeper into games will be nice for LSU and scouts watching Jump, though he has pitched to a 43.8% strikeout rate and 4.2% walk rate thus far. –CC
Grant Knipp, C, Campbell
Class: 2024
What He Did: 6-for-18 (.333), 9 R, 9 RBI, 4 HR, 2 2B, 4 BB, 6 K
Knipp enjoyed a productive week that was highlighted by Sunday’s series finale in which he went 4-for-6 with three home runs, a double and six RBIs. On top of his impressive .449/.606/1.224 slash line, Knipp’s 11 home runs rank second nationally behind only potential No. 1 overall pick Charlie Condon and his 26 RBIs rank eighth. Knipp has been No. 25 Campbell’s most productive hitter this season by a wide margin. He is well on his way to setting new career highs in every statistical category. He has plus power to the pull side, but can drive the ball with authority to all fields. On top of his power, Knipp also has plus arm strength behind the plate and has been up to 98 on the mound. -PF
Gage Miller, 3B, Alabama
Class: 2024
What He Did: 9-for-16 (.563), 10 R, 6 RBI, 3 HR, 3 2B, 3 BB, 0 K
Miller makes his second Hot Sheet appearance in the last three weeks thanks to a productive week in which he collected at least one extra-base hit in three out of his four games. Miller on Tuesday crushed a key solo home run against Troy before going 7-for-10 in Saturday’s doubleheader against Lipscomb. After going 3-for-4 with a double and two home runs in game one, Miller laced four more hits—including two doubles—in game two. In the box, Miller has some quickness in his hands with above-average thump to the pull side, and a physical lower-half that he uses well. He has been Alabama’s best hitter to this point and currently leads the team in average (.460), home runs (8) and RBIs (24). -PF
Will Mize, 3B, Georgia State
Class: 2024
What He Did: 12-for-21 (.571), 8 R, 7 RBI, 3 HR, 3 2B, 1 BB, 1 K
Mize put together multi-hit games in four of the five games he played last week, headlined by a 3-for-5 game on Saturday against Army where he hit two home runs and a double. Both his home runs came against mistake breaking balls that hung up in the middle of the zone. He managed to capitalize and drive them out to left-center on both occasions. The fifth-year senior is hitting .343/.380/.657 with six home runs, a 9.9% strikeout rate and a 5.6% walk rate. He needs just two more homers to match his previous single-season best. –CC
Ryan Prager, LHP, Texas A&M
Class: 2024
What He Did: 7 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 13 K
After missing all of last season recovering from injury, Prager this spring has been flat-out dominant. Against Rhode Island he went a career-long seven innings and struck out a career-best 13 while allowing one hit. He showed a quality three-pitch mix and generated seven misses apiece with both his fastball and slider, while also generating four with his changeup. Prager has natural deception in his delivery and attacks from a near over-the-top slot, which helps his arsenal—especially his fastball—play up. His slider is his best offering and he is comfortable throwing it to both right and lefthanded hitters. Prager has a solid feel for it, and it flashes some lateral movement with depth. Prager hasn’t allowed a run through 23.2 innings and his strikeout-to-walk ratio is a cartoonish 40-to-3. Should he carry this into SEC play, Prager this July is a likely day two draft choice. -PF
James Tibbs III, OF, Florida State
Class: 2024
What He Did: 7-for-14 (.500), 5 R, 5 RBI, 1 HR, 1 3B, 3 2B, 4 BB, 1 K
Tibbs continued his torrid start to the season, going 7-for-13 this weekend with six extra-base hits. After going 2-for-4 with a double and a triple on Friday, Tibbs on Sunday went 3-for-4 with a double, a home run and two RBIs. Tibbs is now hitting .404/.493/.912 and his six doubles, seven home runs and 26 RBIs all lead the team. On top of his plus power at the plate and plus arm in right field, Tibbs this season has flashed plus bat-to-ball skills—to the tune of a 90% overall in-zone contact rate—as well as an incredibly advanced approach. He has first-round upside this July. -PF
Isaiah Zavala, RHP, Incarnate Word
Class: 2024
What He Did: 9 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 13 K
Zavala this weekend enjoyed the best start of his lengthy college career. He threw his first-ever complete game while striking out a career-high 13. He held Texas Southern to three hits—all singles—and retired 13 straight hitters between the second and sixth inning. Zavala’s high-70s/low-80s slider is his best pitch, and it flashes two-plane break with depth. He also has plus control of his low-90s fastball. The fifth-year righthander this season has a 3.33 ERA with 28 strikeouts to just four walks across 24.1 innings. -PF
