College Baseball Week 10 Standouts: Dylan Crews Continues Dream Season

This week featured some of the best pitching performances of the season, as there was a no-hitter, a pitcher who was just two outs away from accomplishing the same feat, a Division III transfer shutting down a top-10 team in the country and a complete game shutout of another top-10 team. At the plate, a top draft prospect continued to establish himself as the nation’s best player while a pair of transfers and two veterans had stellar weeks of their own.

T.J. Fondtain, LHP, San Diego State

Fondtain on Friday turned in what was the best pitching performance of any arm in the country, as he threw a no-hitter against Nevada. The 6-foot-5 lefthander struck out 14 and walked only one en route to the best outing of his collegiate career. Fondtain primarily throws a fastball and a changeup, and although he’ll sit in the 88-90 mph range with his heater, his changeup is especially effective. On average, it has 14 mph of separation from his fastball with plenty of fade. Fondtain’s ERA is now 2.92, and in 61.2 innings pitched he has a strikeout-to-walk ratio of 69-to-16. 

Payton Tolle, LHP, Wichita State

Tolle was spectacular in his start against then-No. 7 East Carolina on Saturday, tossing a complete game shutout in which he collected 10 strikeouts, walked none and allowed just two hits. Tolle made full use of his effective three-pitch mix which features a fastball, slider and changeup. He has above-average pitchability and is able to sequence his offerings well, which is a trait that consistently keeps hitters off balance. Like he’s been able to do all season, Tolle pounded the strike zone all afternoon and was able to avoid hard contact. Tolle does not throw anything straight, and his best offering is his slider, which has plenty of two-plane movement. It is a pitch he is comfortable throwing to both righthanded and lefthanded hitters and he is able to manipulate its shape by back-footing the pitch to righties, while adding more horizontal movement against lefties. After Saturday’s start, Tolle now has an ERA of 3.62 with 66 strikeouts to 13 walks in 59.2 innings pitched. 

Kiefer Lord, RHP, Washington

Lord came into this season as one of the most underrated transfer portal additions in the country by way of Division III Carleton College in Minnesota. He exploded onto the scene this fall with his upper-90s fastball, projectability and electric arm speed. Against then-No. 11 Stanford on Saturday, Lord was excellent as he turned in eight shutout innings with 10 strikeouts, zero walks and only three hits allowed—all of which were singles. His fastball sat in the 93-97 mph range and is a pitch he got eight swings and misses with. The biggest key for Lord has been developing his offspeed offerings and while it’s still a work in progress, he showed flashes of a sharp, high-spin breaking ball on Saturday that profiles as a potential plus pitch down the road. Lord continues to put together an impressive season, as his ERA is 3.83 with 56 strikeouts against 12 walks in 49.1 innings pitched. 

Cameron Hansen, RHP, Charlotte

Hansen on Sunday turned in the best outing of not only his 2023 campaign, but his college career as he nearly went the distance against Alabama-Birmingham. Hansen threw 8.1 shutout innings, notched 10 strikeouts, walked one and allowed just one single which came with one out in the ninth inning. Hansen features a low-effort delivery in which he has a short arm action and throws from a three-quarter slot. His fastball has natural run to it, and while he will pitch in the upper 80s to low 90s he has run it up to 94 mph at times. With a 52% miss rate, Hansen’s changeup is his best offering and is a pitch that he turns over well. His ERA for the season is 2.88 with 43 strikeouts to 16 walks in 50 innings pitched. 

Mason Molina, LHP, Texas Tech

Molina was lights out in his Friday start against Baylor, turning in seven shutout innings with 12 strikeouts, one walk and a measly two hits allowed. In the start, Molina was able to generate 23 swings and misses with his four-pitch mix, which equates to an impressive overall miss rate of 49%. His fastball sat 89-92 mph but it played up thanks to Molina’s ability to hide the baseball and his fast hand speed. The changeup was effective as it had both a hearty speed difference from his fastball and late, tumbling action. Molina also mixed in a slider and curveball, both of which were effective. One of the more impressive 2024 draft-eligible arms in the country, Molina this season now has a 3.96 ERA with 63 strikeouts to 24 walks in 50 innings pitched. 

Austin Deming, 3B, Brigham Young

Deming continued what has been an outstanding 2023 season last week, going 12-for-17 (.706) with four doubles, four home runs and a whopping 14 RBIs across four games played. Although he missed two weeks at the end of March, Deming is still hitting .436 this spring with 16 doubles, 14 home runs and 50 RBIs in 36 games played. Thirty of his 48 hits have gone for extra bases and he is the piece that paces the Cougars’ offense. 

Justin Johnson, SS, Wake Forest

After just missing the College Hot Sheet last week, Johnson went an impressive 10-for-20 (.500) this week with a double, a triple, two home runs and 11 RBIs. While the redshirt junior had multiple hits in three of his four games this week, his best performance was a 5-for-6, two-home run, eight-RBI outburst on Saturday against Pittsburgh. Johnson has flourished during his time in Winston-Salem to the tune of a .341 average, eight doubles, 10 home runs and 45 RBIs in 37 games played. He has played his way into an everyday role for the Demon Deacons and his production has been invaluable. With a strong end to the season, Johnson could end up being selected in this year’s draft. 

Dylan Crews, OF, Louisiana State

In four games against Louisiana and Mississippi, the potential No. 1 overall pick went 7-for-15 (.467) with two home runs and seven RBIs. Most notably, Crews went 3-for-5 with two home runs, one of which was a grand slam, and six RBIs in LSU’s series-clinching victory on Saturday. Crews has an incredibly smooth operation at the plate with minimal movement, big-time bat speed, strong wrists and an elite approach. All these ingredients have led to a season in which Crews is hitting .496 with 12 doubles, 11 home runs, 44 RBIs and a 44-to-19 walk-to-strikeout ratio, which equates to a sky-high on-base percentage of .643. 

Chris Brito, 1B, Rutgers

The veteran first baseman had an excellent week, going 10-for-17 (.588) with five doubles, two home runs and nine RBIs. Brito saw his average skyrocket from .234 to .276 while collecting at least three hits in three of his four games played. Brito’s physicality and sheer strength are his best tools, and when he connects with the baseball it flies off his bat. Even though his numbers might not jump off the page, Brito is still hitting a respectable .276 with nine doubles, nine home runs and 36 RBIs in 40 games played this spring. 

Kevin Bazzell, 3B, Texas Tech

Bazzell had a fantastic five-game week in which he went 11-for-21 (.524), and it included three doubles and three RBIs. Four of his five games were multi-hit performances, and he is now riding a nine-game hit streak. The redshirt freshman has a keen eye at the plate that has led to 31 walks against 19 strikeouts, while his loose, quick hands combined with his short swing and strong feel for the barrel have led to a .386 average with a nation-leading 22 doubles, four home runs and 44 RBIs in 42 games played. Bazzell is establishing himself as one of the better 2024 draft-eligible hitters and could potentially be selected on day one of next year’s draft.