There’s no shortage of Future Stars Series alums playing college baseball right now, and plenty are making a significant impact.
But, you can argue that none of them had a bigger week than 2021 National Combine standout Cannon Peebles, who delivered a performance for the ages on Saturday. The NC State star became the first Division 1 player to record six hits in a game this season with a 6-for-6 showing in a win over NJIT, hitting two homers, recording three doubles and driving in a stunning ten runs.
The freshman catcher is hitting .500 on the season, and was named the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper National Player of the Week.
Jonathan Santucci has been off to a stunning start for Duke, as the 2020 International Week alum has continued as a viable two-way player. In his sophomore season with the Blue Devils, he’s hitting .333 at the plate, but garnering national attention for what he’s doing on the mound; he’s recorded nine strikeouts in each of his first three starts, and has a stunning 17.36 K/9 that’s good for eighth-best in the nation.
Blake Burke. Man who hits many homers. The 2020 National Combine alum is tied for sixth in the country with seven in just his first 13 games this year with the University of Tennessee, continuing to show the big pop that wowed the scouting staff in Lake Charles; he hit his seventh of the season in a win over Gonzaga on Saturday.
It almost seems impossible to do a college update without Dylan Crews. This one will be no different. One of the stars of the 2019 International week event that has already helped produce multiple first round picks, Crews has picked up right where he left off last year with LSU, a campaign that earned him consensus First Team All-American honors; he hit a long home run against Butler on Friday night, and recorded at least one hit in every game this weekend, upping his batting average to a .463 mark.
Another two-way player with Future Stars Series events in his past, Nolan McLean is perhaps best known for not signing with the Baltimore Orioles when they took him in the third round this past year, a risky gamble that he could improve his stock the following year. So far, so good.
McLean is tied for the national lead in saves with five in five opportunities, but has also performed well at the plate, hitting .323 with three homers and 12 RBI in his first 11 games at the plate.
Ian Petrutz turned heads with his showing at the 2019 National Tournaments, and hasn’t stopped since, including another strong start in his sophomore season at the University of Maryland. He hit the first pitch he saw this season over the fence against South Florida, and has smacked four more since. He has only six strikeouts in his first 45 at-bats compared to seven walks, and still managed to drive in two runs in Maryland’s loss to Vanderbilt on Saturday despite going hitless at the plate.
A standout thanks to his plus power at a laundry list of the Future Stars Series events, Daylan Pena continues to do so at the collegiate level with Texas State. Pena hit his fourth homer of the season against Grand Canyon on Saturday in his fourth multi-hit showing of the year, and appears to be ready to take the next step with his game after an already impressive freshman season in 2022.
Healthy after nagging injuries limited him in his sophomore year, Georgia Tech’s Jake DeLeo has come out of the gates hot in 2023. Another participant in that loaded 2019 International Week event, DeLeo has already set a new career with four home runs in his first 12 games alone, and has been producing at the plate as a whole, putting up a .417/.491/.771 slash line.
Luke Hill has been on fire for Arizona State as a freshman, making the transition to college ball look seamless. The 2021 National Combine and International Week star hit his first career NCAA homer earlier this year, and has already racked up six multi-hit games en route to a .459 batting average to start the season.
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