College Top 25 | National Notebook March 31 | Huskers surge into Top 25



Although we're less than a month in to conference play, with seven weeks behind us and seven more ahead of us, this week marks the halfway point to the 2015 college baseball season. As a result we're going to hand out some midseason hardware. While most of Perfect Game's focus is usually on prospects relative to their professional upside, the decisions for the players (and coach) selected for this exercise were based mostly on their performance.







Midseason Player of the Year:



Will Craig, Wake Forest



Last year Perfect Game's midseason and overall 2014 Player of the Year was Kentucky's A.J. Reed, a two-way talent who made a huge impact both on the mound and at the plate for the Wildcats while putting up near ridiculous numbers in both roles. That season led to Reed being selected in the second round of last year's draft by the Astros.



Wake Forest sophomore Will Craig has another year before he has to worry about the draft, but he's wasting no time posting similar gaudy numbers for the Demon Deacons, helping to propel a high-powered offense and his team overall to a 19-12 overall record.



It's at the plate where Craig's presence has most been felt, as he is among the national leaders in nearly every significant run producing category. Through Sunday his triple slash line was .425/.507/.814 with 12 doubles, a triple and 10 home runs. He has scored 35 runs and has driven in 45, and has also managed the strike zone effectively by walking 20 times as compared to only 13 srikeouts in 30 games played.





Will Craig (Photo: Brian Westerholt / Four Seam Images)

Although his productivity wasn't nearly as impactful as a freshman, he did hit .280-8-36 as a full-time regular, but clearly Craig was on a mission heading into this season to prove what he was fully capable of.



“ Last year as a freshman I got caught up with trying to do too much,” Craig said in a recent phone interview with Perfect Game. “I tried to simplify everything, relax, not do too much and just hit what they give me.”



That may sound like a cliché response to try and explain the dramatic turnaround from one season to the next, but it's a team-wide approach that has allowed several of their everyday players to enjoy success this season.



Fellow sophomore Nate Mondou is also posting big numbers (.357-5-38), as is freshman Stuart Fairchild (.365-4-23) for a team that has a cumulative .310 batting average with 33 home runs.



And while Craig hasn't been quite as dominant on the mound this season, he is coming off of his best pitching appearance of the year in which he worked six innings, scattering four hits and a walk while striking out five in a 7-3 win over Clemson on Saturday. That win followed up a masterful performance by Wake Forest senior and staff ace Matt Pirro, who out-dueled Clemson's ace, Matthew Crownover, to move to 6-1 on the year.



“ That first time against Miami wasn't too hot, I didn't do too well,” Craig said of his effectiveness on the mound this season. “I kind of changed my approach to the mound early in the game, and I believe my performance on Saturday solidifies a spot in the starting three.”



In that game against Miami, his only other start of the year, Craig lasted only 2 1/3 innings in a 12-7 loss. He did however do his part at the plate, going 2-for-4 with a home run, a pair of runs and two RBI. He now has made eight total pitching appearances, with a 1-2 record and a 5.71 ERA in 17 1/3 innings of work.



“ It's pretty rough,” Craig said of the physical burdens being a two-way performer. “It's hard, but I really enjoy it and I think doing both helps me mentally, at the plate and on the mound. I know what hitters don't want to hit in certain situations and I know what pitchers don't want to throw in certain situations. Physically it can wear on me a little bit, but anything I can do (to help this team win). It's worth it.”



Wake Forest got off to a good start as ACC play began in early March, taking two of the three games in their series against Virginia Tech. They ended up losing their next two series against the Nos. 8 and 10 Seminoles and Hurricanes respectively, although they did salvage a game in each of those two ACC series.



Bouncing back to take two of three from Clemson this past season was a step in the right direction for a young team with bigger things in mind moving forward.



“ It was a huge series win for us,” Craig said. “We wanted to get the sweep on Sunday, but that happens, it's baseball, things change everyday. Getting the win on Friday and Saturday is good for our confidence especially going into this week. On Tuesday we play Coastal Carolina and then this weekend (we play) a hot Boston College team that is coming off a sweep of Duke. Leading up to the Louisville series in the next few weeks, and Pittsburgh too, it's going to be a good battle.”



With Wake Forest's strong start this could be the year they return to the potseason, something they haven't accomplished since 2007.



“ Our goal is to host a Regional for the first time since the early 2000's (2002),” Craig continued. “Make that Regional and compete for a chance in Omaha. Next year for sure, we're a really young team, so even if we don't win the ACC Tournament (we hope) to compete as an at-large bid. I believe we can do it this year as well as next year.”









Midseason Pitcher of the Year:



Luke Gillingham , Navy





He may not have a household name, pitch for a high profile school or even possess premium stuff, but

He may not have a household name, pitch for a high profile school or even possess premium stuff, but Luke Gillingham does have one thing this season: results.



There may a lot more pitchers across the country that can boast a better win-loss record than Gillingham's 4-1 mark over seven starts to open the season, but that record doesn't speak to his sheer dominance. In 50 2/3 innings he has allowed only 23 base hits and nine walks. That's a WHIP of 0.63, meaning he roughly has allowed only one baserunner every other inning, for half of a season. And that's largely because he's striking everyone out, with 78 punchouts on the year – which leads the nation – while limiting opposing batters' to a .132 average.





Gillingham opened the season with a 16 strikeout performance in seven strong shutout, one-hit innings over North Carolina A&T. He followed that up with a near identical performance, once again allowing only one hit over seven frames while striking out 14. However, he didn't factor into the decision in that game as Maryland Eastern Shore rallied late to secure the 3-0 shutout.





His second no decision came in another Navy loss, this time falling 2-1 to Air Force. Once again Gillingham did his part, striking out 12 in eight innings, allowing just one run on six base hits and one walk. His only loss of the season came at the hands of Princeton, in which Gillingham looked uncharacteristically human by allowing four runs (three earned) on seven base hits, and yet he still struck out six batters in the hard luck, one run (4-3) loss.





Gillingham, a 6-foot-3, 200-pound junior lefthander from Coronado, Calif., was solid in his first two years with the Midshipsmen, going 6-9 with a combined 3.28 ERA with very similar numbers in both his freshman and sophomore seasons. He typically sits in the mid-80s, peaking higher, and excels at commanding the strike zone while changing speeds. This year Navy is 20-9 overall and 4-0 after the first week Patriot League action.











K.J. Harrison (Photo: Oregon State)

Midseason Freshman of the Year:



K.J. Harrison, Oregon State; Alex Lange , LSU





This was a fun category to research given the number of talented freshmen making an immediate impact on college baseball this season. However, both K.J. Harrison and Alex Lange stood out, not only for their statistical performances but for the impact they have made for their respective clubs.





Oregon State entered the season knowing they would have to turn to quite a few young players if they had any hopes of returning to Omaha as they did last year, much less the postseason. Michael Conforto, their leading hitter, was a first round draft pick, and fellow hard-hitting outfielder Dylan Davis was selected in the third round, leaving the Beavers with two huge holes to fill.





Harrison, a talented recruit from Kailua, Hawaii that was rated as Perfect Game's 85th prospect in the high school class of 2014, has seamlessly filled one of those holes, and possibly part of the second. He leads the team in almost every single notable offensive category, with a .389/.481/.722 slash line, 19 extra-base hits – which includes seven home runs – to go along with 25 runs scored and 32 driven in. Nationally among freshmen he's first in home runs and RBI, second in OPS (1.078) and third in batting average. Most importantly, Oregon State is 21-7 and currently ranked 14

th

in the nation with a big matchup against UCLA, in Los Angeles, coming up this weekend.





If Harrison effectively filled the shoes of Conforto one could argue that Lange did so for another first round pick, Aaron Nola. Before you laugh at that statement simply look at the numbers: 5-0 in seven starts, 1.20 ERA, 45 innings pitched, 30 hits allowed and a 58-to-15 strikeout-to-walk ratio. His stuff backs up his results, with a low-90s fastball that peaks in the mid-90s to go along with a sharp breaking ball and polished changeup. His strikeouts are the most for any freshman in the nation, while his wins are tied for second (with LSU teammate Jake Godfrey ) and his ERA third.





Lange was also a well known player coming out of high school, ranked 134

th

in the class of 2014, and he along with Godfrey give the No. 2 Tigers a pair of weekend arms to back veteran Friday ace Jared Poche









(Photo: Texas A&M)

Midseason Coach of the Year:



Rob Childress, Texas A&M





Although Texas A&M did not finish the 2014 season in Perfect Game's final ranking of the top 25 teams, the strides they had made last year, and the years prior to that, were obvious enough for the Aggies to garner a preseason rank of 24. Of course, all they have done is move up since then, and currently are PG's No. 5 ranked club.





Rob Childress, who is in his 10

th

season at the helm of Texas A&M's baseball team, has his club off to a terrific start. They currently stand 27-2 with a 7-2 record in the SEC, and after taking a quick look at their roster, stats and overall standings, one would have hard time finding a weakness on Childress' 2015 ballclub.



Keep in mind this is a club that went 36-26 a year ago, with a 14-16 mark in conference play. They made a quick exit in the SEC tournament, losing their first and only game to Arkansas, but did fare better in postseason play, going 3-2 with wins over ranked in-state opponents Rice and Texas at the Houston Regional, although they did not advance.





Childress' club started this year 24-0, and didn't lose their first game of the year until they dropped the second game of a doubleheader in their SEC opening series against Alabama. And they're doing so without the help of two of their bigger arms, lefthanders A.J. Minter and Tyler Stubblefield. Minter was removed early in his start on March 6 against Nebraska at the Houston College Classic and subsequently had Tommy John surgery, while Stubblefield suffered a torn ACL just before the 2015 season started.





In their place Grayson Long , Matt Kent and freshman Turner Larkins have all moved up a spot in the rotation. And even when opposing teams get to the A&M bullpen you can almost forget about a late comeback, as three relievers that have over 10 innings of work this year have yet to be scored upon. Overall, only two members on the pitching staff have an ERA above 3.00.





The offense has been just as dominant, led by PG All-American outfielder Nick Banks. They're hitting .316/.414/.460 as a team with 26 home run and 22 stolen bases, giving the offense a nice blend of power and speed. Six players with regular playing time are hitting .320 or better.





The biggest challenge for Coach Childress and his team moving forward will be to see how they fare on the road, as only four of their contests so far this year have been played away from home. They'll get a taste for that this weekend in Lexington against Kentucky, and also have a big series against Louisiana State in Baton Rouge, La., April 23-25 circled on the calendar.











Preston Morrison (Photo: Texas Christian)

Midseason Team of the Year:



Texas Christian



The Midseason Team of the Year is an easy selection, as look no further than Perfect Game's current No. 1 college baseball team, Texas Christian. That isn't to say that the Horned Frogs simply win by default, as their pitching staff, which is well chronicled among the weekly notes here at PG, is arguably the most dominant in all of college baseball.





While all three weekend starters were considered for the midseason All-American squad listed below, senior Preston Morrison got the nod for his 6-0 record. Lock-down Sunday lefty Alex Young has been just as effective with a 5-1 record and a 0.98 ERA, while Friday starter Mitchell Traver is a perfect 4-0 with a 1.13 ERA.



Combined the trio is 15-1 with a 1.34 ERA, as TCU can essentially throw an ace at anyone any day of the week when you also factor in their mid-week starter, sophomore lefthander Tyler Alexander



Brian Howard can also start in a pinch, but otherwise serves as the team's long man out of the bullpen. Trey Teakell and Ryan Burnett give the Frogs a righty-lefty 1-2 punch leading up to fireballing closer Riley Ferrell.



The offense isn't nearly as dynamic, but they're doing their part to win games for the 21-5 Horned Frogs. Every game someone new seems to step up as the offensive hero. Freshman catcher Evan Skoug leads the team in home runs (3) and RBI (21) while senior center fielder Cody Jones leads in average (.379), runs (27), hits (36) and total bases (52). Right fielder Nolan Brown leads the club in stolen bases (10), and the team collectively has only committed 19 errors in 25 games, good for a .981 fielding percentage.

The pitching alone will allow this club to compete deep into the season, and gives them an excellent chance to make a repeat trip to Omaha where few teams could comes close to matching their talents on the mound.





Midseason College Baseball All-American Team:





Statistics through Sunday, March 29, 2015