College Crosscheck: Week 7

After a cold past few weeks on the Scouting Trail, I welcomed the warm, sunny and perfect baseball weather Florida had to offer. My first stop was Tampa to see South Florida against Tulane for a Thursday night game. It was a series opening pitcher’s duel between the Bulls’ electric-armed lefty Shane McClanahan and the Green Wave’s competitive righty, Kaleb Roper. After 29 combined strikeouts between both pitching staffs, Roper and Tulane emerged the victors by a score of 3-2.

On Day Two of my trip Mother Nature decided to give me some assistance. Sometimes She can make a scout’s life unpleasant, however on this particular day, She could not have been better. Originally, Stetson’s Logan Gilbert and Florida’s Brady Singer were both scheduled to start in 6:30 p.m. games, the Hatters hosting Bethune-Cookman and the Gators hosting Vanderbilt. However, with a storm moving west to east across north central Florida, the Stetson game was moved up to a 4:30 p.m. start to beat the rainstorm while the Florida game was delayed, eventually beginning at 8:15 p.m. With a two-hour drive between DeLand and Gainesville, this was a perfect opportunity to see both top draft talents. After watching four innings of Gilbert, I raced to Gainesville to lay my eyes on Singer, arriving just a few minutes before game time.

Day Three brought beautiful weather, a Noon start to game two of the Florida-Vanderbilt series and a Jackson Kowar vs. Patrick Raby matchup. In less than a 70-hour period, I was able to see four of the top draft-eligible pitchers in the country, as well as several other top position players. Sometimes it is better to be lucky than good. As for tools and talent, here’s what I saw: