Prep Baseball Report

PBR JUCO Wire: JUCO Weekend Preview (San Jac, Chipola, Walters St., McLennan, Central AZ)


Tad Slowik
Special Assistant, Scouting Operations

Three PBR JUCO Top 25 Div. I programs in No. 1 San Jacinto-North (TX), No. 8 Chipola (FL) and No. 9 Walters State (TN) will all square off at Chipola this weekend, and I will be there to see how it all plays out. Here’s a quick recap of where those programs stand and what can be expected heading into the weekend. Additionally, we preview some other notable weekend matchups and provide quick hits for a few other top-ranked programs. Can't wait to see some high-level JUCO baseball.


No. 1 San Jacinto-North

San Jac (5-3) had a tough time in Florida this past weekend, going 1-3. It looked like it was going to be another stellar weekend for the Gators after jumping out to a 5-0 lead over No. 6 Northwest Florida on Friday. But after a rain delay, the Raiders rallied to tie the game, then won in extra innings, 6-5. The loss sent San Jac into a brief spin, as they then lost games to Andrew (7-2) and Wallace Dothan (6-5). They recovered from the three-game slide to blank Chattahoochee Valley, 6-0.

The offensive leaders early in the year for the Gators have been Mason Lytle, Sabin Ceballos, Harold Coll, Armani Sanchez and Alan Shibley. On the mound, Matt Tieding, Chris StuartHunter Hollan and Lex Garcia have pitched well early on.

This is a very talented team, but the Gators know they will have to bring their A-game when they head back to Florida this weekend.

 

No. 8 Chipola

Chipola is off to a strong start (5-2-1). The Indians’ only blemish so far was when they ran into their Northwest Florida RHP Jake Madden, the No. 2 prospect on the PBR JUCO Top 350. Though it was a highly competitive game, the Madden-led Raiders ultimately prevailed, 3-0. 

Chipola’s bats have looked very strong to begin the season. The Indians’ offense has been potent early on, smashing 12 home runs in their first seven games. Tucker Flint (.515 AVG., 2 HR) and David Castillo (.375, 7 RBI) have been standouts along with Cam Collier (No. 3 on Top 350) and Shane Lewis, who’ve hit five combined home runs. Chipola has been rock-solid on the mound, too, receiving stellar performances from Cedric De Grandpre (2-0 1.13 ERA, 12.38 K/9), Drew Howard (1-0 1.13 ERA, 12.38 K/9) and Kenya Huggins (19.5 K/9).

Chipola has the home-field advantage and will need their strong pitching and power bats to defeat San Jac and Walters State.

 

No. 9 Walters State

Walters State (6-0) has come out of the gate swinging, posting double-digit runs in five of their first six games outscoring their opponents 61-12. Hitting 14 homers in that span and twirling three shutouts certainly hasn’t hurt their efforts.

The Senators' powerful lineup is led by Colby Backus (.556, 3 HR, 11 RBI), Caleb McNeely (.500, 3 HR, 9 RBI) and Noah Gent (.474, 2 HR, 8 RBI). Strong pitching performances have been turned in by Kohl Drake (2-0, 0.00 ERA, 18.00 K/9), Wesley Scott (1-0, 1.50 ERA, 18.00 K/9) and Jake Knapp (2-0, 0.00 ERA, 14.4 K/9).

This weekend will be Walters State’s first test against a top-10-ranked opponent. How will the Senators’ hot bats compete against the arms of San Jac and Chipola? Can their strong pitching continue versus the powerful lineups of Chipola and San Jac? 

 

No. 2 McLennan (TX) vs. No. 21 Midland (TX)

McLennan (3-3-1) was a little slow out of the gate, splitting with No. 24 Navarro as part of a 2-2 showing in Florida last weekend. The tough early competition should make them stronger as the year goes on, but it won’t get any easier this weekend with Midland coming to town. 

The Highlanders have not shown much power so far, hitting only two home runs. Cole Fontenelle (.375, 2 HR, 7 RBI) is responsible for both of them, and, overall, he has been the big bright spot in the lineup. Other contributors include Marquis Jackson (.429) and Ravaughn Morgan (.385, 5 RBI). On the mound, No. 21 overall JUCO prospect Will Carsten (3.38 ERA, 9.00 K/9) has had a couple of strong performances. Austin Ford (0.00 ERA, 12.6 K/9) and Will Glatch (0.00 ERA, 14.54 K/9) have been strong out of the pen.

Midland (5-0) comes in looking strong after scoring 57 runs across their first five contests. The Chaps are led offensively by Tyler Wulfert (.368, 10 RBI), Luke Bumpus (2 HR, 8 RBI), Garrett Williams (.533), Ryan Blackwell (.368) and Frayner Chavez (.400). No. 25 prospect Luke Young (2-0, 0.00 ERA, 20.25 K/9) has been lights-out on the mound. After punching out 11 batters in five innings against Alvin in his season debut, Young racked up seven strikeouts over three hitless frames in a lopsided win Wayland Baptist. Luis Rodriguez (1 SV, 9.0 K/9) and Michael Lindsey (0.00 ERA, 18.0 K/9) have also looked strong.

This will be Midland’s first test against a ranked opponent, and we could very well see an elite JUCO pitching matchup between Carsten and Young. That would be an epic battle, one that certainly would interest professional scouts. Regardless, there will be plenty of talent to watch when these two programs go at it this weekend.

 

No. 3 Central Arizona vs. Pima (AZ)

Central Arizona (8-1) is running on all cylinders early in the year, outsourcing their opponents 67-28. After defeating No. 14 Southern Nevada twice and topping No. 13 Yavapai, the program has shown that it is definitely a force to be reckoned with.

The Vaqueros’ offensive standouts have been Logan Valencia (.361 AVG, 1 HR, 12 RBI) Chase Valentine (.273, 5 RBI, 3 SB) and Ashtin Webb (.269, 2 HR, 6 RBI). The starting pitching has been very strong, too, a group that’s led by Tyler Woessner (1-0 0.90 ERA, 10.8 K/9), who was touching 97 mph in his season debut. Patrick Steitz (2-0, 2.70 ERA), Shane Spencer (1-0, 2.53 ERA, 12.66 K/9) and Tyson Heaton (1-0, 3.12 ERA, 13.5 K/9) have all been rock solid. The bullpen has also been up to the task, with both Liam Evans (0.00, 22.09 K/9) and Matt Wilkinson (0.00 ERA, 18.0 K/9) piling up strikeouts in relief..

Pima (8-2) has played well to start the year, notching a win over Southern Nevada and some quality wins against other strong opponents. Pima looks like a team on the rise, but will have a tough matchup this weekend when they visit Central Arizona.

The Aztecs’ offensive is batting .361 and averaging more than nine runs per game. Top offensive performances have been turned in by Emilio Corona (.438 AVG, 3 HR, 14 RBI, 3 SB), Andrew Stucky (.435, 1 HR), Gage Mestas (.444, 5 SB), Preston Clifford (.324, 9 RBI, 7 SB) and Trent Kiraly (.400). Top pitchers for the Aztecs incliude Jaren Jackson (2-0, 0.00 ERA, 8.68 K/9), Darius Garcia (1-0, 2.35 ERA, 15.26 K/9), Wilson Bannister (1-0, 0.00, 14.29 K/9) and Braden Zastrow (4.15 ERA, 8.31 K/9).

 

Quick Hits

Elsewhere across the JUCO landscape … No. 4 Florida Southwestern (10-0) will look to stay undefeated and continue their early dominance when they travel to Palatka for four more games …No. 6 Northwest Florida (5-2) will try to continue to ride the strength of their outstanding pitching staff when they host Motlow State.




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