College World Series: Players to watch on Vanderbilt, Stanford, Arizona and more
By Jordan Shusterman
FOX Sports MLB Writer
The grand finale of an epic last month of college baseball and softball begins Saturday, when the Division I Men's College World Series begins in Omaha, Nebraska.
Not to brag, but if you read my "Women’s College World Series Players To Watch" preview before the action started in Oklahoma City, you were sufficiently tipped off to some of the breakout stars, such as Montana Fouts and Odicci Alexander. Now, I can’t guarantee any perfect games like Fouts' or full-blown ascents to national stardom like Alexander's, but I’ll do my best to highlight the players – and one coach – you need to know on the eight teams battling for a national title in Omaha.
North Carolina State: SS Jose Torres
Torres had a lot of buzz coming into this spring as a draft-eligible freshman (2020 was his real freshman year, but he’s already 21 years old) with excellent defensive chops at short and promising offensive ability. When you’re a plus defensive shortstop such as Torres, your offensive contributions are often just gravy. That made his breakout with the bat in the Wolfpack’s Super Regional upset over No. 1 Arkansas all the more exciting, as he homered in all three games, including an epic, go-ahead blast in Game 3 that clinched a trip to Omaha:
Stanford: CF Brock Jones
If two-sport athletes are your thing, Jones is your guy to watch on this team. Built like a free safety — well, because he is one — Jones fittingly patrols center field and boasts some of the best raw power left in the tournament, which could prove especially valuable at TD Ameritrade Park, which is notoriously homer-unfriendly. He arrives in Omaha leading Stanford in both homers (16) and steals (14) and fresh off an epic three-HR performance in the Super Regional against Texas Tech.
He’s just a sophomore, so he won’t be draft-eligible until 2022, but he has caught the attention of a ton of scouts this year and is certainly the guy to watch in the Cardinal lineup.
Vanderbilt: CF Enrique Bradfield Jr.
You already know about Kumar Rocker and Jack Leiter; I’m not going to waste a paragraph recommending the obvious. I promise you: This is the guy you won’t be able to take your eyes off of. A true freshman, Bradfield Jr. could have been selected in the top three or four rounds of last year’s draft but decided to uphold his commitment to Vandy, and the entire college baseball world – save for the pitchers tasked with keeping him off the bases – is better for it. He’s the kind of lightning-quick leadoff guy who isn’t really in vogue anymore at the major-league level, so it’s especially refreshing to see him do his thing for one of the best college teams in the country. He’s almost certainly the fastest player in Omaha, and he leads D-I in steals, with 46 to go with his tremendous defense in center field.
Arizona: DH Jacob Berry
Speaking of true freshmen, how about a switch-hitting freshman leading one of the most high-powered offenses in college baseball in homers (17), RBIs (70) and OPS (1.140)? Nothing too complicated here — this kid rakes. This Wildcats' offense is dynamic from top to bottom, but Berry is the real star, both now and moving forward. Like Jones, he also clearly has the raw power to hit one out of the cavernous ballpark in Omaha, as he showed multiple times during the Super Regional vs. Ole Miss:
Texas: RHP Ty Madden
The Longhorns entered the tournament as the No. 2 overall seed and swept through the regional and Super Regional with little trouble whatsoever, but the strange thing about their roster is that there aren’t that many guys that make you say WOW. That’s maybe a testament to how rock-solid they are across the board rather than any sort of insult, and that’s the kind of team that usually has success in the postseason. If anyone does stand out, though, it’s definitely Madden, a prototypical, hard-throwing right-hander who will likely come off the board in the top 20 picks or so in next month’s draft. When his slider is on, he’s incredibly tough to beat. (Bonus name: Shortstop Trey Faltine can make you say wow, especially on defense, so watch out for him, too).
Mississippi State: RHP Landon Sims
As we all know, pitchers are throwing harder than ever and spinning the ball better than ever (sticky stuff or not), and that has trickled down into the college game. The SEC in particular is chock-full of relievers who are routinely throwing harder than most big-league bullpen arms were a few decades ago. King among that group this year is certainly Sims, who has deservedly become a Pitching Ninja favorite, thanks to his ridiculously vicious fastball-slider combo:
Virginia: RHP Stephen Schoch
The new unofficial face of Dippin’ Dots, Schoch has gained quite the reputation the past couple of weeks for being quite possibly the most interesting man in college baseball, and I have absolutely nothing to say to dispute that.
Schoch is one of the funniest athletes we’ve seen in some time and deserves all the overnight celebrity he has received. That said, let’s also remember: He’s really good! The guy has a career 2.83 ERA in 94 collegiate appearances across three different schools throwing submarine, and he has a wicked pick-off move. UVA isn’t throwing him out there to close out regional games for the memes – they’re doing it because he’s one of the best relievers in college baseball! If there’s any reason to pull for the Cavaliers, it’s to help guarantee a maximum amount of Stephen Schoch possible, both on and off the field.
Tennessee: Head coach Tony Vitello
The Vols are in Omaha for the first time since 2005 and have plenty of talented players who helped fuel their historic season. But Vitello is clearly the difference-maker here, and it has absolutely nothing to do with his bullpen management. This is just his fourth season in Knoxville, but Vitello has become immensely popular among fans and players alike, and it isn't difficult to see why. After being suspended for a game following an ejection in his first season, Vitello set up a lemonade stand outside the stadium before the game he wasn’t allowed to coach to stay connected to the fans.
When the Vols walked off Wright State with a grand slam in the regional, who was the first guy out of the dugout losing his mind? No. 22, Tony Vitello:
After they won the regional against Liberty, who sprinted toward the outfield and did a celebratory somersault into the team? No. 22, Tony Vitello:
And who proceeded to jump into the stands and celebrate with the fans? No. 22, Tony Vitello:
I’m not normally one to fall for the cult of personality of head coaches in any sport. I’d rather celebrate the players first and foremost, and Tennessee obviously has plenty of good players: 3B Jake Rucker, OF Jordan Beck, SS Liam Spence, RHP Chad Dallas, to name a few. But Vitello is a force of nature, and I can’t wait to see how far he can lead this team in Omaha.
Enjoy the show!
Jordan Shusterman is half of @CespedesBBQ and a baseball analyst for FOX Sports. He lives in Washington, D.C., but is a huge Seattle Mariners fan and loves watching the KBO, which means he doesn't get a lot of sleep. You can follow him on Twitter @j_shusterman_.
