What feels like just started yesterday, is already at the mid-way point. The 2023 college baseball season, that is. It is always quite the treat to see which new players shine on the collegiate stage, and I'd say they have had enough time to make their cases.
D1baseball.com ranks the top 100 incoming freshmen to watch each year ahead of the season, and now I've seen a few of the names off to hot starts this season, after their preseason expectations. How you perform on the dirt is all that really matters, right?
We all remember the Chase Burns' of last year, so on and so forth. Well, here are the freshman names off to hot starts this year:
Ethan Petry — South Carolina
Let's start off with Ethan Petry, and for good reason. Petry is on absolute fire at South Carolina to start the season. He's hitting over.440 with 15 homers on the season, with still a long ways to go. Not to mention 50 RBIs — ALREADY. His stats are increasing every time I check. Petry headlines the list.
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Charlie Condon — Georgia
Charlie Condon has had one of the best starts this season for the Dawgs. He is a redshirt freshmen, but still, a freshmen nonetheless. Condon is hitting over .440 with 10-plus bombs so far on the year. He is leading the offense in pretty much every statistical category, including 42 RBI on the year.
Ike Irish — Auburn
Let's stay in the SEC and take a look at Ike Irish over at Auburn. Irish was one of the many names on D1baseball's preseason list, coming in at No. 26. He is living up to those expectations — hitting at just about .400 on the season and leading Auburn's lineup.
Cam Cannarella — Clemson
Over in the ACC, Cannarella has put his name on the map at Clemson. He is slashing over .420 at the plate, with 17 stolen bases.
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Dominic Fritton — NC State
NC State has a few freshmen off to hot starts this season, but the most notable is Dominic Fritton on the mound with just a 1.56 ERA in over 35 innings pitched and over 35 Ks.
Matt Scott – Stanford
Another freshman pitcher off to a great start. Matt Scott at Stanford has a 1.86 ERA, a .147 opposing batting average and 30-plus strikeouts.
Colby Shelton — Alabama
Now for a big power bat — Alabama's Colby Shelton. He has smashed 12 homers so far on the season.
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Nolan Schubart — Oklahoma State
Schubart makes the list. He was a high-rated guy coming in, and is doing really well. He is currently leading Oklahoma State’s offense with a .378 average and eight homers.
More names to know:
- Paxton Kling at LSU
- Eli Serrano at NC State
- Cade Kurland at Florida
