LebCo College Baseball Prospect Tracker: May 21, 2024

By Steve Beard, LebCoSports Senior Baseball Contributor

INTRO

We are down to two, possibly four guys, that we are following. Division One Baseball conference playoffs start this week. Northampton, as of publication time, is waiting to see if they get selected as the only at large to the D3 JuCo World Series. Penn State Harrisburg and Millersville were eliminated over the weekend in regional play.

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In Progress Post Season Info

SEC Tournament

May 21-26, 2024

May 21, Morning TBD—7-seed Alabama faces 10-Seed South Carolina

First Round is Single Elimination. Remainder is double elimination.

Tournament Bracket and Information Page

MAAC Baseball Championship

May 22, 3pm: 4- seed Mount Saint Mary’s faces 5-seed Canisius

Tournament Information Page

FEATURED PLAYER SPOTLIGHT

Gage Miller, Alabama University (Palmyra ’21)  Season Stats  Upcoming Schedule

Gage Miller was announced as a semifinalist for the Dick Howser Trophy as voted on by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCWBA). The finalists for the award will be announced on June 8, 2024 with the winner being announced in Omaha at the College World Series on June 13, 2024. For his nomination (Announcement Link), the following is noted (all stats contemporaneous to the time of nomination):

• A standout performer at third base for the Tide.
• Maintains a team-hit .376 (71-189) average with 10 doubles, two triples, and 18 home runs.
• Also contributed 49 RBI, 64 runs scored, and 26 walks along with 17 hit-by-pitch.
• Alabama’s leader in average, hits, homers, RBI, and runs along with on-base (.481) and slugging (.735).
• In the SEC, Miller ranks fourth in runs and average, fifth in hits, eighth in slugging, ninth in total bases, and 10^th in home runs.

On Thursday, the Tide was out pitched in a 4-2 loss that saw Miller add to his hit and RBI lead for Alabama with an RBI single in the fourth (Game Story and Box Score). Friday was more of a slugfest, with Auburn pulling off a 12-11 win. The junior 3B was 3 for 6 with two runs scored, including leading off the ninth with a double and scoring in the comeback attempt (Game Story and Box Score). Alabama and Gage Miller finished the regular season in a big way on Saturday at Auburn. In a 12-5 win (Game Story and Box Score), the junior 3B put an exclamation point on his season—4 for 6 with three runs and five RBI, including this double with a great call from the Crimson Tide Announcer (Link). Miller ended the regular season leading Alabama in average (.383), OBP (.480), Slugging (.723), HR (18), RBI (55), and runs (69). The stat sheet, HERE, demonstrates a dominant performance for a young man who bet on himself by taking “The JuCo Route” that led him to the SEC and to the cusp of the MLB Draft. Alabama (SEC 7 seed) plays South Carolina (SEC 10 seed) on Tuesday morning on the SEC Network.

Gage Miller puts a ball in play against Auburn on Friday, May 17, 2024. /Photo Source: 05-17-24 MBA vs Auburn – Image 16: Alabama baseball player Gage Miller (12) hits the ball against Auburn at Plainsman Park in Auburn, AL on Friday, May 17, 2024. – Alabama (rolltide.com)

FEATURED PITCHER SPOTLIGHT

Austin Beard, Northampton Community College (Cedar Crest ’22) Season Stats  Upcoming Schedule

In a week that he was named Pitcher of the Year for NJCAA Region XIX and Player of the Year in the Eastern Pennsylvania Athletic Conference, the tall right hander toed the rubber against the top ranked offense of the Brookdale Jersey Blues in the Region XIX Final Four on Friday. Coming into the game, Brookdale led the nation in batting average (.411), On Base Percentage (.518), and Slugging (.652) and have the Region XIX Player of the Year, Rocko Brzezniak (.570 average, 12HR, 79RBI, 38SB) and national HR leader Nick LoVarco (.489 average, 18HR, 78RBI) in the middle of the lineup. Like two heavyweights going toe-to-toe, Northampton outslugged Brookdale to a 12-10 win. Beard pitched a complete game, giving up nine earned while striking out eleven. The win, ugly as it might have been, was Beard’s tenth of the season, setting a single season record for NCC (Game Story and Box Score) and tying him for second in the nation. He struck out batter number 132 in his career, also a school record. He has smashed the single season strikeout record (70) and sits at 104 for the year (currently fifth in the nation) and is second all time in wins for the Spartan with 14 (career record is 16). Northampton subsequently defeated defending national champions Rowan College of South Jersey – Gloucester on Friday and then lost to them twice on Sunday to finish second in the district. Northampton will find out Tuesday at 10am if they receive the remaining “at large” berth to the College World Series.

If NCC does not qualify for the CWS, Beard will finish his JuCo career 14-3 with three saves, 135 strikeouts in 102.1 innings with a 3.87 ERA and 11.87 K/9. Austin Beard will finish his college career at D1 Monmouth University of the Coastal Athletic League.

Beard was named First Team All Region for Region XIX. – Announcement

He was also named Pitcher of the Year for Region XIX – Announcement

Class of 2019/2020

Amani Jones, Millersville University of PA (Cedar Crest ’20) Season Stats  Upcoming Schedule

Millersville entered the Atlantic Regional on a five game skid and game one versus Seton Hill extended that slide. Like most of the Marauders, Jones was quiet at the plate in a 5-0 loss on Thursday (Game Story and Box Score). In the losers bracket on Friday, Millersville snapped the losing streak with an 8-6 win over Frostburg State. Jones was 1 for 3 with a walk and a run scored in the win (Game Story and Box Score) which set up another game against Seton Hill. Jones was hit by a pitch and hit a sac fly as Millersville fell to the Griffins, 3-2, concluding the Marauders’ season (Game Story and Box Score). For the season, Jones was a .264 hitter with a home run and 19RBI. As of publication time, it is unclear if Jones has any more eligibility.

Tyler Long, Mount Saint Mary’s University, (Annville-Cleona ’20) Season Stats  Upcoming Schedule

The Mount unleashed a torrent of runs in a midweek matchup with Coppin State, winning 17-5. Long was 1 for 3 with four runs, two RBI and was hit by pitches twice (Game Story and Box Score). The bats stayed hot against MAAC cellar dweller Saint Peters in a final conference series for the year. In a game one 12-7 win that clinched a playoff spot for MSM, Long was 1 for 5 with an RBI and run scored (Game Story and Box Score). In series game two, the Mount scored 23 runs, as Long was 2 for 5 with three runs and three RBI along with two walks (Game Story and Box Score). In the 11-10 finale loss, Long was 1 for 4 with a sac fly and run scored (Game Story and Box Score).   The Mount opens up with Canisius on Wednesday at 3pm in the MAAC Championships (see our coverage at the beginning of the article).

Class of 2021

Riley Blatt, Penn State-Harrisburg (ELCO ’21) Season Stats  Upcoming Schedule

Blatt did not pitch this week for #12 Penn State Harrisburg. Harrisburg defeated Bridgewater State in regional play on Friday and then lost to Randolph Macon on Saturday and Elizabethtown on Sunday. “Randy Mac” won the regional.

LebCo College Baseball Prospect Tracker: May 14, 2024

Class of 2022

Braden Collazo, Penn State-Harrisburg (Lebanon High School ’22) Season Stats Upcoming Schedule

Collazo did not pitch this week. Harrisburg finished 1-2 in their regional.

Noah Gonzalez, Northampton Community College (Cedar Crest ’22) Season Stats  Upcoming Schedule

As the wheels came off the bus and NCC went from “up 2-0” to “getting soundly beat by Gloucester,” Gonzalez did not play this weekend. If this is the end of the line for Noah Gonzalez and NCC does not get an “at large” CWS berth, he finishes his two-year stint in college with a .333 career batting average with four doubles and ten RBI.