Alumni Impact #2: College Update
Follow along with us this season as we keep up with current and former Baseball Factory players who are making an impact on their team’s success. We will keep you up-to-date on the latest standout performances at the high school and college level. Looking forward to seeing what our players will accomplish this season!
COLLEGE UPDATE
Louisville’s Nick Burdi (2010 Under Armour All-America Game), the country’s top closer and one of the hardest throwers in all of college baseball, is off to a good start. In his 4 appearances out of the bullpen, Burdi has allowed just 1 hit, 0 runs and has struck out 6.
Chris Ellis (2010 Team One South), of Mississippi, is off to a 2-0 start and has not allowed an earned run through his first 22 innings pitched. Opposing hitters are batting .147 against him. Ole Miss has also been helped by Josh Laxer (2010 Team One South) (4 appearances, 0 ER, 10K in 7.2 IP) and Hawtin Buchanan (2010 Team One South) (2 appearances, O ER and 3K in 2 IP) on their way to an 11-1 record.
Burdi’s Teammate, Jared Ruxer (2007 Under Armour Baseball Factory National Tryout, 2007 and 2008 Arizona Freshman/Sophomore Fall Classic, 2009 Under Armour All-America Pre-Season Tournament, 2009 Team One West) is a mainstay in the Cardinals’ weekend rotation. In his last outing, a 2-1 win over Toledo, Ruxer went 6 innings striking out 11 to earn the win.
Freshman Kyle Serrano of Tennessee (2011 Ryan Lemmon Sophomore Showcase, 2011 Team One West, 2013 Baseball Factory Top 100) has been instrumental in helping Tennessee get off to a 10-0 start. He is 2-0 with a 3.29 ERA and opposing hitters are hitting a mere .191 against him.
Texas’s Nate Thornhill (2007 Under Armour Baseball Factory National Tryout, 2008 Under Armour All-America Pre-Season Tournament) has already pitched in a few roles for the Longhorns this season. No matter the role, he produces. He has been instrumental in 5 of Texas’ 9 wins so far with a 3-0 record and 2 saves to go along with a 0.56 ERA.
Robert Tyler of Georgia (2012 Under Armour All-America Game) is 1-0 with a 0.98 ERA and 14 Ks in 18.1 IP. He shut out in-state rival Georgia Tech through 8 innings this week eventually giving way to Jared Cheek (2009 Under Armour Baseball Factory National Tryout, 2009 Pirate City Christmas Camp and Tournament, 2010 Team One South, 2010 Team One Fall Showcase, 2011 Under Armour All-America Pre-Season Tournament, 2011 Omaha National World Series) Cheek struck out 2 in his 1 inning of work and earned the win when the Bulldogs walked off with a 1-0 victory in the bottom of the 9th.
Jack Wynkoop (2009 Under Armour Baseball Factory National Tryout, 2009 USA Baseball 16U Championships) helped South Carolina maintain its perfect 10-0 record by going 3-0 so far this season. Wynkoop has 19Ks in 18.1 IP and has a 1.96 ERA. Helping the Gamecocks out of the bullpen is Curt Britt (2010 Under Armour All-America Game) who has not allowed a run in 7.2 innings pitched. The main offensive force has been Grayson Greiner (2010 Under Armour All-America Pre-Season Tournament, 2010 Team One South) who is hitting .343 with 2 2B, 3 HR and 15 RBIs.
Alabama’s Jon Keller (2010 Team One South) has begun the spring 3-0 with wins over St. Louis, Stephen F. Austin and 10th ranked UL-Lafayette. He has an ERA of just 1.15 and opposing hitters only have a .176 average against him.
Aaron Nola of Louisiana State University (2010 Under Armour Baseball Factory National Tryout) continues to be dominant. He is now 3-0 and has not allowed a run through 19 innings pitched. In those 19 innings he has struck out 24 and only allowed 9 hits. Pacing the Tigers’ offense, once again, is Alex Bregman (2009 Team One Futures Game, 2010 and 2011 Under Armour All-America Pre-Season Tournament). Bregman is currently hitting .389 with 5 2B, 6 RBI and 3 SB.
UCLA’s James Kaprielian (2010 Ryan Lemmon Sophomore Showcase, 2011 Under Armour All-America Pre-Season Tournament) threw 8 shutout innings to earn the victory against Notre Dame last week. He allowed only 1 hit and struck out 11 in the outing. He is now 2-1 on the year with a 0.90 ERA and 27 strikeouts in 20 innings.
Ryan Kramer of Dickinson (2009 BWI World Series, 2009 Team One North, 2009 Team One North, Baseball Factory Premium Video Program) struck out 8 in his first start of the season for Dickinson. He earned the victory over Fitchburg State by going 7 shutout innings, allowing only 3 hits.
