Sorry for the late start on the Sunday update and the general lack of quality content around here. Chalk it up to real life getting in the way. Anyway, I like doing these Sunday updates more than the other weekend days. There are more opportunities for lesser names and underclassmen to show something. The current plan for the end of the week is to begin 2010 draft rankings (by position) and to respond to a couple of emails/comments that I’ve neglected for too long. Good? Good. Here’s just a quick sampling of what caught my eye on Sunday…

JR OF Leon Landry (LSU) is now hitting .415/.490/.634 through Sunday. Nice line, right? Get this – Landry actually has the worst numbers of any of LSU’s starting outfielders. Crazy. His Sunday numbers: 3-4, 2 3B, 2 RBI, R

Another team loaded with hitters up and down the lineup is Virginia. On Sunday, the Cavaliers got 4 hits from Phil Gosselin, 3 apiece from Kenny Swab and Stephen Bruno, and Keith Werman reached based all 3 times he came to the plate. In the second game of their doubleheader, Tyler Cannon led the way with 3 hits, but he was one of 7 players in the lineup with multiple hits. Virginia had 34 hits in all on Sunday. Crazy.

JR RHP Max Friedman (Wright State) did all he could to slow down Virginia’s offensive attack. His good sinking fastball (88-93 MPH) and good 1-2 secondary punch (good changeup, average slider) kept the Cavaliers’ bats at bay: 5 IP 8 H 3 ER 2 BB 1 K

SR LHP Neal Davis (Virginia) and JR RHP Kevin Arico (Virginia) combined for 3.2 innings pitched with 0 walks, 3 hits allowed, and 5 strikeouts. The pair hasn’t been scored upon in 11 combined relief innings so far.

SO RHP Michael Palazzone (Georgia) had a rough Sunday. The draft-eligible sophomore was pounded by Florida State: 1.1 IP 5 H 6 ER 2 BB 1 K. Teammate SO RHP Cecil Tanner, channeling a young Bobby Jenks (Georgia) had an even rougher go of it: 1 IP 1 H 6 ER 6 BB 0 K 3 WP

In that same game, 5 Seminoles had multiple bases on balls, including leadoff man JR OF Tyler Holt: 1-3, 2 BB, RBI, 2 R

SO RHP/C Jordan Swagerty (Arizona State), generally regarded a better pitching prospect than a hitter, had a nice day at the dish: 3-3, 2 2B, 2 R

SO RHP Mitchell Lambson (Arizona State) used his plus change effectively to put up the following numbers out of the bullpen: 2 IP 1 H 0 ER 0 BB 4 K

In a great year for freshmen shortstop, FR SS Nolan Fontana (Florida) has been the best: 3-4, 2 SB, 2 R. He’s now hitting .400/.486/.567 through 9 games, easily Florida’s best hitter in the early going.

JR C Yasmani Grandal (Miami), arguably the top college catching prospect, had a Sunday to forget: 0-4, K; 4 successful Florida base runners

Two players coming off of arm injuries squared off in Florida: Draft-eligible SO RHP Tommy Toledo of Florida (5 IP 3 H 1 ER 1 BB 4 K) got the best of Miami’s JR LHP Eric Erickson (3.1 IP 5 H 2 ER 0 BB 1 K)

3 hits each for JR 1B/OF Tant Shepherd and JR OF/1B Kevin Keyes of Texas

JR RHP Cole Green (2010) and JR RHP Chance Ruffin (Texas) both impressed. Green did this: 7.1 IP 8 H 5 ER 1 BB 4 K, while Ruffin did this in relief: 1.2 IP 2 H 0 ER 1 BB 3 K

SO C/3B Matt Skole (Georgia Tech): 2-3, HR, 2B, BB, 3 RBI, 2 R

SO LHP Jed Bradley (Georgia Tech) is emerging as an early round prospect for 2011, helping Georgia Tech build up a big league over St. John’s: 6 IP 4 H 0 ER 0 BB 9 K

…and then JR RHP Kevin Jacob (Georgia Tech) tried his best to blow it: 1 IP 2 H 4 ER 2 BB 1 K 2 WP

Big contributions from both young and old for TCU. FR OF Josh Elander (Texas Christian) went 2-3, 2B, SB, RBI, R, while SR C Bryan Holaday (Texas Christian) went 2-4, BB, RBI

JR SS Rick Hague (Rice) continues to struggle: 0-3, K; made his 6th error

JR RHRP Boogie Anagnostou (Rice) is a short righthander with a big (94 MPH peak) fastball: 7 IP 8 H 1 ER 2 BB 4 K

SO RHP Kyle Winkler (Texas Christian) has first round quality stuff, but just can’t seem to put it all together with some semblance of consistency: 6.1 IP 4 H 3 ER 5 BB 4

A pair of 2011 draft-eligible Louisville Cardinals looked sharp. SO RHP Derek Self (5 IP 4 H 0 ER 0 BB 5 K) got it started and SO RHP Tony Zych locked it down (3 IP 1 H 0 ER 1 BB 2 K).

JR RHP Colin Bates (North Carolina): 5.2 IP 6 H 1 ER 1 BB 4 K

SR SS Ryan Graepel (North Carolina): 3-4, 2 RBI, R; .385/.447/.538 through 11 games

JR OF Chris Epps (Clemson): 3-6, BB, 5 RBI, 2 R, 3 K

JR RHP Brett Eibner (Arkansas): 5 IP 4 H 1 ER 0 BB 5 K

JR OF Gary Brown (Cal State Fullerton) went 3-4, 2B, SB and is now hitting .478/.489/.826 (7/7 SB); JR SS Christian Colon went 1-4 and is currently at .225/.326/.325 (3/3 SB). Hmm.

FR RHP Dylan Floro (Cal State Fullerton) got lit up: 1 IP 5 H 4 ER 0 BB 0 K

JR RHP Seth Maness (East Carolina): 7.1 IP 8 H 2 ER 0 BB 7 K

SO 1B Cameron Seitzer (Oklahoma): 3-4, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 2 R and is now hitting .419/.514/.935 through 11 games

SR OF Zach Hurley (Ohio State) did classmate SR 1B Ryan Dew (a mere 4-6, 4 RBI, 3 R) one better on Sunday by going 5-5, 2 2B, BB, 2 RBI, 3 R, although he was caught stealing twice

SO RHP Jack Armstrong (Vanderbilt): 4.2 IP 5 H 3 ER 1 BB 5 K

FR SS Kenny Diekroeger (Stanford): 2-4, 2 R

FR OF Jake Stewart (Stanford): 0-6

SO LHP Brett Mooneyham (Stanford): 0.1 IP 4 H 6 ER 3 BB 1 K

SO SS Joe Panik (St. John’s): 4-4, 3B, 2 2B, 3 R

FR RHP Kyle Hansen (St. John’s): 2.1 IP 2 H 2 ER 2 BB 3 K

FR SS/RHP Marcus Stroman (Duke): 4 IP 1 H 1 ER 3 BB 7 K

JR SS Nick DelGuidice (Florida Atlantic): 3-3, 2B, 4 RBI, R

JR RHP Kevin Moran (Boston College): 4.1 IP 6 H 7 ER 4 BB 1 K

SO RHP Mathew Price (Virginia Tech): 6 IP 6 H 0 ER 1 BB 5 K

SR 2B Dallas Poulk (NC State): 3-4, 2 2B, 2 BB, SB, 3 RBI, 5 R; now hitting .512/.596/.902

SR OF Drew Poulk (NC State): 3-6, 2 2B, 4 RBI, R; now hitting only .370/.444/.543

FR RHP Felix Roque (NC State): 2.2 IP 3 H 2 ER 3 BB 2 K

JR RHP Rob Catapano (Tennessee): 5 IP 1 H 0 ER 0 BB 3 K

SO RHP John Stilson (Texas A&M): 3.2 IP 1 H 0 ER 1 BB 4 K

SR 2B Raynor Campbell (Baylor): 3-4, 2 HR, BB, SB, 5 RBI, 2 R

FR LHP Josh Turley (Baylor): 4 IP 5 H 1 ER 0 BB 5 K

JR LHP Thomas Keeling (Oklahoma State): 6.1 IP 5 H 2 ER 1 BB 11 K

SO LHP John Lally (Loyola Marymount): 7 IP 2 H 0 ER 2 BB 5 K

JR OF Mike Kvasnicka (Minnesota): 0-1, 3 BB, 2 R

SO SS AJ Pettersen (Minnesota): 4-5, 2 2B, 2 RBI, 2 R

SR 1B Connor Powers (Mississippi State): 2-3, 2 HR, 2 BB, 7 RBI, 2 R, K

In his Sunday doubleheader, JR OF Brandon Eckerle (Michigan State) went: 5-8, 3B, 2B, 2 SB, RBI, HBP, 3 R

JR SS Carter Jurica (Kansas State): 4-4, HR, 2B, SB, 4 RBI, R

SO SS/RHP Nick Ahmed (Connecticut): 2-4, HR, BB, 3 RBI, 3 R

SO RHP Andrew Kittredge (Washington): 7.2 IP 7 H 1 ER 0 BB 10 K

FR RHP Seth Cutler-Voltz (Virginia Commonwealth): 8 IP 3 H 1 ER 0 BB 10 K

JR 1B Hunter Morris (Auburn): 4-4, HR, 2 RBI, R

JR OF Brian Fletcher (Auburn): 2-4, K

JR LHP Cole Nelson (Auburn): 7 IP 7 H 2 ER 0 BB 8 K

JR OF Gauntlett Eldemire (Ohio): 2-4, HR, 2B, BB, 3 RBI, 2 R

In a doubleheader, SO 1B Ricky Oropesa (Southern California): 4-8, HR, 2 2B, BB, SB, 3 RBI, 4 R, K

JR OF Bryce Brentz (Middle Tennessee State): 2-5, R

JR OF Todd Cunningham (Jacksonville State): 2-4, 2 2B, R

I’m finally at the point where I’m comfortable repeating the comp that I heard on SO OF Trey Watkins (LSU) not too long ago. Somebody told me in a position to know told me he thought Trey Watkins was the college version of Tyson Gillies. Interesting comparison, right? His Saturday line: 1-1, 3 BB, 2 R

SO RHP Joey Bourgeois (LSU) has looked excellent in the early going, giving LSU a real boost from the second starter spot: 7 IP 1 H 0 ER 2 BB 3 K

The early season success of JR LHP Matt Bywater (Pepperdine) continues. His fastball doesn’t blow you away with heat (high-80s on a good day), but it’s almost a plus pitch based wicked movement alone. His Saturday line: 6.1 IP 7 H 1 ER 4 BB 7 K

Every player in Virginia’s starting nine reached base safely on Saturday. Phil Gosselin, Dan Grovatt, Tyler Cannon, Steven Proscia, John Barr, and Kenny Swab all led the way for the Cavaliers, each reaching base at least 3 times against Dartmouth.

JR RHP Robert Morey (Virginia) has the stuff to start professionally, but hasn’t put up the strikeout numbers indicative of his better than average stuff so far this season: 6 IP 5 H 2 ER 1 BB 3 K

Florida State JR CF Tyler Holt (3-5, 3B, 2B, 3 RBI) and SR SS Stephen Cardullo (3-3, 2 BB, R) both contributed to yet another beatdown of Georgia.

JR LHP John Gast (Florida State) continues his climb into the top five rounds: 7 IP 7 H 1 ER 3 BB 2 K

Arizona State SO SS Drew Maggi (4-4, 3B, 2 2B, 2 BB, 2 RBI, 2 R) and SO 2B Zach MacPhee (2-2, 3B, RBI, R) keep on putting up huge numbers up the middle for the Sun Devils. MacPhee’s triple was his 7^th of the season.

Florida had a big day with the bats on Saturday. The Gator offense was paced by SO 1B Preston Tucker (2-3, 2 2B, 2 BB, R), JR 3B Bryson Smith (2-4, HR, SB, 3 RBI, R), and, a player very quickly growing on me, FR SS Nolan Fontana (3-4, 3B, R).

FR CF Zeke DeVoss (Miami), a very raw talent with the bat but already a plus runner and defender, has begun to tap into his potential already: 3-4, 2B, BB, SB, R

Houston SO RHP Michael Goodnight (7 IP 2 H 0 ER 4 BB 9 K) outdueled Texas ace JR RHP Brandon Workman (8 IP 4 H 1 ER 1 BB 7 K), although Workman’s stuff and command were both reportedly very impressive. As for the game’s winning pitcher, well, it’s been mentioned before, but it really bears repeating: Goodnight would absolutely be the best name ever for a closer. That is, until Willie Wewin finally breaks out and reaches the bigs, of course.

JR RHP Brandon Cumpton (Georgia Tech) with another shaky start: 5 IP 7 H 4 ER 2 BB 2 K

FR RHP Luke Bard (Georgia Tech) struck out the side in his one inning of work and is now up to 8 strikeouts in his 6 shutout innings of relief so far.

JR 1B/RF Jaren Matthews (Rutgers): 2-3, 2 2B, RBI, 2 R

SO 3B/C Matt Skole (Georgia Tech): 3-4, 2 BB, 2 R

Missouri JR RHP Nick Tepesch (6.1 IP 6 H 2 ER 2 BB 5 K) matched up pretty evenly against Texas Christian FR LHP Matt Purke (5.1 IP 5 H 1 ER 2 BB 7 K) in their head-to-head battle.

SO RHP Kaleb Merck (Texas Christian) came on in relief of Purke and looked excellent: 2.2 IP 2 H 0 ER 0 BB 3 K. Merck is a short righthander with a big fastball, but questions about his pro future abound. I’m the last to dismiss a pitcher as unable to start because of stature alone, but Merck’s fastball jumped almost 4 MPH once moved to the bullpen. It would be a shame to “waste” his quality three-pitch mix (also including a 55 curve and 50 changeup) by forcing him into relief full-time, but the difference between a fastball peaking at 92 as a starter versus a fastball peaking up at 96-97 as a reliever is too much to ignore.

SR C Bryan Holaday (Texas Christian) should get drafted based on his strong defensive chops alone, but performances like this with the bat will help his cause: 2-3, 2B, 2 BB, R

I’ve been slow to buy into SO CF Jackie Bradley (South Carolina), but I’m warming up to him as he warms up this spring: 3-4, HR, BB, 4 RBI, 2 R

South Carolina JR RHP Sam Dyson (5.2 IP 5 H 4 ER 2 BB 7 K) got the best of Clemson SO LHP Will Lamb (5.1 IP 3 H 2 ER 4 BB 1 K)

SO 1B/3B Phil Wunderlich (Louisville) may not have a ton of projection left in his bat, but his present power ranks up there with any hitter in the college game: 3-5, HR, 2B, 2 RBI, R

JR LHP Dean Kiekhefer (Louisville) twirled a gem: 7 IP 6 H 2 ER 0 BB 4 K

FR OF Patrick Biondi (Michigan) has all of the tools pro teams look for in an up-the-middle prospect – outstanding range, strong and accurate throwing arm, and game changing speed. He can also handle the bat a little bit: 4-4, 3B, BB, 2 RBI, R

JR RHP Matt Miller (Michigan) has long been a favorite due to his heavy low-90s fastball, solid low-80s slider, and projectable 6-6, 215 pound frame. Unfortunately, North Carolina got the best of him, chasing him after 3 innings and 95 pitches: 3 IP 10 H 4 ER 2 BB 4 K

JR RHP Patrick Johnson (North Carolina) has been on the radar since stepping on campus thanks to his low-90s fastball and solid slider: 6 IP 6 H 1 ER 4 BB 2 K

JR LHP Cody Wheeler (Coastal Carolina) reminds me a little bit of a mirror image of the player listed above: 6.1 IP 7 H 3 ER 3 BB 4 K

I’m convinced that SR RHP Eric Pettis (UC Irvine) has a bionic arm: 8 IP 7 H 1 ER 1 BB 5 K

SO 3B Anthony Rendon (Rice) actually got a few pitches in the strike zone, apparently: 2-3, HR, RBI, R, HBP

Not to be outdone, SO 3B Zack Cox (Arkansas): 3-4, BB, 2 RBI, R

Fellow draft-eligible sophomore infielder Tim Carver (Arkansas) had a nice day out of the 8-hole: 2-4, HR, 4 RBI, 2 R

I’d love to hear an updated report on the defense of JR 2B Brian Guinn (California): 2-3, 2 BB

SO RHP Dixon Anderson (California) with a clunker: 5 IP 8 H 9 ER 3 BB 2 K

SO LHP Drew Smyly (Arkansas) looked very sharp on Saturday. The draft-eligible sophomore used a good low-90s sinker to put up the following line: 5 IP 2 H 0 ER 5 BB 7 K

JR RHP Bobby Doran (Texas Tech) is another pitcher with the three-pitch mix good enough to start, but a fastball better equipped for relief work. If he can add another tick or two to his mid-90s fastball, he could be a potential relief ace professionally. For now he’s a starter and doing things like this: 7 IP 7 H 2 ER 0 BB 5 K

SO LHP Bryce Bandilla (Arizona) was steady: 5 IP 6 H 1 ER 0 BB 4 K

SO RHP Noe Ramirez (Cal State Fullerton) doesn’t have an exciting fastball (only tops out at 90 MPH, and even then it straightens out big time), but his great command of the pitch makes it play up. He also has a low-80s changeup, and an increasingly effective mid-70s curveball, although his command of each pitch needs work. His Saturday line was a beauty: 9 IP 5 H 1 ER 1 BB 9 K

JR CF Gary Brown (Cal State Fullerton) doesn’t stop: 3-5, 3B, 2 SB, RBI, R

JR LHP Tanner Robles (Oregon State) may not have the upside of injured teammate Josh Osich, but is plenty talented all the same: 7.2 IP 9 H 0 ER 0 BB 9 K

JR SS Jedd Gyorko (West Virginia) could probably get up out of bed in the middle of the night and put up the following: 3-5, RBI, 2 K

Rubber-armed JR RHP Zach Woods (East Carolina) bailed out East Carolina with perhaps the best performance of a non-prospect on Saturday: 7 IP 3 H 0 ER 1 BB 11 K

SO 3B Dean Espy (UCLA): 3-4, HR, 3 RBI, 2 R, K

JR LHP Rob Rasmussen (2010) isn’t part of UCLA’s great sophomore class of arms, but he is a potential top three round 2010 talent. The short lefty is the opposite of so many college lefthanders, as Rasmussen already has the fastball, but needs a legitimate secondary offering to emerge before he can reach his full upside. His Saturday line: 5 IP 3 H 0 ER 4 BB 10 K

SR RHP Aaron Barrett (Mississippi) has taken firm hold of the Saturday starter’s spot behind Drew Pomeranz: 6.1 IP 6 H 1 ER 4 BB 7 K

SR RHP Preston Claiborne (Tulane) picked up Matt Petiton out of the Tulane pen: 3 IP 2 H 2 ER 0 BB 7 K

JR RHP Bobby Shore (Oklahoma) continues to strike out over a batter an inning: 6.2 IP 6 H 3 ER 1 BB 7 K

SR OF Zach Hurley (Ohio State), arguably the top position player on a team of solid but unspectacular hitting prospects, was but a single short of hitting for the cycle against St. Louis: 3-5, HR, 3B, 2B, BB, 4 RBI, 2 R. Funny enough, Hurley got that single in the second game of his doubleheader, also adding another double and a steal.

JR RHP Alex Wimmers (Ohio State) was unimpressive against St. Louis, although it seemed that any prospect performance would pale in comparison to the description of the weather from the box score. The weather was “Blue skies, breezy & beautiful.” That just sounds lovely, doesn’t it? His line: 5 IP 12 H 5 ER 3 BB 8 K

SO RHP/1B Braden Kapteyn (Kentucky) had a nice game on Saturday, but his biggest accomplishment was managing to only getting hit once. Monmouth used five pitchers in their loss against Kentucky. All five hit batters. Combined they hit 10 Wildcats. Ouch. Anyway, Kapteyn’s final line: 4-5, HBP, 3 RBI, 2 R

FR LHP Taylor Rogers (Kentucky), potential first round pick in 2012, got hit hard: 2.1 IP 10 H 10 ER 1 BB 1 K

JR RHP Matt Little (Kentucky) had the best relief outing of the weekend: 4 IP 2 H 0 ER 0 BB 9 K

JR RHP Jimmy Nelson (Alabama) continues his strong early season run: 6 IP 6 H 0 ER 0 BB 11 K

The Amazing Cody Brothers strike again! Doubleheader stats for both Tennessee JR 1B Cody Hawn (4-8, HR, 2 BB, 5 RBI, R, K) and his teammate FR 1B Cody Stubbs (5-7, 3 BB, RBI, 3 R)

JR SS Nick DelGuidice (Florida Atlantic) is a strong defender with a weak. Sounds like a second baseman professionally. He had a Saturday to remember: 4-4, 2 HR, 2B, 9 RBI, 3 R

JR RHP Jesse Hahn (Virginia Tech) justifies his early season draft ranking: 7 IP 2 H 0 ER 1 BB 9 K

SR 2B Dallas Poulk (North Carolina State) hasn’t stopped hitting from day one: 2-4, HR, 3 RBI, 3 R

JR C/1B Curt Casali (Vanderbilt): 4-5, HR, SB, 2 RBI, 3 R

SO 3B Jason Esposito (Vanderbilt): 3-5, 2B, 3 SB, RBI, 2 R

JR RHP Taylor Hill (Vanderbilt): 7.1 IP 7 H 2 ER 0 BB 6 K

SR RHP Stephen McCray (Tennessee): 8 IP 1 H 0 ER 1 BB 7 K

SO LHP Eric Pfisterer (Duke): 6 IP 2 H 0 ER 2 BB 10 K

JR OF Steven Brooks (Wake Forest): 3-4, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 R, K

FR LHP Tim Cooney (Wake Forest): 7.2 IP 6 H 1 ER 0 BB 4 K

SO RHP Ben Tomchick (Old Dominion): 7.1 IP 8 H 2 ER 2 BB 9 K

FR LHP Joe Mantiply (Virginia Tech): 6 IP 3 H 0 ER 1 BB 8 K

JR RHP Jake Buchanan (North Carolina State): 6 IP 4 H 0 ER 0 BB 7 K

SO RHP Jordan Cooper (Wichita State): 8 IP 5 H 2 ER 1 BB 7 K

SO LHP Steven Gruver (Tennessee): 7 IP 6 H 1 ER 1 BB 6 K

JR RHP Zach Kenyon (Iowa): 4.2 IP 4 H 1 ER 2 BB 3 K

FR LHP Andrew Heaney (Oklahoma State): 2 IP 2 H 6 ER 3 BB 0 K

FR Dane Phillips, SO Mark Ginther, JR OF Luis Uribe, and JR 2B Davis Duren all had at least 3 hits for Oklahoma State.

SO RHP Francis Brooke (Northwestern) keeps up his crazy successful start to 2010 (0.44 ERA through 20.2 IP): 8 IP 3 H 0 ER 0 BB 6 K

SO RHP Logan Verrett (Baylor): 7 IP 5 H 0 ER 2 BB 11 K (117 pitches)

SO SS Adam Smith (Texas A&M): 0-5, K and now hitting .174/.208/.261 on the young season

SO 2B Kolten Wong (Hawaii): 3-3, 2B, 2 BB, RBI, 2 R

JR LHP Sam Spangler (Hawaii): 7 IP 7 H 1 ER 3 BB 3 K

SO RHP Scott McGough (Oregon): 6 IP 5 H 0 ER 2 BB 7 K

JR OF Bryce Brentz (Middle Tennessee State) 3-5, RBI, 2 R, K vs JR OF Todd Cunningham (Jacksonville State): 2-4, 2 RBI, R

The third entrant in the small school big name outfielder contest is JR OF Michael Choice (UT Arlington): 3-4, HR, 2B, BB, 2 RBI, R, K

SO LHP Michael Kickham (Missouri State): 7 IP 5 H 0 ER 2 BB 10 K

JR 1B Hunter Morris (Auburn): 4-5, HR, 2 2B, 2 RBI, 3 R, K

JR OF Brian Fletcher (Auburn): 2-3, HR, 2 HBP, SB, RBI, R

SO RHP Andrew Gagnon (Long Beach State): 9 IP 3 H 0 ER 2 BB 4 K

SO OF George Springer (Connecticut): 2-5, HR, 2B, 5 RBI, R, 2 K

JR RHP Cole Johnson (Notre Dame): 3.2 IP 10 H 8 ER 1 BB 1 K against Harvard

SO OF/1B Tristan Moore (2011) and Wright State singled Virginia to death in the Raiders’ huge upset win in Charlottesville. Moore’s final line (3-4, R, K) works well with the reports on his tools. His tools grade out as average or better in all phases except power potential. His plus arm, above-average speed, and leadoff hitter profile with the bat will keep him getting looks from pro teams.

Despite taking the loss, SO LHP Danny Hultzen (Virginia) was sharp: 7 IP 5 H 1 ER 0 BB 9 K

In relief of Hultzen, JR RHP Tyler Wilson (Virginia) pitched well: 2 IP 2 H 0 ER 1 BB 3 K

SO OF James Ramsey (Florida State) has modest speed, an average on a good day arm, and just seems to always be fighting himself while trying to play the outfield. In other words, his pro future will either be as a subpar fielding leftfielder or a first baseman. That means he’ll have to hit a ton to have a pro future. Days like Friday help: 2-2, 2 HR, 2 HBP, 4 RBI, 3 R

Also reaching base 4 times for the Seminoles was FR 1B Jayce Boyd: 3-3, BB, RBI, 2 R

Florida State SO LHP Sean Gilmartin (7 IP 6 H 0 ER 0 BB 9 K) got the best of Georgia JR RHP Justin Grimm (4 IP 11 H 7 ER 2 BB 7 K). Not a good outing for Grimm’s first round draft hopes, assuming he looked as out of sorts as his line would indicate. His peak stuff  — a four-pitch mix featuring a sitting 92-93 with fastball that peaks at 96, potential plus upper-70s curve, good low- to mid-70s CU, and a mid-80s cutter — is up there with any college pitcher in his class, but his inconsistent mechanics and steady stream of nagging injuries have kept him from showing off that elite stuff as often as a team drafting high in the first round typically likes to see. I get the feeling Grimm could be this year’s Andy Oliver.

JR C Matt Colantonio (Brown) had a fabulous freshman year, but struggled badly in his sophomore year. His opening day (but not opening game…Brown beat Pepperdine earlier on Friday) performance against LSU was impressive both at the dish (3-5, BB, 2 K) and behind it (threw out Trey Watkins and Mikie Mahtook, the only two Tigers brave enough to run on him).

SR 1B Blake Dean (LSU) and JR OF Leon Landry (LSU) both reached base 4 times (2 hits, 2 walks apiece) in the win over Brown.

JR RHSP Austin Ross (LSU) disappointed in his Friday Night outing: 5.1 IP 7 H 5 ER 2 BB 6 K

Pretty unremarkable game from a prospect standpoint as Arizona State’s bats took care of Oregon State’s arms. JR RHP Tyler Waldron (Oregon State) wasn’t very sharp: 4.1 IP 7 H 4 ER 1 BB 1 K. Early reports are that FR RHP Jake Barrett (Arizona State) looked really good. That’s about all I’ve got on this one.

29 total strikeouts in the Florida-Miami game. Miami JR LHP Chris Hernandez (6 IP 8 H 3 ER 0 BB 8 K) and Florida SO LHP Alex Panteliodis (5.2 IP 2 H 1 ER 2 BB 8 K) both used their above-average offspeed offerings to baffle opposing batters. Florida’s bullpen ace and potential 2011 first round pick SO LHP Nick Maronde dropped the hammer with one of the most dominating pitching performances of the day: 3.1 IP 0 H 0 ER 2 BB 7 K

Hernandez, Panteliodis, and now Rice SO LHP Taylor Wall. All three are lefties known for above-average secondary stuff, but Wall, the best prospect of the group and a potential late first in 2011, features a plus changeup that may be the best singular pitch the threesome has to offer. His performance against Texas impressed: 7.1 IP 5 H 2 ER 3 BB 8 K

As good as Wall was, SO RHP Taylor Jungmann of Texas was just a little bit better. And I really mean just a little bit, as the two pitchers put up startlingly similar lines. Jungmann got one more out (pitching 7.2 innings), allowed one less hit and one less run, walked one better less, and, just to keep up the theme here, actually threw one more total pitch (115 to 114). To add on to the craziness, each pitcher threw exactly 65 strikes. Weird night. Anyway, Jungmann’s final line: 7.2 IP 4 H 1 ER 2 BB 8 K

With that brief hard throwing righthanded pitching prospect interlude out of the way, let’s get right back to more soft-tossing lefties. Yes, JR LHP Casey Harman (Clemson) is yet another college pitchability lefty. His line against South Carolina: 5 IP 8 H 3 ER 2 BB 5 K. Interesting 2011 SO RHP David Haselden (Clemson) got the win, however, with his outstanding long relief appearance: 4 IP 0 H 0 ER 1 BB 3 K

Another college pitchability lefty! SR LHP Daniel Bibona (UC Irvine) looked good in a victory over St. Mary’s: 7 IP 4 H 1 ER 3 BB 11 K. Others that fit the mold include: JR LHP Pat Dean (Boston College): 7 IP 4 H 2 ER 4 BB 4 K; SR LHPTyler Lyons (Oklahoma State): 7.2 IP 3 H 2 ER 3 BB 7 K; SR LHP David Rowse (Pacific), who beat up on an undermatched Seattle squad: 9 IP 6 H 1 ER 0 BB 7 K; SR LHP Chris Manno (Duke): 3 IP 1 H 0 ER 0 BB 5 K; SO LHPAdam Morgan (Alabama): 5 IP 6 H 1 ER 2 BB 6 K

JR LHP Kyle Hald (Old Dominion), the last college pitchability lefty we’ll mention today, impressed on Friday night with his steady mid-80s fastball, potential wipeout split-fingered changeup (called plus-plus by some), above-average slider, and solid curveball: 9 IP 5 H 0 ER 2 BB 11 K

Kevin Brandt, Mike Wright, Pat Somers, Zach Woods, and Seth Simmons all saw time on the mound for the Pirates on Friday. All are pro pitching prospects. That’s quality pitching depth. Brandt, a 2011 SO LHP who got the Friday night start, is yet another pitchability college lefthander with an upper-80s fastball and solid changeup. He put up the following line: 6 IP 5 H 1 ER 2 BB 8 K

JR RHP Deck McGuire (Georgia Tech) continues to quickly and efficiently mow down opposing hitters: 8 IP 6 H 0 ER 1 BB 9 K

I know many people in the business who take this stuff very seriously hate comps with a passion normally reserved for important things, like the political party that isn’t your own, waiting in long lines, and Ke$ha, but I happen to think they are a lot of fun and a great way to get a conversation going about a particular prospect. Take SR 1B Matt Curry of Texas Christian, for example. Curry has had a Matt Stairs comp follow him along for years now. Matt Curry may not be a player that would get a lot of notice, but that Stairs comp, even when brought up for the sole reason of dismissing it, has gotten him attention. Attention often begets increased research — well, at least I know it did for me. A college guy compared to Matt Stairs? I want to know more! — which would then reveal a really good college hitter with excellent power potential who just put up the following Friday night line: 3-4, HR, 2 2B, BB, 3 RBI, 3 R

JR RHP Steven Maxwell (Texas Christian) outdueled JR RHP Chad Bettis (Texas Tech). Maxwell’s solid final line: 6 IP 7 H 2 ER 2 BB 4 K. Bettis, on the other hand, was disappointingly hittable: 6 IP 11 H 7 ER 2 BB 9 K, although he upped his already ridiculous groundball rate is 91%. Not a typo. 91%.

JR RHP Thomas Royse (Louisville) is finally beginning to hear his name talked about more often on the national stage. Performances like this one against LeMoyne are the reason why: 7 IP 7 H 1 ER 1 BB 5 K

A couple of my favorite potential mid-round senior signs, 2B Adam Duvall and C Jeff Arnold of Louisville, had big days. Arnold’s line was most impressive: 3-3, HR, 2B, BB, 3 RBI, 2 R

Name to know = North Carolina JR 1B Dillon Hazlett. I first heard the poor man’s Dustin Ackley comps coming out of Chapel Hill a few months ago, but dismissed them as nothing more than a coaching staff excited about a junior college transfer ready to step in and help fill the gigantic hole left behind by Ackley’s departure. The comp, like most are, was built on convenience – both players are way too athletic to be college first basemen, run well, and have questionable power upsides. That’s what the comp was trying to express, I think. Nobody actually meant that Hazlett would step in and show off a hit tool quite like the one Ackley had shown. Ackley was a truly special college player and an elite professional prospect. In many years, a prospect with his skillset would go number one without a second thought. In fact, from a prospect standpoint only, I’d rank Ackley only behind David Price, Justin Upton, Delmon Young, and Joe Mauer when comparing him to number one overall draft picks of the decade. Long story slightly less long, Ackley was a unique hitting prospect. Hazlett, though impressive so far, has a long way to go to even enter Ackley’s prospect stratosphere. Then again, Ackley’s final junior year line was .417/.517/.763. SMALL SAMPLE SIZE ALERT, but Hazlett has put up a .467/.541/.700 line through 9 games. Just store the name way, way, way in the back of your mind.

Incidentally, I’ve spent significant stretches of my life in the heart of ACC country, so it’s an area of the country I have a decent number of reliable contacts in. One legit source told me the top three draft-eligible bats, based on the pure hit tool alone, in the conference were, in reverse order, 3. Tyler Holt (Florida State), 2. Dillon Hazlett (North Carolina), and 1. Austin Wates (Virginia Tech). Seems plausible to me.

SR RHP Alan Oaks (Michigan) lived up to his reputation as a pitcher with excellent stuff (peak fastball at 94), but so-so control: 7 IP 3 H 2 ER 6 BB 3 K

JR RHP Matt Harvey (North Carolina) is a first rounder without a doubt in my mind. If he falls to the Phillies, my favorite team, at pick 27 then I hope they’d jump all over him. His Friday night line: 8 IP 3 H 0 ER 3 BB 11 K

JR OF Rico Noel (Coastal Carolina) continues to reach base and steal bags: 2-2, HR, BB, SB, 2 RBI, 2 R

Some relatively big names had some relatively rough Friday nights. Included in this bunch are SR RHP Christian Bergman (UC Irvine), who got bombed by Saint Mary’s, FR LHP Justin Jones (California), hard hit by Arkansas, Nebraska’s SO 2011 draft-eligible LHP Sean Yost and JR RHP Michael Mariot, both tagged by UCLA, potential first rounder SO LHP Sammy Solis (San Diego) against Kentucky (4.1 IP 6 H 4 ER 1 BB 5 K), and JR RHP Jake Thompson(Long Beach State) against Washington.

SR RHP Mike Bolsinger (Arkansas) looked good yet again: 7 IP 6 H 1 ER 0 BB 6 K

SR 1B Jeff Cusick (UC-Irvine) smacked the ball around in Friday night doubleheader action: 5-7, 2 HR, 7 RBI, 3 R

SO RHP Kyle Barraclough (St. Mary’s) is an actual prospect for the 2011 MLB Draft. You wouldn’t know it based it on his Friday performance. I’m not trying to pile on, but this is definitely the early favorite for worst performance by a real prospect: 0.0 IP 6 H 9 ER 2 BB 0 K

3-6, HR, 3B, 2 RBI, 3 R for Gary Brown of Cal State Fullerton. The junior OF is now hitting .432/.447/.784 through 8 games, although he hasn’t walked in the early season. Still. Brown over Colon is starting to look a teeny bit less crazy by the day.

SO RHP Tyler Pill (Cal State Fullerton) was decent: 6 IP 6 H 4 ER 1 BB 8 K

Same thing could be said for JR LHP Mario Hollands (UC Santa Barbara): 5 IP 7 H 4 ER 3 BB 3 K

FR RHP Kurt Heyer (Arizona) continues to impress as a rare freshman starting on Friday night for a big-time program: 5.1 IP 8 H 2 ER 0 BB 6 K

UCLA got great production from their keystone combination in the Bruins’ doubleheader sweep of Nebraska. SO 2BTyler Rahmatulla went a total of 5-8, 2B, HBP, 2 RBI, 4 R, 2 K, SB while JR SS Niko Gallego combined for 3-6, HR, BB, SB, 3 RBI, 3 R

SO RHP Gerrit Cole (UCLA) and SO RHP Trevor Bauer (UCLA) were both awesome this weekend against Nebraska. How awesome? So glad you asked. Cole put up the following line: 7 IP 2 H 1 ER 0 BB 9 K; Bauer’s numbers looked more like this: 6.2 IP 6 H 1 ER 2 BB 10 K. Just like last week, however, I’m as excited about a little thing that occurred in Cole’s start than I am about the entirety of his performance. Well, that may actually be a stretch, but I was impressed by his fourth inning showing all the same:

Nebraska 4th – Bailey, A. homered to right center, RBI (1-2). Farst, T. struck out swinging (2-2). Asche, C. struck out swinging (1-2). Burleson, C. struck out looking (2-2). 1 run, 1 hit, 0 errors, 0 LOB.

Nebraska homer. Strike out. Strike out. Strike out. One of the old school scouty worries about the most dominating amateur draft talents is the uncertain way they’ll respond to failure. The best high school players often get drafted after seasons of ERAs under 1.00 and batting averages well over .500. There’s little knowing how a player will react once those numbers begin to get ugly professionally. This is something I personally heard about Cole coming out of high school. I haven’t heard much of anything on the subject since he has enrolled at UCLA, but I’ll take this fourth inning as a sign of progress.

JR LHP Drew Pomeranz (Mississippi) had what can only be considered a disappointing start for him: 6 IP 6 H 1 ER 2 BB 6 K. Only one strikeout per inning? Weak. In all honestly, I don’t know what to make of Pomeranz as a prospect just yet. New information on him is needed because of all the existing reports seem to conflict in pretty meaningful ways.

SO RHP Sonny Gray (Vanderbilt) got back on track after his Cole-induced hiccup last week: 7 IP 5 H 1 ER 3 BB 10 K

SO RHP Jordan Pries (Stanford) was solid as the starting pitcher (5 IP 5 H 3 ER 2 BB 6 K) , but the real stars were the pair of potential first round 2012 round arms who came in after him. FR RHP Chris Jenkins (2 IP 2 H 1 ER 1 BB 4 K) and FR RHP Mark Appel (2 IP 1 H 0 ER 1 BB 5 K) both flashed their customary plus stuff.

JR LHP Logan Darnell (Kentucky) has a definite pro future, but many think his stuff will work better out of the bullpen than as a starter. More starts like this may start changing some minds: 9 IP 8 H 0 ER 1 BB 4 K

Two similar Big East tweener outfielders had big Friday nights – St. John’s JR OF Jimmy Parque (4-4, 3B, 2B, BB, 4 R) and Pittsburgh JR OF John Schultz (4-5, 2B, RBI, 2 R)

JR LHP Bryan Morgado (Tennessee) kept rolling along: 7 IP 5 H 2 ER 1 BB 6 K

JR 1B/RHP Ryan Rivers (Charlotte) has good power potential, shows versatility on defense (OF), and has a 93 MPH peak fastball. Plus, he did this on Friday: 3-5, HR, 2 2B, 8 RBI, 3 R, K

Quick hits on some lines of note…

JR OF Todd Cunningham (Jacksonville State) bested JR OF Bryce Brentz (Middle Tennessee State) in their head-to-head Friday night “battle.” Cunningham went 3-3, HR, 2B, 2 BB, RBI, 2 R while Brentz was only good for a 2-6, HR, RBI, R, 2 K night.

JR OF Russell Wilson (North Carolina State), the quarterback turned serious 2010 MLB draft candidate, did alright for himself on Friday: 2-3, 2B, RBI

JR LHP Chris Sale (Florida Gulf Coast) struck out a bunch of hitters because, well, that’s just what Chris Sale does: 6 IP 5 H 2 ER 1 BB 11 K

JR RHP TJ Walz (Kansas) is yet another part of the incredible baseball renaissance going on at Kansas: 8 IP 4 H 0 ER 2 BB 7 K

Hey, did you notice that JR SS Tim Smalling (Virginia Tech) is now hitting .500 on the nose after a 3-hit Friday night? Well, he was as of Saturday morning at least.

JR RHP Seth Rosin (Minnesota) is doing all he can to get into the top 5 rounds: 6 IP 2 H 1 ER 0 BB 8 K

JR OF Mike Kvasnicka (Minnesota) is doing all he can to join his teammate Rosin in those top 5 rounds: 2-2, HR, 2B, 2 BB, 3 RBI, R

Personal favorite SO RHP Martin Viramontes (Loyola Marymount) lights up the radar gun with regularity (easy mid-90s velocity), but teases scouts with a pair of secondary offerings (curveball and changeup) that flash plus on occasion. That first round peak stuff + fifth round (at best) ability to harness it = very questionable draft landing spot. Third round, maybe? I don’t know yet. On Friday, he did this: 6 IP 3 H 3 ER 4 BB 8 K

JR RHP Barret Loux (Texas A&M) looked awfully healthy on Friday night: 7 IP 1 H 0 ER 2 BB 12 K

JR 3B Mike Olt (Connecticut) flies under the radar a little bit, but I’m not sure there are too many college third basemen out there that can match his upside. He spent his Friday night doing this: 3-5, RBI, R, K

JR OF Ridge Carpenter (Cal State Northridge) has transitioned to big-time college ball nicely: 3-5, R

SR RHP Jason Sullivan (Western Carolina) really, really impressed on Friday against a crafty West Virginia lineup. His upper-80s sinking fastball and good slider were working all night long: 9 IP 3 H 0 ER 1 BB 8 K

JR RHP Jarryd Summers (West Virginia) did his best to match Sullivan’s performance, but came up on the losing end all the same: 8 IP 1 H 1 ER 1 BB 11 K

JR RHP Kevin Munson (James Madison) has the requisite two-pitch knockout punch (FB/SL) combination to go far as a professional reliever: 2.1 IP 2 H 0 ER 0 BB 4 K

JR OF Mark Micowski (Georgia State) had the game of a lifetime on Friday. The transfer from Vermont did this from the leadoff spot in Panthers 32-3 squeaker against NC Central: 7-8, HR, 3B, 3 2B, 7 RBI, 4 R

JR RHP Josh Mueller (Eastern Illinois) was very sharp on Friday night, hardly an unexpected occurrence for a pitcher with a nice three-pitch mix that includes a low-90s fastball, solid changeup, and better curveball: 5.1 IP 5 H 1 ER 0 BB 8 K

JR RHP Todd McInnis (Southern Mississippi) rode his good fastball (88-92 MPH) and near-plus curveball to another good night: 8 IP 4 H 0 ER 2 BB 7 K

FR RHP Bryan Crabb (San Diego State): 7 IP 1 H 0 ER 3 BB 7 K

SO LHP Tyler Anderson (Oregon): 8 IP 7 H 0 ER 0 BB 10 K

SO OF Creede Simpson (Auburn): 5-6, 3 RBI, 2 R, K

JR OF Brian Fletcher (Auburn) is a little bit like a poor man’s Jarrett Parker, I think. Similar strengths, weaknesses, and builds. He was good on Friday night: 4-5, BB, 4 RBI, 3 R

JR OF Gauntlett Eldemire (Ohio): 3-5, 3 RBI, R, K