While bouncing around a number of college baseball games over the weekend, the weather was a common talking point. In Round Rock, Texas, which was hosting a tournament featuring Oregon State, Virginia, Oklahoma, and Minnesota, game times had to be moved up to the afternoon as first pitch temperatures were 35 degrees. That's not great for the teams, umpires, or fans having to brave the elements, but it was wonderful to scout which players could adapt playing a future MLB game in Chicago during late March.
In this week’s report, I’m focusing on two pitchers who impressed the most this weekend: Oklahoma righty Kyson Witherspoon and Tennessee lefty Liam Doyle.
Kyson Witherspoon strikes out 11 vs. Minnesota
On Opening Day, Witherspoon set the tone by striking out nine batters over five innings against Lehigh. It was a good debut for Witherspoon, who entered the season as Sox Machine’s 21st-ranked prospect, even though I didn’t have him on my initial Watch Board. Most in college baseball rave about Witherspoon’s velocity as his fastball consistently hits 96 mph and has the potential to even reach triple digits if he wants.
Witherspoon started the tournament in Round Rock against Minnesota. His first batter was graduate senior Josh Fitzgerald, and Witherspoon got burned on a fastball in the middle third. Despite the cold wind blowing in, Fitzgerald got enough power in his swing to take Witherspoon out for a solo home run. For the rest of that first inning, I saw a fastball that wasn’t overly impressive, with locations too often belted high over home plate. That type of command gets pitchers crushed professionally.
But as the game progressed, Witherspoon locked in and demonstrated advanced pitchability, as scouts would say, mixing up first pitches to batters with the four-seamer, slider, and cutter. Minnesota hitters had a terrible time after that first inning against Witherspoon, as all they could muster was two singles over the next six innings.
Witherspoon’s confidence in the slider and cutter early in the count reminded me of old friend Dylan Cease. Despite having the ability to throw 97 mph, Cease was comfortable attacking hitters with his devastating slider and, at times, willing to throw that pitch as often as his four-seamer. If Witherspoon is challenged by a good-hitting lineup, we could see more sliders and cutters involved in the pitch mix.
However, Witherspoon used the high-velocity four-seamer as an effective strikeout pitch as he entered the seventh inning, often catching Minnesota hitters looking for a breaking pitch and catching a four-seamer down the pipe for a strikeout looking. Even in his next battles against Fitzgerald, Witherspoon baffled him with breaking stuff for two strikeouts.
At 6’2”, Witherspoon has good size and build to maintain his stuff a starting pitcher. Oklahoma has kept him to a pitch count of 90, but we saw the Sooners coaching staff push Witherspoon to 114 pitches last year against Oral Roberts. It’s a short arm delivery for Witherspoon -- again, giving off Dylan Cease vibes -- and he pitches mostly out of the stretch.
Oklahoma is off to a surprising 6-0 start, with back-to-back wins over No. 8 Oregon State and No. 13 Virginia. The Sooners may surprise in an already stacked SEC, and once conference play rolls around, it should give more opportunities for Witherspoon to impress. He’s not like Chase Burns, but even a half-grade below that level of performance merits top-15 consideration. The next start to watch will be when Oklahoma visits South Carolina to start SEC play on Friday, March 14.
Liam Doyle Bringing The Heat for Tennessee
Ranked outside the preseason Sox Machine Top 50, Doyle is making me and other draft analysts look foolish to start 2025. Yes, Doyle is not facing stiff competition pitching against Hofstra and Samford, but in two starts spanning 10⅓ innings, he has 25 strikeouts to one walk.
Doyle’s bread and butter is his plus four-seam fastball that sits 94 to 96 mph with the ability to touch 97, and he pounds it in the upper strike zone. There’s some effort in his delivery as Doyle drives off the rubber with his three-quarter delivery. Against Samford, Doyle did flash his slider a few times, but I think that pitch needs some refinement ... or a better opponent for Doyle to throw it more often.
Posting big strikeout numbers is nothing new for Doyle, who has been in his third school in as many years. I do wonder, in the age of NIL, how MLB teams think about a player who has transferred that often. Starting his college career at Coastal Carolina in 2023, Doyle made seven starts in 23 appearances, racking up 69 strikeouts in 56⅓ innings. The following season, Doyle transferred to Ole Miss, where 11 of his 16 appearances were starts, and he struck out 84 batters over 55 innings. But Doyle allowed 11 home runs and had a 5.73 ERA with the Rebels.
College Stuff+ Update! Some notable names on here.
— Timothy Chen (@TimStats) February 25, 2025
Cody Bowker - 117 (Vanderbilt)
Charlie Foster - 115 (Mississippi St.)
Logan Lunceford - 114 (Wake Forest)
Will Sanford - 113 (Oregon)
Liam Peterson - 113 (Florida)
Joe Ariola - 112 (Wake Forest)
Liam Doyle -112 (Tennessee) pic.twitter.com/pBqK9GKWXS
Perhaps transferring to Tennessee is Doyle’s way of searching for the right development help. There are not many left-handed pitchers in college today that possess the type of heat Doyle has. At the very least, he could be a high-leverage reliever in the pros. But I want to hold judgment until I see Doyle against better competition. This weekend is the Astros Foundation College Classic in Houston, and Doyle will face Oklahoma State in a stadium with StatCast. We’ll have more and better data on Doyle’s pitches to grade him clearly.
After Oklahoma State, Doyle will face Florida the following week, and on April 4, he will face Texas A&M. If Doyle can continue racking up strikeouts at the rate he has, he’ll start skyrocketing up draft boards. It's a name to watch as the college season progresses.
NCBWA Players of the Week
Hitter: 3B Trevor Haskins, Stanford
Senior Trevor Haskins had himself a weekend against Washington. In the four-game series, Haskins went 7-for-18, hitting a home run in each game and driving in 12. After hitting .278/.330/.459 as a junior with six homers and 27 RBIs, Haskins is off to a strong start in 2025, and he could blast past last year’s season totals in the power categories.
Pitcher: LHP Dylan Brown Jr., Old Dominion
Another lefty racking up double-digit strikeout games, Dylan Brown Jr. earns Pitcher of the Week honors by going eight scoreless innings against Charlotte with 13 strikeouts. In his previous start against Georgia Tech, Brown Jr. pitched five scoreless innings with 10 strikeouts. Add in that opposing hitters only have four hits and four walks off Brown Jr. in two games, and Brown Jr. is off to an exceptional start in 2025.
NCBWA Top 25 Poll - Week of February 24, 2025
Notable Starts to 2025 Season
- No. 1 prospect Texas A&M OF Jace LaViolette only has four hits in six games, but three of those have left the yard, and the other was a double. His current slash line is .211/.444/.737.
- No. 3 prospect UC Santa Barbara RHP Tyler Bremner is off to a curious start. In two outings, Bremner has only pitched three innings in each start. Against Seattle this past Friday, Bremner did strikeout six batters but allowed two home runs. This performance is coming after Opening Day, when he was pulled early against Campbell.
- No. 4 prospect Florida State LHP Jamie Arnold has been on a pitch count limiting him to 75 in the first two starts, but he has been electric. In 11 innings, Arnold has 16 strikeouts and no walks allowed.
- No. 7 prospect Clemson OF Cam Cannarella is off to a sluggish start, which makes me wonder if his shoulder injury is more serious. In six games, Cannarella is hitting .250/.333/.375 with seven strikeouts and two walks. Cannarella is still homerless and only has three doubles. If he can’t hit for power, Cannarella’s stock will take a hit.
- No. 8 prospect Oregon State SS Aiva Arquette is starting 2025 on a seven-game hitting streak and went 4-for-12 in the Round Rock tournament with two homers and six RBIs. This past weekend was the first time Arquette had struck out all season, and his slash line is .440/.559/.880. Right now, I am comfortable bumping Arquette ahead of Cannarella, and he could merit top-five consideration.
- No. 14 prospect Arizona OF Brendan Summerhill had a good weekend against San Diego, going 5-for-14 with three RBIs. The power is still lacking; Summerhill does have two triples and a home run but still has yet to register a double. There are a lot of singles, which doesn’t help address his concerns about his power potential.
Games I’m Watching this Weekend
Astros Foundation College Classic
Stream: Houston Astros Youtube Channel
Friday, February 28
- 3:05 PM CT: Oklahoma State vs. #2 Tennessee
- 7:05 PM CT: Arizona vs. #1 Texas A&M
Saturday, March 1
- 11:05 AM CT: #2 Tennessee vs. Rice
- 3:05 PM CT: Arizona vs. #16 Mississippi State
- 7:05 PM CT: Oklahoma State vs. #1 Texas A&M
Sunday, March 2
- 10:05 AM CT: #2 Tennessee vs. Arizona
- 2:05 PM CT: #16 Mississippi State vs. Oklahoma State
Prospects to Watch
| PLAYER | POSITION | SCHOOL |
| Brendan Summerhill | OF | Arizona |
| Mason White | SS | Arizona |
| Nolan Schubart | OF | Oklahoma State |
| Gabe Davis | RHP | Oklahoma State |
| Dean Curley | SS | Tennessee |
| Gavin Kilen | 2B | Tennessee |
| A.J. Russell | RHP | Tennessee |
| Andrew Fischer | 3B | Tennessee |
| Nate Snead | RHP | Tennessee |
| Liam Doyle | LHP | Tennessee |
| Jace LaViolette | OF | Texas A&M |
| Ryan Prager | LHP | Texas A&M |
