Mack – Draft 5-Pack – Friday Starters – Seth Romero, Tyler Buffett, Will Gaddis, Tanner Houck, Kyle Wright

Houston 10, Alabama State 2 – LHP Seth Romero (Houston): 6.0-IP, 4-H, 1-ER, 12-K, 2-BB, Win (3-2)

 Scouting Baseball - Last season, only one pitching staff (Cal State Fullerton) had a lower ERA than the University of Houston, and no team had a better strikeout-to-walk ratio. It was all led by a sophomore who missed the first eight games with a team suspension. Though the discipline was for undisclosed conduct detrimental to the team, there has never been fear of Romero's makeup being a problem. The cougar mentality of being a silent killer fits the mold of the Cougars' ace. Numbers are a very small part of the draft process, but when the skill set and numbers match up, it only glorifies the talent. In Romero's case, the numbers shoot off the page. Over his two years with the Cougars, Romero has boasted a 2.12 ERA, 0.96 WHIP, 6.12 hits-per-nine, 2.53 walks-per-nine, 10.37 strikeouts-per-nine, and .193 opposing average. The numbers stem from high-quality performances, such as a pair of one-hitters, one of which came in a Regional contest as a freshman.

           

Oklahoma State 6, Northwestern State 3 – RHP Tyler Buffett (OSU): 5.2-IP, 4-H, 2-R, 6-K, 3-BB, Win (3-2)

 Craw Fish - The Houston Astros have already signed nine of their top 10 drafts out of the 2016 MLB Draft. The one remaining player that hadn't signed is Oklahoma State University right-handed pitcher Tyler Buffett. Buffett announced Wednesday that he would be returning to Oklahoma State for his senior season on Twitter.

           

Furman 17, North Carolina A&T 2 – RHP Will Gaddis (Fur): 6.0-IP, 4-H, 0-R, 7-K, 0-BB, Win (2-2)

 Brentwood - When Will Gaddis outdueled one of the nation’s top pitching prospects during his senior year at Brentwood, lots of people in the baseball world took notice. When Will Gaddis went to a Furman baseball camp as a high school freshman, he got coach Ron Smith’s attention. When Gaddis outdueled one of the nation’s top pitching prospects during his senior year at Brentwood, lots of people in the baseball world took notice. When his cutter zooms into the middle of the strike zone before dropping abruptly into the left-handed batter’s box, Southern Conference hitters quickly learn what his best pitch is. Gaddis is a modest sophomore, but he commands attention anytime he steps on the mound.

           

Missouri 3, Alabama 0 – RHP Tanner Houck (Mizz): 7.0-IP, 1-H, 0-R, 9-K, 3-BB, Win (3-1)

Balls Outta Here - Both Callis and Mayo projected Missouri pitcher Tanner Houck in their first mock draft.  20-year-old righty born in Illinois, Houck stands tall at 6’5, and projects to be a “quick to the majors” pitcher like Aaron Nola coming out of LSU. Callis: Philadelphia’s system is hitter-heavy, so a quick-to-the-Majors pitcher like Houck would make sense. Mayo: Houck’s hard sinker could be a very good weapon in the Phillies’ very hitter-friendly home park. After aggressively pursuing high school talent in the 2016 Draft, adding a more advanced college arm might not be a bad idea. Houck earned unanimous Freshman All-American honors at Mizzou, and was also an All-SEC Freshman Team recipient.

           

Ole Miss 1, Vanderbilt 0 – RHP Kyle Wright (V): 7.0-IP, 6-H, 1-ER, 4-K, 2-BB, Loss (0-3)

Red Reporter - Vandy has been pitching paradise for MLB teams over the last several years, and 2017 does not disappoint, as Kyle Wright seems destined to join the ever-growing list of Vanderbilt pitchers to go toward the top of the first round. In 2016, Wright made up part of the weekend starting tandem with Jordan Sheffield, who was taken 36th overall by the Dodgers in last season’s draft. Unlike most of the college prospects on the top of this list, Wright was never drafted out of high school and seemed relatively unheralded as a prep, though he was highly sought after by Alabama, Mississippi State, Auburn, and Troy. Wright has consistently improved his craft since then, and may still even have more to gain. As Wright has gotten bigger and stronger in college -- he has grown an inch and added 40 pounds -- his velocity has improved from 87-90 mph in high school to 91-94, with a high of 97. His best secondary pitch is a hard curveball that he employs against left-handers, and he mixes in a harder slider/cutter against righties. Wright is also developing a changeup.