Emilio Nogales, INF, Fresno State

Another good freshman for Coach Batesole. He hit .341 and 1 in 85 ABs so I expect full time duty next season. 

Zach Presno, C, Fresno State

Didn’t hit that much at .211 but he did have 8 dingers which speaks volumes to me. Besides, he’s a catcher. He probably won’t replace Carter Bins any time soon but I suspect coach will find a spot for him somewhere if he continues to show pop. 

Nate Thimjon, OF, Fresno State

Hit an ok .244 and 4 in 86 ABs. We’ll see what next year brings. Still, not bad for a freshman. 

Miles Tomczak, OF, Fresno State

Hit a decent .255 and 3 in 137 ABs which says a lot of full time duty. It’s beginning to look a lot like next year might be the Bulldogs’ year with all these youngsters and I haven’t even started with the pitchers. Oops, here they come.

Nikoh Mitchell, LHP, Fresno State

He was outstanding out of the pen in 2018. He ended up at 4-3 and 3.28 in 57 IP with 53 Ks. He also started 7 times so I think we will see him as part of next year’s rotation. 

Jamison Hill, RHP, Fresno State

I struggled a bit with this kid. At 3-5 and 6.13 he didn’t have or show a lot of success but the 34 Ks in 39 IP showed a lot of promise. I think coach saw that also. 

Tiegen Jones, Pitcher, Fresno State

He was 1-0 and 5.03 with 19 IP. He was used exclusively out of the pen and I think that’s where he’ll be used next year. I almost did not include him but the 19 appearances made me do it. This kid completes the list of FSU frosh. That’s 8 players and if they all improve, watch out.

Jack-Thomas Wold, 1B, UNLV

He was a full time player with 211 ABs. He hit .308 and 6 so he’s a good one or, keeper, as I like to say. 

Conner Woods, RHP, UNLV

Not a great year at 1-1 and 6.83 but he did see action in 24 games and 27 IP. That works out to about half the games (a little less, I know, as I can add) and an inning an appearance. Not bad for a frosh says I. Increased load next year says I.

Justin Watari, INF, New Mexico

This one’s a keeper. He hit .321 and 1 and the BA was good for third on the team in full time duty. 

Cody Dye, RHP, New Mexico

Another keeper for Coach Birmingham. This kid had 14 appearances and they were all starts. He was 5-6 and 5.63 which led the rotation. He could be really good next year if he cuts down on his walks a bit.

Drew Gillespie, RHP, New Mexico

Here’s another of those “Why did you include hime?” kind of players. He was 3-1 and 8.28 which is a mix of good and bad on a poorly performing team. BUT, he appeared in 24 games with 2 starts and 50 IP. The IP is what caught my eye. Coach said, I think, “Here kid, learn to pitch.”

Chris Dunn, OF, New Mexico

Chris hit a forgettable .211 and 1 in 95 ABs and it’s the ABs that caught my eye. Coach had an abysmal year as he put his frosh in harm’s way for most of the year, it seems. He’s a good coach so we’ll see what transpires in recruiting and next year.

Brian Coffey, LHP, New Mexico

He was 0-1 and 6.67 in 27 IP which is similar to Drew Gillespie so see above and look at hose comments. He had 22 appearances with 2 starts.

Robby Campillo, C, New Mexico

A freshman catcher with significant ABs and appearances (42 games and 31 starts). He hit .228 and 2 which should go up in the future. He might start next season.

Nathaniel Garley, RHP, New Mexico

Of pitchers with lots of IP he had the best record at 3-4 and 5.10 in 18 games with 6 starts. Again, thrown into the fire.

Garrett Gouldsmith, INF, New Mexico

He hit .270 and 1 which is starter kind of results. He played in 42 games and had 111 ABs.

Robert Gasser, LHP, New Mexico

He was 2-4 and 7.05 in 52 IP and averaged a K an inning.

Brayden Merritt, OF, New Mexico

He was a very good .293 and 2 in 140 ABs. Another keeper in the Birmingham’s freshman stable. 

Phillip Sikes, OF, New Mexico

This is getting old. Phillip was .246 and 1 last year in 126 ABs. Yep, another close to full time freshman. 

Derek Marshall, UTIL, New Mexico

He hit .245 and 3 in 106 ABs.

Daniel Zakosek, C, New Mexico

One of the few bright spots in the lineup as he hit .304 and 1 in 69 ABs. Looks like the squat position is in good hands for the next few years. I’ve listed 13 players for New Mexico and you know this team took its lumps. They also gained valuable experience and will be back next year. They have a few good ones and an AA not on this particular list (Connor Mang). If these guys grow, as freshmen tend to, the Lobos will be in good shape. 

Michael Kolesar, OF, Air Force

The Falcons were another team severely hit by graduation from the 2017 team. So, expect a long list of frosh players. Michael hit .241 and 2 in 29 AB. That’s not too far off a HR every 10 ABs which is a very high standard in baseball. Wind tunnel effect?

John Byrnes, RHP, Air Force

Another tough choice. He was 0-1 and 7.20 in 20 IP. The team ERA was 6.24 so I put him on. 

Tyler Ward, UTIL, Air Force

He hit .302 in 53 ABs. He can play both INF and OF so we’ll see if coach can find a more permanent role for him. 

This list opened my eyes on a few things. Fresno State is pretty much loaded. They have five players that delivered and that’s a lot for a contending team. New Mexico pretty much relied on the freshman class to deliver wins which they had trouble doing. However, they will be back with the memory of finishing last in 2017. Now that’s incentive. Air Force had the same situation and they also lost a lot from 2017. They have two decent hitters returning but they really need some arms.