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Last we left off with him, Mercer outfielder Kyle Lewis was wielding a hot bat and maintaining an excellent strikeout-to-walk ratio. In the past two weeks, Lewis has kept that performance going. After an 0-for-3 performance against Georgia Tech in the midweek game on April 5, Lewis recorded at least one hit in each of his next seven games and had multi-hit games in five of them. He capped off this past weekend with three hits, five RBI, and one home run in a 7-2 victory over VMI. He plated three runs on two singles and hit a two-run homer late in the game. He now has 15 home runs this season and has a 46-game on-base streak.
Lewis's line for the season is .437/.568/.852 with nine doubles, a triple, 15 home runs, 54 RBI, 41 walks, and 25 strikeouts.
A.J. Puk, LHP, Florida
Two weeks ago, Puk left his start against Texas A&M with back spasms and missed his following start, but he was back on the mound last Thursday when the Gators visited Fayetteville and the Arkansas Razorbacks. He lasted five innings, struck out nine, and walked three on 101 pitches. The Gator offense provided him a 7-0 lead entering the bottom of the fifth, which is when he allowed two runs.
Season line: 8 GS, 2-2 W-L, 3.41 ERA, 34 1/3 IP, 26 H, 18/13 R/ER, 45 K, 15 BB
Alec Hansen, RHP, Oklahoma
Hansen continues to pitch out of the bullpen, making three appearances over the last two weeks. On Friday at TCU, Hansen pitched the last four innings of the game, an 11-3 loss, in which he allowed two runs while striking out seven and walking four.
At this point, Hansen shouldn't be considered anywhere near the top of the draft.
Jordan Sheffield, RHP, Vanderbilt
The LSU Tigers rocked Sheffield for nine runs (seven earned) over three innings on April 6 in Baton Rouge. Sheffield allowed one run over each of the first two innings before surrendering the remaining seven in the third inning.
He bounced back on Friday with a nine-inning shutout of the Kentucky Wildcats, striking out a career-high 14 batters (82 of 124 pitches for strikes). This was his first complete game. He scattered five hits. You can see some highlights from his performance below:
He picked up SEC and National Pitcher of the Week awards for his efforts.
Jason Groome, LHP, New Jersey high school
Groome, a potential No. 1 overall draft pick, was declared ineligible last week for high school baseball due to transfer rules. It now appears as though he will become eligible later in the season, but that the starts he made are no longer official (goodbye to a no-hitter that included 19 strikeouts).
None of this was likely to make much of a difference in his draft status.
Others of note
Connor Jones, RHP, Virginia: On April 8, Jones fired off a one-hit shutout with four strikeouts and four walks against Boston College in a 3-0 victory. Both the complete game and the shutout were firsts for him. Last Friday, Jones struggled a bit over six innings against North Carolina, allowing three runs on five hits and five walks.
Matt Krook, LHP, Oregon: Krook limited Cal to two runs over 6 2/3 innings on April 9. He displayed his penchant for striking out a goodly amount of batters (9), but also that same ability to walk batters (6). In a Friday start against USC, the lefty gave up three runs on four hits and walked six batters again. He struck out five.