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As the third week of the season winds down for college baseball, we are able to see Big Train’s very own players contribute to their team’s success.  Four teams (Maryland #12, Mississippi State #15, Florida Atlantic #24, and Tulane #25) rank inside the top 25 according to D1baseball, and San Diego State is not far behind.  The Big Train has players all over the country contributing mightily for their respective teams.  I will give you some of the key performances of Big Train players so far this season.  Due to the crazy snow in the East, many teams have had games cancelled and thus not played much baseball this week.

I will start off with key performances from the teams that are ranked. 

Florida Atlantic continues its hot start behind a tremendous offensive year from Ricky Santiago (BT ’13).  Santiago is now batting .351 with 20 hits, 14 RBI, and five walks.  Sean Labsan (BT ’14) made his first significant contribution of the year in walk-off fashion.  Labsan had a walk-off single against North Florida in a 12-inning comeback thriller.  Bo Logan (BT ’13-’15) lowered his ERA to 1.69 in six appearances, including 3.2 innings this week.

Mississippi State has seen an increase in performance from Cody Brown (BT ’14-’15).  Brown is now hitting .345 with 6 RBI on the season.  Wes Rea (BT '14) is also contributing well, batting .318 with three doubles and 10 RBI.

Tulane is one of the biggest national surprises of the year according to D1baseball, and a big part of that can be due to the tremendous play of two Big Train alumni.  Stephen Alemais (BT ’14) has been in the leadoff role all season, posting a .370 batting average, while stealing seven bases, and scoring 10 runs.  Tim Yandel  (BT ’13-’15) has made the process of switching to a full-time pitcher role look easy.  Yandel has started three games, leading the team in innings pitched at 19.1, and has gone 1-0 with a 0.93 ERA, while opposing teams are hitting a meager .119 against him.

Now, I will move out of the top-25 and focus on key performances of other Big Train players around the country.

Just outside of the top-25, San Diego State has put together a nice season, due in large part to its players from the Big Train.  Ty France (BT ’13) is batting .360, with 18 hits, including two doubles, two triples, a home run, and 11 RBI.  Andrew Brown (BT ’14-’15) is batting .353 with 18 hits and six walks.

At Stetson, Joshua Thorne (BT ’14-’15) leads his team with seven appearances, and in six innings work he has only allowed two earned runs.

Tony DiLeo (BT ’14-’15) of Eastern Michigan has batted .297 with five RBI.

For St. Mary’s College (CA), Jake Valdez (BT ’14-’15) has posted a 1-1 record in three starts with a 2.57 ERA.  Drew Strotman (BT ’15) has appeared in five games, pitching 7.1 innings, allowing only two earned runs.

Logan Farrar (BT’13-’15) of Virginia Commonwealth is batting .323, adding seven walks and two hit-by-pitch, giving him a .475 on-base percentage.

For High Point, Cody Manzella is now hitting .333 with four doubles and two triples.

Stay tuned for next weeks recap, and see if the Big Train can have five teams in the Top-25.