Sluggers, top MLB Draft prospect among players to watch in 2022 ACC baseball tournament
Though some squarely are on the bubble, 11 of the 12 teams competing in the Atlantic Coast Conference baseball tournament this week are projected by D1Baseball.com to make the cut for the NCAA Tournament.
That’s the best forecast for any league, ahead of the Southeastern Conference (nine teams), Big 12 (six teams) and Pac-12 (five teams).
The ACC features several sluggers who rank among the national leaders individually, with one — Georgia Tech catcher Kevin Parada — considered a top 10 prospect for the 2022 Major League Baseball Draft.
Here’s a look at seven players to watch during the ACC Tournament this week in Charlotte:
Max Wagner, Clemson
The sophomore third baseman was named ACC Player of the Year. He’s tied with Parada for second place nationally in home runs with 26 on the season. Wagner is hitting .379, leads the conference in slugging percentage (.867), on-base percentage (.506) and OPS (1.373), and checks in tied for second with 74 RBI.
Kevin Parada, Georgia Tech
The sophomore leads the ACC in RBI (84), runs (71) and totals bases (173). He’s hitting .362 and has set a school record with 26 homers, while his total bases and RBI outputs rank second and third nationally, respectively. Parada figures to be among the first five college players picked in the MLB Draft in July.
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Levi Usher, Louisville
The senior outfielder was recognized as the ACC’s Defensive Player of the Year. He tops the league with 33 stolen bases.
Vance Honeycutt, UNC
While shortstop Danny Serretti’s .369 batting average is the highest by a Tar Heels player since 2009, the freshman outfielder Honeycutt (17 home runs and 28 stolen bases) is the only player in the ACC to produce 15 homers and 20 steals this season.
Tommy White, NC State
The Wolfpack slugger earned ACC Freshman of the Year honors. He leads all freshmen nationally with 23 home runs, 68 RBI and a .735 slugging percentage, while ranking second with 80 hits. White is hitting .365. He’s two homers shy of N.C. State’s season record and three from the NCAA freshman record.
Jake Gelof, Virginia
The sophomore third baseman ranks tied for fourth nationally in RBI (74) and ninth in slugging percentage (.768). Gelof is hitting .376 and has 19 home runs. He’s three homers and three RBI shy of Virginia’s season records in both categories.
Rhett Lowder, Wake Forest
The sophomore became Wake Forest’s first ACC Pitcher of the Year award winner. Lowder has 10 victories, tied for the conference’s top mark. He checks in second in ERA (2.45), second with 88 innings worked, and third in the league in strikeouts (78). He’s the only ACC pitcher among the top three in each category.
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Adam Smith is a sports reporter for the Burlington Times-News and USA TODAY Network. You can reach him by email at asmith@thetimesnews.com or @adam_smithTN on Twitter.
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This article originally appeared on Times-News: Top players to watch in 2022 ACC baseball tournament
