No. 5 Draft prospect Caglianone strikes out 9 in 6 no-hit innings
Jes¨²s Cano
@jesus_cano88Florida¡¯s Jac Caglianone has already showcased his success at the plate all season, but Pipeline¡¯s No. 5 Draft prospect showed he can be equally as effective on the mound.
In Sunday¡¯s 10-0 win over St. Mary¡¯s, Caglianone spoiled the home crowd in Gainesville by twirling a six-inning no-hit performance. The left-hander struck out nine and allowed four walks. In addition to his dominance on the mound, Caglianone went 1-for-3 with two walks.
Despite being a junior, Caglianone has only pitched in the past two seasons after recovering from Tommy John surgery his freshman year but still served as the Gators' designated hitter. Last season he struggled with his command. After adjusting to a more compact delivery in fall ball, along with being armed with a fastball that touches triple digits and introducing a high-90s cutter, the results are starting to pay off.
In three starts this season, Caglianone has only allowed three runs, which came in his first outing, in 15 innings on five hits. He has struck out at least seven or more batters in each appearance (27 total).
With the way Caglianone is performing, he is a frontrunner for the John Olerud Award, which is given to college baseball¡¯s best hitter/pitcher.
He was hitting .433 at the plate with nine home runs and 16 RBIs heading into Sunday. Last season, he slugged 33 home runs, but still drew some concerns because of his aggressiveness at the plate, having a 44 percent chase rate. Yet, he doesn¡¯t strike out as much as expected, having five strikeouts in 60 at-bats this year.