College Baseball Daily continues our countdown to the start of the 2013 college baseball season by checking in on the Top 100 Players in the country. We will be providing one player per day until we reach number 1.
Number 73 on our Top 100 Countdown is Missouri State’s Nick Petree. The 6’1 right-handed pitcher from Clinton, Missouri has gone from redshirting his freshman season due to Tommy John surgery, to becoming one of the most decorated players currently in college baseball.
During his 2011 season, Petree was excellent for the Bears. His previous redshirt season spent recovering from Tommy John certainly didn’t hold Petree back in 2011, as he was tabbed a Freshman All-American as well as MVC Freshman of the Year. Petree posted fantastic numbers for the Bears in his freshman campaign, going 9-2 with an ERA of 2.81, as well as walking just 27 batters compared to striking out 81.
In 2012, Petree’s success didn’t let-up. Petree’s numbers were fantastic in 2012 as he posted a 1.01 ERA–good for first in the nation–in 115.1 innings pitched, for a record of 10-4. Striking out 114 on the year, Petree held opponents to a batting average of just 2.03. Petree’s success earned him much praise from the college baseball community including awards such as First Team All-MVC, ABCA First Team All-Midwest Region, NCBWA District VII Player of the Year, Golden Spikes Award Semifinalist, Dick Howser Trophy Semifinalist, and First Team All-American by NCBWA, CollegeBaseballInsider.com, Collegiate Baseball and Baseball America, in addition to being named the Collegiate Baseball Louisville Slugger National Player of the Year.
From a scouting perspective, it’s hard not to be impressed by the consistent success of Petree. His fastball sits in the upper 80s, but what he lacks in size and velocity he certainly makes up for with excellent movement and a nasty changeup . One of the smartest pitchers in college ball, Petree has excellent feel on the mound that allows him to analyze batters and situations well to minimize mistakes. His control and his intangibles make him invaluable to the Missouri State pitching staff as well as one of the top 100 players to watch for in 2013.
You can check out the rest of our Top 100 by clicking here.
