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 counting down the players day-by-day until we reach number 1.
Number 67 on our Top 100 Countdown is Tanner Mathis of Ole Miss. The 5’11 outfielder from Lake Charles, Louisiana was drafted in the 27th round by the Houston Astros in 2012 and enters his senior season with at Ole Miss.
In his three seasons with the Rebels Mathis has failed to disappoint, posting a batting average well over .300 in each of his three seasons. He began his career at Ole Miss appearing in 40 games, including 20 starts, his freshman season with the majority of his time being seen in the outfield.
His presence in the Rebels’ lineup only continued to grow during his sophomore season where he started all 55 games in the outfield, the majority at center field. Highlights of Mathis’s 2011 season include a batting average of .336, 27 RBIs, and a 23-game hitting streak. Mathis also struck out just 10 times in 2011, appearing at the plate 257 times.
Mathis’s success continued for the Rebels in 2012 as he posted a career-high batting average of .359, including 28 games with multiple hits as well as 50 runs scored on the year. He also had an on base percentage of .460—the third highest in the SEC. In addition to his consistent success in the Rebels’ batting order, Mathis also proved clutch for Ole Miss in the NCAA Tournament, batting .571 at the College Station Regional.
From a scouting perspective, the consistency that Mathis shows at the plate is fantastic. Three straight seasons batting over .300, improving each year, is a consistency that is hard to top. He has also struck out less than 20 times each year with the Rebels. The ability he has to read pitches is fantastic and only continues to improve, which is evident through his excellent on base percentage. Although not a power hitter, his ability to consistently get on base is extremely valuable, and it makes him an ideal leadoff hitter 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.
