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 adding players day-by-day until we get to number one!
Number 26 on our Top 100 Countdown is Notre Dame’s Dan Slania. The 6’5 right-handed pitcher from Tucson, Arizona was named the best reliever in the Cape Cod League during the summer of 2012.
During his freshman season, Slania made 23 appearances for Notre Dame, all in relief. He went 2-3 on the season with four saves and an ERA of 2.34 while striking out 20 and walking nine. In his sophomore season, Slania made 31 relief appearances where he went 3-0 with an ERA of 2.03. In his 31 innings pitched, Slania walked just 12 while striking out 37.
In the summer of 2012, Slania played for the Cotuit Kettleers of the Cape Cod League. In his 33.2 innings pitched, Slania maintained an ERA of 1.60 as he struck out 48 batters while walking just four. His fantastic summer earned him the honor of being named the best reliever in the Cape in 2012.
From a scouting perspective, Slania is one of the top relief pitchers in all of college baseball. His fastball touches 95 and his power slider sits in the low-mid 80s. He has been very successful out of the bullpen at Notre Dame, however the numbers that speak the most for him are his numbers in the Cape during the summer of 2012, specifically his 48 strikeouts to just four walks. That ratio is nearly unheard of, and heading into his junior season where he is draft-eligible, Slania is showing scouts exactly what they need to see from him. As he continues off of the momentum from his fantastic summer, Slania is one of the top players to watch for in 2013.
You can check out the rest of our Top 100 by clicking here.
