Heading into July, I thought it would be a good time to look at the summer-to-date batting stats for our VT players. Below is a table with stats along with notes on incoming transfers, rising sophomores and incoming freshmen. Incoming Transfers • Jackson Cherry: Displayed good power with 3 home runs in 10 at-bats. • Cam Pittman: Displayed really good plate discipline and ability to get on base with 22 walks to 10 strikeouts in 58 at-bats while flashing good speed with 12 stolen bases. • Jared Davis: Has had moderate success at the plate (.274 avg, .637 ops) but has proven to be very versatile (2B, SS, CF, LF, DH) with good speed (17 stolen bases). Rising Sophomores/Redshirt Freshmen • David McCann: Got things going after a slow start to the summer and currently leads all VT players with 4 home runs and 13 runs batted in over 12 games. His fielding at catcher has gotten a little bit better (just 1 error and .989 fielding percentage) but still has a long way to go throwing out runners (just 1 caught stealing in 27 attempts). • Ethan Gibson: Has cooled off a bit the last few weeks but has still proven to be one of our better all-around players this summer with a .849 OPS while leading or co-leading in multiple metrics including runs scored (27), doubles (4), triples (1), runs batted in (16) and walks (22) while displaying good speed (9 stolen bases, 0 caught stealing) and great positional versatility (SS, 2B, DH, 1B, CF). • Jake Slade: Another player who has cooled off a bit recently but has hit for a decent average (.292) and solid on-base percentage (.418). He’ll need to continue working on his swing and miss tendencies (21 strikeouts) as well as his defense where he has had 7 errors and a .825 fielding percentage playing exclusively at 3B. • Nick Locurto: Has had a productive last few weeks and has raised his slash line to a very solid .302 avg / .500 obp / .465 slg / .965 ops. He has been a fairly well-rounded hitter with 4 doubles and a home run while showing a penchant for getting hit by pitches (VT-leading 8) along with decent speed (4 stolen bases) and playing error-free in the outfield. • Matt Westley: Has struggled most of the summer on his way to a .170 avg / .267 obp / .283 slg / .550 ops slash line. The only positive is that he has hit two home runs but otherwise has been pretty quiet. • Mitch Jones: He has been getting work as an extra hitter for Newark in the Perfect Game Collegiate League. He has struggled in the 8 games he has played in (.172 avg, .549 ops) but does have 3 doubles and 7 runs batted in along with 2 stolen bases. Incoming Freshmen • Mycah Jordan: Has been our best incoming freshman hitter with a solid slash line of .297 avg / .318 obp / .422 slg / .740 ops. He has shown a good blend of power (2 home runs) and speed (9 stolen bases, 0 caught stealing) while hitting for a decent average. The main areas for improvement appear to be his plate discipline (just 2 walks as compared to 20 strikeouts) and his defense (3 errors, .909 fielding percentage). • Ryder Kirtley: It has been a tough summer for Kirtley at the plate going just 1 for 40 (.025 avg). On the positive side, he has lived up to his reputation defensively as he has just 1 error in 26 chances which is quite good for an incoming freshman. • Luca Perriello: He has struggled at the plate (.130 avg, .380 ops) but has been quite good behind the plate at catcher with just 1 error, a .988 fielding percentage while also throwing out 5 of 11 runners. • Grant Hunter: Recently joined Newark in the Perfect Game Collegiate League and has played in just 3 games so far. • Jack Harley: Also playing for Newark in the Perfect Game Collegiate League. Has played in just 5 games but has a double and 5 runs scored. • Hudson Lutterman: Played briefly for Greeneville in the Appalachian League but only saw time as a pinch runner without logging an at-bat.