Jackson
Sanders

'24 LHP Jackson Sanders (Auburn), who is ranked No. 1 overall in the 2024 Rankings, received the ball on Thursday for his first outing of his freshman campaign, and he turned in a solid outing to kick off his season. In the 1st inning, Sanders worked primarily 87-88 mph (2350-2514 rpm) and touched 90 mph once. He showed some occasional cut to his fastball when to the glove side. He mixed that with a 1/7 breaking ball at 75-78 mph (~2300 rpm), and located it well to both right-handed (back door) and left-handed (front door) hitters. He settled into more 85-88 mph in the 3rd & 4th frames, and continued to pound the zone with strikes. The command and ability to compete was what jumped out in this look. He had some tough luck and loaded the bases to start the 3rd, but struck out the next hitter and induced an infield fly. The lone run scored off of Sanders was on a passed ball. Loose arm action with a projectable frame at 6-2, 190 pounds. Seems like he is an elite competitor and was not fazed against an experienced lineup with numerous D1 commitments & signees. Pulled after 61 pitches (43 strikes) due to pitch count, but fanned four hitters in 3 ⅓ while only allowing four hits, no earned runs and no walks.