Morpheus

From The D1Baseball Podcast

Top Incoming Freshmen with Prep Baseball's Shooter Hunt

Published
August 17, 2026
Length
41:47
Starts at
33:26

Audio is streamed from the publisher.

Chapters

Read from the show notes

  1. 0:00 Welcome Back!
  2. 0:09 Introducing Shooter Hunt
  3. 0:58 On Campus List Explained
  4. 1:45 Why Freshmen Struggle Now
  5. 3:02 Scouting Arms Race in College
  6. 4:39 Last Year Hits and Misses
  7. 9:51 Five Impact Freshmen Picks
  8. 10:14 Blake Bowen - Oregon State
  9. 13:20 Ethan Bass - South Carolina
  10. 15:14 Gunner Skelton - Vanderbilt
  11. 17:35 Chase Kiker - Clemson
  12. 19:41 James Tronstein - Vanderbilt
  13. 21:38 James Clark - Duke
  14. 23:35 Archer Horn - Stanford
  15. 24:31 Stanford Lineup Pressure
  16. 26:35 Teddy Tokheim's (Stanford) Backstory
  17. 27:33 Tennessee's Impact Freshmen
  18. 29:49 LSU "Revenge Tour" Freshman Class
  19. 33:26 Mississippi State's Mega Arms
  20. 35:25 Kentucky's Two-Way Stars
  21. 37:39 Troy And Stanford Adds
  22. 40:16 Wrap Up And Next Shows

Not from the publisher — times may be approximate.

Mike Rooney is joined by Prep Baseball vice president of scouting Shooter Hunt to discuss which draft-eligible high school players actually make it to college amid NIL and transfer-portal volatility. They talk about why projecting freshman impact is harder than ever, how scouting and opponent “reports” now resemble pro ball, and why opportunity matters as much as talent. After reviewing some hits and misses from last year’s freshman projections, Hunt names five potential immediate-impact newcomers: Oregon State's Blake Bowen, South Carolina's Ethan Bass, Vanderbilt's Gunnar Skelton, Clemson's Chase Kiker, and Vanderbilt's James Tronstein. They also cover Duke’s James Clark and Stanford's Archer Horn, then highlight strong incoming classes and key names at Tennessee, LSU, Mississippi State, Kentucky, Troy, and Stanford. 00:00 Welcome Back! 00:09 Introducing Shooter Hunt 00:58 On Campus List Explained 01:45 Why Freshmen Struggle Now 03:02 Scouting Arms Race in College 04:39 Last Year Hits and Misses 09:51 Five Impact Freshmen Picks 10:14 Blake Bowen - Oregon State 13:20 Ethan Bass - South Carolina 15:14 Gunner Skelton - Vanderbilt 17:35 Chase Kiker - Clemson 19:41 James Tronstein - Vanderbilt 21:38 James Clark - Duke 23:35 Archer Horn - Stanford 24:31 Stanford Lineup Pressure 26:35 Teddy Tokheim's (Stanford) Backstory 27:33 Tennessee's Impact Freshmen 29:49 LSU "Revenge Tour" Freshman Class 33:26 Mississippi State's Mega Arms 35:25 Kentucky's Two-Way Stars 37:39 Troy And Stanford Adds 40:16 Wrap Up And Next Shows Kerriston Coffee is proud to be the official coffee of D1Baseball. With over 30 years in the business, this family-owned roastery delivers fresh, small-batch coffee made for college baseball fans, coaches, and everyone in between. Kerriston Coffee ships nationwide, and as a listener to The D1Baseball Podcast, you can use code D1 at https://kerristoncoffee.com to receive 15% off your first order! SUBSCRIBE Apple: https://d1ba.se/Pod-Apple Spotify: https://d1ba.se/40Ne9Dq YouTube: https://d1ba.se/yt-sub Is your favorite team in the SEC? Make sure to check out our Highway To Hoover podcast with Joe Healy and Mark Etheridge on Apple Podcasts: https://d1ba.se/h2h-apple or Spotify: https://d1ba.se/41nyqSv Or maybe you're a fan of ACC baseball? Then you need to check out the ACC Baseball Etc. podcast with Daron Vaught and Bradley Smart on Apple Podcasts: https://d1ba.se/etc-apple or Spotify: https://d1ba.se/4tBUuF9 See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.