Brewin’ Features – Returning Sleepers
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Albert Hernandez (r-FR) – OF/RHP
Keanu Jacobs-Guishard (r-FR) – SS/2B
Brewin’ Player Feat. (Sleepers)
Devin Hemenway – LHP
Santa Fe College & University of FL (Gainesville, FL)Niceville HS, Niceville, FL
5’10” 185lbs
This is the 1st feature focused on “Sleepers”. The “Sleepers” are players that were on USF’s roster last year but did not see substantial playing time. Just because they didn’t have a prominent role last year doesn’t mean they won’t in 2022. These players have had a whole off season to get healthy and improve.
Devin returns for the 2022 season for his 2nd year with the USF Bulls. Before that, he spent time at both Santa Fe College and the University of Florida.
Although this will be Devin’s 5th year of college baseball, he has 2 seasons of eligibility remaining due to a redshirt year at UF and a COVID year.
Devin arrived at USF last year riding a lot of momentum after a very impressive season at Santa Fe College. In the COVID shortened campaign, he pitched 36.1 innings while posting a 1.98 ERA, 1.05 WHIP, 49 strikeouts, and only 7 walks.
Despite the strong JUCO track record, he wasn’t able to carve out a prominent role with last year’s Bulls. He pitched 11.1 innings across 13 appearances and posted a 4.76 ERA. However, if you toss out one bad outing against Wichita (3 runs) his ERA was 2.38.
I think a sign of things to come for Devin is what he did in his final appearance of last season. In a NCAA regional matchup with South Alabama, the Bulls were trailing 4-0 and needed a reliever to come in and keep the game competitive. Devin entered in the 6th inning and had his best game as a USF Bull. He pitched 3 scoreless innings and struck out 6 batters against his old team, the Florida Gators.
Devin gets the job done with efficient mechanics that allow him to deliver 2 solid pitches. His fastball sits high 80s/low 90s and has late life to it. His slider has sweeping movement that generates swing and miss from righties and lefties both.
He has the tools. Now it’s time to put it all together. We’re excited to see his progress in 2022.
Brewin’ Player Feat. (Sleepers)
Tommy Groom – RHP
Bishop Moore HS (Orlando, FL)
6’4”, 190lbs
*Note: This is the 2nd feature focused on “Sleepers”. The “Sleepers” are players that were on USF’s roster last year but did not see substantial playing time. Just because they didn’t have a prominent role last year doesn’t mean they won’t in 2022. These players have had a whole off season to get healthy and improve.
Today’s feature is focused on Tommy Groom, a right handed pitcher. Tommy returns for his 2nd season with the USF Bulls. As a freshman, Tommy did not see the field and was redshirted. Because of that, he has four years of eligibility remaining.
Tommy played his prep baseball at Bishop Moore HS in Orlando, FL. At Bishop, he was teammates with Sonny Rao, another current USF baseball player.
Because Tommy graduated high school in the spring of 2020, he lost the bulk of his senior baseball season to COVID. To get an idea of what he can do on the mound, you have to look at his entire prep career which dates back to the spring of 2017.
Over the span of 4 seasons at Bishop Moore, Tommy pitched 75 varsity innings and compiled a 3.36 ERA. He also struckout 97 batters (11.6 K/9). Those numbers are really solid and there was only one notable improvement opportunity in his stats. As he continues to develop as a pitcher, he will look to improve his control. He walked 70 batters (almost 1 per inning) which is a bit of a higher rate than he would like.
Although he didn’t get to play last year at USF as a true freshman, Tommy made 4 starts this past summer in the Valley Baseball League for the Covington (VA) Lumberjacks. The highlight was a June 14th outing that saw him go 5 innings, 0 runs allowed, and only 2 walks. This proved that he can be effective against college hitters when he’s on his game.
Tommy’s fastball sits in the high 80’s/low 90’s. The fastball has some sink and arm side run to it. His out pitch is a nasty 12 to 6 curveball.
With a 6’4” frame and sound mechanics, Tommy has a high ceiling as a pitcher. We’re excited to see him reach that potential.
Brewin’ Player Feat. (Sleepers)
Richey Lakes – 3B/1B/OF – LHB
Olympia HS (Orlando, FL)
6’2”, 183lbs
*Note: This is the 3rd feature focused on “Sleepers”. The “Sleepers” are players that were on USF’s roster last year but did not see substantial playing time. Just because they didn’t have a prominent role last year doesn’t mean they won’t in 2022. These players have had a whole off season to get healthy and improve.
Today’s feature is focused on Richey Lakes, a 3B/1B/OF. Richey bats left-handed and throws right-handed. Richey returns for his 2nd season with the USF Bulls. As a freshman, Richey did not see the field and was redshirted. Because of that, he has four years of eligibility remaining.
Richey is originally from Kentucky but moved to Florida when he was 15. He settled in Orlando and played his prep baseball at Olympia HS.
Because Richey graduated high school in the spring of 2020, he lost the bulk of his senior baseball season to COVID. To get an idea of what he can do on the field, you have to look at his entire prep career which dates back to the spring of 2017.
Richey was able to make a big impact on Olympia’s Varsity team as a freshman. In 50 at bats that year, he batted .420. He continued that success through the rest of his Varsity career, finishing with a .354 batting average in 223 at bats.
In Richey’s junior year (Spring 2019), he was a key player in Olympia’s run to the FHSAA 9A Regional Finals. That season, he flashed a strong contact tool striking out only 4 times in 81 plate appearances (4.9% K%).
Another tool that Richey possesses is speed. According to Perfect Game (PG), Richey ran a 6.82 60yd dash which put him in the 93rd percentile for players in his graduating class. PG also reported that Richey is solid defensively.
The biggest improvement opportunity I see for Richey is just gaining power. The good thing is that this should naturally get better as his 6’2” frame fills out and he puts on some weight.
Because he had the redshirt year to physically mature, I think Richey could be a real force for the Bulls here in year 2.
Brewin’ Player Feat. (Sleepers)
Dawson Barr – RHP
Texas A&M (2020) / TCU (2019)
Liberty Christian HS (Flower Mound, TX)
6’1”, 200lbs
*Note: This is the 4th feature focused on “Sleepers”. The “Sleepers” are players that were on USF’s roster last year but did not see substantial playing time. Just because they didn’t have a prominent role last year doesn’t mean they won’t in 2022. These players have had a whole off season to get healthy and improve.
Today’s feature is focused on Dawson Barr, a RHP from Texas.
Dawson has had multiple stops along his journey to USF. After graduating high school in the spring of 2018, Dawson started his college career at TCU in Fort Worth, Texas.
At TCU in 2019, Dawson played immediately as a freshman. He finished that season with a 4.63 ERA over 23.1 innings pitched. He started an NCAA Regional game against Central Connecticut State which TCU went on to win.
After what was a promising start to his college career, Dawson has been going through some adversity. He decided to transfer to Texas A&M for his 2020 sophomore season but the majority of that year was cancelled due to COVID. Looking for a change of scenery after that disappointing year, Dawson chose USF for his 3rd (and hopefully final) college destination.
At USF last season, Dawson was able to earn himself a role in the pitching rotation. He started 2 games and made 5 appearances. He pitched well and only allowed 1 run over 6 innings. However, more adversity struck. He was shut down in early April due to an injury.
It’s unfortunate that after a strong high school career and a solid 1st year at TCU, Dawson has not been able to show what he can do these last 2 seasons. However, he’s been working hard on his rehab and hopes to be healthy for the 2022 season with USF.
If he can get back to full health, USF has a special pitcher on their hands. He was rated 9.5 out of 10 by Perfect Game coming out of high school.
His fastball sits 92-94 when he’s at full strength. In addition to that, he throws a slurve with 11 to 5 shape. His delivery is deceptive, coming out of a ¾ arm slot.
We are really hoping he gets healthy so that his talent can shine for the Bulls in 2022.
Brewin’ Player Feat. (Sleepers)
Albert Hernandez – OF/RHP
Westminster Christian HS
6’0”, 198lbs
*Note: This is the 5th feature focused on “Sleepers”. The “Sleepers” are players that were on USF’s roster last year but did not see substantial playing time. Just because they didn’t have a prominent role last year doesn’t mean they won’t in 2022. These players have had a whole off season to get healthy and improve.
Today’s feature is focused on Albert Hernandez, an OF/RHP. He is originally from California but moved to Florida when he was 12. Settling in the south Florida region (Davie) he would go on to play for both Monsignor Pace High School and Westminster Christian High School.
After graduating in 2020, Albert came to USF to start his college baseball career. He was participating in fall practice, but got injured towards the end of it. In early 2021, he underwent Tommy John surgery. As a result, he missed his whole freshman season.
To get an idea of what Albert can do on a baseball field, we have to look back before he arrived at USF. When you look back on his prep baseball career, it is a very impressive track record.
The main thing to know is that he excelled in both pitching and being an outfielder. A true two way prospect.
First, let’s talk about his hitting and fielding. His power is one thing that really stands out. When he was a freshman in high school (fall 2016), he won a home run derby against upperclassmen from all around the area. Then as a junior in high school (spring 2019) he hit 7 home runs on the season. That is a lot in high school baseball.
That junior year, he also showed off a good contact tool by batting .550 in 80 at bats (44 for 80). His senior year (spring 2020) was mostly cancelled due to COVID.
In the field he is an asset because of his speed and throwing ability. According to Perfect Game, he ran a 6.83 60 (85th percentile) and registered 91mph throwing from the outfield (88th percentile).
Lastly, we have to touch on pitching. For his high school career, he pitched 72.2 innings, held a 2.02 ERA and struck out 92 batters (11.4 K/9). Perfect Game had him at 92mph on the mound which ranked in the 99th percentile for players nationally in his graduating class.
The summer after graduating high school, he played in the Collegiate League of the Palm Beaches. On July 31st, 2020, he threw 7 innings of shutout ball, holding a no hitter through 6.2 IP. That is really impressive coming straight out of high school and doing that against mostly college players.
It’s clear that Albert is a huge talent that has the potential to make a big impact for the Bulls. The main thing now is that he gets back to 100% health. Once he does that, opposing teams are going to have a lot to deal with when facing Albert – on the mound and at the plate.
Brewin’ Player Feat. (Sleepers)
Tanner Mink – RHP
Palm Harbor University HS
5’11”, 181lbs
*Note: This is the 6th feature focused on “Sleepers”. The “Sleepers” are players that were on USF’s roster last year but did not see substantial playing time. Just because they didn’t have a prominent role last year doesn’t mean they won’t in 2022. These players have had a whole off season to get healthy and improve.
Today’s feature is focused on Tanner Mink, a RHP. No, this is not a duplicate of our article written last month about another RHP named Mink on USF. Tanner is the original USF Mink. His twin brother, Hunter, who we wrote about last month arrived at USF as a transfer earlier this fall.
Tanner, who we’re writing about today, graduated high school in 2019 and came to USF that fall. In the beginning of Tanner’s college baseball career with the Bulls, it looked like he was going to play in the field and hit. His USF debut came as a true freshman in the spring of 2020. He started that game in right field and got a hit in his first college at bat.
Shortly after this success, the rest of the 2020 college baseball season was cancelled due to COVID. I don’t know the whole story, but at some point after the season, either the coaches or Tanner decided he was switching to pitcher. This wasn’t totally unfamiliar territory to Tanner, as he did pitch 10.1 innings in high school and allowed only 1 run (0.68 ERA) (Source).
In Tanner’s first year as a college pitcher, he found a lot of success. The moment that stands out the most is when he recorded his first collegiate save. In the final game of a 4 game series against Memphis, the Bulls were looking for their first conference series win of the season.
In the bottom of the 9th inning, Tanner was called on to protect a 1 run lead with 1 out and a runner on base. The winning run for Memphis was at the plate twice but Tanner rose to the occasion for USF. He struck out two batters and sent the Bulls back to Tampa on a high note.
I believe that 2021 was just a sneak peak of what Tanner will be able to do for the Bulls. He is in the “Sleeper” category because he only pitched 11.2 innings last season.
In an effort to boost his stock for the 2022 season, Tanner played summer ball in the North Woods league for the Rockford Rivets. There, he focused on improving his pitch arsenal. He was able to get more arm-side run on his fastball and developed feel for a change up. His bread and butter pitch has always been a 12 to 6 nasty curveball.
With improved fastball command and a 3rd pitch added, the sky’s the limit for Tanner. I wouldn’t be surprised if he takes a big leap forward here in the 2022 season.
Brewin’ Player Feat. (Sleepers)
Caleb Pundsack – LHP
South Lake HS (Groveland, FL)
6’1”, 210lbs
*Note: This is the 7th feature focused on “Sleepers”. The “Sleepers” are players that were on USF’s roster last year but did not see substantial playing time. Just because they didn’t have a prominent role last year doesn’t mean they won’t in 2022. These players have had a whole off season to get healthy and improve.
Today’s feature is focused on Caleb Pundsack, a LHP. Caleb returns for his 2nd season with the Bulls. As a true freshman last year, he was the only pitcher from USF’s 2020 high school recruiting class that got on the field and threw some innings. It was a tough year to get playing time because the roster was deeper than usual with extra year COVID players.
Originally from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Caleb and his family moved to Florida when he was 8. There, he would eventually go on to play varsity baseball for South Lake HS (Groveland, FL). Caleb was a really solid 2-way player for South Lake and finished high school with a career OPS at the plate of .839 and a 2.41 ERA on the mound across 90 innings (Source).
Caleb quickly made an impact in his first year at USF. He made a relief appearance in the Bulls’ first game of the 2021 season on the road against FGCU. In that outing, he threw 1 scoreless inning and recorded 2 strikeouts. It was a very strong college debut and was a sign of things to come the rest of the season.
As the season went on, Caleb made 9 more relief appearances. In 7 of those appearances, Caleb did not allow any runs. The longest relief outing he made was 1 inning and he did that 7 out of 10 times. Overall, a very solid campaign for a true freshman.
I think the main thing Caleb wants to achieve in the upcoming 2022 season is to pitch in high leverage situations. Most of his appearances as a true freshman were in lopsided games but now that he has experience at the college level, Coach Mohl might trust him in tight spots.
Based off of the way Caleb played in collegiate summer ball, I think he is on track for a bigger role. With the Covington Lumberjacks of the Valley Baseball League this past summer, Caleb made 7 appearances, threw 14.1 innings and held a 1.88 ERA. His best outing came in his last appearance of the season (7/10/21) when he pitched 3.2 innings, struck out 7, only allowed 1 hit and 0 runs.
Caleb works a fastball, curveball, change-up mix from the left side. His velocity is in the lower 90s with the fastball but he works hard at gradually bringing that up. I wouldn’t be surprised to see an added tick or 2 in velo next season. Look for a big leap forward in 2022.
Brewin’ Player Feat. (Sleepers)
Dusty Snyder – RHP
North Broward Prep (Coconut Creek, FL)
6’3”, 170lbs
*Note: This is the 8th feature focused on “Sleepers”. The “Sleepers” are players that were on USF’s roster last year but did not see substantial playing time (less than 50 ABs or 15 IP). Just because they didn’t have a prominent role last year doesn’t mean they won’t in 2022. These players have had a whole off season to get healthy and improve.
Today’s feature is focused on Dusty Snyder, a RHP. Dusty returns for his 2nd season with the Bulls. As a true freshman last year, he was redshirted. It was a tough year to get playing time because the roster was deeper than usual with extra year COVID players.
Originally from New Jersey, Dusty and his family moved to Florida when he was 4. In Florida, he grew up in the baseball hotbed that is Broward County. As a high schooler, he played for North Broward Prep and was a dominant pitcher for them all 4 years.
How dominant was he in high school? Across 142.1 career innings, Dusty registered a 1.77 ERA, 1.17 WHIP, and 109 strikeouts (6.9 K/9). As a sophomore, in the spring of 2018, he set the school record for lowest ERA in a season (1.39) over 45.1 innings (Source).
As a senior, Dusty was well on his way to setting a new school record for ERA but the season was cut short due to COVID. When the season halted in mid-March of 2020, Dusty held a 0.64 ERA through 22 innings pitched. That brief season was highlighted by a March 10th, 2020 effort vs. baseball powerhouse Calvary Christian (Ft. Lauderdale) in which Dusty threw 6 shutout innings en route to a 3-1 victory.
As well as Dusty was playing as a senior in high school, it makes you think that if COVID didn’t happen, he could’ve possibly been drafted (assuming a full 40 round draft instead of the 5 round draft which occurred that spring). Either way, I think he still would have come to USF in order to develop and boost his draft stock.
When he did arrive at USF in the fall of 2020, COVID was still prevalent and there was a logjam of pitching talent on the roster. Pitchers on USF that may have been selected in a full 40 round draft or that would have graduated and moved on from baseball were back for another college season. As a result, Dusty was redshirted and didn’t get to play competitive baseball again until the summer of 2021 in the Collegiate League of the Palm Beaches (CLPB).
In the CLPB, Dusty played for the Jupiter Wave and made 5 appearances. Over his first 4 appearances, he didn’t give up any earned runs. In the 5th and final appearance he had some struggles. It turns out he got hurt and was shut down for the rest of the summer. Since the shut down on July 11th, 2021, he’s had 2 surgeries on his throwing arm.
His rehab from the 2 surgeries is going well and he is expected to be able to pitch by the start of the 2022 season in February. If USF is able to get Dusty back to full health, they are getting a very talented 6’3” righty with a lot of upside. He was throwing 90 in high school and as he fills out, that velo will climb higher. He works a 3 pitch mix which includes a FB, SL, and CH. We’re pulling for him to get healthy and are excited to see the impact he’ll make for the Bulls.
Brewin’ Player Feat. (Sleepers)
Keanu Jacobs-Guishard – SS/2B
St. Thomas Aquinas HS (Fort Lauderdale, FL)
6’0”, 183lbs
*Note: This is the 9th and final feature focused on “Sleepers”. The “Sleepers” are players that were on USF’s roster last year but did not see substantial playing time (less than 50 ABs or 15 IP). Just because they didn’t have a prominent role last year doesn’t mean they won’t in 2022. These players have had a whole off season to get healthy and improve.
Today’s feature is focused on Keanu Jacobs-Guishard, a redshirt freshman middle infielder. Keanu returns in 2022 for his second year with USF. Last season, Keanu earned his way into game action as a true freshman but suffered a season ending injury early in the year.
Keanu was just 4 games into his young college career when he tore his ACL against Stetson on March 7th, 2021. Although he only played in 4 games, Keanu quickly made a big impact with 5 hits in 9 at bats, 5 RBIs, and a game tying home run against FAMU.
Due to the limited game action Keanu saw last year, you have to look back at high school to get a better understanding of his game.
Keanu grew up in the Caribbean island nation of Sint Maarten and lived there until age 14. Sint Maarten is one of three Caribbean islands that speak Dutch and are part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
The other two Dutch islands are Aruba and Curaçao which have produced Major League talent including players like Xander Bogaerts (Aruba), Ozzie Albies (Curaçao), and Kenley Jansen (Curaçao). Sint Maarten is the only one out of the three islands that has not produced a Major Leaguer yet and Keanu hopes to become the first one.
When Keanu was 14, he moved to Plantation, FL where he would attend St. Thomas Aquinas High School. Keanu went on to play on the varsity team all four years while compiling a .363 batting average, .445 on base percentage, and .471 slugging percentage across 102 at bats. Keanu was part of St. Thomas’ 2018 State Championship winning team as a sophomore.
Keanu has done an incredible job in his rehab efforts since his knee surgery. This past fall, he was a full participant in practices and scrimmages. In game 3 of the Green & Gold World Series on November 15h, 2022, Keanu hit a home run for his Green team.
The fact that he’s already hit 2 home runs with USF in just a handful of games is very promising. Another strong element of Keanu’s game is his speed which helped him go a perfect 18 for 18 on stolen base attempts in high school. The speed also helps his range defensively in the middle infield at both shortstop and second base.
Now that he’s healthy, Keanu has a real chance to be an impact player for the Bulls in 2022.
It's Brewin' At McEwen 