'Sox Across The Nation: Week One

By: Luke Stefanisko

Welcome to ‘Sox Across the Nation, a new weekly article series that will cover some of the best performances from former Tom Sox players across the country.

While this will start with mainly collegiate players, it will expand to the major and minor leagues as the season nears closer.

With that being said, let’s dive into some of the best starts that previous members of the Tom Sox had on opening weekend. We have 50+ student-athletes competing at all levels of collegiate baseball in 2026, and here are some of the most notable stat lines.

Derek Williams, OF, Miami, ‘Sox class of 2023

The 2023 VBL Home Run Derby champ showed off his power in his season debut for the Hurricanes this weekend, earning ACC player of the week honors.

Williams collected three hits on opening day, including an RBI single in a 13-2 win. He followed that performance up by clubbing two home runs in game two in a 17-11 slugfest. Williams closed out the series with another three hit performance to spur on Miami’s sweep over Lehigh.

The former Wichita State shocker will have plenty of big league teams interested if he continues to hit for power this season.

Dean Mihos, OF, Coastal Carolina, ‘Sox class of 2024

After an outstanding finish to his 2025 season, which saw him claim a spot on the NCAA All-Tournament team, Mihos picked up right where he left off in the Chanticleers first series against Fairfield.

Mihos recorded two hits in game one, driving in the first run of the season for Coastal in the sixth inning to trim the Fairfield lead to one. In game two Mihos tallied three hits including a two-run shot that accounted for two of the five Chanticleer runs.

Expectations are high in Conway, but if his first series performance is any indicator, Mihos looks to be up to the challenge of those lofty goals.

Daniel Powell, RHP, Kennesaw State, ‘Sox class of 2024

Powell helped shut the door on the Owls first game of the season last Friday against Evansville, much like he did in the 2024 VBL championship for Charlottesville.

He tossed four spotless innings, allowing only two hits and striking out nine batters to tie his career-high in punchouts. His pitching effort allowed the Owls to storm ahead in the eighth inning giving Powell credit for the win.

The junior will look to build off of his strong sophomore campaign and continue to find success out of the bullpen for Kennesaw State.

Tristan Bissetta, OF, Ole Miss, ‘Sox class of 2022

One of the most tenured Tom Sox players still in the college ranks, Bissetta made a splash in his debut for the Rebels over the weekend. Bisetta transferred to Mississippi for his final season, after playing for Clemson his first three years in college.

On opening day, Bissetta opened the season scoring for Ole Miss with a bases-clearing double. He’d add a fourth RBI on a single later in the ballgame. Game two saw him record an RBI single and a two-run homer, his first in Oxford. He capped off the series with another base hit in the Rebels run-rule victory to sweep Nevada.

In his final college season, Bissetta is certainly off to the right start.

Dawson Newman, LHP, VCU, ‘Sox class of 2025

Charlottesville’s leader in innings pitched in 2025 played a role in the Rams season opening sweep of Holy Cross.

Newman appeared in game two of the series for VCU, tossing two innings for his squad allowing one run over two innings pitched while striking out three batters to close out a 14-1 VCU run-rule victory.

Newman, along with ‘25 Tom Sox pitcher Riley Roarty, topped the Crusaders in resounding fashion on the Saturday doubleheader – the Rams sit at 3-0 on the season.

OTHER

Jackson Sirois (Maryland) scored the Terps’ first run of the season on Friday against UNC-Wilmington via passed ball.

Charlottesville native Henry Ford (Tennessee) already has two home runs through four games for the Volunteers.

Alex Bingler & Lane Duff (JMU) each pitched 0.2 innings against #16 Florida State.

Jake Books (Tampa) has nine hits and 10 RBI through three weeks of play for the #1 ranked Spartans.

Be sure to follow the Tom Sox on social media and visit tomsox.org for the latest; ‘Sox Around the Nation will publish every Wednesday.