'Sox Across the Nation: Week Three
By: Luke Stefanisko and Ben Rekosh
Another week of baseball means another week of ‘Sox Around the Nation.
The World Baseball Classic is on the horizon, plus Spring Training & College baseball continue to roll on.
Let’s take a look around the baseball world to see how some former Tom Sox performed this week. We’ll start off this article by covering two members of the ‘Sox first ever VBL title winning team.
Eric Jones Jr., UTL, The Firefighters (Banana Ball), ‘Sox class of 2017
2017 VBL Champion Eric Jones Jr. has become a mainstay in the world of Banana Ball since the 2022 season.
Jones, who joined the Firefighters after spending multiple seasons with the original Bananas franchise, homered in his first swing with his new squad. Jones was the Firefighters’ first pick in this year's expansion draft.
He will be a part of the Banana Ball world tour, in which the six teams will visit 45 states and 75 stadiums. His 2017 squadmate will also be embarking on a “world tour” of his own…
Vinnie Pasquantino, 1B, Team Italy, ‘Sox class of 2017
Pasquantino will make his second appearance for Team Italy in this year's World Baseball Classic. The team is part of Pool B based in Houston. The Italians are scheduled to open pool play on Saturday, March 7th at 1:00pm against Brazil.
We wrote a preview for Pasquantino being chosen to represent Italy that you can check out here.
Kyle Nicolas, RHP, Team Italy, ‘Sox class of 2018
Nicolas was drafted in the second round of the shortened MLB Draft in 2020 out of Ball State University. He will be making his first appearance with Team Italy this spring.
He has made eighty-six appearances for the Pittsburgh Pirates since getting called up in 2023. He will look to be a key piece of their pitching staff in 2026.
Cooper Blauser, INF, Jacksonville State, ‘Sox class of 2024
Fellow VBL champ Cooper Blauser had himself a solid weekend in a series sweep for Jacksonville State over Memphis.
Blauser collected multiple hits in two games of the series. Including in game one where he hit an RBI triple to help pad the Gamecocks lead. In the series finale Blauser collected another RBI and stole a bag in the 7-1 win to improve Jacksonville State’s record to 10-2.
After battling back from a rough stretch to start the year, Blauser is back to being a key contributor for his squad.
Brock Clayton, C, Northwest Florida State College, ‘Sox class of 2025
Coach Coy Tomlin’s favorite player showed out for Northwest Florida State as they took on Pearl River last weekend.
In game one, Clayton launched a solo shot as his lone hit for the contest. He worked a walk and came around to score in game two. Game three saw his best performance, as he collected three hits including his second homer of the weekend. He finished the game with three RBI’s helping to maintain the Raiders top 25 ranking in the NJCAA poll.
Sitting with a batting average over .400 in 21 games, Clayton has had a great season after spending a Summer in Charlottesville.
Lucas Cash, RHP, Bridgewater College, ‘Sox class of 2022, 2023 & 2025
A three-time Tom Sox roster member, Cash is wrapping up his final collegiate season with Bridgewater College. He tossed his best outing of the campaign last Saturday in the Eagles win over Cal Lutheran.
Cash allowed just one earned run over six strong innings of work. He collected two strikeouts in his outing, while not walking a single batter. His strong effort allowed him to be credited his second win of the year.
One of the most consistent arms for the Tom Sox throughout the years, Cash seems to be continuing that trend in his last season.
OTHER
Hudson Lutterman & Anderson French (Virginia Tech) hit back-to-back home runs in the Hokies Saturday matchup with #4 Mississippi State
Ryan Wynn (Georgia) picked up two RBI’s with a double in the Bulldogs win over Oakland.
Andrew Mannelly (Wofford) slugged his first homer of the year in a six RBI performance against St. Joseph’s
JT Gibson (Kennesaw State) pitched two scoreless frames with four strikeouts in the Owls Friday night game against West Virginia.
Will Jennewein (Sewanee) had a solid game in the Tigers’ Tuesday night victory: two hits, two runs scored, three RBIs, and a base on balls in Sewanee’s 14-4 thumping of Covenant.
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.
