Grand Island's Casey Burnham is Nebraska's most efficient hitter through the early stages of the 2018 baseball season.
Video: Top 5 Viral Plays // Winter 17-18
See the best viral plays from this winter.
Whether they hit for a high average, sacrifice their bodies to get on base or are patient at the plate, some guys are just tough to get out. At MaxPreps we took to our stat database to study just how Nebraska's Top 10 hitters in regards to on-base percentage (OBP) have earned their place above the rest of the Cornhusker State in the category.
Grand Island's Casey Burnham does everything well and finds himself in the No. 1 spot because of it. The senior not only hits .483, he's earned 14 free bases and has proven he can hit for power with six extra base hits so far this spring. The 5-foot-9 center fielder's 20 runs scored this spring, easily tops the rest of this week's Top 10 with Bennington senior Jake Wageman's nine runs scored pushing Burnham the hardest.
Burnham went 3-for-3 in a 16-3 win March 17 over Lincoln High, in what was arguably his finest outing of the young season. Burnham scored four runs in the contest, and knocked in two more runs with a triple. In a 12-7 loss to Lincoln Southeast March 22, Burnham was 2-for-2 with three runs scored, two RBIs and a double and a home run.
Matt Hotovy (Elkhorn), Zane Jackson (Wayne), Jared Nitz (Columbus) and Michael Winn (Omaha North) round out this week's Top 5. Hotovy, Jackson, Jay Adams of Waverly and Omaha Westside's Aaron Mischo made this week's Top 10 on the strength of hitting .500 or better at the plate, while Grand Island's Cole Evans has 15 hits on the year, the most amongst Nebraska's efficient hitters.
Nebraska's toughest outs1. Casey Burnham, Grand Island, Sr. — .651 OBP14-for-29, 10 walks, HBP four times, 20 runs, four RBIs, three doubles, two triples and a home run
2. Matt Hotovy, Elkhorn, Sr. — .640 OBP12-for-21, four walks, six runs, five RBIs, one double and two triples
3. Zane Jackson, Wayne, Sr. — .619 OBP8-for-16, four walks, HBP once, one run, three RBIs, three doubles and a home run
3. Jared Nitz, Columbus, Sr. — .619 OBP7-for-15, six walks, three runs, five RBIs
5. Michael Winn, Omaha North, Sr. — .600 OBP9-for-19, three walks, HBP three times, six runs, five RBIs, one double
6. Jake Wageman, Bennington, Sr. — .583 OBP7-for-17, four walks, HBP three times, nine runs, one double
6. Colton Sudbeck, Skutt Catholic, Sr. — .583 OBP7-for-17, four walks, HBP three times, four runs, five RBIs, two doubles
8. Jay Adams, Waverly, Jr. — .579 OBP10-for-18, one walk, four runs, two RBIs, one triple
9. Aaron Mischo, Omaha Westside, Sr. — .562 OBP9-for-16, two runs, six RBIs, one triple
10. Cole Evans, Grand Island, Jr. — .561 OBP15-for-33, seven walks, HBP once, eight runs, 13 RBIs, seven doubles and two triples
