TBNL: Choi joins the 500-homer club

The college season is drawing to a close soon

Author

Aaron Somers
May 13, 2025

Back in December, I put together a list of all of the players with 500 or more career home runs across the major professional leagues. I highlighted legendary SSG Landers third baseman Jeong Choi, who finished the 2024 season on the verge of joining the elusive club while having already established himself as the greatest home run hitter in the KBO’s history.

38 players adorned the list at that point. Choi was set to become No. 39, entering the 2025 season just five home runs short.

Choi sustained a hamstring injury during spring camp, delaying the start of his season by nearly a month, but on Tuesday, as the Yonhap News’ Jee-Ho Yoo writes, Choi made history, Choi hit a two-run homer in the sixth inning against NC Dinos pitcher Riley Thompson to tie the score at 2-2. The game was paused for a few minutes to recognize the accomplishment, with a trophy and flowers presented to Choi at home plate. The Landers would win the game, 6-3.

Back to school

Most college programs are reaching the end of their regular seasons. Conference tournaments will follow before the NCAA Tournament begins.

The field for the 64-team tournament will be announced on Monday, May 26.

The final eight teams from that field will compete in the College World Series in Omaha, beginning on June 13.

Since the season is winding down, it seems like a good time to check in on some statistical leaders (all stats through Monday, per d1baseball.com):

  • Southern University junior left fielder Cardell Thibodeaux has been one of the best offensive players in the country this year, leading in batting average (.455), slugging (.910), and OPS (1.470).

  • While a .455 batting average is impressive — and another over .400 is instantly notable given how long it’s been since anyone has achieved the mark in MLB — it’s worth noting that a total of 20 players hold an average of .400 or higher through Monday’s games.

  • Austin Peay senior center fielder John Bay has scored 84 runs in 52 games, nine more than the next player.

  • Bay’s teammate, senior left fielder Cameron Nickens, leads the country with 92 hits. Alabama State sophomore first baseman Juan Cruz is next with 90.

  • Kent State grad student third baseman Hayden Jatczak and Georgia State senior second baseman Kaleb Freeman are tied with 26 doubles.

  • Oregon junior center fielder Mason Neville has 26 home runs on the year. Two others are tied behind him at 21.

  • VMI junior center fielder Owen Prince leads everyone with 45 stolen bases. Four others have over 40 steals on the year, averaging almost one per game.

  • UC Irvine sophomore left-hander Ricky Ojeda has proven invaluable in a swingman role out of the bullpen and is one of just two players with double-digit wins on the season. Ojeda is 12-0 with a 1.95 ERA and 74 strikeouts over 55.1 IP, almost entirely in relief.

  • University of North Carolina grad student right-hander Jake Knapp is 10-0 with a 2.03 ERA and 67 Ks over 71.0 IP in 11 starts.

  • Yale freshman right-hander Jack Ohman has a 0.81 ERA on the year through 66.2 IP. His ERA is almost a full run better than the next player behind him.

  • Tennessee junior left-hander Liam Doyle has received plenty of attention this year, as a dominant fastball has carried him up pre-draft rankings significantly. Doyle leads the country with 127 Ks through 74.2 IP, but his lead isn’t as great as one might think. Two LSU hurlers, sophomore left-hander Kade Anderson (124 in 76.1 IP) and junior right-hander Anthony Eyanson (116 in 74.1 IP), are right behind him.

  • Doyle’s .145 batting average against is second only to Hawaii senior right-hander Liam O’Brien’s .110 (though O’Brien threw almost 30 fewer innings).

LSU, Florida, Texas, North Carolina, and Oregon round out 1-5 in the latest Top 25 rankings through Week 13 of the season (per d1baseball.com; Arkansas is fifth in the USA Today coaches poll).

Other stuff

I’ll come up with a good name for this section sooner or later, but with the day job pushing me to write a bit more often, I need a place to share those links:

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