By Matt Ford-Wellman, Brewster Whitecaps Reporter
Five weeks of college baseball are in the books, and players around the country gear up for their seasons. Those seasons can have rough patches, but what separates the elite from the average is how they respond.
Two future Whitecaps got up off the canvas and back into the boxing match that is collegiate baseball, striking hard and delivering momentum-changing performances for their team.
Petey Craska, INF, North Alabama
The North Alabama Lions entered Lipscomb on a seven-game skid until Petey Craska and others struck back, avoiding the sweep with a 13-7 win. Craska had his best game of the season, racking up four hits and three runs.
His first-inning triple drove in the first runs of the game and served as an early catalyst. Craska helped spark the second inning after a leadoff homer and a groundout, leading to a six-run frame that snapped the losing streak.
As arguably the Lions’ best hitter, pressure falls on Craska, and he has already shown his ability to bounce back and rediscover his form.
The Pennsylvania native previously played for the Rochester Honkers of the Northwoods League, a collegiate summer league in the Midwest. With its long schedule and strong competition, the Northwoods League has become a gauntlet for college ballplayers looking to test their skills.
Most recently, in 2025, Craska played for the Newport Gulls of the New England Collegiate Baseball League. All roads lead to the Cape Cod Baseball League, and if his previous success is any indication, Craska is on track to make a splash on the biggest stage in college summer baseball.
Nate Harris, RHP, Kentucky
Kentucky’s Sunday starter Nate Harris took the mound against The Citadel on March 8, looking to build on the career-high nine strikeouts he posted against St. John’s a week earlier. He didn’t even make it through two innings.
Four walks and 1.1 innings later, the Illinois native was headed back to the dugout after allowing five earned runs on three hits. Kentucky still rolled to a 13-5 win behind 7.2 scoreless innings from its bullpen, but Harris had clearly woken up on the wrong side of the bed.
The SEC is not built for slow recoveries, and a team's opening conference weekend only raises the pressure. With Alabama already losing the first two games of the series, Harris was all that stood between the Crimson Tide and a 0-3 conference record.
Another shaky start, and the Wildcats might have been chasing the game from the jump.
Matt Ford-Wellman can be reached at mfordwellman.media@gmail.com and followed on X @MattFW_4
Title photo credit to Casey Bayne.
