No. 2 Draft prospect Kurtz continues tear with 3-HR game
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Wake Forest's Nick Kurtz showed why he’s one of the top college players in the country on Sunday.
Ranked No. 2 on MLB Pipeline's preseason Top 100 Draft Prospects list, Kurtz slugged three home runs in a win over Virginia Tech, the No. 11 team in the nation. Kurtz's final homer of the day -- which came on a pitch well out of the zone -- was the cherry on top as Wake Forest swept their ACC rival. The 21-year-old first baseman is on one of the best runs of his collegiate career with eight home runs across his past five games.
Originally recruited as a pitcher by Wake Forest, Kurtz has blossomed into one of the top hitters in this year’s Draft class. After hitting .344/.498/.695 with 39 home runs in his first two seasons, Kurtz is doing more of the same this year. Kurtz rebounded from an uncharacteristically slow start -- he had just one home run through his first 10 games -- and is now batting .298 with 11 home runs and nearly twice as many walks (34) as strikeouts (18).
Kurtz has performed at such a high level that he'll have a chance to become the second collegiate first baseman to be selected first overall in the Draft, joining Spencer Torkelson (2020, Tigers).