Saige Jenco and his Strong Freshman Season

May 26, 2013; Durham, NC, USA; A fly ball falls between Virginia Tech Hokies outfielders Mark Zagunis (2) and Kyle Wernicki (4) against the North Carolina Tar Heels during the ACC baseball tournament at Durham Bulls Athletic Park. Mandatory Credit: Rob Kinnan-USA TODAY Sports

Before the season, many people were expecting guys like Mark Zaqunis and Brendon Hayden to carry the offense with Brad Markey and Sean Keselica leading the pitching staff. Of course, many analysts saw this as a rebuilding year for the Hokies after the excellent season they had last year with help from a lot of players who graduated and those analysts have been right with the Hokies struggling with only a few games before the ACC Tournament. However, the Hokies have had one player in particular who has had a breakout season as a redshirt freshman.

Saige Jenco had an extremely strong start and he has continued to play fairly well throughout the season. Saige Jenco had a strong start to the freshman season and while Jenco eventually started to slow down after his ridiculously good start, Jenco did cool off some but he continued being an elite leadoff hitter. Saige Jenco currently has the best batting average on the team at .325 and has drawn 37 walks to have an amazing on-base percentage of .459 with Jenco leading all three categories for the Hokies.

Saige Jenco wasn’t just a great on-base guy as Jenco was also a very effective base stealer with 19 stolen bases in 25 attempts on the season so far which leads the Hokies. Jenco isn’t a great run producer but for a leadoff hitter, he is productive enough in the leadoff spot with 1 home run and 14 RBIs on the season. Saige Jenco is above-average defensively with a .986 fielding percentage, 1 outfield assist and only 2 errors as Jenco is proving to be a very talented defensive player.

Saige Jenco has played like a center fielder that should definitely be on the All-ACC Freshman Team and it will be a major disappointment if he isn’t. Jenco has shown the potential to be a very successful Hokie baseball player and a man who could end up pushing to be an early-round pick in the MLB Draft down the road. Saige Jenco has a lot of potential and has proven himself to be the breakout star despite a disappointing season for the Hokies overall.

Follow us on Twitter @GobblerFighting and sign up for our newsletter for the latest news and analysis on the Hokies.