Tanner HouckTanner Houck
Baseball

Two From @MizzouBaseball Named Top-100 College Prospects

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Baseball had two players ranked among Baseball America's Top 100 College Prospects list, announced Friday (Jan. 6). Preseason All-American RHP Tanner Houck (Collinsville, Ill.) checked in at No. 8 on the list while RHP Bryce Montes De Oca (Lawrence, Kan.) checked in at No. 100 to close out the list. The list attempts to rank the top college prospects who are eligible for this summer's Major League Baseball First Year Player Draft.

COLUMBIA, Mo. – Mizzou Baseball had two players ranked among Baseball America's Top 100 College Prospects list, announced Friday (Jan. 6). Preseason All-American RHP Tanner Houck (Collinsville, Ill.) checked in at No. 8 on the list while RHP Bryce Montes De Oca (Lawrence, Kan.) checked in at No. 100 to close out the list. The list attempts to rank the top college prospects who are eligible for this summer's Major League Baseball First Year Player Draft.

Houck, who was named a Preseason All-American last month, is coming off of a stellar sophomore season during which he posted a 2.99 ERA in 105.1 innings pitched, allowing just 82 hits while striking out a career-best 106 against only 27 walks. He went 5-6 in 15 starts and was twice named SEC Pitcher of the Week while garnering Louisville Slugger National Player of the Week honors following his start against Vanderbilt. He limited batters to just .209 hitting in 2016.

Houck, who owns a 13-11 career record and 3.23 career ERA, will anchor Mizzou's pitching staff for first-year head coach Steve Bieser. In two years, Houck has limited batters to .220 hitting and owns a strikeout-walk ratio of 5.1 (197-39). He has thrown more than 100 innings in each of his first two seasons as a Tiger and is expected to be one of the first 10 players selected in next year's Major League Baseball First Year Player Draft.

Montes De Oca is expected to a big piece of Mizzou's pitching rotation in 2017 as well. Drafted in the 14th round out of high school, he was slowed by injury last season, but his 100 MPH fastball has caught the attention of scouts. He has made eight appearances in his career, but was fully healthy over the summer in the Cape Cod League and during Mizzou's fall training period. He has limited batters to just .107 hitting in his career with 10 strikeouts in 8.1 innings as he possesses dynamic stuff.

Montes De Oca suffered an elbow injury in Mizzou's opening weekend of action a year ago, forcing him to miss the season. He struck out the only batter he faced a year ago, doing so on four pitches.

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