Ole Miss signee Gunnar Hoglund creates buzz with command numbers

The stat that’s reverberating through the scouting community and select circles of social media isn’t a surprise to Gunnar Hoglund.

He set it as a goal, worked toward it and understood, frankly, the necessity for it.

The Fivay (Florida) High School standout, who is an Ole Miss signee, has pitched 47.1 innings this season and struck out 107 batters — 75 percent of his outs recorded with a stunning K/9 of more than 20.

But it’s the free pass part of his season that’s become the buzz. He’s walked 0 batters. 142 outs. Zero walks.

“I didn’t always play with the best defense, so I know I have to pound the zone in order to win games,” Hoglund said. “We’ve made a lot of errors, and walks turn into runs. I set it as a goal and worked hard on my secondary pitches and gaining strength. I hoped to have no walks for the season.”

Hoglund attends Dayspring Christian but since it doesn’t offer athletics he plays at nearby Fivay. The Falcons are 16-6 and 11-3 in district with their final regular season game on Wednesday. It’s been quite the turnaround season, considering Fivay hadn’t won double digit games in any of the past three seasons.

The 6-foot-2 right-hander has a 0.30 ERA and is also hitting .417 in 48 at-bats.

Hoglund was only a fastball-changeup pitcher until he implemented a curve ball as a junior. The delay in throwing breaking balls was an effort to protect his arm from incorrect deliveries that occur often with younger players.

The walk stat is mind-boggling enough, but Hoglund, who throws his fastball in the low 90s with a changeup in the low-to-low-mid 80s and a curveball in the high 70, keeps up with his three-ball counts, as well.

“There have been a couple games with a 3-2 count here or there, but I’ve had six counts with three balls I think,” Hoglund said. “I’ve put such an emphasis on getting ahead.”

He's also a corner infielder and hopes to continue hitting in college. Ole Miss hasn't indicated it's an issue, so that's his current plan.

Hoglund is the No. 73 overall prospect nationally, per Perfect Game, and multiple sources have said there are teams at least considering him for the first round. He likely will have a decision to make early during the MLB First Year Player Draft that begins June 4. His required signing bonus is thought to be in the seven figures.

“I’m really not trying to focus on that right now,” Hoglund said. “I need to keep getting better no matter if it’s Ole Miss or somewhere else next year. The secondary pitches can always get better, and that’s required to get out better hitters.”

He has a 4.2 GPA and participates in a dual-enrollment program with Pasco Hernando State College. He said he speaks with the staff regularly, as they check on each other’s seasons.

Hoglund received his first college offer from Alabama in 2015 and committed to Ole Miss within a year after that. He signed this past November.

“I loved the campus and the coaching staff at Ole Miss,” Hoglund said. “I also have a couple friends there with (Rebel infielder) Tim Elko and others. I’m friends with Justin Bench, who is going there, as well. It’s a mixture of things.”

Perfect Game National Scouting Supervisor Brian Sakowski shared his thoughts on Hoglund with RebelGrove.com.

Hoglund has been on the national radar for awhile now, having committed to Ole Miss and being a legitimate two-way prospect at the collegiate level. To my knowledge, Ole Miss is planning on playing him both ways should he make it to Oxford.

He’s taking a large step forward this spring on the mound, and obviously his ridiculous K:BB ratio has drawn national attention. He’s a big kid with physicality and projection, and his delivery/overall mechanical profile are clean and have obviously shown that he has elite strike-throwing ability. The fastball, which was more in the 87-92 mph range last summer, has taken a step forward in velocity this spring and now sits more 90-94 mph with obviously tremendous command, which is more a result of just how clean his mechanics are.

He throws a curveball and changeup, both of which are in the average range right now from the professional scouting perspective, but are plenty good enough at this juncture. It’s within reason to project him to have a plus fastball in time given the mechanical profile, arm speed, and physical projection.

He’s one of the more prominent draft stock risers this spring, but I cannot speak to his sign-ability or what the chances are that he gets to campus at Ole Miss or not. He’s ranked No. 86 on our latest draft board, which puts him in the 3rd round range, though we’ve heard some teams view him higher than that.