By the time Jace LaViolette is finished in College Station, he'll be known as Jace "LaViolent" for the way he pulverizes baseballs.
The Texas A&M slugging outfielder is taking the nation by storm with his long balls early this college baseball season. It began in the Aggies' season opener last Friday against McNeese, when LaViolette crushed two homers. He continued his campaign on Sunday with another dinger before adding two more against the University of the Incarnate Word on Tuesday.
As of writing, the 6-foot-6 sweet-swinging lefty leads the NCAA with five home runs in just four games.
I mean? is Jace LaViolette going to stop hitting homers? 111 mph off the bat for #5 of the VERY early college baseball season. Wow. pic.twitter.com/y6bM1IQUPR
— Jared Perkins (@JaredCP1) February 21, 2024
One of those home runs came during Texas A&M's famous "Ball Five" chant, which made for an awesome visual. LaViolette can thank the Aggies fans for rattling the pitcher on that one.
Jace Laviolette with a Ball 5 NUKE ???
The bubbles are out in College Station pic.twitter.com/IiLdMqT9sW
— 11Point7 College Baseball (@11point7) February 17, 2024
Even funnier was that LaViolette's power was so worrisome that McNeese decided to add an extra outfielder during an at-bat on Saturday. Who's going tell them that won't stop him from just hitting it over all of their heads?
After watching Jace LaViolette smash 2 HRs yesterday, McNeese put FOUR outfielders out there for his AB ??
They also did it for Braden Montgomery. #GigEm pic.twitter.com/bqlS91F87p
— Ben Peck - KCEN/KAGS ??? (@TheBenPeck) February 17, 2024
So, just who is this kid anyway?
Hailing from Katy, Texas, LaViolette was a freshman All-American at A&M last season when he set the school's single-season freshman record for homers with 21. There was a chance the Tompkins High School standout could have gone in the MLB Draft, but he fell in love with Texas A&M.
"Really and truly I've never been more excited in my life," LaViolette told the Katy Times in 2022. "I'm ready to be here for the next three or four years and I want to help us maybe win a national championship for Aggie land."
The decision could already be paying off. Even with 26 home runs under his collegiate belt, he's already being projected as a top 5 pick in the 2025 MLB Draft. D1Baseball currently lists him as the No. 1 college prospect for 2025, ahead of names such as South Carolina's Ethan Petry and Clemson's Cam Cannarella.
As a personal fan of Southeastern Conference baseball, I can't wait to see how many home runs this kid ends up with.
