College Baseball peaks in June. The larger baseball public starts to follow the sport when the postseason starts, and it is the best showcase opportunity to watch many of the top draft prospects. Here is your guide to the top prospects to watch leading into the college baseball postseason.
Draft Preview for the College Baseball Postseason
Los Angeles Regional
Top Prospect- Roch Cholowsky, SS, UCLA
Names to Know- Logan Reddemann, RHP, UCLA | Mulivai Levu, 1B, UCLA | Brett Renfrow, RHP, Virginia Tech | Cal Randall, RHP, UCLA
Los Angeles will feature both the best team in the country and the best player in the country. For many, that will require must-see TV. While it might not seem like it, Roch Cholowsky does have something to prove. While he finished the year great statistically, .321/.455/.660, there were some inconsistencies in success against high-level pitching that have many questioning if he is still the best player in the class. Every flaw tends to be overanalyzed when someone is the front-runner for as long as Cholowsky has been, but a matchup against the high-octane stuff from Brett Renfrow would be a great test to see how Cholowsky lines up against a big league arsenal.
Outside of Roch, UCLA is loaded with draft talent. Reddeman has been a huge riser up boards this spring, and has thrust himself into the SP2 conversation that has been wide open behind Flora. He has an impressive combination of swing and miss stuff with strike-throwing ability, with 84 strikeouts and just 11 walks in 59.2 IP. Levu is very similar to LSU Tiger, Tre Morgan, because he is a 1B prospect whose best skills are an elite glove and contact ability. It is atypical for a corner infield prospect, but he took a step forward this spring with a career high 17 home runs while only striking out 30 times in 55 games.
For Renfrow and Randall, it’s stuff, stuff, and more stuff. Renfrow has always been highly regarded for the swing and miss stuff he featured, but has struggled with inconsistencies. He is currently on one of the best runs of his career and has seemingly put it all together. Since a clunker against Boston College on 4/11, he has pitched to a 1.53 ERA with 33 strikeouts and just 7 walks across 29.1 IP. Randall has also seen his prospect rise, pitching out of the pen for this UCLA team. His fastball reaches 100.7 and has averaged 96.8 mph on the season with a 35.5% whiff rate.
Atlanta Regional
Top Prospect- Vahn Lackey, C, Georgia Tech
Names to Know- Drew Burress, OF, Georgia Tech | Jarren Advincula, 2B, Georgia Tech | LJ Mercurius, RHP, Oklahoma | Camden Johnson, 3B, Oklahoma
From the best team in the country to the deepest lineup in the country, the Atlanta regional will be a must-see for people intrigued by the draft. After a mid-year dip in production, Vahn Lackey is back in a big way. In the last 21 games of the season, he hit .452/.556/.808 with 6 home runs, 13 extra base hits, a 17:12 K:BB ratio, and 7 stolen bases for good measure. After the hot start, regression was expected, but he is back to his early-season form.
On top of him, fellow potential 1st round picks in both Burress and Advincula will both be in the lineup. Depending on your preferred style of offense, both of these players can fill that need. Burress is GT’s all-time home runs leader, while Advincula hit .431 this season with only 24 extra base hits, and featured an unreal 88.4% contact rate. Old school or new school, there is a style for you.
On the Oklahoma side, depending on pitching matchups and assuming both GT and the Sooners win their first game, Mercurius will have his opportunity to shut down the nation’s most potent lineup in their home park. It could be the type of outing that is the lasting image in a scouting director’s brain, and moves him up into the 1st or 2nd round. His best pitch is a fastball that has generated a 27% whiff rate and has been up to 97.7 mph. The stats weren’t overwhelming, but the stuff can be electric.
Athens Regional
Top Prospect- Joey Volchko, RHP, Georgia
Names to Know- Ben Blair, RHP, Liberty | Tre Phelps, 3B, Georgia | Daniel Jackson, C, Georgia |
Velocity. Home Runs. Stolen Bases. Foley Field will be the place to be for anyone who wants to see the most dynamic form of baseball. The combination of Georgia’s brute strength, which allowed them to lead the nation in home runs, and land in the top 10 for average fastball velocity, and Boston College’s run and gun offense that allowed them to be 2nd in the P4 in stolen bases, is a matchup made in heaven.
On the draft side, the velocity conversation starts with the top 2 prospects in this regional. Volchko averaged 94.7 mph on his cutter this season, averaging 5.8 in IVB and -1.4 HB. Combine that with his slider, which is generating a 32.6% whiff rate, and a sweeper he has added this offseason that is generating a 50% whiff rate. For good measure, he also added a sinker this offseason to complement his repertoire. Blair has an impressive combination of swing and miss stuff and strike-throwing ability. This spring, he has struck out 106 batters and only walked 17 in 87.1 IP. He has done that on the back of a sinker slider combo that has generated both impressive groundball rates and whiffs.
On the offensive side of the ball, the Georgia offense is built around 2 of the best hitters in the country. Phelps has been a mainstay in Georgia’s lineup for years and had an unreal season, hitting .372/.487/.674 with 18 home runs. But the story of UGA’s season has been Daniel Jackson. After struggling in his first SEC season last year, he broke out in a big way, winning SEC Player of the Year. He hit .391/.485/.813 with 27 home runs and 25 stolen bases. Jackson is the most electric player in the country, and is must-see TV.
Auburn Regional
Top Prospect- Chris Rembert, 2B, Auburn
Names to Know- Andrew Williamson, OF, UCF | Tyler Head, OF, NC State | Eric Guevara, 3B, Auburn
Led by Rembert, the Auburn Tigers team has been one of the best in the country. They do not have the high-end draft talent, but they make up for it in elite intangibles. Rembert is a draft-eligible sophomore with elite bat-to-ball skills and an impressive hit tool. The power has taken a step backwards, but the bat-to-ball skills are legit. Guevara has a little more variance and aggressiveness to his game, but has been impressive to the tune of .335/.403/.555 with 24 extra base hits.
Outside of the host team, Williamson has been one of the most dynamic players in the country. He has hit .320/.440/.601 on the season with 29 extra base hits, including 4 triples. He shows impressive plate discipline skills with 39 walks on the season in 55 games. In a down year for NC State, Tyler Head has been a focal point in the middle of their order. The .294/.467/.572 stat line doesn’t tell the whole story, as he has shown impressive bat-to-ball and plate discipline with 56 walks to just 22 strikeouts. That shows the hit tool is a little better than the batting average may suggest. The power is also legit with 14 home runs through the spring.
Chapel Hill Regional
Top Prospect- Tegan Kuhns, RHP, Tennessee
Names to Know- Jason Decaro, RHP, North Carolina | Henry Ford, 1B/OF, Tennessee | Ethan Norby, LHP, East Carolina | Ryan Lynch, RHP, North Carolina
Runs will be at a premium in Chapel Hill this weekend. Not only has North Carolina become the gold standard for pitching development, but two of the best arms in the country, Kuhns and Norby, will be pitching this weekend. I anticipate fast, low-scoring games on the backs of that dominant pitching.
Tegan Kuhns is the most high-octane arm in the regional. He has arguably the best fastball in the whole class due to an elite combination of VAA and high IVB. He has the potential to overwhelm hitters at the top of the zone. For the stuff Kuhns displays, Decaro is more polished. He has quietly been one of the best pitchers in the country with a 2.30 ERA and 74 strikeouts in 74.1 IP. His teammate Ryan Lynch is a little more projection. As a draft-eligible sophomore, he was dominant in the bullpen as a freshman and has been solid in his first year in the rotation, pitching to a 4.44 ERA with 70 strikeouts in 77 IP.
Norby is going to have a conversation for the best overall stuff in the regional. He enters the weekend with 120 strikeouts in 83.2 IP. He has the ability to dominate hitters and generate a ton of swing and miss.
Austin Regional
Top Prospect- Jackson Flora, RHP, UCSB
Names to Know- Carson Tinney, C, Texas | Ruger Riojas, RHP, Texas | Aiden Robbins, OF, Texas
It isn’t going to happen, but top pitching prospect Jackson Flora facing this Texas lineup would be must-see TV. 2 seeds do not typically keep a starting pitcher on the back burner for the 2nd round, but one could hope.
If Flora were to face the Texas lineup, it would be led by the powerful Carson Tinney. Tinney has an argument to be the best power hitter in the country, and has combined to hit 37 home runs in the last 2 seasons. There are some swing and miss concerns with 58 strikeouts, but that comes with 45 walks and a .470 OBP. He has a very solid modern-day power hitter profile. His teammate Aiden Robbins has been a huge riser this spring. After hitting .422 at Seton Hall, he transferred to Texas, and the power took a major step forward. He finished the season with 19 home runs, which was more than his combined total in 2 seasons at Seton Hall.
Tuscaloosa Regional
Top Prospect- Justin Lebron, SS, Alabama
Names to Know- Kollin Ritchie, OF, Oklahoma St.
This regional doesn’t have the draft depth, but what they lack in depth, they gain in outright talent. Justin Lebron is the most polarizing player in the class and has largely struggled this spring, hitting .266/.384/.522 with 49 strikeouts and 26 walks. The combination of swing and miss and chase is concerning, but if he is hot, there are not many in the country that are better.
On the opposite end, Kollin Ritchie has put up video game numbers this season. He finished the regular season hitting .335/.478/.828 with 29 home runs. There are some swing-and-miss concerns in his game with 64 strikeouts in just 56 games, but the plate discipline is impressive. His 44 walks on the season are something that could allow him to succeed at the next level. But no matter what, if either Ritchie or Lebron gets hot this weekend, they will be the best player in the country.
Gainesville Regional
Top Prospect- Liam Peterson, RHP, Florida
Names to Know- Kyle Jones, OF, Florida | Brendan Lawson, SS, Florida (2027)
As always, Florida is well represented in the draft rankings. Peterson has been one of the best “what if” stories in college baseball due to his elite stuff, but he had a little bit of a home run issue. This year, he has tamped down the home runs and has had his best season. He has pitched to a 3.86 ERA with 107 strikeouts in 79.1 IP, solidifying himself as one of the top pitchers in the draft. After a clunker in last year’s postseason, he could be in for a big outing this year.
Florida SS Brendan Lawson is one of the few 2027 prospects who are must-see. He has an impressive combination of plate discipline, power, and bat-to-ball skills. He finished the season at .308/.516/.680 with 16 home runs and more walks than strikeouts. For good measure, he also has 22 HBP. Lawson will come into 2027 as one of the top players in the 2027 draft. Jones is an impressive athlete who has stolen 17 bases, while also having 21 extra-base hits.
Hattiesburg Regional
Top Prospect- AJ Gracia, OF, Virginia
Names to Know- Eric Becker, SS, Virginia
The Hattiesburg regional might not have the draft depth, but they make up for that with 2 top 15 prospects. Both Gracia and Becker will have their name called in the 1st round of this summer’s draft, and are some of the best players in the country. Gracia has had his most productive spring to the tune of a .338/.478/.616 slash line with 14 home runs, 45 walks, and 34 strikeouts. His data has always been some of the best in the country, and he has seemingly rounded into his best and most consistent form.
Becker is a little more contact-oriented compared to Gracia, who has the raw tools and has hit .351 in 3 college seasons. This has been his least productive season with a .322 average, but he has always shown impressive doubles numbers. Becker is more of a save profile, who would need to develop power to tap into his ceiling as a player.
Tallahassee Regional
Top Prospect- Cameron Flukey, RHP, Coastal Carolina
Names to Know- Wes Mendes, LHP, Florida St. | Trey Beard, LHP, Florida St.
No question, the best pitching will be in Tallahassee this weekend. Cam Flukey came into the season as the top pitching prospect, and injuries and inconsistencies allowed Flora to take the top spot, but he is rounding into his best form over his last 2 starts with 8 IP, 1 ER, and 13 strikeouts. If Flukey is the best version of himself, he will be hard to beat.
It feels like an annual conversation, but Florida St. has multiple elite left-handed starters. Mendes has been the best pitcher in the ACC, and one of the best in the country, pitching to a 2.93 ERA with 117 strikeouts in 89 IP. Beard has been less consistent with a 4.78 ERA and a little too many walks, but he is coming off his best outing since the first weekend of ACC play, with 8 strikeouts and only 1 ER in 6 IP. Florida State’s potential World Series chances hinge on how dominant Beard can be. Mendes dominating feels like a guarantee.
Eugene Regional
Top Prospect- Ethan Klienschmit, LHP, Oregon St.
Names to Know- Ryan Cooney, MIF, Oregon
The Eugene Regional draft intrigue was limited greatly when Oregon St. superstar Dax Whitney went down with Tommy John. But there is still some intriguing talent. Kleinschmidt has been dominant over 162.1 IP with a 3.71 ERA. He has done it on the back of impressive whiff and strike-throwing ability. He is 90th percentile in whiff% and has shown impressive dominance with a 114 stuff+ heater that has generated a 27% whiff rate.
On the Oregon side, they have a fascinating combination of players with some power and others with contact abilities. Cooney finished the season hitting .340/.423/.544, and has done that with impressive data. He has a great combination of 87th percentile exit velocity, 93rd percentile contact%, and 86th percentile chase rate. The EV90 means the power will always be limited, but if Cooney can pull the ball in the air more, he will be able to tap into more power at the next level.
College Station Regional
Top Prospect- Chris Hacopian, 3B, Texas A&M
Names to Know- Mason Edward, LHP, USC | Caden Sorrell, OF, Texas A&M
There is some high-end talent in College Station this weekend. Hacopian has largely been one of my data darlings throughout the spring, and some injuries limited his opportunity to really showcase his skills. He is one of the strongest hitters in the country with 88th percentile exit velocity, a 106.4 EV90, and pairs that with 90th percentile contact rates and 88th percentile chase. He has the best combination of power, contact, and swing decisions.
Mason Edwards has been a fantastic story as USC baseball has been on a meteoric rise this year. He has a good argument to be the nation’s pitcher of the year as he finished the season with a 1.49 ERA with an unreal 16.4 k/9. That puts him in the 100th percentile in whiff% largely due to his combination of a 121 stuff+ fastball that he is able to use at the top of the zone, and a curveball that has generated a 64.2% whiff rate on the season. There is some reliever risk as walks were a little bit of a problem for him, but he has been one of the feel-good stories of the spring and will likely have his name called in the top 15 of this year’s draft.
Sorrell is a fascinating evaluation. There are many major red flags in his profile. He has a 13th percentile whiff with a 23rd percentile chase. That combo tends to be a death wish in professional baseball, but those concerns come with truly elite raw power. He averaged 94 mph exit velocity, and has a 107.6 EV90, all while having a knack for pulling the ball in the air. Sorrell is more likely to be a better college player than pro, but that doesn’t mean we can’t appreciate his dominance.
Lincoln Regional
Top Prospect- Cole Carlon, LHP, Arizona St.
Names to Know- Cade Townsend, RHP, Ole Miss | Carson Jasa, RHP, Nebraska
The regional of aces. Every one of Arizona St., Ole Miss, and Nebraska has a legit ace who can dominate any lineup in the postseason. After leading the nation in whiff%, Carlon moved into the rotation for Arizona St. and actually saw his swing and miss improve. It is one of the more impressive seasons we have seen in recent memory. Carlon has done his damage with a slider that he uses 76% of the time and STILL generates a 57.1% whiff rate. That style might not be conducive in professional baseball, but it is a truly elite 80-grade offering.
Ole Miss’s Cade Townsend has also taken a huge step forward this spring. He has a 5 pitch mix that, combined, has generated a 34.7% whiff rate. Every single pitch grades above average in stuff+, and his cutter, slider, curveball, and splitter all had around a 40% whiff rate. Any MLB org that gets an opportunity to grab Townsend will be very happy. Not to be forgotten, Jasa of the host team, Nebraska, has also been impressive this spring. There are some walk concerns, but the stuff is legit and is 97th percentile in whiff%.
Starkville Regional
Top Prospect- Ace Reese, 3B, Mississippi St.
Names to Know- Jack Natili, C, Cincinnati | Tomas Valincius, LHP, Mississippi St. (2027)
The Starkville regional will be a very fun one, as Dudy Noble Stadium has one of the best environments in all of college baseball. Mississippi St. is led by one of the most dynamic players in the country, Ace Reece. Reece has a beautiful left-handed swing that is built for power. He is 98th percentile in both exit velocity and barrel%, and that shows in his .373 ISO power. He combines that with a knack for pulling the baseball. Similar to the aforementioned, Caden Sorrell, there is contact and chase in his game, but the power is dynamic.
Cincinnati has one of the most potent lineups, led by Natili. He averaged 96.2 average exit velocity on the season, and paired that with a slightly above-average contact percentage. For good measure, he also adds a 66th percentile chase rate, which will allow him to tap into his power at the next level. There is a good chance an org falls in love with the Natali profile at a premium position like catcher. Valincius for Mississippi St. is a fun 2027 name to keep an eye on. He combines a 113 overall stuff+ with 90th percentile whiff, and 95th percentile BB%. One of the most well-rounded arms in the nation.
Lawrence Regional
Top Prospect- Hunter Dietz, LHP, Arkansas
Names to Know- Ryder Helfrick, C, Arkansas | Gabe Gaeckle, RHP, Arkansas | Tyson LeBlanc, SS, Kansas | Caden Bogenpohl, OF, Missouri St. | Dominic Voegele, RHP, Kansas
The regional in Lawrence, Kansas, is absolutely loaded with high-end talent. Hunter Dietz has always been highly regarded as one of the most talented pitchers in the nation, but struggled to stay healthy coming into this year with 1.2 IP on a career. Well, he has thrown 78.7 IP this spring and has been the best left-hander in the nation. He finished the regular season with a 3.32 ERA and is one of the nation’s leaders in whiff%. His Slider has generated a 51.3% whiff rate on its own, and he is also 77th percentile in BB%. The combo of stuff and strike-throwing ability will make an MLB org happy.
His counterpart in Ryder Helfrick is one of the best catchers in the country, multiple years running. Not only is he an elite defender, while calling pitches for the elite Arkansas pitching staff, but the power is also legit, some of the best in the country. He combines a 90th percentile barrel rate with a 76th percentile chase. That is a good recipe for a modern-day power hitter.
Not to be lost in the conversation is the talent at Kansas and Missouri St. Leblanc has been the best SS in the Big 12, and has done it on the backs of impressive data. He combines a 93rd percentile barrel rate with an 81st percentile contact rate. Bogenpohl is one of the best mid-major players in the nation, showcasing impressive power throughout his career.
Morgantown Regional
Top Prospect- Tyler Bell, SS, Kentucky
Names to Know- Chris Levonas, RHP, Wake Forest (2027) | Gavin Kelly, UTL, West Virginia (2027) | Kade Lewis, 1B/3B, Wake Forest | Hudson Brown, 1B, Kentucky
The Morgantown Regional might end up having the most top-15 picks when it is all said and done, and if I am being honest, there is a good chance they end up with multiple top-5 picks. That result will be in large part because Levonas and Kelly feel like locks to fight for the number 1 overall pick in 2027. Kelly has an argument to be the best player in the country this season, due to his positional flexibility and overall skill set. He has shown the ability to be a plus defender at both 2B and C immediately upon stepping foot on campus, and he took a huge step forward with the bat this spring. He finished the regular season with a .379/.480/.680 with 13 home runs, 16 doubles, and more walks than strikeouts. Kelly is the most well-rounded player in the country.
Levonas came into college with a lot of draft buzz and struggled in 35 IP as a true Freshman. One year of offseason development at the Wake Forest pitching lab made him one of the best pitchers in the nation. He has pitched to a 2.9 ERA with 110 strikeouts in 68.1 IP. His fastball routinely sits in the upper 90s and combines elite extension with low VAA and high IVB. The pitch grades in the 120 MLB stuff+ range today. Assuming good health, he will be the top pitcher taken in the 2027 draft.
For good measure, Tyler Bell is one of the draft industry’s favorite players. As a draft-eligible sophomore, he has battled injuries, but that hasn’t limited his production. He finished the year hitting .357/.517/.602 with 17 extra base hits in 37 games. There is going to be an MLB org that falls in love with Bell, and I wouldn’t be shocked if he is taken in the 10-15 range. My internal model has Brown as one of the top right-handed hitters in the class due to a 98th percentile exit velocity, an 80th percentile contact rate, and an 88th percentile chase rate. I would almost guarantee Brown’s best baseball is ahead of him.
