USC’s Mason Edwards: Could He Be LHP1 in College Ranks Soon?
What's made Edwards' stuff so tough to hit? Furthermore, what's created the surge on draft boards? Let's go over his profile and find out.
| | 
We’ve talked at great length about the college pitching demographic in this draft, which has been outlined as a clear weakness to date. Specifically, the southpaw class lacks top-end talent like the right-handed class. In fact, seven right-handed arms appear on our College Top 100 before a southpaw enters the fray.
However, just because it lacks top-end talent doesn’t mean there’s not an upside-laden gem hidden in the depths.
Unfortunately, due to Jake McCoy’s injury, the top spot in the southpaw class is wide open. While McCoy will still have suitors, especially after his stellar Cape campaign last summer, his injury hampers his efforts. We hope he returns healthy, but with him out, guys like Ethan Kleinschmit, Cole Carlon, Hayden Johnson, and Hunter Dietz stand out.
However, one name has a chance to really find another tier to his game. That player is Mason Edwards out of Southern California.
Yes, the baseball card isn’t gaudy, as injuries have impacted his mound time, but he’s shown strikeout stuff since making it to Dedeaux Field. He’s struck out 98 batters across 70.1 innings in his collegiate career, and in 2025, opposing batters hit just .204 against him. He’s been doing this despite fringy velocity, and it earned him the 55th overall spot in our latest rankings.
With the introduction out of the way, what’s made Edwards’ stuff so tough to hit? Furthermore, what’s created the surge on draft boards? Let’s go over his profile and find out.
The deceptive nature of Edwards’ drop-and-drive mechanics is a big aid to his performance to date. Pitching with slight crossfire, Edwards’ delivery looks stereotypical until his elbow climbs behind his back, creating a higher release than anticipated for hitters. As a result, he generates a unique angle to the plate that can be devastating to left-handed hitters, though he has been platoon-neutral to date. In 2025, Edwards posted nearly identical splits regarding OPS, as lefties posted a .654 figure and righties posted a mark of .656.
His pitch shapes aren’t too shabby, either.
While the fastball averaged 90 MPH in 2025, he missed bats at a 30% clip thanks to robust carry and a slight cutting nature. He gets behind the baseball very well, generating plenty of backspin and allowing him to create IVB numbers north of 20 inches on average. While he’ll lose some of that carry in pro ball, he should post healthy numbers within the 17-18 inch threshold, a well above-average mark.
Edwards’ ability to hammer the strike zone is evident, though the biggest marker we’ll look forward to monitoring is his velocity. Throughout the fall and pre-season scrimmages, Edwards has seen a vigorous uptick in velocity, reportedly sitting in the mid-90s more consistently. For reference, his fastest bullet of 2025 was 94 MPH. It’s a welcome sight and will play a big role in his draft stock, especially if he holds it throughout the season.
As Joe mentions above, the breaking ball has some added power as well. Routinely sitting around 80 MPH in 2025, the pitch has crept into the mid-80s, which is a fantastic development.
Despite the previous lack of velocity, Edwards was able to tunnel the breaking ball off the heater well and induce empty swings when located below the zone. It plays off his angle and snaps hard to the dirt, staying short to the plate with depth. He didn’t throw it a ton in 2025, though it excelled at missing bats, generating a whiff rate just south of 50%. Righties tend to swing over the top of the offering, especially when Edwards can locate it to their back foot. The additional velocity will aid its case for a future plus grade in evaluations.
The final piece of the puzzle: his changeup is unique and projects as above-average as well. It lacks the prototypical vertical separation from the heater, though it sits ~8-9 MPH behind the heater, a solid figure in terms of velocity separation. He sells the offering very well and catches hitters out in front, especially right-handed bats. It boasted a 46% whiff rate in 2025 across a sizable sample.
The recent development in velocity points to a potential breakout for the junior, who many project to head USC’s rotation and make a run for Big Ten Pitcher of the Year. Given the weaker nature of the southpaw class on the college side, it is no stretch to see Edwards in the LHP1 slot come draft day.
There are still questions about a few of his closest competitors, especially as the aforementioned southpaws transition to full-time starting roles. Carlon and Johnson still need to prove they can be stretched out, while Dietz needs to prove his durability, having pitched only 1.2 innings at the collegiate level. Kleinschmit is the closest in our eyes, though he admittedly lacks the kind of upside Edwards has at present. He’s more of a high-floor arm compared to his peers.
With the season just days away, we’ll be tuning into plenty of Edwards’ starts this spring. It’s not a given that he’ll wind up as LHP1, but it’s about planting flags and trusting our process. The odds are higher than you’d expect right now.
Written by