2026 College Baseball Superlatives
Think of this as a preseason college baseball yearbook, minus the senior photos.
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No matter the sport, every preseason comes with the same hype.
“I’m in the best shape of my life.”
“He’s had an uptick in velocity.”
“My swing feels good.”
“This is the year their lineup clicks, and they make a run.”
Think of this piece as a preseason college baseball yearbook, minus the senior photos. These aren’t predictions set in stone or bold takes designed to blow up by May. They’re vibes and gut feelings I have about certain players and programs.
And no, being a senior is not a requirement. This is merely an attempt to preview the 2026 college baseball landscape, with a little fun mixed in.
Most Likely To Succeed – Roch Cholowsky, UCLA
I’ll start with perhaps the most obvious superlative. College baseball’s current golden goose, Roch Cholowsky, enters the season as the odds-on favorite to win the Golden Spikes Award and be selected No. 1 overall in the 2026 MLB Draft.
JustBaseball.com’s top prospect, the UCLA shortstop, was fantastic last spring, hitting .353 with 23 home runs and a 1.190 OPS. He possesses all the tools to stick at a premium position in Major League Baseball and to play it at a high level. Six-foot-two and athletic, he looks the part.
Cholowsky will get every opportunity for the Bruins this season, and it’s easy to see why. He offers four-plus tool potential (with speed being the only real question) and pairs it with a disciplined approach at the plate. I expect this slam-dunk prospect to hear his name called first this coming July.
Most Likely To Hit a Ball Very, Very Far – Daniel Cuvet, Miami
If you’re looking for raw power, look no further than Daniel Cuvet. Across his first two seasons in Coral Gables, the Hurricanes infielder has been one of the most destructive bats in college baseball, launching 42 home runs, 35 doubles, and a pair of triples. When Cuvet makes contact, the baseball doesn’t hang around the yard for very long.
It’s easy to see where the damage comes from. Cuvet’s hip-to-shoulder separation creates natural loft and elite rotational force, allowing him to backspin balls with ease. That pop is only amplified by his imposing physical presence, six-foot-four, 235 pounds.
The bat speed is every bit as loud as the frame suggests. Described by evaluators as “thunderous,” Cuvet’s swing produces exit velocities that can climb as high as 115 mph, turning mistakes into souvenirs. His power grades out around 65.
Most Likely To Turn Heads – East Carolina
The Pirates finished 13-14 in AAC play last season, their worst conference mark since 2017. Funny enough, the club still won 35 games – and the AAC title. Now, they enter the spring as the preseason favorite once again.
Stud left-hander Ethan Norby should give East Carolina a chance to win every Friday night. Norby struck out 119 batters over 90 innings a season ago while posting a 3.80 ERA. He’s known for going deep into games, regardless of pitch count. Other talented arms include Sean Jenkins, Gavin Van Kempen, and Joe Webb.
At the dish, ECU returns big-time bats in Braden Burress, Colby Wallace (two-way), Austin Irby, and Jack Herring. Walters State transfer Jack Vogele should add plenty of pop, as the Loveland, Ohio native mashed 19 home runs with 95 RBI in 2025. Another transfer, Jeff Sabater from Millersville, brings speed. He’s swiped 96 bases over the past few seasons.
Don’t be too surprised if they smell Omaha in 2026.
Most Likely To Ruin a Pitcher’s ERA – Drew Burress, Georgia Tech
Famous for hitting nine home runs across his first eight collegiate games, Drew Burress is nearly impossible to retire when he gets hot.
The five-foot-nine power threat recorded four separate four-RBI games last season, along with six contests featuring three RBI. The year prior, he added two different six-RBI performances. Simply put, Burress is the kind of hitter who can take a single pitcher apart, and with Georgia Tech’s elite offense around him, he should be seeing plenty of hittable pitches and racking up at-bats.
Call me crazy, but I wouldn’t be shocked to see another four-homer game from Burress in 2026. After all, it is his draft year.
Most Likely To Fly Up Draft Boards – Joey Volchko, Georgia
On paper, Joey Volchko’s transfer to Athens feels like a match made in heaven. He links up with Wes Johnson, one of the sport’s most respected pitching minds, in an environment built to develop high-end arms. The right-hander has all the ingredients of a first-round talent; he just needs to learn how to blend them.
Armed with a fastball that can touch 101 mph and a tight slider that reaches 90, Volchko’s pure stuff jumps off the page. The production hasn’t quite caught up yet, as seen by a 5.89 ERA across 113 collegiate innings, but the raw material is so tempting.
If Volchko can add more life to his fastball, improve his strike-throwing, and put together a full season in the SEC, he has a real chance to become one of the first NCAA pitchers off the board. His pairing with Johnson is one of the most intriguing development storylines of the spring. The sky’s the limit.
Most Likely To Be a Fan Favorite – Zach Yorke, LSU
Grand Canyon transfer Zach Yorke is going to be a fan favorite in Baton Rouge, and it won’t just be because he’s an unorthodox 295-pound presence at first base. It’s because he flat-out mashes.
Head coach Jay Johnson and his staff brought Yorke in to help replace Jared “Bear” Jones, a key cog on LSU’s 2025 National Championship team. Yorke arrives with proven production, launching 32 career home runs at GCU while hitting .328 with a .980 OPS and 32 doubles.
After showing well on the Cape and putting together a strong fall, Yorke is poised to prove his bat plays on SEC turf. Between his big swings and strong personality, Tiger fans shouldn’t hesitate to fall in love.
Most Likely To Be Better Than Their Ranking – Kentucky
The Just Baseball college writing staff slotted Kentucky at No. 23 in our preseason poll. Personally, I had the Wildcats ranked higher than any other contributor on my Top 25.
For starters, Nick Mingione is a proven winner. In recent seasons, he’s guided Kentucky to three Super Regionals and an Omaha appearance in 2024. He also returns a pitching staff with far more experience than last year’s group, led by Ben Cleaver and Nate Harris.
Shortstop Tyler Bell has a legitimate chance to be one of the best players in the country, and could even find himself in the Golden Spikes conversation. Jay Staph recently took a deep dive into Bell’s profile, which is well worth the read.
The rest of the infield is no slouch, either. Luke Lawrence is back after posting a career .845 OPS in college, while Indiana transfer Tyler Cerny brings the potential to impact the game on both sides of the ball. With a roster comfortable competing in the SEC, it wouldn’t surprise me one bit to see Kentucky hosting a regional in 2026.
Most Likely To Steal Thunder – Justin Lebron, Alabama
As noted, it feels close to a foregone conclusion that Roch Cholowsky will go first overall in the 2026 MLB Draft. But if there’s a college bat capable of crashing that party, it belongs to Alabama shortstop Justin Lebron.
Across his first two seasons in Tuscaloosa, Lebron has been nothing short of electric, batting .333 (150-for-451) with 29 home runs, 27 stolen bases, and 110 RBI. At the beginning of the 2025 season, he was generating legitimate first-overall buzz of his own before Cholowsky went nuclear and separated himself from the pack.
Lebron’s appeal is rooted in his completeness. He’s an athletic, instinctive shortstop with the defensive chops to grow into a Gold Glove-caliber infielder, while also projecting as a true power-speed threat at the plate. In the unforgiving grind of the SEC, Alabama will rely on Lebron to be the engine that drives its offense.
Most Likely To Bounce Back – Luke Gaffney, Clemson
Luke Gaffney announced himself to the college baseball world in 2024 at Purdue, launching 13 home runs and ripping 15 doubles while posting a gaudy 1.095 OPS. The breakout was historic, as Gaffney shattered six different Boilermaker records in the process.
That production earned him a transfer to powerhouse Clemson for the 2025 season, where the transition proved more challenging. The versatile utilityman saw his power output dip to five home runs, along with a .745 OPS and a modest uptick in strikeouts.
However, all signs point toward a rebound. By all accounts, Gaffney put together a strong fall and winter with the Tigers and looks primed for a junior-year resurgence. His physicality at the plate and another year of adjustment at the ACC level make him a classic bounce-back candidate.
Most Likely To Pitch Angry – Blake Morningstar, Wake Forest
The way I see it, Blake Morningstar is a first-round talent. And if he sees it that way, too, he’s got every reason to pitch a little angrily every time he takes the bump for Wake Forest in 2026.
Despite not receiving nearly the draft buzz he deserves, the right-hander was a true workhorse for the Demon Deacons last spring. Morningstar logged 79 innings, punched out 93 hitters, and posted a 3.87 ERA while anchoring the staff. He’s set to assume the ace role under head coach Tom Walter, likely eclipsing the 80-inning mark as Wake Forest leans on him heavily once again.
Morningstar’s arsenal is built to miss bats. He features a plus fastball and slider, complemented by one of MLB’s most resurgent offerings, the cutter. If he can continue to pound the zone and further refine his changeup, his ceiling rises considerably. Consider a chip on his shoulder.
Written by
College Baseball & MLB Draft writer for Just Baseball! St. Lawrence Baseball alum 2025. Follow me on X @DiscussBaseball for more content!