College Baseball Stock Talk: Standouts from Week 8

Another week of college baseball is complete, and with conference well underway, the weekend brought standout performances, high octane matchups, and no shortage of boredom.

In this week’s Stock Talk, we highlight eight draft-eligible players who impressed and continued to raise their profiles as the 2026 MLB Draft approaches.

Let’s dive in.

Jackson Flora | RHP

Cementing his case as the best pitcher in the 2026 Draft, Jackson Flora was unreal this past Thursday on the road against Cal Poly, going the distance in a complete-game shutout.

When diving into his performance, Flora worked his entire arsenal into his favor. Starting off with the four-seam, it was unbelievable, averaging 18 inches of ride and 2,500 RPM sitting 94-97 (up to 99.9) mph.

Jackson’s second-most thrown pitch was his cutter, and it was dominant. Also averaging 2,500 RPM, it varied in shape over the course of the outing though was up to 91 mph and thrown for strikes two thirds of the time.

Wrapping up the repertoire are both his kick-changeup and slider. As for the cambio, it lived in the upper 80s velocity (up to 90 mph) with plus dive and excellent feel, evident by a 63% strike rate. With the slider, it’s a true sweeper that’s plus, getting nearly 20 inches of glove-side action and averaging over 2,600 RPM sitting around 80 mph.

Both from a data and on-field perspective, what Flora is doing is bonkers. Now at a 0.69 ERA in over 50 innings pitched, it’s no gimmick that he can dominate just about any lineup that he comes across.

Jackson will likely make his next start for UC Santa Barbara back at home this coming Friday against UC San Diego.

Flora is #12 on our Top 100 College Prospect Board.

Andrew Williamson | OF

A memorable weekend for Andrew Williamson who continues to punish baseballs, leading UCF to a road series win over West Virginia.

Andrew tattooed everything he swung at over the weekend. Given his nine batted balls, he averaged an exit speed of 99.1 mph with a hard-hit rate of an astounding 75%.

Notably, Williamson had one batted ball against left-handed pitching over the weekend. The result? A double hit 106.9 mph off the bat against Maxx Yehl.

He didn’t whiff inside the zone one time over the course of the three games and maxed out at a 109.3 exit speed. He sees velocity very well over the outer half of the plate against both lefties and righties resulting in swing decisions that continue to progress.

Arguably one of the best hitters in the Big 12, Andrew has been a thrill to keep track of, given he’s the engine for this surging UCF offense. Williamson will be back in action for UCF on the road this coming Friday against Kansas.

Williamson is #37 on our Top 100 College Prospect Board.

Cole Carlon | LHP

Tossing his best start in his collegiate career, Cole Carlon goes six scoreless against in-state rival Arizona in the series opener.

It was a fascinating arsenal mix when his Thursday report, yet it worked in tremendous fashion. In 103 pitches, Carlon threw an unbelievable 75 sliders (a 72.8% usage). That said, the slider is elite, sitting 85-87 mph generating a 65% whiff rate with firm action that’s very difficult to pick up given Cole’s high launch.

Complementing his slider is his mid-90s four-seam, a competitive offering that got up to 97 mph. Getting fine carry on the heater, he landed it in the zone over 75% of the time coupled with a 35% whiff.

Carlon worked in two other offerings to round out his start, though both were thrown rare. First, a kill-spin changeup primarily thrown against right-handers, sitting in the low-80s in velocity and averaging nearly 1,000 RPM on it. Lastly, a 76-78 mph curveball with some depth and used when ahead in counts.

It’s been a thrill to tune in and watch Carlon for Arizona State thus far, now up to just over 40 innings with a 4.19 K-BB through eight starts. Cole will likely make his next start for Arizona State back at home this coming Friday against Utah.

Carlon is #34 on our Top 100 College Prospect Board.

Matthew Thomas | OF

Another mid-major name to watch surge up future boards is Matthew Thomas from Cal State Northridge, who’s collected a hit in 11 of his last 12 games and now up to a .360 average in 2026.

Looks can certainly be deceiving, as Thomas collected only one hit good for extra bases out of his 11. Though when looking under the hood, he averaged a 97.1 mph exit speed on every baseball he put into fair play coupled with a hard-hit rate north of 70%.

His lone extra base knock was a home run, good for a 109 mph exit velocity that traveled 423 feet against Long Beach State this past Saturday. As for his max velo throughout the week, that would be 112.4 mph: a base-hit in the series opener also against the Dirtbags.

Matthew mashed all right-handers that attacked him middle-in over the recent four game spread. Whether it was getting on-base swinging the bat or not, Thomas continues to get it done at the top of Cal State’s lineup.

Thomas will be back in action for Cal State Northridge on the road this coming Friday against UC Riverside.

Landon Mack | RHP

Going seven innings for the first time in nearly a year, Landon Mack diced through LSU’s lineup this past Thursday.

Working a five-pitch mix in the series opener, Mack primarily went after hitters with sinker/cutter tandem. The sinker is certainly intriguing, sitting 94-96 (up to 98) mph getting 16 inches of run with 2,400 RPM while thrown for an unreal 90% strikes. As for the cutter, it holds slider-ish traits that’s thrown in the mid-80s averaging over 2,600 RPM and most effective low in the zone.

Landon incorporated two other offspeed offerings in his start, both primarily against left-handers. One, a changeup with the good distinction off the sinker, living 86-89 mph and getting over 15 inches of arm-side action. Second, a curveball that’s both firm and two-plane, sitting roughly around 80 mph and creates good horizontal separation off the sinker.

It’s worth noting that Mack also mixed in a four-seam, though rare. It holds similar shape as the sinker with both a tick more in vert and velocity, living in the upper-90s.

Though Tennessee’s season thus far hasn’t gone as expected, Mack has been a pillar in the weekend rotation and given them a shot to win each game he’s been in. If this success continues, he profiles as a day two lock come draft time.

Landon will likely make his next start for Tennessee on the road this coming weekend against Mississippi State.

Roman Martin | INF

Week in and week out, Roman Martin continues to churn out quality weeks while being a cornerstone defender for #1 UCLA, winners of 23 straight.

In the box, Martin had a fantastic week against both UC Irvine and red-hot USC. In 11 batted balls, Roman averaged an absurd 90.9% hard-hit rate as well as a 94.8 mph exit speed.

Roman maxed out at a 103.4 mph exit speed while notably not whiffing in-zone against any right-handed arms. He barreled just about everything middle-away within the four games, presenting advanced barrel control and exceptional bat speed.

Even with his 103 max EV for the week, it’s important to mention Roman has (consistently) hit balls hard 105 mph+. That said, he’s finding the barrel much more often while cutting the chase rates down. Along with his athleticism and defensive instincts, it has the making of a top 150 pick come this summer.

Martin will be back in action for UCLA on the road this coming Friday against Rutgers.

Martin is #73 on our Top 100 College Prospect Board.

Russell Sandefer | RHP

Posting career highs in both innings and strikeouts, Russell Sandefer dismantled Ole Miss in the series finale.

Repping a four-pitch mix, each offering is intriguing with its own distinct shape. Beginning with the four-seam, a low-launch offering sitting in the mid-90s with run/ride traits thrown for over 75% strikes averaging over 2,600 RPM in the contest.

His best pitch of the outing was his changeup, and it’s absolutely devastating. Averaging over 20 inches of fade with six-and-a-half feet of extension, the cambio sat 81-84 mph generating nearly a 55% whiff rate. Oh, it was thrown for over 80% strikes as well.

Sandefer caped his outing off with two other offerings. First, a cutter that got over 10 inches of lift and 5 inches of arm-side action, a rare shape given his launch. Thrown for over 60% strikes and getting over 2,600 RPM, both lefties and righties had no answer for it.

Lastly, an 81-84 mph slider, averaging nearly 10 inches of sweep that resulted in both an 80% whiff and 53% chase rate. Perhaps one of the best sliders in college baseball’s toughest conference, Russell has advanced feel for it as evident by a 77% strike percentage.

Now making his third straight start against quality opponents, Sandefer has both surely held his own and evolved in embracing his newfound role. Russell will likely make his next start for Florida on the road this coming weekend against Georgia.

Sandefer is #61 on our Top 100 College Prospect Board.

Grayson Fitzwater | 1B

Continuing a spectacular season and amongst the most underrated first baseman in college baseball, Grayson Fitzwater turned in another stellar week.

Though only facing right-handed pitching in this four-game sample, he used that to his advantage and obliterated anything low in the zone. In 14 batted balls, Fitzwater averaged a 94.1 exit speed and a 64.3% hard-hit rate.

Fitzwater maxed out with a 110.1 mph exit speed, good for a base hit in their midweek matchup against William & Mary, and posting a 5% in-zone whiff throughout the four games played.

Widely regarded as one of the most talented hitters in VMI history, Grayson currently holds the program record for RBIs and is on the verge of potentially breaking more perhaps. As for this year, he continues to stand out as the team’s best player, now up to a .400 average, 25 extra-base hits, and a BB-K ratio above 2.0.

Fitzwater will be back in action for VMI on the road this coming Friday against Samford.