This is the time of year where every publication puts out its preseason All-American lists signifying who they believe will be the most valuable and/or best players in college baseball in 2026. That method is tried and true.
Here, we're taking a different angle.
The staff at Over-Slot voted who they believe would be the first players selected at their respective positions in the 2026 Draft. While the staff is lean (five of us to be exact), we all carry very different opinions on how July's draft will shake out. The Over-Slot Top 250 Board is a combination of where certain players are, and where we believe those players will be in July after another season in the books. Because of that, the board will undoubtedly change as the months wear on. Preseason darlings will fall. Winter hunches will rise.
Here, as voted by our staff, are the Over-Slot Preseason Draft All-Americans.
First Team
C – Vahn Lackey, Georgia Tech
A sublime combination of speed and burgeoning bat speed makes Lackey an exciting prospect to bet on as we enter the 2026 season. Lackey represented Team USA in the Collegiate National Team this past year and has only gotten better as the months draw on. His .347/.421/.500 slash may be an appetizer for what's to come in 2026. The Over-Slot staff believes he'll be the first catcher off the board in July.
1B – Brady Ballinger, Kansas
Ballinger is a metric darling with a sweet left-handed swing. He's coming off his first season at the D1 level where he slashed .353/.495/.670 for an upstart Kansas Jayhawks squad. Now a year wiser and more experienced on what to expect at this level, perhaps his numbers will get even better. He was as complete a hitter as you'll find in the country in 2025.
2B – Chris Rembert, Auburn
Rembert hasn't stopped hitting since arriving to Auburn. An excellent 2025 saw him slash .344/.467/.555 with ten homers and more walks than strikeouts. He parlayed a big spring into an abbreviated showing on the Cape for Hyannis where he slashed .429/.478/.952 across just five games. He's as good a bat as you'll find at the second base bag and our team believes he's destined to hear his name called inside of the top 50 picks in July.
3B – Ace Reese, Mississippi State
Reese played every game at the hot corner for the Bulldogs in 2025, however he's got experience in all three outfield spots, as well as first base in his college career. He's coming off a sensational 2025 where he slashed .352/.422/.718 in the SEC with 21 homers. For good measure, he played eight games on the Cape for Chatham, slashing .303/.361/.485 with a couple long balls. Reese will need to continue proving his mettle at third base to play the position as a pro, but the regardless, the bat is one of the most dangerous sticks in the country.
SS – Roch Cholowsky, UCLA (unanimous)
One of the few unanimous selections by our team, Cholowsky is the No. 1 prospect in the country for the 2026 Draft. It's rare you come across an elite defender at a premium position with the kind of offensive profile Cholowsky brings to the table. A .353/.480/.710 slash line in 2025 was carried by 23 homers. He walked 15 more times than he struck out too. Cholowsky has some of the best combination of up-the-middle tools and polish we've seen from a college draft prospect in a handful of years and has a sizable lead at the top of the draft as things stand in January.
UTIL - Alex Hernandez, Georgia Tech
It remains to be seen where Hernandez will be deployed in 2026, but his experience at first base, second base and in the outfield provides versatility for the Yellow Jackets to get his bat in the lineup. As a true freshman, Hernandez hit .335/.415/.609 with 16 homers last season. He carried that into an impressive showing on the Cape for Y-D. We expect Hernandez to solidify himself somewhere on the diamond in 2026 and push into the top two rounds of the Draft.
OF – AJ Gracia, Virginia (unanimous), Drew Burress, Georgia Tech (unanimous), Caden Sorrell, Texas A&M
Gracia transfer into Virginia from Duke and brings one of the more polished left-handed bats to Blacksburg. If his raw power takes a jump, he's a candidate to go inside of the top three picks. He's expected to play centerfield this spring. Burress has been one of the most consistent hitters in the country since he was a high school junior. Folks continue to expect him to slow down because of his shorter stature. He never has. He won't in 2026. Sorrell has been plagued by injuries throughout his collegiate career, but if he stays healthy, he's one of the most exciting, explosive players in the country. Gracia and Burress both received unanimous support by our staff.
SP – Jackson Flora (unanimous), Cameron Flukey, Liam Peterson, Gabe Gaeckle, Jake McCoy
RP - Chase Meyer, Cole Carlon
There were only four players that are staffed our agreed would be the first (or among the first) player drafted from his respective position off the board in July. Roch Cholowsky, AJ Gracia, Drew Burress and Jackson Flora all received that distinction. Staff members were instructed to submit three outfielders and three starting pitchers on their ballots.
Second Team
C – Ryder Helfrick
1B – Daniel Cuvet
2B – Jarren Advincula
3B – Kade Lewis
SS – Justin Lebron
UTIL - Chris Hacopian
OF – Sawyer Strosnider, Derek Curil, Chase Brunson
SP – Owen Kramkowski, Jack Radel, Hunter Dietz, Joey Volchko, Ben Blair
RP - Eric Segura, Clayton Freshcorn
Chris Hacopian is a well-liked prospect among the entire Over-Slot staff, but with the depth at the shortstop position in 2026, the team decided we'd place him in the utility role for All-American purposes.
Of note, Georgia Tech enters the 2026 season with four preseason All-Americans. Texas A&M and Arkansas both have three of their own. TCU is the only school with two.
Congratulations to all of the Preseason All-Americans this year. Good luck in 2026 and good luck in July's draft.
