Conference USA has become one of college baseball’s great waystations. Arms and bats from the CAA, the MAAC and the American keep finding their way into the league through the portal, and the players already there tend to get overlooked until a big spring forces the issue. That combination makes it one of the better places to hunt for value ahead of July.
Here are eight names to know: a redshirt shortstop who walked more than he struck out, a 6-foot-4 righty looking to shake off a lost spring, a 23-year-old outfielder who used his home park’s gaps for seven triples, and a pair of sophomore catchers who aren’t draft-eligible until 2028 but may carry the highest ceilings of the group.
Jaxon Pate, SS — Jacksonville State
• 2026 (Jacksonville State): 63 G, .347/.458/.438, 76 H, 14 2B, 0 3B, 2 HR, 30 RBI, 53 R
• Summer 2025 (Waynesboro …