College baseball is a big, wide landscape. Seemingly endless teams, prospects in every direction, big conferences, small conferences, wackadoodle schedules and a playoff system that can be hard to understand for fans unfamiliar. There's something of a learning curve when it comes to college baseball, but we're hear to make it just a little bit easier for you.

College baseball has a chance to take center stage in 2027 with threat of a looming lockout in Major League Baseball. There's never been a better time than now to hitch your fandom to the proverbial growing wagon. 

For many fans, finding a college baseball program to root for is step one in discovering how tremendous the sport is. Reading draft rankings is a great way to thrust yourself into the action, but sometimes further storylines can be helpful. 

In this article, we wanted to give readers a rundown on what programs will be must-see television in 2026. With any luck, we'll give you a reason or two to root for a specific program, and you can wear their colors proudly on the march to october. 

Here are a handful of programs we think you should consider rooting for this season, as well as detailed reports on a handful of pro prospects that will be suiting up for those programs next week. 


Coastal Carolina

Though the Chanticleers have just two players that made our current rankings, both are capable of making any outing appointment television. The clear cut leader of the staff, Cameron Flukey (No. 7) may wind up being the first pitcher off the board this July and is capable of dominating just about any lineup in the country. With an excellent four-pitch mix that’s headlined by a lethal fastball-curveball combination, Flukey will kick off the 2026 season against Fairfield and look to start his year off right. The fun doesn’t stop on Friday night, however, as left hander Hayden Johnson (No. 52) will take the ball on Saturday and give the Chants one of the more dynamic one-two punches in the nation. Johnson has some nutty metrics on his fastball-slider tandem that should give him a great shot at going on day one of the draft, and as a sucker for good pitching, we can’t wait to watch these two take the mound opening weekend.


Florida State

Another program with dominant starting pitching. Trey Beard (No. 37) will take the bump on Friday night for the first time as a Seminole, showing off his extremely unique arsenal in front of the home crowd in what should be the beginning of an exceptional 2026 season. Following him is the crafty Wes Mendes (No. 83), a lefty who’s got some nasty stuff and always pitches with a fiery demeanor. The lineup is no slouch, either. Headlined by perhaps the most prodigious power bat in the country in Myles Bailey (No. 75) and talented outfielder Brayden Dowd (No. 90), catcher Hunter Carns (No. 140) rounds out a lineup that is flush with competent bats and should give opposing pitchers fits. Tack on Oregon transfer Cole Stokes (No. 192) and his bowling ball sinker that’s touched 99 mph, and you’ve got yourself a supremely talented squad that’s got every shot in the world at making a run for Omaha.


Virginia

Armed with arguably the best tandem of bats in all of college baseball, Virginia’s lineup should be one of the more formidable units in the nation. Led by outfielder AJ Gracia No. 2) and shortstop Eric Becker (No. 11), the Hoos have two dynamic sluggers who can change the game with one swing of the bat. Gracia, who followed head coach Chris Pollard on his move to UVA, has arguably the most well rounded offensive game of any player playing college baseball in 2026, and Becker, who remained a Cavalier despite his former head coach leaving, brings legitimate thump from the shortstop position. Pairing those two with Rider transfer Joe Tiroly (No. 87) and two-way guy Kyle Johnson (No. 192) is sure to make for an exciting watch against Wagner.


Mississippi State

With the arrival of Brian O’Connor, Mississippi State hit the transfer portal hard. They were able to keep plenty of young standouts from the old regime. This includes Ace Reese (No. 9), Ryan McPherson Duke Stone, and Ben Davis, alongside commitments from standout freshman Parker Rhodes, Jacob Parker, Maddox Miller, and Peter Mershon. O’Connor then brought reinforcements from Virginia with Tomas Valincius, Aidan Teel, James Nunnallee, William Kirk, and flipped Jack Bauer’s commitment. They then went out and brought in more reinforcements from the portal, such as Kevin Milewski, Maddox Webb, and Tyler Pitzer. All of that to say they kept who they needed to, and simultaneously brought a lot of talent into the program. It’s a loaded program with a bright future.


Oklahoma State

Stillwater looks set for the future, whether you look to 2026, 2027, or 2028 (transfer portal notwithstanding). They’ve got four strong draft-eligible bats looking to make a splash with Kollin Ritchie (No. 61), Alex Conover (No. 95), Avery Ortiz (No. 135), and Garrett Shull. They’ve also brought in a plethora of interesting freshman bats who will all certainly be vying for playing time. Oklahoma State always has bats, and depth galore offensively. But they’ve also accumulated some intriguing arms over the years, including Hunter Watkins, Ethan Lund, Matthew Brown, and others who could make a splash. Seeing who gets ultimately the playing time and innings on this roster will be interesting.


UC Santa Barbara

The Gauchos have been a pitching factory the last two years. Tyler Bremner was the No. 2 overall pick in the 2025 Draft. Righty Jackson Flora throws 101 mph and could be a Top 10 pick in 2026. Joining Flora are three more draft-eligible arms with huge stuff. RHP Calvin Proskey (No. 74), LHP Cole Tryba (No. 98) and RHP Nathan Aceves (No. 106). That's a four-headed monster that few in the country can match. Shortstop Jonathan Mendez just missed our Top 200 College list, but is an accomplished hitter who can rover around the dirt and get the job done. Outfielder Max Stagg also just missed our Top 200 list, but joins the program after a big year at Central Arizona in 2025. The program also brings future draft-eligible standouts in outfielder Rowan Kelly, LHP Van Froling, catcher Ian Fernandez, and RHP Joshua Janicelli into the fold, all of whom are capable of contributing in impact ways.

Arkansas 

If you're a fan trying to get into college baseball exclusively for the pro prospects, Arkansas may be the program for you. Currently, the Razorbacks have more prospects featured on the Over-Slot Top 200 College board than any other team with 11. That's a whole lot of draft ammunition for one team to flaunt all spring. Incredibly, the program has been to 32 NCAA tournaments and twelve College World Series. They've made it to the College World Series five times in the last ten years, including an appearance last year that ended in heartbreak. They've finished as runner-up twice. Despite having countless loaded rosters, the Razorbacks have never been able to break through. For that reason, they're easy to root for. 

The 2026 version of the program is headlined by three players that rank inside our Top 50. Pitchers Gabe Gaeckle and Hunter Dietz could represent the best two-headed monster in the country if they both take to their new roles with confidence. Their battery mate, Ryder Helrick, is our No. 47 ranked prospect in the country and a power-arm, power-bat backstop. The Razorbacks will compliment those two pitchers with names like Ethan McElvain (No. 171), Tate McGuire (No. 189) and Parker Coil (No. 198). It's a loaded staff. Other hitters such as infielder TJ Pompey (No. 63), Camden Kozeal (No. 92), Maika Niu (No. 125) and Kuhio Aloy (No. 127) round out a roster bursting at the seams with impact and production. 

Come on, Dave Van Horn. Bring it home this year. 


UCLA

Westwood brings our number one player in the entire class, Roch Cholowsky, who grabbed the hearts of the college baseball world with his stellar bat and glove last season, slashing .353/.480/.710 with 23 home runs en route to becoming the consensus top prospect in the class. It’s plus hit, power, arm, and glove tools from Cholowsky and a surefire bet to stick at shortstop long term.

Cholowsky isn't alone. He's got four teammates featured on our Top 200 College board. 

Joining him on the left side of the infield is Roman Martin (No. 102), who has the defensive chops to be a big-league shortstop as well. He’s a strong athlete with above-average power potential and a keen eye. Mulivai Levu (No. 96) mans the opposite corner, bringing some impact from the left side. 

In the portal, UCLA brought in LA native Will Gasparino (No. 109) from Texas, who brings some of the most potent tools in the class at 6-foot-6, 225 pounds. Plus raw power and speed with the defensive instincts to go get it in center field. They also snagged Logan Reddemann (No. 108) from UC San Diego, who posted a 2.29 ERA last spring and a 3.22 on the Cape in the summer. Pitchability guy with a solid four-pitch mix.

Keep an eye out for outfielder Dean West and Cashel Dugger as well.

Fresh off a run to Omaha for the first time since 2013, the Bruins are led by a dynamic group of homegrown stars, namely a starting lineup with seven juniors eligible to be drafted this summer.


Wake Forest

Kade Lewis (No. 36) leads the charge for the Demon Deacons on our board after tearing it up in his first year in the ACC. A very solid offensive prospect with stand-out contact quality from the left side. Luke Costello (No. 68) is a data darling, putting up minuscule chase rate, consistent impact, and high air pull rates. Dalton Wentz (No. 116) put up a solid freshman season in Winston-Salem and went on to have a successful stint on the Cape. There’s big-time pop coming out of the young infielder.

Blake Morningstar (No. 46) fronts the rotation, mixing six distinct pitch shapes with nice spin traits and a big 6-foot-4, 225-pound frame. Another draft-eligible sophomore, Duncan Marsten No. 85) was well-liked as a prep, but didn’t pitch much last spring. Big-bodied sinker baller with a splitter and slider off it.

Typically known as a pitching-centric program, Wake Forest’s lineup will take the spotlight in 2026 in search of another College World Series berth.