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College  | Story | 2/12/2020

2020 College Ball: Staff Picks

Patrick Ebert
Jheremy Brown
Mike Rooney
Vincent Cervino
Greg Gerard
Nate Schweers
Connor Spencer
Photo: Spencer Torkelson (Arizona State Athletics)



Preseason College Top 25 | Preseason All-American Team | Preview Index

With the 2020 college baseball season set to begin on Friday, Patrick Ebert, Mike Rooney, Vinnie Cervino, Jheremy Brown, Brian Sakowski, Greg Gerard, Nate Schweers and Connor Spencer take their turns making predictions on several different categories. Those categories as listed below are split between individual player honors and achievements, both in relationship to the college baseball season and the MLB Draft, as well as team prognostications on how things may shake out over the next several months.


Impact Freshman
Kumar Rocker was the Most Outstanding Player in Omaha a year ago for Vanderbilt while JT Ginn, Alex Binelas, Willie Weiss, Robby Martin and Connor Noland all played big roles for their respective teams making it to the College World Series. Add in huge statistical seasons from Aaron Sabato, Ethan Wilson, Adrian Del Castillo and many others and it's clear that more and more first-year players are making a big, big impact in college baseball.
Player Pos. School Staff
Hunter Barco LHP Florida GG
Michael Curialle 3B UCLA CS
Steven Hajjar LHP Michigan BS
Brennan Milone SS South Carolina VC
Robert Moore 2B Arkansas JB
Bryce Osmond RHP Oklahoma State PE
Josh Rivera SS Florida MR
Landon Sims RHP Mississippi State NS

Many to most expect Florida to get back their deep postseason-winning ways, and to do so they'll need a few of their newcomers – with Hunter Barco and Josh Rivera being the most obvious candidates to do so – to step forward from day one. Michael Curialle could get a lot of early looks for a UCLA team that is going to have a new-look offense. Steven Hajjar is of the redshirt variety of freshmen, Robert Moore is a near-perfect fit for Arkansas and Brennan Milone's hit tool should allow him to do just that. Bryce Osmond and Landon Sims both own big, power arms that should allow them to miss plenty of bats at the college level.


Impact Transfer
Most of the players on the transfer list are of the JUCO variety, an ever-growing talent pool for four-year schools to dip into to find near plug-and-play options for their rosters. Big Ten Player of the Year Jordan Brewer is the most obvious example of this from a year ago, a dynamic outfielder who helped propel Michigan to Omaha. Alerick Soularie had a similar impact for Tennessee, as did UC Irvine's Brandon Lewis.
Player Pos. School Staff
Justin Fall LHP Arizona State VC
Brannon Jordan RHP South Carolina JB
Noah Myers OF South Carolina BS
Kaden Polcovich 2B Oklahoma State MR
Johnny Ray RHP TCU GG
Murphy Stehly SS Texas CS
Tyler Thornton RHP Arizona State PE
Levi Usher OF Louisville NS

Arizona State was already loaded and yet they added a pair of key arms in Justin Fall and Tyler Thornton – Thornton was a Freshman All-American at Saint Mary's. South Carolina has hit the JUCO ranks hard the past two years and will look to both Brannon Jordan and Noah Myers to help drive their ultimate 2020 success. Johnny Ray stands out among TCU's talent-laden JUCO class while Big 12 rivals Oklahoma State and Texas hope to have hit gold with Kaden Polcovich, a Cape all-star last summer, and Murphy Stehly. No. 1 Louisville will have toolsed-up Levi Usher patrolling their outfield this season.

Impact Senior
Longevity obviously plays a big role for productive seniors – look no further than a pair of outfielders from the SEC a year ago, Mississippi State's Jake Mangum and LSU's Antoine Duplantis. Leadership often comes with that longevity, roles that can't be taught for teams eyeing the postseason.
Player Pos. School Staff
Jonathan Hughes RHP Georgia Tech VC
Grant Judkins RHP Iowa NS
Austin Langworthy OF Florida JB
Lael Lockhart, Jr. 1B/LHP Houston GG
John McMillon RHP Texas Tech BS
Jake Mulholland LHP Oregon State PE
Terence Norman OF Kennesaw State CS
Cam Shepherd SS Georgia MR

It's taken longer than expected due to injuries early in his career, but Jonathan Hughes appears to be poised for a big season as Georgia Tech's projected staff ace. The Georgia Bulldogs have had Cam Shepherd manning shortstop each of the last three years and he'll make it a fourth starting Friday. Staying in the Peach State, Terence Norman has enjoyed a productive career at Kennesaw State with a career .338/.405/.451 slash line. Jake Mulholland can make a similar statement at Oregon State, with a 1.75 career ERA and 30 saves. Lael Lockhart, Jr. gets it done both at the plate and on the mound while Austin Langworthy should be Florida's most proven and reliable run producer. John McMillon throws absolute gas while big-bodied righthander Grant Judkins quietly had a loud junior season for Iowa.


Sleeping Giant
Each and every one of the players listed below is a well-known talent for their respective programs, and all are on draft radars heading into the season. However, there's reason to believe each and every one of them may have another level to attain. No players defined this more a year ago than outfielders JJ Bleday and Hunter Bishop, each of whom entered the 2019 season with clear promise and exited the season as premium first round picks.
Player Pos. School Staff
Jud Fabian OF Florida MR
Patrick Fredrickson RHP Minnesota CS
Hudson Haskin 3B Tulane VC
Joey Polak 3B Missouri State NS
Baron Radcliff OF Georgia Tech GG
Casey Schmitt 3B/RHP San Diego State PE
Riley Tirotta 3B Dayton BS
Gage Workman 3B Arizona State JB

We're cheating a little with Fabian, who is a sophomore and isn't draft-eligible until 2021, but his talent is obvious and we expect a much, much bigger season out of him. Patrick Fredrickson was the Big Ten Freshman and Pitcher of the Year in 2018 before taking a step back a year ago; look for him to get back on track. Hudson Haskin, Baron Radcliff, Riley Tirotta and Gage Workman all carried strong spring seasons into the summer and appear to be poised for more this year. Joey Polak was the JUCO Player of the Year two seasons ago and could be in store for a big season in year two at Missouri State while Casey Schmitt's profile is incredibly similar to that of Aaron Schunk given his ability to dominate as a closer and middle-of-the-order slugger that plays the hot corner.


Golden Spikes Award
Adley Rutschman set the bar high a year ago, earning the Golden Spikes Award on his way to becoming the No. 1 overall pick in the draft, doing so one year removed from being the Most Outstanding Player for the 2018 national champion Oregon State Beavers. The No. 3 overall pick in the draft was Andrew Vaughn, the Golden Spikes recipient in 2018.
Player Pos. School Staff
Patrick Bailey C NC State NS
Daniel Cabrera OF Louisiana State GG
Nick Gonzales 2B New Mexico State JB
Heston Kjerstad OF Arkansas CS
Austin Martin 3B Vanderbilt BS
Spencer Torkelson 1B Arizona State MR
Spencer Torkelson 1B Arizona State PE
Ethan Wilson OF South Alabama VC

Two votes were made for Spencer Torkelson, who has already posted ridiculous back-to-back seasons with no signs of slowing down. Nick Gonzales was PG's Summer Collegiate Player of the Year and led the nation in batting last season. Austin Martin is the No. 1 prospect for the 2020 MLB Draft while Heston Kjerstad already has 29 homers and 104 RBI in two years at Arkansas. Ethan Wilson had a huge freshman season, Patrick Bailey is a well-rounded switch-hitting catcher while Daniel Cabrera is ready to truly break out after two strong seasons at LSU.


College World Series Sleeper
Each of the teams listed below is not ranked in PG's Preseason College Top 25, however, each is ranked among the top 26-40 teams with legitimate Omaha upside. Last year each of the eight teams that advanced to the College World Series was ranked within the Preseason Top 25, but that was more of an exception than the rule.
School Conference Staff
Boston College ACC BS
Cal State Fullerton Big West CS
Clemson ACC GG
Dallas Baptist Missouri Valley MR
Georgia Tech ACC VC
Minnesota Big Ten NS
Ohio State Big Ten PE
Wake Forest ACC JB

Minnesota and Ohio State each have an impressive weekend starting staff and are deep overall with pitching, a recipe that worked well for their Big Ten rivals, Michigan, a year ago. Georgia Tech was the No. 3 overall seed heading into the postseason before they were upset by Auburn on their home turf. Young, sophomore-laden squads at Boston College and Clemson gives each exciting upside while Wake Forest has some big, big bats and some high-powered arms in an especially deep ACC. Cal State Fullerton appears to be ready to bounceback after a disappointing season by their own lofty standards and Dallas Baptist welcomes numerous reinforcements to an already talented squad.


Sleeping Giant, Among Giants
The team-based category of "Sleeping Giants," each of these schools opens the year in the Top 25, but outside of the Top 10, and each has legitimate national championship aspirations. Of last year's College World Series teams, Arkansas (13), Florida State (14), Auburn (15), Mississippi State (17) and runner-up Michigan (19) all opened the year ranked in the 11-25 range.
School Conference Staff
Florida SEC JB
Louisiana State SEC VC
Michigan Big Ten GG
NC State ACC BS
Oklahoma State Big 12 NS
Oklahoma Big 12 MR
Stanford Pac-12 CS
Texas A&M SEC PE

Florida made the postseason a year ago, barely, but the Gators are far too talented to "barely" make the NCAA Tournament two years in a row. LSU opened last season ranked No. 1 by PG and have a young and hungry yet somewhat unproven squad ready to make their own mark. Michigan will be out to do it again, but this time with a big target on their back, while Oklahoma and Oklahoma State will each give Texas Tech a run for their money in the Big 12. NC State has a sneaky deep pitching staff and their usual high-powered offense, while both Stanford and Texas A&M return a wealth of pitching to staffs that already were among the nation's best.


Super Regional Cinderella
Last year's Super Regionals were filled with ranked teams with few surprises sprinkled in, at least from the perspective of preseason aspirations. However, Stetson and Tennessee Tech both made a lot of noise to advance the year before while Davison, Sam Houston State and Missouri State were among the upstart teams to advance to the Super Regional round in 2017.
School Conference Staff
BYU West Coast PE
Campbell Big South NS
Cincinnati American Athletic GG
Florida Atlantic Conference USA JB
Illinois Big Ten BS
McNeese State Southland CS
Sam Houston State Southland VC
San Diego State Mountain West MR

BYU has gone 133-83 the past four years, winning the WCC Tournament and advancing to a Regional in 2017. Campbell should once finish on top of the Big South while Cincinnati showed legitimate upset potential in the NCAA Tournament a year ago with a big come-from-behind game one Regional win over defending national champion Oregon State in Corvallis. FAU has been on the cusp of Top 25 inclusion while Illinois joins Michigan, Ohio State and Minnesota in what should be a very competitive Big Ten. Sam Houston State advanced to a Super Regional as recently as 2017 and they'll duke it out in the Southland with McNeese. San Diego State could dominate the MWC with a squad that could go toe-to-toe with national heavyweights.


2020 CWS Champion
This category is pretty straight-forward: who will win it all in 2020? Plenty of bragging rights are on the line, not just for the teams, but for the PG staff members, each of whom chose a different squad, all of which are ranked in the top 10 of PG's initial College Top 25.
School Conference Staff
Arkansas SEC NS
Arizona State Pac-12 CS
Georgia SEC GG
Louisville ACC JB
Miami ACC VC
Texas Tech Big 12 BS
UCLA Pac-12 MR
Vanderbilt SEC PE

Take your pick from the loaded SEC, a conference that has seen six of its members claim the CWS championship in the last 11 years. Vanderbilt, the defending national champion, has claimed two of those, and returns arguably the most talented pitching staff in college baseball. Georgia's staff might be the hardest throwing and Arkansas once again will have a lethal lineup. 2020 could be the year in which Arizona State breaks out and UCLA was oh-so-close a year ago, spending the second half of the season as the nation's top-ranked team. Texas Tech represents the Big 12 annually in Omaha while we could see big, big years out of Louisville and Miami from the ACC.
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College | Story | 1/27/2026

Conf. Preview: Conference USA
Geoff Billock
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2026 College Preview Index | Preseason Top 25 | Preseason Collegiate All-Americans For all of Perfect Game's conference previews as part of the 2026 college baseball preview content, the 2025 records and all-conference teams are available for free. The conference top prospects and individual team breakdowns can be viewed with a subscription. 2025 Records Teams are listed in alphabetical order* Team W L W L DBU 41 18 21 6 Delaware 28 25 12 15 FIU 31 27 13 13 Jax State 37 25 15 12 Kennesaw State 31 27 17 9 LA Tech 32 25 14 12 Liberty 30 27 10 17 Missouri State 30 25 17 8 MTSU 23 32 8 19 NM State 23 33 11 15 Sam Houston 12 43 6 21 WKU 46 14 18 9 Preseason All-Conference Team   Pos. Name School Stats/Notes C Grayson Ashe Jax State .318/.435/.574; CUSA All-Conference Second Team honors last year. Highly productive offensive catcher who led team in average and home...
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Press Release | Press Release | 1/27/2026

Believe In Baseball Event Adds Stars

Perfect Game Staff
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    667 Progress Way | Sanford, FL 32771 | 319-298-2923  www.perfectgame.org | facebook.com/perfectgameusa | @PerfectGameUSA      FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE    JAY LENO, NIKKI GLASER, TIFFANY HADDISH, DUSTIN YBARRA AND GARY CANNON ADDED TO PERFECT GAME   BELIEVE IN BASEBALL CHARITY EVENT     Laugh Factory hosts an all-star comedy lineup for Perfect Game’s charity gala    Los Angeles, California (Tuesday, January 27, 2026) - The Perfect Game Believe in Baseball Foundation today announced an all-star comedy lineup for its first-ever “In the Spirit of the Game” charity awards dinner and auction, taking place this Saturday, January 31, 2026, at the world-famous Laugh Factory in Hollywood to benefit youth...
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High School | General | 1/27/2026

High School Top 50: 40-31

Cam McElwaney
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High School Preview Index Top 50 Breakdown: 50-41 40. Prestonwood Christian (Plano, Tx.) 2025 Record: 25-5 Head Coach: James Vilade Notable Prospect(s): RHP Savion Sims (Oklahoma), RHP Trent Vilade (Texas A&M), OF Austin Smith, C Cruz Banuelas, RHP Harrison Hilliard, OF Lash Henderson (Texas A&M), SS Max Bachmann, SS Frantz Guignard, 3B Aiden Moffitt, C Chance Kidd Prestonwood Christian is coming off a successful season a year ago that saw them rattle off 25 wins, but they come up just short of a state title, losing 2-0 in the championship game. They lose a pair of senior power arms but also bring back one of the top right-handers in the state in Trent Vilade as well as adding one of the top flamethrowers in the nation in Savion Sims. Junior outfielder Lash Henderson, a Texas A&M commit and a top-25 talent in the class, headlines the group of position players along with...
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High School | Blog | 1/26/2026

High School Content Index

Tyler Russo
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With the High School season about to pick up and kick off in the warmer states in the not-so-distant future, make sure to bookmark this index with all the dates of upcoming content so you can be in the know, beginning with a breakdown of every team in our Top 50 countdown.  Date Content Monday, January 26 HS Team Breakdowns: 50-41 Tuesday, January 27 HS Team Breakdowns: 40-31 Wednesday, January 28 HS Team Breakdowns: 30-21 Thursday, January 29 HS Team Breakdowns: 20-11 Friday, January 30 HS Team Breakdowns: 10-1 Friday, January 30 National High School Top 50 Monday, February 2 HS Top 50 All Prospect Team Monday, February 2 Top Team in Each State Tuesday, February 3 Florida Region Top Teams/Prospects Tuesday, February 3 Florida Region Preview Wednesday, February 4 Georgia Region Top Teams/Prospects Wednesday, February 4 Georgia Region Preview Thursday, February 5 Pacific Region Top...
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High School | General | 1/26/2026

High School Top 50: 50-41

Cam McElwaney
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50. Cathedral Catholic (San Diego, Calif.) 2025 Record: 19-12 Head Coach: Gary Remiker Notable Prospect(s): SS Alex Harrington (Stanford), OF Hunter Harrington (Stanford), RHP Kaden Kuhn (Cornell), OF Xavier Nady (NYU), RHP Shoei Darvishsefat, SS Trey Kotsay (Princeton), OF Nick Ruder (University of Chicago), SS Jonas Nalu (Colorado School of Mines), OF Joshua Priest (Arizona State), LHP Jose Partida (Arizona State), 1B Maxwell Stewart, OF Dj Sweeney Cathedral Catholic has been one of the top programs in the San Diego area over the past handful of years and brings back not only one of the best rosters in their area, but one of the top rosters in the country. Headlining the group is twin brothers Alex and Hunter Harrington, both Stanford commits and bring dynamic athleticism mixed with a good bit of experience. The Dons also return seniors Xavier Nady, Trey Kotsay, Nick Ruder and Jonas...
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College | Story | 1/26/2026

Conference Preview: Big South

Blaine Peterson
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2026 College Preview Index | Preseason Top 25 | Preseason Collegiate All-Americans For all of Perfect Game's conference previews as part of the 2026 college baseball preview content, the 2025 records and all-conference teams are available for free. The conference top prospects and individual team breakdowns can be viewed with a subscription. 2025 Records Teams are listed in alphabetical order*  Team W L W L Charleston Southern 31 22 14 10 Gardner-Webb 17 36 6 18 High Point 39 19 18 6 Longwood 14 38 8 16 Presbyterian 17 35 9 15 Radford 28 28 13 11 UNC-Asheville 15 35 8 16 USC-Upstate 36 25 19 5 Winthrop 31 29 13 11 Preseason All-Conference Team Pos. Name School Stats/Notes C  Preston Lucas USC Upstate 1st Team All-Big South performer in 2025. Hit .337 with 25 XBH and the 5th most RBI (63) in the conference. 1B Landen Johnson High Point 2nd Team All-Big South...
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College | Story | 1/27/2026

Conference Preview: SoCon

Craig Cozart
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2026 College Preview Index | Preseason Top 25 | Preseason Collegiate All-Americans For all of Perfect Game's conference previews as part of the 2026 college baseball preview content, the 2025 records and all-conference teams are available for free. The conference top prospects and individual team breakdowns can be viewed with a subscription. 2025 Records Teams are listed in alphabetical order* Team W L W L Citadel 31 26 12 9 ETSU 41 17 14 7 Mercer 35 25 12 9 UNCG 21 33 9 12 Samford 30 27 13 8 VMI 27 26 6 15 Western Carolina 30 28 10 11 Wofford 33 27 8 13 Preseason All-Conference Team   Pos. Name School Stats/Notes C Cade Carr Samford .332/.531/.422, 16 2B, 8 HR, 61 RBI; athletic backstop with complete toolset, advanced offensive approach, cornerstone 1B Grayson Fitzwater VMI .315/.640/.425, 13 2B, 17 HR, 65 RBI; ++ power, professional approach, more BB than Ks,...
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College | Story | 1/23/2026

Conference Preview: American

Craig Cozart
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2026 College Preview Index | Preseason Top 25 | Preseason Collegiate All-Americans For all of Perfect Game's conference previews as part of the 2026 college baseball preview content, the 2025 records and all-conference teams are available for free. The conference top prospects and individual team breakdowns can be viewed with a subscription. 2025 Records Teams are listed in alphabetical order*  Team W L W L UBA 24 30 8 19 Charlotte 36 22 18 9 East Carolina 35 27 13 14 Florida Atlantic 37 21 15 12 Memphis 22 33 8 19 Rice 17 40 10 17 South Florida 31 25 16 11 UTSA 47 15 23 4 Tulane 33 25 13 14 Wichita State 19 35 11 16 Preseason All-Conference Team Pos. Name School Stats/Notes C Andrew Stucky UTSA .324/.514/.467 with 6 HRs, 40 RBI; durable 6-0/192 backstop with elite defensive skills and a wealth of experience, returning 1st team all-conference member 1B Cody...
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College | Story | 1/22/2026

Conference Preview: Big 10

Troy Sutherland
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2026 College Preview Index | Preseason Top 25 | Preseason Collegiate All-Americans For all of Perfect Game's conference previews as part of the 2026 college baseball preview content, the 2025 records and all-conference teams are available for free. The conference top prospects and individual team breakdowns can be viewed with a subscription. 2025 Records Teams are listed in alphabetical order*  Team W L W L Illinois 30 24 14 16 Indiana 32 24 16 14 Iowa 33 22 21 9 Maryland 27 29 12 18 Michigan 33 23 16 14 Michigan State 28 27 13 17 Minnesota 24 28 10 20 Nebraska 33 29 15 15 Northwestern 25 27 13 17 Ohio State 13 37 5 25 Oregon 42 16 22 8 Penn State 33 23 15 15 Purdue 31 23 11 19 Rutgers 29 28 15 15 UCLA 48 18 22 8 USC 37 23 18 12 Washington 29 28 17 13 Preseason All-Conference Team Pos. Name School Stats/Notes C Mason Eckelman Ohio State Taken steps forward--...
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General | Blog | 1/21/2026

Wolforth Throwing Mentorship: Article 61

Ron Wolforth
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Demystifying the Curveball, Pitch Counts, and Weighted Balls- Part 1 You know what I love about the holidays? Good food, time with family, and the unspoken rule that nobody brings up religion or politics at the dinner table.   Why? Because they're powder kegs. Topics that bring out deep-seated beliefs and strong emotions.  Well, I accidentally lit one of those powder kegs recently, except it wasn't at the dinner table. It was on social media.   Our team posted a short clip of me at Boot Camp making what I thought was a pretty straightforward point: simply avoiding the curveball is far from a guarantee of arm health.   I wasn't trying to be provocative. I was just stating what I believed to be obvious after 30 years of doing this work.  But boy, did a few people have problems with it.   It became one of the most discussed posts in Ranch history....
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