College Baseball Stock Talk – Standouts from Opening Weekend

Perhaps the loudest performance of the first weekend came from UC Santa Barbara’s Jackson Flora, who unleashed ridiculous stuff against a gritty Southern Miss offense.

The fastball looked like one of the premier heaters in the country, sitting in the upper-90s, grabbing triple digits multiple times, averaging over 2,500 RPM with 17 inches of ride while boasting some of the best extension numbers in the country.

Two other things stood out over the course of Flora’s outing: the use of his new kick-change as well as the use of his cutter. Jackson used his new changeup over 50% of the time against lefties and generated over a 50% whiff in total. As for his cutter, it’s another fascinating offering that presents some lift traits and gets over 2,700 RPM.

Flora will look to carry this momentum and dominance next Friday, when he’s expected to take the ball for the Gauchos in their 2026 home opener against Portland.

LJ Mercurius | RHP

No one quite knew what to expect from Oklahoma at Globe Life, but the Sooners left week one as arguably the weekend’s biggest winners, with LJ Mercurius being a vital reason why.

The 2026 Bedlam matchup was a dominant showing for LJ, producing an unbelievable 31 whiffs. His fastball was legit, averaging over 60% strikes and getting over 20 inches of ride. He commanded it well east/west, keeping hitters uncomfortable and mixing pitches well.

LJ’s best offering of the day was his changeup. Thrown roughly 25% of the time and almost entirely thrown to lefties, Oklahoma State simply had no answer for it as it generated an absurd 70% whiff. He also worked in a low-80s cutter with tight action that gave right-handers fits.

Mercurius will be a fascinating draft follow over the course of the year. The UNLV transfer looks to have refined his mechanics, creating more drive and direction down the mound. LJ will make his next start back in Norman this coming weekend against Coppin State.

Isaac Morton | RHP

Morton’s debut as a Gopher couldn’t have gone much better, going six scoreless against St. John’s.

The Minnesota native has always been an east/west pitcher given his low slot launch, but his arsenal on Saturday possessed outlier stuff. His mid-90s sinker was dominant, getting over 18 inches of run and living low in the zone, getting plenty of groundballs. Morton also showcased a four-seam that got up to 98 mph.

His slider was his most violent secondary, living in the mid-80s and getting plus sweep. In addition, it landed for over 70% strikes while generating a 50% whiff rate. Morton complemented it with a cutter featuring late action and lift, primarily thrown to left-handers and executed for strikes over 60% of the time.

Isaac will be one of the premier starters in the Big 10 in 2026, and this start emphasizes that. Morton will likely make his next start for Minnesota down in Fort Myers next weekend.

Trevor Hansen | RHP

Trevor Hansen opened his 2026 campaign away from Irvine, turning in a dominant Opening Day outing against Sacramento State.

Trevor had all three pitches in his repertoire working in his performance. His four-seam lived 90-92 mph and got some whiffs over the course of the night. His low-80s curveball is what stood out though, as he’s comfortable throwing it to both left and right-handers.

More specifically, it’s a true 12/6 pitch that creates excellent vertical separation off the heater and produced over a 66% whiff rate.

Hansen also incorporated a changeup that sat 82-84 mph and more so used against lefties, a really good offering to which Trevor has plus feel for.

Teammate Ricky Ojeda gets a ton of buzz, and deservedly so, but Hansen is just as equally a workhorse and competitor on weekends. Them together form easily one of the best duos across mid-major baseball. Hansen will likely make his next start for UC Irvine this coming weekend against Cal back in Cicerone Field.

Tegan Kuhns | RHP

In an offseason filled with change, Tegan Kuhns remained consistent on the mound for the Vols last Friday against Nicholls.

Tegan went after the opposing lineup with his fastball, and the Colonels had no answer for it. It’s a dominant offering, getting over 20 inches of ride and averaging nearly 95 mph that resulted in a 55% whiff.

Kuhns worked in three different offspeed offerings, and each were effective. His changeup looked better compared to 2025, continuing to get more separation off the fastball and give lefties fits. The slider looked fantastic, a low-80s pitch with tight action and plus feel while also throwing a low-70s curveball that got more depth.

Even without Tony Vitello, Tennessee looks every bit like a contender in 2026. With transfers Landon Mack and Evan Blanco capable of going toe-to-toe with anyone on weekends and Tegan headlining the rotation to kick off each series, the Volunteers remain a serious threat. Kuhns is likely to take the mound Friday against Kent State at Lindsey Nelson.

Justin LeGuernic | LHP

Our lone reliever on this list, as well as our only left-hander, it was hard to ignore LeGuernic’s stuff on Saturday.

Justin sat in the mid-90s with both fastballs, generating difficult deception from his low launch. The sinker was nasty, producing more than 18 inches of run while landing for strikes over 75% of the time. His four-seam wasn’t used nearly as often, though it gets more ride and works better up in the zone.

His slider was the best offering of the outing, generating over a 70% whiff against Army and thrown for strikes over 65% of the time. It’s a low-80s pitch with short action and tunnels exceptionally well with the sinker, creating awkward swings and minimizing damage. Justin also sprinkled in a mid-80s changeup exclusively to righties, but another offering with fine shape and feel.

LeGuernic will likely make his next appearance for Clemson this coming weekend, back at home against Bryant.

Carlos Martinez | RHP

While the box score may not reflect it, Martinez showed intriguing stuff in college baseball’s top environments against a top-five opponent.

Facing Mississippi State on opening night, Martinez showcased a four-pitch repertoire. His four-seam was firm, a 92-94 mph offering that often was located up in the zone, creating a whiff rate north of 40%. Carlos also worked in a sinker, but rare, a distinct shape off the four-seam and sat at 90 mph.

His primary offspeed pitch as a low-80s slider that created good downward movement glove-side with plenty of swing-and-miss. Carlos also mixed an 80-83 mph changeup, primarily used against lefties though it wasn’t landed in the zone often; it presented good traits.

Again, the line may not jump off the page, but the arm talent certainly does. It’s a profile that has upside along with good actions down the mound and lively arm action. Martinez will likely make his next start for Hofstra this coming weekend on the road against the Liberty Flames.