Top players to watch at the 2024 College World Series

Moore has four home runs and a .304 batting average since the start of the Knoxville Regional on May 31

Florida first baseman/pitcher Jac Caglianone

Caglianone, the biggest snub for the 2024 Golden Spikes Award, is college baseball's answer to Dodgers great Shohei Ohtani. In addition to his sizzling .411 batting average, Caglianone is 5-2 in 15 starts with a 4.71 earned run average, 82 strikeouts and 48 walks in 72.2 innings pitched.

Per D1 Baseball, Caglianone has a robust 42.3% homerun-to-flyball rate, the second-highest in the country. He came up big in Florida's Super Regional over Clemson, giving the Gators a 5-4 Game 1 lead in the fifth inning with a three-run home run.

Caglianone is one of the most disciplined batters at the plate, with eight more home runs (33) than strikeouts (25). 

Texas A&M third baseman Gavin Grahovac

The Aggies' sensational freshman gives Texas A&M hope after star outfielder Braden Montgomery's devastating season-ending ankle injury in the Super Regional against Oregon.

Montgomery was named the No. 4 pick in MLB.com's Jim Callis' most recent mock draft on June 6, and the way Grahovac has burst on the scene, he might be in the same position in a few years.

Grahovac does a little bit of everything, including playing exceptional defense. He had a spectacular diving catch in foul territory against Texas State in April.

His power extends to all areas of the park. In the second game of his first SEC series, he took Florida starting pitcher Liam Peterson deep when he pulled a fastball to left field.

On April 6, against South Carolina, Grahovac led the game off by driving an off-speed pitch on an 0-2 count to dead center.

In 61 games, the SEC Freshman of the Year has .306/.403/.616 batting splits with 22 home runs.

Kentucky left fielder Ryan Waldschmidt

Waldschmidt has been solid across the board for the Wildcats, ranking second on the team in batting average (.346), home runs (14), doubles (17) and total hits (71).

Against Tennessee ace reliever AJ Causey during an April series, he hit a rocket to left field in the bottom of the third of a 5-3 comeback win.

Kentucky's lead-off hitter was held hitless in the Super Regional against Oregon State but was 5-of-13 in the Lexington Regional. The Wildcats need that version of Waldschmidt to have a chance to win the first baseball national championship in program history.

Florida State pitcher Jamie Arnold

The first-team All-ACC pitcher has broken out in his sophomore season. In 17 starts and 100.2 innings pitched, Arnold has a 2.77 ERA with 155 strikeouts.

He recorded an immaculate inning in the Tallahassee Regional against UCF and has 31 strikeouts in 19 innings pitched since the start of the ACC Tournament.

In May, he struck out 17 Pittsburgh hitters, which Florida State baseball's social media account noted was the most for a Seminoles pitcher since 1987. 

With his fourth strikeout against UConn in the Super Regional, he recorded his 150th of the season, the most for the program in 30 years.  

Virginia catcher Jacob Ference

The Cavaliers catcher has one of the coolest backstories among players in this year's CWS. A 2024 second-team All-ACC member, Ference formerly played for Division III Salisbury before transferring during the offseason.

In his first season at Virginia, Ference is hitting .354 with 17 home runs. In the Super Regional against Kansas State, he broke the game open in the top of the ninth with a two-out triple to give the Cavaliers a 7-4 lead in an eventual 10-4 win.

North Carolina centerfielder Vance Honeycutt

The ACC Defensive Player of the Year made his biggest contributions at the plate in North Carolina's Super Regional win over West Virginia. 

In an 8-6 Game 1 win, the first-team All-ACC team member hit a walk-off two-run home run in the bottom of the ninth inning.

The next day, Honeycutt led off the second game of the series with a solo home run to set the tone for a 2-1 win. 

Since the start of the Chapel Hill Regional, Honeycutt has a .308 batting average with four home runs.

NC State third baseman Alec Makarewicz

With a .380 average and 22 home runs, Makarewicz had a breakout season with the Wolfpack after playing at East Carolina for the past four seasons.

In Monday's 8-5 win on the road in the Athens Regional against Georgia, Makarawicz gave NC State breathing room by hitting a two-run home run in the top of the eighth inning and extending the team's lead to 8-4.

Makrawicz batted .400 (6-for-15) in the three-game series, and NC State had 44 hits as a team. 

After the Wolfpack men's and women's basketball teams' unexpected runs to their respective Final Fours in April, it might be the baseball team that breaks through with a national championship.