10 MLB Draft prospects to know: 'Best college shortstop prospect in years,' more

As pitchers and catchers get set to report to MLB training camps this coming week, the college baseball season is ready to start.

First pitch is this Friday, Feb. 13. Before the 2026 season, which culminates in June with the College World Series, begins, here's a look at 10 players — one for each position, including three outfielders and a left- and right-handed pitcher — to know.

Florida State Seminoles left-handed pitcher Trey Beard 

The 6-foot-3 southpaw transferred in-state from the Florida Atlantic Owls to Florida State, Baseball America's preseason No. 12 team in the country, this offseason. A season ago, Beard went 6-1, posting a 3.14 ERA and striking out 118 of the 350 batters he faced across 86 innings while issuing just 32 walks.

He recently ranked No. 78 in Baseball America's list of overall top 2026 MLB Draft prospects, and with a strong off-speed game and fastball featuring "natural carry up in the zone," Beard should frustrate most batters he faces before landing in a major league organization.

Coastal Carolina Chanticleers right-handed pitcher Cameron Flukey 

Flukey, the No. 3 overall prospect in the upcoming MLB Draft, was outstanding a year ago for a Coastal Carolina program that lost in the CWS finals to LSU. Per Baseball America, he averaged 95 mph on fastballs in 2025. Fluke ended the season with 118 strikeouts to 24 walks in 101.2 innings. while only allowing six home runs in 414 batters faced.

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets catcher Vahn Lackey

No. 5 Georgia Tech experienced a disappointing end to its 2025 season after winning the ACC regular-season title, losing its last two games of the Oxford Regional by a combined score of 24-20. Lackey will do his part in erasing any lingering effects of that finish after slashing .347/.421/.500 in 266 plate appearances as a sophomore.

UCLA Bruins first baseman Mulivai Levu

The Bruins enter the season as the No. 1 team in the country thanks in large part to an outstanding lineup. Levu started all 66 games in 2025 for a UCLA squad that reached the CWS for the first time since winning the 2013 national championship and hit .320 with 29 extra-base hits and a team-high 85 RBI.

Georgia Tech second baseman Jarren Advincula

Following two years with the California Golden Bears, Advincula joined a loaded Georgia Tech squad via the transfer portal this offseason. What he lacks in power, Advincula makes up for in ability to make contract, hitting .346 across 73 games at Cal and the Cape Cod League in 2025.

Mississippi State Bulldogs third baseman Ace Reese

The left-handed power hitter blasted 21 home runs and had 40 extra-base hits overall last year while slashing .352/.422/.718 in his first season in the SEC. The No. 11 MLB Draft prospect, Reese's encore could be even better.

UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky

Cholowsky is the top-ranked prospect in the 2026 draft class, with Baseball America going as far as labeling him "the best college shortstop prospect in years." He's as close to a complete package as they come, capable of hitting for contact and power while also being a natural with his glove. Per D1Baseball.com, he had a 162 wRC+ (weight runs created plus) last season, meaning he was 62 percent better than an average Division I batter. 

LSU Tigers outfielder Derek Curiel

The reigning national champs are talented enough to become the first repeat CWS winners since the South Carolina Gamecocks (2010-11), with Curiel, the No. 8 overall 2026 MLB Draft prospect, the team's brightest star in the lineup. En route to being named D1Baseball.com's National Freshman of the Year, Curiel slashed .345/.470/.519 with 29 extra-base hits, 55 RBI, 56 strikeouts and 53 walks in 323 plate appearances.

Virginia Cavaliers outfielder AJ Gracia

Gracia (No. 17 draft prospect) transferred in-conference from the Duke Blue Devils during the offseason after the Cavaliers first hired former Duke manager Chris Pollard. He has a great eye, finishing 2025 with a notably higher walk rate (20 percent) than strikeout rate (12.6 percent), while also knocking 15 home runs in 215 at-bats.

Georgia Tech outfielder Drew Burress

At the conclusion of last year's college baseball season, ESPN's Mike Rooney shared a bold prediction that Burress would earn 2026 Player of the Year honors. He's certainly on the shortlist for preseason favorites after a sensational season when he had more extra-base hits (43) — and walks (53) — than strikeouts (42).