With fall ball coming to a close soon, we’re taking a look at 10 freshmen who have positioned themselves for impactful roles in 2026.
While this is not an official ranking and things could change before Opening Day, all 10 players below have enjoyed strong falls and have made an immediate impression on their respective coaching staffs.
Cameron Appenzeller, LHP, Tennessee
No team in the country has had a more hectic fall than Tennessee given former coach Tony Vitelloâ€s move to the majors, but the Volunteers are in great hands with Josh Elander now at the helm. Appenzeller was the crown jewel of Vitelloâ€s final recruiting class, and he is in line to log meaningful innings in 2026 after drawing legitimate top two-round draft interest and opting to honor his commitment to the Vols.
At 6-foot-5 and 180 pounds, Appenzeller is a solid athlete with a repeatable delivery and plenty of projection remaining. His fastball has been up to 94 mph with life through the zone to go along with two distinct secondary offerings. Appenzellerâ€s high-70s-to-low-80s slider features two-plane bite and has plus upside, while his mid-80s changeup flashes plenty of fade and is a real weapon against righthanded hitters. Throughout his time in Knoxville, expect Appenzellerâ€s velocity to continue to tick up and his pure stuff to get more dynamic.
Jack Bauer, LHP, Mississippi State
The highest-ranked player on the final BA 500 to make it to campus, Bauer was the headliner of the Bulldogs†2025 recruiting class.
Last spring, he cemented himself as the hardest-throwing prep lefthander of all-time after touching 102, though heâ€s not a one-trick pony. On top of his explosive fastball—which eclipsed triple digits in both of Mississippi Stateâ€s scrimmages this fall—Bauer routinely spins his sharp breaking ball in the 3,000 rpm range, and his low-to-mid-80s changeup has also flashed. His secondary offerings and pitchability need refinement, but there is an unbelievably appealing foundation in place with Bauer.
At 6-foot-4 and 190 pounds, Bauer has room to continue to fill out. He has plenty of arm speed and gets to his top-of-the-scale velocity with relative ease. If Bauer can compete in and around the zone on a consistent basis while flashing his premium stuff, he very well could be a first-round pick when heâ€s next eligible for the draft in 2028.
Carson Brumbaugh, INF/RHP, Arkansas
The headliner of Arkansas†fifth-ranked 2025 recruiting class, Brumbaugh hit the ground running this fall. At 6-foot-2 and 195 pounds, he has a strong, athletic frame to go along with a smattering of impact tools. He has big-time bat speed that yields plus raw power, and if he can limit his swing-and-miss, thereâ€s a chance his game power also grades out as plus. Heâ€s done well at mitigating whiffs this fall while consistently generating quality contact.
On the dirt, Brumbaughâ€s plus arm, solid hands and speed all profile well at shortstop. His arm strength is perhaps Brumbaughâ€s loudest tool, and even if he ends up moving off shortstop in the future, it will more than play at third base.
While Brumbaugh certainly fits into the position player bucket long term, he also projects to make an impact on the mound during his time in Fayetteville. His fastball has been up to 96 mph to go along with a solid low-80s slider and a more firm upper-80s changeup.
Arkansas†crop of position players is a talented one, but donâ€t be surprised if you see Brumbaughâ€s name penciled into the starting lineup come Opening Day.
Angel Cervantes, RHP, UCLA
Cervantes was selected No. 50 overall by the Pirates in this yearâ€s draft but was unable to reach a deal. Instead, the true freshman will compete for a spot in UCLAâ€s weekend rotation.
A 6-foot-3 righthander, Cervantes just turned 18 in August and has an appealing blend of starter traits and advanced pitchability. He has a simple, repeatable delivery in which he attacks from a three-quarters slot with plenty of arm speed. Cervantes†fastball sits in the low 90s and has been up to 95 mph, but it’s his ability to command that stands out. Cervantes can locate it to both sides of the plate and the quality of his strikes stand out.Â
Cervantes’ low-80s changeup was one of the best in this yearâ€s class, and itâ€s a no-doubt plus pitch. He does a nice job of maintaining his arm speed and gets great separation off his heater. He has a high-level feel for the pitch and can both locate it in the bottom half of the zone for strikes and consistently generate whiffs with it.
Cervantes rounds out his arsenal with a pair of high-spin breaking balls in a low-80s slider and a high-70s curveball. Theyâ€ll blend together in shape at times, but they both have above-average potential. Cervantes ties his four-pitch mix together with plus control, which helps his entire arsenal play up.
Linkin Garcia, SS, Texas Tech
Garcia didnâ€t have the same draft buzz last spring as some of the other names in this piece, but heâ€s enjoyed one of the louder falls of any true freshman hitter and could be the Red Raiders†Opening Day shortstop.
Garcia put up eye-popping numbers this fall, hitting .550 with four home runs across a sample size that eclipsed 50 at-bats. He posted a handful of exit velocities of 110 mph or better and should only grow into more impact as he continues to fill out physically.
Listed at 6-foot-3 and 190 pounds, Garcia has a lean and high-waisted frame. He stands tall in the box with a relaxed setup, generates easy bat speed and has shown a particular knack for creating leverage to the pull side. Garcia this fall flashed an advanced feel for the barrel and an intriguing hit-power combination.
On the dirt, he moves well at shortstop with range to either side and more than enough arm strength to handle the position. If Garcia ends up outgrowing shortstop, his defensive skillset would also translate well at third base.
Brock Ketelsen, OF/LHP, Stanford
Itâ€s hard to not be incredibly excited when talking about Ketelsen after he flashed his tantalizing toolset this summer with the Corvallis Knights of the West Coast League, hitting .328/.467/.458 with 10 extra-base hits, 27 RBIs, 35 stolen bases and 29 walks to just 19 strikeouts. As a cherry on top, Ketelsen surrendered just one run and collected 19 strikeouts across 8.2 innings on the mound.
Ketelsen is a good athlete on the mound whoâ€s armed with a low-90s fastball and a downer curveball. However, his future—especially in pro ball—is as a hitter.Â
In the box, Ketelsen has present bat speed, and his highest quality of contact comes to the pull side. At 6-foot-4 and 205 pounds, he has room to fill out physically and figures to grow into at least above-average power. Even though heâ€s long-levered, Ketelsen has flashed above-average bat-to-ball skills—especially against fastballs—and a sound approach. A plus runner with an above-average arm, Ketelsen has a chance to stick in center field.
Ketelsen is on his way to earning a spot in Stanfordâ€s Opening Day lineup and has Freshman of the Year upside.
Nico Partida, INF/RHP, Texas A&M
How Partida has performed this fall has made it awfully hard for Texas A&M coach Michael Earley to keep him out of the Opening Day starting nine.
A 6-foot, 190-pound infielder and righthanded pitcher, Partida has announced his presence in College Station with authority. While he doesnâ€t necessarily have a carrying tool offensively, itâ€s clear Partida knows what heâ€s doing in the box. He has good hands to go along with above-average contact skills and some thump, and this fall he homered in the Aggies†first scrimmage.
On the mound, Partidaâ€s fastball has been clocked as high as 98 mph, and he does a good enough job of filling up the zone with it. Partidaâ€s mid-70s curveball is an average secondary that varies in shape. He completes his three-pitch mix with a low-80s changeup that flashes fade to the arm side, though he has the tendency to slow his arm down when delivering it.
Regardless of which side of the baseball itâ€s on, expect Partida to be a key player for the Aggies this spring.
Omar Serna, C, LSU
Cade Arrambide will be the defending national champions†primary catcher next year, but coach Jay Johnson will look to get Serna in the lineup whenever he can.
Serna withdrew his name from the 2025 draft in the weeks leading up to it, but he had no shortage of top-five round interest. Heâ€s been a high-level performer this fall for the Tigers and has consistently generated quality contact. In last weekendâ€s scrimmage against Samford, he homered, and three of his batted balls had exit velocities of at least 107 mph.
At 6-foot-2 and 225 pounds, Serna is plenty physical, and both his arm strength and raw power grade out as plus. In fact, his arm is closer to double-plus than it is plus. Serna has tons of bat speed and is more than capable of driving the baseball with authority to all fields. His hit tool could use a coat of polish, and heâ€ll need to continue to work on his actions behind the plate, but Serna will have top two-round upside coming out of LSU.
Aiden Stillman, RHP, Vanderbilt
Vanderbilt has a couple other exciting freshman arms—namely Tyler Baird and Wyatt Nadeau, who was up to 100 mph last month—but Stillman appears to be in the best position to contribute right away.
A 6-foot-3 lefthander, Stillman has an appealing blend of strikes and stuff. He has a clean operation that includes a bit of deception and features a three-pitch mix. His fastball has been up to 95 with life, though between his present arm speed and projection remaining, its velocity projects to continue to tick up.
Stillman relies heavily on his heater, but he also has a solid feel to spin his high-70s-to-low-80s slurvy breaking ball. Its shape varies, and sometimes it will take on more of a slider look with more lateral break than depth and vice versa.
Vanderbilt has had a freshman arm take on a prominent role in each of the last few seasons, and that trend figures to continue in 2026 with a handful of quality arms set to make noise in the Music City.
Michael Winter, RHP, Texas
Winter was a key recruiting win for coach Jim Schlossnagle and company, as he was a late flip from Dartmouth to Texas. The 6-foot-5 righthander was a buzzy name last spring and had his fair share of momentum heading into the draft, but when all was said and done, he decided to honor his commitment to Texas.
Winter has a pro body and certainly looks the part. He has a clean delivery with a loose arm stroke, and his fastball sits in the low 90s and has been up to 95 mph. He supplements his heater with a high-spin slider that regularly flashes sharp two-plane tilt and lateral life, as well as a mid-to-high-80s cutter and a mid-80s changeup.
Winter boasts an exciting blend of “now†stuff and upside, and—while it may not be in 2026—he figures to pitch his way into the Longhorns†weekend rotation before long. Heâ€s shown well in-game this fall for the Longhorns and checks a number of boxes.
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