15 College Baseball Seniors Poised To Stand Out In 2026

Today, we present the fourth and final installment in our series spotlighting 15 players from every class who could shape the 2026 college baseball season. We began with the newcomers, moved to the sophomores already carving out stardom and then turned to the juniors who will step into the draft spotlight. Finally, we arrive at the senior class, often the most statistically productive group in the sport.

By this stage in their career, players carry not just physical maturity but years of experience at the college game’s highest level. The result is a class that tends to produce impact in ways that go beyond tools.

Here are 15 seniors who could be ready for big things in 2026.

Reese Chapman, OF, Tennessee

Chapman’s rise at Tennessee has been defined by raw power and presence in the box. Once a difficult sign out of Colorado, he has grown into a cornerstone for the Volunteers, starting every game in 2025 and hitting his way to 13 home runs and a .523 slugging percentage. 

His lefthanded swing is built to do damage—balanced, rhythmic and punctuated by a slight uppercut that launches balls to all fields. Few doubt the strength. The question is whether he can rein in the swing-and-miss—especially against spin—and find greater consistency from at-bat to at-bat.

Listed at 6-foot-1, 225 pounds, Chapman is a better athlete than his frame might suggest. He runs well enough to handle either corner outfield spot and carries a strong, accurate arm that fits in right. The offensive ceiling, though, is what drives the profile. With lefthanded thump at a premium, Chapman has the kind of upside that could draw a team willing to bet on refining the approach even though he’ll be on the older side in the 2026 draft.

Zac Cowan, RHP, LSU

Cowan’s 2025 season at LSU was defined by reliability in relief. The Wofford transfer gave the Tigers 52 innings out of the bullpen, posting a 2.94 ERA with nearly a 5-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio while playing a quiet but steady role in their run to a national title. 

The draft didn’t call Cowan’s name in July, but that omission might be to LSU’s benefit. Instead of beginning a pro apprenticeship, Cowan returns to Baton Rouge with a chance to slide into the rotation for a program chasing back-to-back championships.

Cowan doesn’t overwhelm with velocity—his fastball sits around 90 mph and touches 93—but his changeup is a true equalizer. Thrown with conviction in the low 80s, it fades hard, separates well off the heater and misses bats against both lefties and righties. The pitch, paired with his command and durability, makes Cowan more than just a safe bullpen option. If he carries his stuff deeper into games, he could be one of LSU’s biggest contributors in 2026.

Hunter Elliott, LHP, Ole Miss

Elliott’s career has been a study in both triumph and resilience. As a freshman in 2022, he delivered a 2.70 ERA and famously started the College World Series title game for Ole Miss, cementing his name in program lore. A summer with USA Baseball’s Collegiate National Team only added to the hype, but Tommy John surgery soon derailed his momentum and sidelined him for most of two years.

Elliott’s return in 2025 was nothing short of validating. Over 16 starts and 85.2 innings, he posted a 2.94 ERA with a 28.3% strikeout rate, reclaiming his place as a frontline arm.

Elliott works mostly in the 89–91 mph range, but his fastball plays firmer thanks to riding life. He also leans heavily on a changeup that has long been his best offspeed pitch. A slider and curveball round out the mix, and while neither is plus, his sequencing and competitiveness make them work.

With his health restored, Ole Miss has its ace again and a centerpiece for its 2026 ambitions.

Michael Gupton, OF, Memphis

Few players in college baseball can match Gupton’s raw athleticism. Once viewed as a top 10-round talent out of high school, the 5-foot-9 center fielder brings 80-grade speed and real pullside power to Memphis after stops at NC State, junior college and Samford. His 2025 season with the Bulldogs offered a glimpse of what those tools can produce when it clicks: a .333/.401/.630 line with 15 home runs across 55 games.

The challenge for Gupton has always been approach. He struck out at a 28% clip last spring, too often chasing out of the zone and lengthening his swing. That tendency has limited both his on-base ability and his stolen base totals—surprising given his elite speed. Defensively, the wheels shine, giving him the range to handle center field without issue.

If Memphis can refine the approach just enough to unlock more of his gifts, Gupton has the chance to be one of the most exciting seniors in the country.

Luke Harrison, LHP, Texas

Harrison’s path back to prominence has been steady and hard-earned. After debuting as a reliever in 2022, losing his 2023 season to injury and struggling through 2024, he emerged in 2025 as a reliable starter for Texas. The 6-foot-2 lefthander logged 70.2 innings with a 3.06 ERA, striking out 22.9% of hitters while walking just 7.6%.

Harrison doesn’t overpower with velocity—his fastball sits near 90 mph and can reach 94—but his five-pitch mix allows him to change looks and keep hitters guessing. A low-80s slider, upper-80s cutter, changeup and occasional curve round out a repertoire that plays through sequencing and command. 

On a Texas staff loaded with experience, Harrison’s presence near the top of the rotation gives the Longhorns a steady hand and a proven arm heading into 2026.

Jaxon Jelkin, RHP, Kentucky

Jelkin’s path has been anything but linear, yet his ceiling remains tantalizing.

The 6-foot-4 righthander from Omaha spent 2024 at Houston, posting a 3.41 ERA with 46 strikeouts in 34.1 innings before an elbow injury ended his season and led to surgery. Even in that abbreviated stint, he drew pro attention, sitting 93–94 mph and touching 97 from a low three-quarters slot, pairing his fastball with a biting slider and a changeup that flashed promise. He was drafted in the ninth round but chose instead to honor his transfer to Kentucky, where he sat out 2025 while recovering.

Now healthy, Jelkin is expected to slot into the Wildcats’ rotation in 2026 after looking like one of the team’s best arms in bullpen sessions last spring, according to multiple sources. At 23, he will be on the older end of the college game, but that experience combined with velocity creeping toward the upper 90s and multiple usable secondaries gives him the chance to finally translate potential into performance.

Henry Kaczmar, SS, Ohio State

Kaczmar is heading back to familiar ground in 2026, returning to Ohio State after a one-year stop at South Carolina. It’s a move that should put him right back in the middle of the Buckeyes’ lineup and give him the chance to be one of the Big Ten’s most productive veterans. He’s already shown he can hit at this level, leading Ohio State in batting in 2024 before slashing .315/.394/.486 as the everyday shortstop for the Gamecocks last spring.

The questions with Kaczmar have always been about impact. His swing has moving parts, and he can expand the strike zone. That’s particularly so against velocity, which has capped his home run totals at seven in a season. Even so, his track record of consistent contact is strong, and he’s a steady defender who gets the ball out quickly.

Back in Columbus, Kaczmar has a chance to finish his college career on a high note.

Cade Kurland, 2B, Florida

Kurland’s career has been a mix of early promise and frustrating setbacks. As a freshman in 2023, he broke out immediately, hitting .297 with 17 home runs and 17 doubles while locking down second base for Florida. The two seasons since have been defined by injuries—first a hand issue in 2024 and then a shoulder injury that limited him to just 13 games in 2025. But his talent has never been in doubt.

At 5-foot-11, 190 pounds, Kurland generates real power with fast, explosive hands and a bat waggle that flows into a quick swing. He has the strength to drive the ball to all fields with metal, though his aggressive approach often leads to chase and swing-and-miss. Defensively at second, he’s steady, if unspectacular, and won’t offer much on the bases.

Healthy again, Kurland has a chance in 2026 to remind everyone of the impact he flashed as a freshman.

Ethan Lizama, OF, South Carolina

Lizama brings big power and an even bigger opportunity to South Carolina. The 6-foot-2, 207-pound outfielder from Guam posted his best college season in 2025 at Western Kentucky, slashing .336/.407/.646 with 15 home runs and 18 doubles. His long, leveraged swing is built for pullside thunder, and when he connects, the ball leaves in a hurry. The approach, though, can get aggressive. Lizama struck out in 17.4% of his plate appearances last spring while walking in just 6.8%—numbers that reflect a tendency to chase.

Even with that risk, the ceiling is enticing for a South Carolina program desperate to rebound after a disappointing year. Lizama primarily handled right field for the Hilltoppers and fits the corner profile with his size, strength and power. If he can rein in the chase and keep the bat in the zone longer, he has the chance to be a difference maker in Columbia and a catalyst in the Gamecocks’ push to return to form.

Aidan Meola, INF, Oklahoma State

Few players in this senior class are more defined by perseverance than Meola. The 6-foot-2, 210-pound infielder has seen promising stretches interrupted by injuries, most recently a shoulder issue that ended his 2025 season in March. His best year came the season prior, when he hit .336/.411/.591 with 10 home runs and trimmed his strikeout rate by more than six points to flash the offensive upside evaluators have long believed in.

Meola’s swing is built on aggression, with a big leg kick and plenty of effort, and while that creates pullside juice it also leaves him vulnerable to chase. The swing-and-miss may never fully disappear, but when he’s locked in he drives the ball with authority. He has handled both second and third base during his career and profiles best at the hot corner. Back for one final run, Meola made clear his goal is simple: to stay healthy and finally show what he can do over a full season.

Liam O’Brien, RHP, Hawaii

O’Brien gave Hawaii a much-needed frontline presence in 2025, posting a 2.60 ERA with a 26.6% strikeout rate across 52 innings. The lanky 6-foot-5 righthander leaned on a compact arm action and a two-pitch mix, pairing a low-90s fastball that touched 96 mph with a hard curveball in the low-to-mid 80s. His stuff proved plenty for Big West hitters, though a 17.1% walk rate underscored the command questions that have long followed him.

Even so, O’Brien’s impact was undeniable for a Hawaii team that lingered on the NCAA Tournament bubble deep into the spring. His decision to return is a major boost to the program’s chances of breaking through in 2026. Pro evaluators may ultimately view O’Brien as a reliever given his two-pitch mix and scattered control, but in the college game his ability to miss bats gives Hawaii an edge every weekend.

Matt Scott, RHP, Georgia

Scott’s career to this point has been defined more by projection than production.

In three years at Stanford, he showed flashes of frontline ability but never quite put it together, finishing his Cardinal career with a 5.69 ERA across nearly 200 innings. His junior season was his toughest yet, as he logged a 6.02 mark over 52.1 frames that left evaluators wondering whether his immense talent would ever fully translate. Still, at 6-foot-7 and 245 pounds with the ability to run a fastball into the mid-90s and present a diverse arsenal behind it, Scott remains one of the most intriguing arms in college baseball.

At his best, Scott’s fastball shows elite riding life at the top of the zone, setting up a sweeping mid-80s slider, a heavy split-change in the low 80s and a cutter that plays well against righthanded hitters. He’s always thrown enough strikes to compete, and with a transfer to Georgia now official, a new environment may be the reset he needs.

Scott once carried first-round chatter, and if the stuff rebounds in Athens, he still has the chance to reclaim some of that trajectory.

Jayce Tharnish, OF, Kentucky

Tharnish brings a skill set built to impact the game in multiple ways. The 6-foot-3 center fielder hit .403 for St. Bonaventure in 2025, adding seven home runs, 11 doubles, three triples and 32 steals in 33 attempts across 46 games. His swing is simple and efficient, built from a crouched setup with little stride and quick hands designed for line drives. Offensive metrics show modest raw power—an 84 mph average exit velocity over just 47 tracked batted balls—but his contact ability, speed and athleticism give him a strong foundation.

That profile made Tharnish one of the Atlantic 10’s most dangerous players, and his production carried into a strong Cape Cod League showing. Now at Kentucky, he offers the Wildcats a plug-and-play spark at the top of the order. He covers plenty of ground in center, pressures defenses with his speed and gives a program known for maximizing transfers an athlete whose value should translate immediately.

Dean Toigo, OF, Arizona State

Toigo wasted no time last year proving he belonged at the Division I level. After transferring from NAIA Hope International, the 6-foot-3 lefthanded slugger became the centerpiece of UNLV’s lineup and went on to earn co-Mountain West player of the year honors after he hit .377 with 18 home runs and 13 doubles. He drives the ball with the kind of authority that makes him one of the more intriguing senior bats in the country.

The power is loud, especially to the pull side, where Toigo’s swing produced towering damage. His underlying metrics back it up—a 106 mph 90th percentile exit velocity and 86% zone contact rate—but there is chase in the approach. He expanded the zone more than 30% of the time, particularly against breaking stuff, and will need refinement to make the most of his offensive potential. 

Toigo split time between first base and the corner outfield last spring, and with a transfer to Arizona State, he’ll have the stage to prove his production plays at the highest level.

Zach Yorke, 1B/DH, LSU

Yorke stands out immediately for his sheer physicality. Listed at 6-foot-2 and 295 pounds, the lefthanded-hitting first baseman brings a presence in the box that few can match, and he pairs above-average raw power with a disciplined approach to make him one of the toughest outs in the country. He’s struck out in only 12.1% of his career plate appearances while walking at a 16.2% clip. He rarely expands the zone and shows an advanced feel for swing decisions.

The underlying data confirms Yorke’s impact, as he posted an 89% zone contact rate and 84% overall as evidence of just how frequently he puts the bat on the ball. And while he creates plenty of juice when he does, his batted-ball profile leans heavily to the pull side and leaves room for more game power if he elevates consistently.

With limited defensive value and little speed, Yorke’s profile will always rest on the bat. But with his patience, barrel accuracy and strength, he gives LSU a formidable middle-of-the-order anchor.