Today, in the third installment in our four-part series spotlighting potential standouts from each class heading into the 2026 college baseball season, we’ll be turning our attention to a group that traditionally commands the most focus—juniors.
For the first time in most of their collegiate careers, juniors are draft-eligible, and that reality often puts them squarely in the spotlight. Theyâ€re evaluated not only on what they mean to their college teams but also on how their tools and production translate to the next level. As a result, this class frequently provides the backbone of the national conversation in any given season.
Trey Beard, LHP, Florida State
Beard put together one of the more eye-catching seasons in the country at Florida Atlantic in 2025, working to a 3.14 ERA with 118 strikeouts against 32 walks across 86 innings. What separates him isnâ€t just the production, but the look, as he attacks from a straight over-the-top slot that gives him a 6-foot-9 release height and difficult angle for hitters to track.Â
His fastball sits in the low 90s yet plays like much more thanks to its natural carry at the top of the zone. He complements it with a mid-70s changeup that stays deceptive out of the hand and falls off late, making it a true bat-missing weapon. Beard also mixes a curveball with depth and a slider with lateral action, rounding out a four-pitch arsenal that keeps opponents guessing.Â
After establishing himself as a premier collegiate strikeout arm last year and joining a talented newcomer class at Florida State as a transfer, heâ€ll now have the chance to show his unorthodox style can hold up against ACC lineups.
Tre Broussard, OF, Houston
Broussard has quietly grown into one of Houstonâ€s most steady contributors, first setting the tone at the top of the lineup in 2025 and then carrying that momentum to the Cape Cod League. He hit .292 with 20 extra-base hits and 31 stolen bases for the Cougars, then added a .296 average in summer ball while taking home Cape League all-star game MVP honors.
Offensively, he leans on quick hands and advanced bat-to-ball ability, standing tall in the box with a simple, repeatable operation. The swing is geared more toward contact than damage, but his speed allows him to turn balls in the gaps and down the lines into extra bases. That same athleticism plays in center field, where his range and reads give him the look of a future pro defender.
Broussardâ€s game isnâ€t flashy, but his knack for finding the barrel, reaching base and wreaking havoc once aboard makes him a reliable spark plug.
Drew Burress, OF, Georgia Tech
Burress has been nothing short of electric for Georgia Tech, cementing himself as one of the most productive hitters in the country. His freshman season was unmatched, as he slashed .381/.512/.821 with 25 home runs and more walks than strikeouts. He stumbled on the Cape that summer but erased any doubt back in Atlanta, batting .333 with 23 doubles, 19 homers and 65 RBIs as a sophomore.
At 5-foot-9, 175 pounds, Burress is undersized—and thatâ€s where opinions start to diverge. Pro evaluators are split. Some see a compact athlete whose unorthodox setup, quick hands and 18% career chase rate make him a hitter with real staying power. Others question whether his frame and approach will translate to the pro game.
Whatâ€s not debated is how dangerous he is with metal in his hands. With his ability to punish mistakes and hold down center field with speed and a plus arm, Burress is one of the defining players in college baseball entering 2026.
Cole Carlon, LHP, Arizona State
Carlonâ€s rise from a struggling freshman reliever to one of Arizona Stateâ€s most trusted arms was striking. After posting a 7.52 ERA in 2024, the 6-foot-5 lefthander reinvented himself in the Alaska League, winning MVP honors by excelling as both a pitcher and hitter. He carried that momentum into 2025, emerging as the Sun Devils†go-to option out of the bullpen with a 3.33 ERA and 86 strikeouts in 54 innings.
Carlon leans on a two-pitch mix that plays well in relief. His fastball sits in the mid 90s and sets up a devastating gyro slider in the upper 80s—a pitch that produced a staggering 56% whiff rate and has the makings of a true out pitch at any level.
Athletic and projectable, Carlon will enter 2026 with a chance to make the jump into the rotation, provided he continues to sharpen his command and develops a reliable third option.
Roch Cholowsky, SS, UCLA
Cholowsky enters 2026 with a chance to make history. No player has ever won back-to-back College Player of the Year awards, yet after a sophomore campaign in which he hit .353 with 23 home runs, the UCLA shortstop stands as the favorite to break that barrier while guiding a roster built to contend for a national championship. He is at once the sportâ€s most complete returning player and the draftâ€s most intriguing talent, with a legitimate case to be the No. 1 overall pick next year.
Cholowsky’s game is built on balance and impact. His swing is smooth and rhythmic—a repeatable move that marries bat speed with barrel accuracy. As proof of how his feel to hit now pairs with true power, he averaged 91.5 mph in exit velocity, peaked at 106.5 in 90th percentile EV and regularly cleared 110 mph. He hit .341 against velocity at 92-plus while carrying a 90% in-zone contact rate. At shortstop his actions are effortless, his arm both strong and precise.Â
Cholowsky represents the standard, and in 2026 the spotlight belongs to him.
Jackson Flora, RHP, UC Santa Barbara
Each year, college baseball seems to produce a pitcher from outside the power conferences who seizes the national stage. In 2026, that arm could be Flora.
The 6-foot-5 righthander has grown from a useful reliever into a potential ace for UC Santa Barbara, striking out 86 with only 17 walks across 75 innings this past spring. His emergence gives the Gauchos the kind of frontline presence theyâ€ll need as they try to rebound from a rare down year and re-assert themselves in the NCAA Tournament picture.
Floraâ€s calling card is his electric velocity. His fastball sits in the mid-to-upper 90s, touches triple digits and explodes at the top of the zone with late ride. He commands it well enough to also bore it inside on righthanded hitters, making it a nightmare pitch to square. His sweeper flashes plus with sharp lateral bite, and he has the feel to alter its shape and back-foot it to lefties.
A changeup remains in progress, but with his arm speed, advanced command and growing arsenal, Flora has the look of a mid-major star capable of vaulting into the conversation for the nationâ€s top pitching draft prospect in 2026.
Cameron Flukey, RHP, Coastal Carolina
Another pitcher with the talent to stake his claim as the best in the class, Flukey enters 2026 as one of the most fascinating arms in the country. After a promising freshman year, he became a national name in 2025, throwing 101.2 innings with a 3.19 ERA and 118 strikeouts against just 24 walks while helping Coastal Carolina reach the national championship series. Now, heâ€ll inherit the role of staff leader for a program that will look to make back-to-back trips to Omaha for the first time in its history.
Flukey’s long arm stroke adds deception to a fastball that lives in the mid-to-upper 90s, touches 98 mph and carries hard through the zone. The pitch is imposing, but his curveball became the real revelation last spring. Sitting in the mid 70s with sharp depth, it produced a 49% miss rate and gave him a weapon to finish hitters. A slider with tilt and a firm changeup round out the arsenal, leaving little doubt Flukey has both the tools and command to dominate.
Flukey is quietly one of the best aces in the country entering 2026, status that could help the Chanticleers once again dominate the Sun Belt and potentially beyond.
Tommy LaPour, RHP, TCU
In a draft class crowded with power arms, LaPour separates himself with the rare ability to maintain that electricity deep into games. The righthander moved from Wichita State to TCU and immediately became the Horned Frogs†most reliable starter, compiling a 3.09 ERA with 88 strikeouts across 90.1 innings. His durability and steadiness made him the kind of pitcher coaches trust to hand the ball to every weekend and scouts yearn for in the draft.
LaPour pitches with a strong delivery driven by his lower half. It allows his fastball to hold mid-to-upper-90s velocity into the late innings and touch triple digits with life at the top of the zone. His slider in the low-to-mid-80s flashes sharp two-plane tilt and generates a 42% miss rate, while his firm changeup in the upper 80s shows fade and tumble with a 34% miss rate.
LaPour’s arsenal, combined with advanced strike-throwing and the stamina to carry it, gives TCU a potential ace capable of anchoring its rotation in 2026.
Justin Lebron, SS, Alabama
Lebron wasted little time making an impression in Tuscaloosa, emerging as one of the most productive freshmen in the country in 2024 when he hit .338/.429/.546 with 12 home runs. He opened 2025 with a torrid stretch and, even after cooling in SEC play, still finished with a .316/.421/.636 line that included 18 doubles and 18 home runs. His bat speed is impressive, allowing him to turn around velocity, while his overall approach shows balance and discipline.
Defensively, Lebron brings polish at shortstop. His actions are crisp, his reads are steady and his arm strength is more than enough to handle the position as he matures. With impact on both sides of the ball and the ability to change a game in a variety of ways, he looks every bit the part of a cornerstone in the middle of the diamond for an Alabama program on the rise.
Steven Milam, SS, LSU
Milam was central to LSUâ€s title run in 2025, producing at the plate while anchoring the defense up the middle. He broke in as a freshman with a .326 average and eight home runs, then followed it with another strong campaign, hitting .295 with new career highs in doubles (14), homers (11) and RBIs (57) last year.
A switch-hitter, Milam shows a natural feel for the barrel from both sides, though his lefthanded stroke has been more consistent. His offensive profile blends steady contact with emerging pop, giving the Tigers balance near the top of the order.
Defensively, Milam was a revelation this spring. He handled everyday shortstop duties with ease, showing lateral range, quick reads off the bat and the arm strength to finish plays from the hole.
LSU coach Jay Johnson repeatedly called him the best shortstop in the country, and Milam will enter 2026 with a chance to validate that praise while leading the Tigers’ push for a second consecutive national championship.
P.J. Moutzouridis, SS, Arizona State
Defense is the calling card for Moutzouridis, who arrives as part of a talented newcomer class at Arizona State after two years at California.
A true shortstop with a knack for making rangy actions to his right and left, he brings smooth actions, a strong arm and the ability to finish plays from multiple slots. His advanced internal clock allows him to play fast without ever looking rushed, and his range and instincts make him a steadying presence in the middle of the diamond. Heâ€s a clear plus defender by every measure and a safe bet to remain at the position long term.
At the plate, Moutzouridis hasnâ€t yet turned added strength into consistent impact, but his contact skills give him clear value and upside. He logged a 92% in-zone contact rate this past season and profiles as a hitter who will give the Sun Devils the reliability they sought when they turned to the portal. While his .270/.329/.367 line in 2025 left room for more, Arizona State is banking on Moutzouridis’ combination of premium defense and high-end bat-to-ball ability to stabilize its lineup.
Ricky Ojeda, LHP, UC Irvine
The Big West regularly produces frontline arms who break through on both the college and draft stages, and Ojeda has the look to be that pitcher in 2026. After two strong years as one of the Anteaters†most trusted relievers, the undersized lefthander is poised to move into the weekend rotation. He was also one of the summerâ€s standout performers, striking out 20 batters across 10 scoreless innings between the Cape Cod League and Team USAâ€s trip to Japan.
Ojedaâ€s track record is built on consistency. He logged 66 innings this spring with an 83-to-29 strikeout-to-walk ratio, leaning heavily on a low-90s fastball he throws nearly 80% of the time. It isnâ€t overpowering with its velocity, but its ride and run allow it to miss bats even in the zone, and the offering did touch 96 mph over the summer. He pairs it with a deep-breaking curveball, a slider deployed mainly against lefties and a changeup that flashes tumble.
With above-average command and a simple, repeatable delivery, Ojeda is well-positioned to take over his conferenceâ€s spotlight.
Liam Peterson, RHP, Florida
Peterson has quickly established himself as one of the most electric arms in the country. After striking out 77 over 63 innings in his debut season, the 6-foot-5 righthander raised his game in year two, fanning 96 hitters and posting a 4.28 ERA in 69.1 innings while refining his strike-throwing and leaning more heavily on a deep arsenal.
His fastball is the kind of pitch that can overwhelm lineups on its own, as it sits in the mid-to-upper 90s and jumps through the zone with late life. Just as dangerous are his secondaries: a sharp, two-plane slider in the upper 80s and a fading changeup in the same velocity band, both of which generated 43% whiff rates. Heâ€ll also show a distinct breaking ball in the low 80s for a different look that some evaluators believe could become an above-average to plus offering.
That mix, combined with improved command, has vaulted Peterson to the top of draft boards as the No. 1 college pitching prospect for 2026. If he delivers on that billing, Florida could find itself back in Omaha.
Ace Reese, 3B, Mississippi State
Reeseâ€s sophomore campaign at Mississippi State was nothing short of transformative. He emerged as one of the premier hitters in the nation, slashing .352/.422/.718 with 18 doubles, 21 home runs and 66 RBIs to capture SEC newcomer of the year and second-team All-America honors. His rise didnâ€t stop there. A short stint on the Cape saw him hit .303 with a pair of homers before he joined Team USAâ€s Collegiate National Team for the rest of the summer.
Physically, Reese already looks built for the next level at 6-foot-3, 205 pounds. His operation in the box is compact yet powerful, fueled by explosive bat speed and fast, efficient hip turns. He marries strength with barrel accuracy, producing a 90th percentile exit velocity of 105.4 mph and a 55% hard-hit rate. That ability to combine impact with feel for contact makes him not only Mississippi Stateâ€s centerpiece but also one of the most dangerous bats in the country.
Cole Tryba, LHP, UC Santa Barbara
UC Santa Barbara has built a reputation for producing quality arms under coach Andrew Checketts, and Tryba has firmly established himself as one of the nationâ€s most dependable relievers within that pipeline.
He first broke through in 2024, striking out 65 with just 14 walks in 47 innings, and he followed it with another steady spring despite missing time to injury. In 31 innings, he logged a 3.48 ERA with 46 strikeouts then carried that momentum into the Cape Cod League, where he dominated with a 1.07 ERA and 28 strikeouts over 25.1 innings.
Trybaâ€s delivery is quick and explosive, and while his frame isnâ€t imposing, his stuff consistently plays. His fastball works in the low 90s with heavy armside life, and his upper-70s-to-low-80s sweeper is a true bat-missing weapon, averaging close to a foot and a half of lateral break. He also mixes a changeup with both tumble and fade. Together, those secondaries produced whiff rates near 50%.Â
Few relievers in the country combine consistency and swing-and-miss like Tryba, who enters 2026 as a top 100 draft prospect.Â
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