Hours after he was announced as one of the 25 Golden Spikes Award semifinalists, Jackson Flora made his case for inclusion as a finalist when those results are revealed next month.
And he did so with authority.
MLB Pipeline's No. 4 Draft prospect matched a season high with 12 strikeouts while twirling his second complete-game shutout of the year and the third of his collegiate career as UC Santa Barbara staved off UC Riverside, 1-0, on Thursday night.
2026 MLB Draft presented by Nippon Express
July 11-12:
Flora retired the first 21 batters he faced before allowing a first-pitch ground-rule double in the eighth inning. The top-ranked hurler among the Top 150 Draft prospects yielded a single two batters later that put runners on the corners with one out, but he extricated himself with a strikeout and a flyout before finishing his gem off with a 1-2-3 ninth.
Flora needed just 108 pitches to run his record to a perfect 10-0 in 14 starts and lowered his ERA to 1.03, tops among all NCAA DI hurlers. His previous complete-game shutout came against Cal Poly on April 2, during which he extended a scoreless streak that reached 38 1/3 consecutive innings in his ensuing outing.
Perhaps more importantly, the native of Pleasanton, California, showed an ability to bounce back after being roughed over on May 8. Although the Gauchos prevailed in his last outing, Flora struggled for the first time in 2026. The junior labored against Cal State Northridge, allowing season highs in runs (four) and hits (eight) in four innings, his shortest start of the year.
The soon-to-be 21-year-old was back in form from the opening pitch on Thursday, working quickly and retiring opposing batters with relative ease. Pitching to contact early -- he entered the fifth with just four strikeouts -- Flora racked up eight K's over his final five innings, recording five of six outs via the K to bridge the fifth and sixth.
Flora's latest performance boosted his strikeout total to 115 across 87 1/3 innings -- good for a K/9 of 11.9 while his H/9 dropped to 5.2. Unsurprisingly, his dominance since the first pitch of the season has vaulted him way up mock drafts across the country.
MLB Pipeline's first official mock draft of 2026 has the junior going sixth overall to Pittsburgh, which is already teeming with elite pitching talent in the bigs and in the Minors.