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The College World Series is my favorite baseball event of the year, and the NCAA playoffs as a whole aren't far behind. The first round kicks off with 16 four-team regionals scheduled for Friday through Sunday.
All of the games will be available on a wide range of networks, and ESPN's "Squeeze Play" whiparound show is must-see TV. There are so many top Draft prospects worth watching, how can you possibly decide?
2026 MLB Draft presented by Nippon Express
July 11-12:
I'm here to help with an all-star team of the best members of the 2026 college class who are battling to get to Omaha. MLB Pipeline's Draft Top 150 rankings are in parentheses (and we'll update and expand that list to 200 Thursday evening).
Vahn Lackey, C, Georgia Tech (No. 3)
An extremely athletic catcher having an extremely great season: .410/.527/.780 with 18 homers and 14 steals.
Gavin Grahovac, 1B, Texas A&M (No. 32)
Regained his power stroke after missing most of 2025 with a shoulder injury; led Southeastern Conference with 13 homers in 29 league games.
Chris Hacopian, 2B, Texas A&M (No. 12)
Though lower-back issues have hampered this spring, several clubs believe he has the best hitting metrics in the Draft.
Ace Reese, 3B, Mississippi State (No. 28)
Established himself as one of the top power hitters in college baseball with 41 homers over the last two seasons.
Roch Cholowsky, SS, UCLA (No. 1)
The best all-around college shortstop since Troy Tulowitzki two decades ago has led UCLA to a No. 1 ranking all year.
Drew Burress, OF, Georgia Tech (No. 8)
Having the worst season of his college career ... and he's still slashing .366/.478/.660 with 14 homers and 10 steals.
A.J. Gracia, OF, Virginia (No. 11)
Executes some of the best swing decisions in the college crop and has offered steady production for three seasons.
Caden Sorrell, OF, Texas A&M (No. 25)
Has some of the best all-around tools in the college class ... and two grandfathers who reached the Majors (Tom Griffin, Billy Sorrell).
Hunter Dietz, LHP, Arkansas (No. 18)
Went from totaling 1 2/3 innings in two injury-plagued seasons to showing four plus pitches and challenging for the SEC strikeout lead.
Jackson Flora, RHP, UC Santa Barbara (No. 4)
The unquestioned top college arm this year, he paces NCAA Division I in wins (11), ERA (1.05) and opponent OPS (.445).
THE SECOND TEAM
With so many enticing talents to watch, I can't stop there. Here's a second team of Draft prospects you won't want to miss:
Ryder Helfrick, C, Arkansas (No. 16)
Mulivai Levu, 1B, UCLA (No. 93)
Chris Rembert, 2B, Auburn (No. 27)
Daniel Cuvet, 3B, Miami (No. 105)
Justin Lebron, SS, Alabama (No. 5)
Aiden Robbins, OF, Texas (No. 26)
Ty Head, OF, North Carolina State (No. 57)
Andrew Williamson, OF, Central Florida (No. 73)
Mason Edwards, LHP, Southern California (No. 36)
Cameron Flukey, RHP, Coastal Carolina (No. 13)