With the 2026 College Baseball season coming to a close, all eyes have focused towards the draft where every organization will have the chance to continue building their pipeline and find their next franchise player.

Best of College Baseball in 2026

This season was full of highlights, but some performances stuck out like a sore thumb, so let’s revisit the best moments from some of the biggest stars in College Baseball.

Oklahoma’s Historic Run to a Championship

In a run nobody saw coming, the Sooners hoisted the National Championship Trophy with the final dogpile in Omaha.

Taking down the ACC Champion Georgia Tech, Big 12 Champion Kansas, SEC Champion Georgia, and eventually defeating the #5 seed North Carolina Tar Heels in the Championship series, will go down as one of, if not the best postseason run the sport has ever seen.

Ending their season 3-10 including a first round exit from the SEC Tournament, everybody counted out Skip Johnson’s ballclub before catching fire in the Atlanta Regional and carrying the momentum all the way to a 11-2 run to cap off their season.

Daniel Jackson Wins Golden Spikes

Georgia catcher Daniel Jackson lit the college baseball world on fire this season surpassing the 25/25 mark en route to a Bulldogs Omaha appearance.

Beating out Landon Hairston and Roch Cholowsky for the coveted Golden Spikes Award after posting a 1.276 OPS with 32 home runs, 87 RBI, and 26 stolen bases. His crowning moment of the season came in the Super Regional against Mississippi State hitting a go-ahead home run.

Lackey Plays 8

The #2 prospect for the upcoming draft in Georgia Tech, catcher Vahn Lackey showed off huge developmental strides at the plate this season that skyrocketed his draft stock.

Not only did he crush 20 home runs and 16 doubles while driving in 78 and stealing 15 bags, but he did it while walking more than he struck out and posting a 1.291 OPS. His athleticism behind the plate had fans everywhere rooting for him, highlighted best in his March 10 game where he played all eight positions on the field.

Hairston’s Epic Run

Arizona State sophomore outfielder Landon Hairston has solidified himself as one of the top players in the 2027 MLB Draft class after posting a 1.368 OPS in a season that featured 28 home runs, 20 doubles, 81 RBI, and far more walks than strikeouts.

This included a stretch where Hairston left the yard 14 times in a 17 game stretch, watch for him through 2027.

Just Baseball Trivia of the Week

Our newsletter will have a trivia question every week to test and expand the baseball knowledge of our subscribers! The answer to the weekly trivia question will be at the bottom of the newsletter each week.

Who and when was the last pitcher-only to win the Golden Spikes Award?

A) Paul Skenes, LSU (2023)

B) Trevor Bauer, UCLA (2011)

C) Stephen Strasburg, San Diego State (2009)

D) Kevin Kopps, Arkansas (2021)

Just Baseball’s All-Star Game Watch Party

Just Baseball is throwing a watch party to celebrate the MLB All-Star Game at Other Half Brewing in Philadelphia.

​Come watch the Midsummer Classic with a room full of baseball fans, hangout with the hosts of the Just Baseball Show, and test your knowledge with live MLB trivia. Winners take home prizes!

​Other Half is running specials all night long:

• ​$5 select beers all night

• ​Themed All-Star Game hot dog specials

​Whether you're there for the baseball, the beer, or the trivia bragging rights, come hang out. We're excited to celebrate. RSVP here!

Top MLB Draft Prospects

With the 2026 MLB Draft right around the corner, let’s dive into some of the players that should shine on day one.

#1 Roch Cholowsky SS, UCLA

Cholowsky, to some, had a down year, only posting a 1.088 OPS with 21 homers while playing arguably the most steady-handed shortstop in the country. It’s obvious why the two-time Big 10 Player of the Year is the consensus 1.01 with the toolset and performance he’s had the last two seasons.

Cholowsky’s swing is picturesque, boasting a compact stroke to the baseball with legitimate bat speed, barrel lag with consistent feel, and adjustability. He posted an 82% contact rate in 2026 (89% in-zone) with slight aggression in his approach, though there are very few holes in the swing.

#4 Jackson Flora RHP, UC Santa Barbara

Flora is the complete package for pitchers in this year’s draft class, after having a legitimate argument as the best pitcher in the country. Flora posted an unblemished 12-0 record in 16 starts to a 1.06 ERA punching out 133 batters in 102 innings of work, holding the opposition to a mere .155 batting average.

Flora has already been into the triple digits with his heater, primarily sitting in the 95-98 MPH range throughout his starts and holding his velocity well. The pitch possesses quality carry, a flat approach angle, and slight tail at the end of its life. He will miss bats on the top rail of the strike zone and the pitch could easily be double-plus in due time.

#18 Ace Reese 3B, Mississippi State

Reese felt like a player whose name was overshadowed all season, despite putting up another monster season in Starkville. He posted a 1.152 OPS which featured 24 home runs and 23 doubles, outperforming his numbers from last year.

He demolishes fastballs, especially those in the zone, as he posted a 91% contact rate on heaters alone. The whiffs have been a bit louder this spring, but the power has remained the same. He does chase out of the zone more than you’d like, but his pure contact skills are good enough to curtail those woes. In short, it’s an excellent bat.

#23 Cole Carlon LHP, Arizona State

Carlon flashed some of the most dominant stuff of any pitcher through the 2026 season, striking out 133 hitters in 83.2 innings. The southpaw took huge strides from 2025 and comes into the draft having improved his stock more than most with his triple digit fastball.

Possessing a release height that touches the sky, Carlon’s outlier traits and angles have played a huge role in his success. It has primarily helped out his bullet slider, which has a chance to be the best breaking ball from a southpaw in this class.

Carlon relied on the slider more than the fastball last spring, where it posted an obscene 56% whiff rate and 42% chase rate across a huge sample. Those stats are nearly identical in 2026. He’ll land it for strikes consistently, especially when the fastball command goes awry.

Ready Tyler Jennings’ entire Top 250 MLB Draft Prospects here!

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We have reached over 1,000 members of our Discord in just one year and expect another awesome season with our community!

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Trivia Answer: D: Kevin Kopps, Arkansas 2021

Kopps is the last pitcher to win the Golden Spikes Award, and he did it as one of the most dominant relievers the sport has ever seen. He posted a 0.90 ERA in 89.2 innings with 131 strikeouts to only 18 walks in the 2021 season.

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