{"id":122755,"date":"2026-05-26T22:46:27","date_gmt":"2026-05-27T02:46:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/?p=122755"},"modified":"2026-05-26T22:46:35","modified_gmt":"2026-05-27T02:46:35","slug":"2026-mlb-draft-prospects","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2026\/05\/26\/2026-mlb-draft-prospects\/","title":{"rendered":"The Top Draft Prospects in Each NCAA Regional PT. 1"},"content":{"rendered":"

With the NCAA Tournament field officially set, 64 teams are even closer to their season-long goal of reaching the College World Series. While the players fight to keep their seasons alive, fans can sit back and watch as the drama unfolds. Outside of that general excitement, this is also the last time fans and certain scouts will have the opportunity to see the top players in the country before the 2026 Major League Baseball Draft<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Here, we’ll take a look at the top 2026 MLB draft prospects from the Los Angeles, Atlanta, Athens, and Auburn regionals.<\/p>\n

The Top Draft Prospects in Each NCAA Regional<\/h2>\n

Los Angeles Regional<\/h3>\n

UCLA –<\/strong> After winning the Big Ten Championship, the Bruins earned the #1 seed in the NCAA Tournament, and they just so happen to have the #1 player in the 2026 MLB Draft class<\/a> as well, in Roch Cholowsky<\/a>. Widely considered to be the top pick in the upcoming draft, the 6’2″ shortstop is hitting .329 with 21 home runs and just 34 strikeouts in 219 at-bats. Aside from Cholowsky, the Bruins will have prospects Will Gasparino<\/a> (19 HR, 1.057 OPS), Roman Martin<\/a> (134 wRC+), and Mulivai Levu<\/a> (.469 wOBA) in their stacked lineup. On the mound, UCLA will throw a fringe first-round pick in Logan Reddemann<\/a> (2.72 FIP, 84 SO) and a top 200 prospect in Cal Randall<\/a> (51 SO).<\/p>\n

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Aug 28, 2022; Phoenix, Arizona, US; West outfielder Will Gasparino (23) during the Perfect Game All-American Classic high school baseball game at Chase Field. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Virginia Tech –\u00a0<\/strong>The Hokies will head out west as the #2 seed in the regional, and they’ll be led on the mound by their ace and lone top draft prospect for the 2026 class, Brett Renfrow<\/a>. The right-hander boasts a mid-90s fastball and two breaking balls, which have him entering this regional with an 11.11 K\/9 and 4.41 FIP.<\/p>\n

Cal Poly –\u00a0<\/strong>For a mid-major program, Cal Poly has produced a ton of draft talent over the years, and this season is no different. The #3 seed has two Top-250 prospects in the 2026 class, according to Over-Slot<\/a>, and the highest-ranked of the two is right-hander Carson Turnquist<\/a>, who is 8-2 with a 10.77 K\/9. In the field, the Mustangs will have the scrappy Alejandro Garza<\/a> at second base, and he’ll enter the regional with a 111 wRC+ and 5.7% strikeout rate.<\/p>\n

Atlanta Regional<\/h3>\n

Georgia Tech –\u00a0<\/strong>No other team in the NCAA Tournament will have as many 2026 MLB Draft prospects on the field as Georgia Tech. The Yellow Jackets have two projected top-10 picks<\/a> in Vahn Lackey<\/a> (173 wRC+, 75 RBIs) and the program’s all-time home run leader, Drew Burress<\/a> (.493 wOBA), and that is only the tip of the iceberg. Alongside those two in the lineup, the Yellow Jackets have Jarren Advincula<\/a> (.504 OBP), Carson Kerce<\/a> (.500 wOBA), Alex Hernandez<\/a> (124 wRC+), and Ryan Zuckerman<\/a> (23 HRs). On the mound, the Yellow Jackets’ ace, Tate McKee<\/a>, boasts 90 punchouts in 71 innings, while reliever Justin Shadek<\/a> has 41 in 26.1 innings.<\/p>\n

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Oklahoma –\u00a0<\/strong>While the Sooners may not have as many draft prospects as the Yellow Jackets, they certainly have their fair share of pro-quality talent. Catcher Brendan Brock<\/a> is the highest-rated prospect, as he and Camden Johnson<\/a> will enter the regional with an OPS of .840 or better and 25+ stolen bases. The best pure hitter out of the 2026 Sooners prospects is Deiten Lachance<\/a> (124 wRC+), while last year’s #1 overall pick Eli Willits<\/a> brother, Jaxon Willits<\/a> (.843 OPS), also has the potential to be a serviceable pro middle infielder.<\/p>\n

As far as pitching goes, UNLV transfer LJ Mercurius<\/a> has worked his way into becoming the ace of the staff with a 12.16 K\/9. The right-hander’s ability to improve his command will ultimately determine the direction of his pro career. The Sooners also have hard-throwing left-hander Cam Johnson<\/a>, who has high upside, but also struggles to locate (17% BB rate).<\/p>\n

Illinois-Chicago:\u00a0<\/strong>The Flames have two players who could come off the board late in the draft. First is RHP Mason Lei<\/a>, who threw two complete games and struck out 85 in 93.1 innings. The other player is Ashton Kampa<\/a>, who leads the lineup with a 169 wRC+ and 16 home runs.<\/p>\n

Athens Regional<\/h3>\n

Georgia –\u00a0<\/strong>The Bulldogs were the most impressive team in the SEC this season, and they also had the SEC Player of the Year, Daniel Jackson<\/a>. The catcher is the highest-rated 2026 prospect on the roster, as he’ll roll into regionals with a 174 wRC+, 27 home runs, and 25 stolen bases. Rylan Lujo<\/a> is the other Top-200 hitting prospect on the Bulldogs, and while he lacks power, he makes up for it with bat-to-ball skills, posting just an 8.2% strikeout rate. Georgia’s pitching staff goes as Joey Volchko<\/a> (88 SO) and Dylan Vigue<\/a> (.206 BAA) go.<\/p>\n

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Boston College –\u00a0<\/strong>Next season, the Eagles will be a team to watch when it comes to draft prospects, as they have two Top-60 prospects in the 2027 class. As far as the 2026 class is concerned, though, their ace, A.J. Colarusso<\/a>, may be a college senior that teams target to save some bonus pool money. The lefty has made the most starts in school history and has over 200 strikeouts in his career.<\/p>\n

Liberty –\u00a0<\/strong>Despite this being a regional hosted by an SEC school, the Flames will have the highest-rated pitching prospect out of the four teams. Right-hander Ben Blair<\/a> has flown up draft boards this season using a high-90’s fastball and elite command to produce 106 strikeouts and a 3.56 FIP in 87.1 innings. In the field, Tanner Marsh<\/a> is an underrated shortstop prospect in the class, who leads the Flames with 16 doubles and a .418 OBP.<\/p>\n

Auburn Regional<\/h3>\n

Auburn –\u00a0<\/strong>In 2027, the Tigers’ roster could be similar to Georgia Tech’s this season in terms of the number of draft prospects. As far as 2026 goes, Auburn has a few notable names, with the highest rated being Chris Rembert<\/a>. The Tigers’ second baseman has some of the best bat speed across college baseball, according to several scouts, and that’s helped him have the second-highest average on the team (.345). Third baseman Eric Guevara<\/a> is the other notable bat in the ’26 class, as his 24 extra-base hits certainly have him on teams’ radars. Pitching-wise, Alex Petrovic<\/a> used some big improvements to go 9-2 with a 3.21 ERA.<\/p>\n

UCF –\u00a0<\/strong>Casual college baseball fans likely haven’t seen much of the Knights this season, but it should not take them long to identify the team’s top hitter. Outfielder Andrew Williamson<\/a> leads UCF with a 130 wRC+, .451 wOBA, and 12 home runs. Matt Sauser<\/a> is the best pitching prospect on the team, but an injury will keep him in the dugout as postseason play continues.<\/p>\n

NC State –\u00a0<\/strong>There were questions about whether the Wolf Pack would make the NCAA Tournament, but scouts will certainly be happy they did, since there is plenty of pro potential on the roster. Ty Head<\/a> will likely have the most attention on him this upcoming weekend, as his power from the left side of the plate is intriguing. Aside from Head and his 14 home runs, the Wolf Pack lineup will feature Sherman Johnson<\/a> (118 wRC+) and Chris McHugh<\/a> (49 RBIs). Starting pitchers Jacob Dudan<\/a> and Ryan Marohn<\/a> went a combined 10-2 this season, as Dudan punched out 62 hitters and the southpaw Marohn matched it.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Main Photo Credit: Steven Branscombe-Imagn Images<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

With the NCAA Tournament field officially set, 64 teams are even closer to their season-long goal of reaching the College World Series. While the players fight to keep their seasons alive, fans can sit back and watch as the drama unfolds. Outside of that general excitement, this is also the last time fans and certain […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5819,"featured_media":122810,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[29143,35,1],"tags":[1308],"class_list":["post-122755","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mlb-draft","category-news","category-uncategorized","tag-mlb-prospects"],"modified_by":"Augustus Oswald, Site Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/122755","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5819"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=122755"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/122755\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":122813,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/122755\/revisions\/122813"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/122810"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=122755"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=122755"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=122755"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}