{"id":123505,"date":"2026-06-08T11:48:15","date_gmt":"2026-06-08T15:48:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/?p=123505"},"modified":"2026-06-08T11:48:15","modified_gmt":"2026-06-08T15:48:15","slug":"super-regionals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/2026\/06\/08\/super-regionals\/","title":{"rendered":"College World Series Super Regionals: The Favorites and Top Draft Prospects"},"content":{"rendered":"

The College World Series is inching towards Omaha. This weekend sees the Super Regionals get underway after loads of upsets in the opening regional round<\/a>. The 16 teams play a three-game series, with the eight winners advancing to Omaha. This year\u2019s super regionals field also features plenty of draft prospects to keep an eye on.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

College World Series Super Regionals: The Favorites and Top Draft Prospects<\/h2>\n

\"Troy<\/p>\n

The Super Regionals<\/b><\/h3>\n

Troy v. Little Rock<\/b><\/h3>\n

Troy versus Little Rock is the only third and fourth-seed series among the Super Regionals. Both teams made it out of their region by a wave of upsets. Troy made it out of the number eight-ranked Florida\u2019s regional, while Little Rock made it out of the ninth-ranked Southern Mississippi\u2019s regional. Little Rock even did so by a clean sweep, winning all three of its regional games. Meanwhile, Troy had to play five times and beat Florida twice to make it out of its region. Troy continued to ride this streak through the Super Regionals and is on their way to Omaha with two blowout wins over Little Rock, outscoring them 19-4 in two games.<\/span><\/p>\n

While Troy versus Little Rock wasn’t a blue-blood matchup in the Super Regionals, there were still a few players who could get drafted come July, even if many do not have these players in the first round of mock drafts<\/a>. Little Rock is led on the mound by Brannon Westmoreland<\/a>. He\u2019s a right-handed starting pitcher who sits in the mid-90s with his fastball. Westmoreland owns the strike zone, giving up only 22 walks in almost 100 innings. He won\u2019t be an ace at the next level, but he can be a very serviceable back-end of the rotation arm.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

For Troy, their strength is more at the plate. Troy\u2019s leadoff hitter, Aaron Piasecki,<\/a> is by far their top draft prospect. At the plate, he is a hitting machine. During regionals, he batted .458 with only two strikeouts in 24 at-bats. On the season, he is batting just a hair below. 350 after showing out in the Northwoods League last summer. Defensively, he mans the six for the Trojans, but likely won\u2019t if he goes pro due to an average arm.<\/span><\/p>\n

Southern California v. North Carolina<\/b><\/h3>\n

The first of the Power Four Super Regionals contests is USC versus North Carolina. USC advanced all the way to the super regionals after dropping their very first game. They then went on a four-game win streak to make it to Chapel Hill. For UNC, it was a clean sweep in their regional. They came in as the fifth-ranked team in the nation and are the favorite to make it to Omaha.<\/span><\/p>\n

No shocker here, but the top draft prospect out of this Super Regional is another shortstop. While we are missing the top draft prospect in Roch Cholowsky,<\/a> UNC\u2019s Jake Schaffner<\/a> is one of the better shortstops in the super regionals. Entering today\u2019s contest, Schaffner is hitting .400 in the postseason. He\u2019s doing it with impact, too, as he had two doubles at regionals. Schaffner also boasts above-average speed. Many scouts judge him to be an all-around ball player and someone who could progress at the next level.<\/span><\/p>\n

Southern Cal.\u2019s best player is a southpaw on the mound in Mason Edwards<\/a>. While he may not boast the most electric fastball on the radar gun, there is plenty to like. It\u2019s a fastball with carry and late life that equated to a 30% miss rate in 2025. He also adds a slurvy breaking ball with excellent spin rates that, with work on its shape, can develop into a plus pitch. Edwards’ final tool in his tool belt is an above-average changeup. Edwards may not have the most electric stuff, but he has consistently shown feel for all three pitches, and his strike-throwing has only improved since arriving at USC.<\/span><\/p>\n

West Virginia v. Cal. Poly<\/b><\/h3>\n

West Virginia was the lowest-ranked team to host a regional, and they made teams pay in Morgantown. The Mountaineers finished 4-1 and beat every team in their region. Cal. Poly took a slightly different route, playing only three games against two teams in Los Angeles. Overall, West Virginia was the deeper team and headed to Omaha after handily taking care of business in the Super Regionals.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

West Virginia may have advanced easily from the Super Regionals, but next year\u2019s draft class should be better represented than in July. The Mountaineers’ top prospect is pitcher Dawson Montesa,<\/a> who has struggled this season. After some control issues, Montesa moved into the bullpen, where he\u2019s been since. He has a true four-pitch mix with a carrying fastball, both a curve and a slider, and a changeup. In an effort to get a leg up on the competition, Montesa made his first start in over a month against Wake in the regionals, where he dominated. A couple more strong outings, and Montesa could be a college player with helium going into the draft<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n

Cal. Poly\u2019s top draft target is also one of the tallest players on the team. Griffin Naess<\/a> is a 6\u20196 righty who has opened their weekend series for the last two seasons. Again, Naess may not have flashy stuff, but he has a smooth, repeatable delivery that teams won\u2019t have to worry about much. In college, he has been an innings eater and could do that at the next level with another strong outing in the Super Regionals.<\/span><\/p>\n

Auburn v. Ole Miss<\/b><\/h3>\n

The first of the SEC Super Regionals Series is Auburn and Ole Miss. Auburn came in as the fourth-ranked team in the nation and struggled in their regional, losing their first game to Milwaukee before ultimately beating them twice to advance to Super Regionals. Ole Miss, however, took over their regional and came away with a clean 3-0 record. Ole Miss’s hot streak continued as they dispatched the fourth-ranked Tigers in two games, 6-4 and 5-3.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ole Miss holds the best college pitching prospect left in the Super Regionals in Cade Townsend<\/a>. Townsend works with some of the highest spin rates in all of college baseball. He works both a slider and a curveball with spin rates at the top of the college ranks, and a fastball with significant carry. Due to his lack of physicality and the high intent, Townsend\u2019s biggest knock is possible reliever risk. Townsend can also go through bouts of control issues, like in his first regional start, where he walked five batters.<\/span><\/p>\n

Second baseman Chris Rembert leads Auburn. Going into the season, Rembert was seen as potentially one of the best pure hitters amongst the college ranks. This was largely due to a successful first year, in which he walked more than he struck out and hit .344. There was even further evidence of this thanks to the fact that he won the Cape Cod League batting title last summer. Unfortunately, Rembert has not lit the world on fire and has seen less impact with the bat this season.<\/span><\/p>\n

Kansas v. Oklahoma<\/b><\/h3>\n

Before conference realignment, this matchup would have been a Big 12 game, but now these two rivals are in different conferences and have taken very different paths to Super Regionals. Kansas came in ranked and completed the sweep in Lawrence, going a perfect 3-0 in regional play. For Oklahoma, things got a bit hairy, as they ended up leaving Atlanta later rather than sooner. Still, Oklahoma knocked out the second-best team in the nation and had to beat them twice to reach the Super Regionals. Kansas may come into the series ranked, but the Sooners are one step closer to Omaha. During game one on Saturday, the Sooners punched the Jayhawks in the mouth with a dominant 8-1 win.<\/span><\/p>\n

Kansas is continuing its home-cooked meals at Super Regionals, largely thanks to Tyson LeBlanc’s performance. The Kansas shortstop has provided plenty of impact for the Jayhawks this season. He now holds the Jayhawks’ record for home runs in a season and added two more to the season total during regionals. LeBlanc has experience in a post-season setting thanks to a Division-II JUCO Championship, and if he keeps performing, he could end up climbing draft boards.<\/span><\/p>\n

Similar to their former Big 12 rival, Oklahoma\u2019s best draft prospect comes from the JUCO ranks. Brendan Brock<\/a> is a very twitchy catcher for the Sooners. In his first year in the SEC, he has surpassed his previous season total in stolen bases at the JUCO level. In 57 games, he has 26 steals and can even play center field thanks to his blazing speed. Brock is also hitting for more power this season and is mashing fastballs. If Brock is selected in July, it will be the second time he has been drafted.<\/span><\/p>\n

Alabama v. St. John\u2019s\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n

Alabama took care of business on its home field during regionals and looks to do the same at Super Regionals. After going 3-0 against all three teams in their region, Alabama is more than confident against St. John\u2019s in the Super Regionals series. St. John\u2019s similarly went 3-0, upsetting the No. 1 seed Florida State and beating them in the opening and final games. Alabama currently holds the top player left in the Super Regionals and is the heavy favorite to win.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As mentioned earlier, Alabama has the best draft prospect still playing in the Super Regionals. This player is shortstop Justin Lebron<\/a>. LeBron has been an enigma for scouts this season. After a strong start last year, he cooled off during SEC play, and scouts wanted to see less swing-and-miss and more consistency this spring. LeBron cut down on the strikeouts, but his batting average dropped by over 40 points from the 2025 to 2026 season. There is plenty else to look forward to in LeBron\u2019s profile. He stole 40 bases this last season; he can hit for power, but there\u2019s little doubt that he\u2019ll have to move off of short at the professional level.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Johnnies’ first upset over Florida State was their first regional win in over a decade. In the two games against the Seminoles, Adam Agresti<\/a> really stood out. He went 2-for-5 with two home runs and 5 RBIs. Agresti also did this without striking out during regionals while also adding 10 strikeouts. He likely won\u2019t play catcher if he gets drafted, but he has seen time at first and has an above-average arm behind the plate. If he continues to show great discipline and impact at the plate during Super Regionals, teams could take a flyer on him later in the draft.<\/span><\/p>\n

Texas v. Oregon<\/b><\/h3>\n

Texas versus Oregon is the first of only two ranked matchups during Super Regionals. Texas came into the regional round ranked sixth, and Oregon ranked 11th. Texas handled their home regional with ease, beating the other three teams and going 3-0 in Austin, allowing Austin to call them back, not unlike Blake Shelton. Oregon had a nearly identical situation, also going 3-0 and beating the other three teams in its region. The Longhorns should take care of business at home after facing tougher competition all season long and having a deeper roster.<\/span><\/p>\n

Texas is one of the few teams with a likely first-round pick left. Aiden Robbins<\/a> is the best hitter on Texas\u2019 roster and has cemented himself during the spring. Like Rembert, he had a very successful Cape Cod League, where he unlocked more of his power, allowing him to lead the Cape in all three categories of the slash line (AVG, OBP, SLG). He then went to Austin and tripled his season high in home runs. The power emerged yet again in the regionals, where he hit four home runs in three games against lesser competition. If Robbins can continue to get to the power in the Super Regionals, he could sneak into the top 25.<\/span><\/p>\n

College pitching, and especially good college pitching, tends to boost their draft stock during the College World Series. Cal Scolari<\/a> has the chance to do that during the Super Regionals portion of the postseason. Scolari will face tough competition in Texas, and a good outing could significantly improve his draft stock. The right-handed pitcher sits in a typical power pitcher build at 6\u20194\u201d and 220 pounds. However, he has had Tommy John surgery once already and has had arm troubles this season. Still, Scolari\u2019s stuff has been better this spring than previously thought, and with more innings, could be an intriguing arm for teams to evaluate.<\/span><\/p>\n

Georgia v. Mississippi State<\/b><\/h3>\n

The Battle of the Bulldogs takes place in Athens during Super Regionals. It is the final SEC matchup and the final ranked matchup during Super Regionals. Both of these teams are counting down to Omaha. Georgia completed a clean sweep at home in Athens last weekend and is gnawing at the bit for Omaha. Meanwhile, Mississippi State was dominant in their regional, beating Lipscomb, Cincinnati, and Louisiana-Lafayette by a combined score of 39-11. This Super Regionals matchup is a true toss-up, and whoever wins is likely the favorite to take home the championship in Omaha.<\/span><\/p>\n

Georgia\u2019s top draft prospect has the chance to make college baseball history. Daniel Jackson<\/a> is a very athletic catcher. He has a good arm, above-average speed, and his bat would play well above average at the catcher position. Depending on how deep of a run Georgia makes past the Super Regionals, he can even achieve a 30-30 season and is already the first catcher to have a 25-25 season. Regardless, Daniel Jackson, who has first-round potential<\/a>, can play outfield at the next level thanks to his athleticism.<\/span><\/p>\n

It is only natural that the one-seed versus one-seed matchup has two potential first-round battles. Ace Reese<\/a> leads the Mississippi State lineup. Reese is a prototypical power-first third baseman. He is a below-average athlete, with an at-best average arm. However, no matter where he ends up defensively, his power will carry his value. He generates power in all fields against both righties and lefties. Reese has even improved his K: BB ratio and looks to make an impact during Super Regionals.<\/span><\/p>\n

Main Photo Credits: Ken Ruinard \/ USA Today Co \/ USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The College World Series is inching towards Omaha. This weekend sees the Super Regionals get underway after loads of upsets in the opening regional round. The 16 teams play a three-game series, with the eight winners advancing to Omaha. This year\u2019s super regionals field also features plenty of draft prospects to keep an eye on.\u00a0 […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5736,"featured_media":123558,"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":[29143,29576,35],"tags":[29586,29585,29400,1308],"class_list":["post-123505","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mlb-draft","category-ncaa-baseball","category-news","tag-dawson-montesa","tag-jake-schaffner","tag-mason-edwards","tag-mlb-prospects"],"modified_by":"Evan Mazza, Site Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/123505","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\/5736"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=123505"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/123505\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":123559,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/123505\/revisions\/123559"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/123558"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=123505"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=123505"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/baseball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=123505"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}