MLB Draft Watch: These 6 NCAA Stars Could Be First-Round Picks in NCAA Baseball Regionals

The number of players being watched is getting less as high school finals come to an end and the university postseason begins, even if Major League Baseball’s draft is still imminent.

NCAA regional play begins on Friday, with 64 teams starting their trips toward Omaha. As the July 13 selection party approaches, a draft board that is still largely inconclusive may become more clear in the coming three weeks as evaluators receive their final views of the best, particularly a stable of playoff-bound No. 1 starters.

Analyzes the following six players who will compete in the NCAA regionals:

1. Southern Mississippi’s JB Middleton, RHP (Hattiesburg Regional)

According to prospect rankings and mock drafts, he has been on the outside looking in the first round, and if the Golden Eagles make it out of Hattiesburg, he might use a close-up look. Middleton, at 6-foot, 178 pounds, does not have the physical presence of many top pitching prospects but will be intriguing to clubs that stress strike-throwing. He is tied with Jake Knapp, the star pitcher for North Carolina, for second place in the country and top among postseason pitchers with a WHIP of 0.83.

Middleton is in his debut season as a starter, but his 114-24 strikeout-walk ratio in 98 ⅓ innings is exceptional, and his fastball is averaging about 95 mph. It would be intriguing to see if Southern Miss saves Middleton for the Miami-Alabama winner or lets him loose in what feels like an overmatch against the Lions, especially since Ivy League champion Columbia is the No. 4 seed.

2. Kyson Witherspoon, RHP, Oklahoma (Chapel Hill Regional)

Catch him while you can: With No. 5 overall North Carolina lurking in the winners’ bracket and the Sooners opening with Big Ten tournament champion Nebraska, the regional is a dogfight. Whether Witherspoon can secure a position in the top 10 of the draft is the question.

In the Sooners’ inaugural SEC season, the 20-year-old dominated the hitters, striking out 120 in 91 innings with a 0.91 WHIP. His slider is his second best pitch, and clubs looking for a quick mover will be interested in his four-pitch package. His fastball is close to triple digits. Malachi, Kyson’s twin brother, is expected to start this weekend, and his performance could be just as important to Oklahoma’s survival.

3. Brendan Summerhill, OF, Arizona (Eugene Regional)

Summerhill, a promising talent who could probably man all three outfield spots in the professional ranks, might use a longer look after only making 168 plate appearances this season due to a fractured hand and hamstring injuries. He made a comical post. During that time, he had 512 OBP and 19 of his 51 hits went for extra bases.

The Wildcats will have the momentum of a Big 12 tournament triumph on their side in their first year in the new league, but they will probably need to win an old-fashioned Pac-12 matchup against the host Ducks. The Wildcats will chose Summerhill in the first round for the third time in four years.

4. Marek Houston, SS, Wake Forest (Knoxville Regional)

Houston has an opportunity to show to evaluators a more pro-ready skill set in the postseason, as five prep shortstops are expected to be selected in the first 15 of the draft. With 12 home runs and 19 steals in a respectable platform season (.351/.460/.572), defensive stability may be his calling card.

However, the postseason can give Houston a platform that his prep rivals won’t have. Houston is predicted to be selected in the top 20, but he might surpass some of his younger peers on draft day if he can show more offensive potential to go along with his glove-first reputation.

5. Nolan Schubart, OF, Oklahoma State (Athens Regional)

Schubart enters the game on a roll, having hit nine of his 17 home runs in the last 17 games for a 28-23 Cowboys team that has the pitching and power to worry host Georgia.

Schubart, who stands 6 feet 5 and weighs 223 pounds, is expected to grow even larger and stronger as a professional, with “hitter” being his preferred position. His strikeout percentage has improved slightly, going from 27.4% in his sophomore year to 25.1 percent, and he has produced a maximum exit velocity of 116 mph. A strong postseason might propel Schubart into a first-day selection, but that swing-and-miss will keep him out of the first round.

6. James Ellwanger, RHP, Dallas Baptist (Baton Rouge regional)

Given that 2024 second-round pick Ryan Johnson has already made it to the major leagues with the Angels, the Patriots’ pitching factory has a good chance of producing four picks in the top three rounds over the previous two years. At 6-4 and 205 pounds, Ellwanger’s fastball reaches the upper 90s, but he has had trouble maintaining control this season, walking 36 in 59 innings.

Perhaps one of them will be paired with LSU lefty Kade Anderson, a probable top 10 overall choice, but Ellwanger and fellow predicted top-round right-hander Micah Bucknam provide Dallas Baptist the kind of pitching profile one needs to survive a regional.