Last June, former LSU starting pitcher Paul Skenes took the baseball world by storm with an unbelievable College World Series. In fact, the championship round offered a glimpse of several of baseball’s top prospects, including Tigers center fielder Dylan Crews and Florida third baseman Wyatt Langford. With Gators infielder/pitcher Jac Caglianone, the finals also featured the three finalists (Caglianone, Crews, Skenes) for the 2023 Golden Spikes Award, given annually to the best U.S.Best porn XXX. college baseball player. As Saturday Down South’s Neil Blackmon noted on social media on Monday evening, this year’s World Series doesn’t feature any of the three Golden Spikes finalists. But don’t let that mislead you. Plenty of stars are headed to Omaha. Here’s a look at eight players, one from each team, who you should know before the first pitch of the College World Series on June 14. Only three players have more home runs this season than Moore, who has 32 in 66 games. He has a .375 average in 269 at-bats and is one of three players in Division I with 100 hits. The best example of his power at the plate arguably came during a series with Vanderbilt in May. Trailing 3-2 in the sixth inning, Moore drove a pitch on the inside of the plate to the opposite field for a three-run blast. TOUCH ‘EM ALL C-MO! https://t.co/pAjaNY2nQz (SECN) #GBO // #OTH // #BeatVandy pic.twitter.com/rvhYyLNRpo Moore has four home runs and a .304 batting average since the start of the Knoxville Regional on May 31 Caglianone, the biggest snub for the 2024 Golden Spikes Award, is college baseball’s answer to Dodgers great Shohei Ohtani. In addition to his sizzling .411 batting average, Caglianone is 5-2 in 15 starts with a 4.71 earned run average, 82 strikeouts and 48 walks in 72.2 innings pitched. Per D1 Baseball, Caglianone has a robust 42.3% homerun-to-flyball rate, the second-highest in the country. He came up big in Florida’s Super Regional over Clemson, giving the Gators a 5-4 Game 1 lead in the fifth inning with a three-run home run. CAGS supplies the LEAD! #GoGators // ESPN pic.twitter.com/ZQTbGJrPfo Caglianone is one of the most disciplined batters at the plate, with eight more home runs (33) than strikeouts (25). The Aggies’ sensational freshman gives Texas A&M hope after star outfielder Braden Montgomery’s devastating season-ending ankle injury in the Super Regional against Oregon. Montgomery was named the No. 4 pick in MLB.com’s Jim Callis’ most recent mock draft on June 6, and the way Grahovac has burst on the scene, he might be in the same position in a few years. Grahovac does a little bit of everything, including playing exceptional defense. He had a spectacular diving catch in foul territory against Texas State in April. WHAT A CATCH BY THE FRESHMAN #GigEm x @ESPNAssignDesk x #SCtop10 pic.twitter.com/8xxraohshx His power extends to all areas of the park. In the second game of his first SEC series, he took Florida starting pitcher Liam Peterson deep when he pulled a fastball to left field. THE FRESHMAN STRIKES AGAIN #GigEm x @GavinGrahovac pic.twitter.com/AS8aOfdLpr On April 6, against South Carolina, Grahovac led the game off by driving an off-speed pitch on an 0-2 count to dead center. Leadoff from the rookie!#GigEm x @GavinGrahovac pic.twitter.com/9j4PyonMv0 In 61 games, the SEC Freshman of the Year has .306/.403/.616 batting splits with 22 home runs. Waldschmidt has been solid across the board for the Wildcats, ranking second on the team in batting average (.346), home runs (14), doubles (17) and total hits (71). Against Tennessee ace reliever AJ Causey during an April series, he hit a rocket to left field in the bottom of the third of a 5-3 comeback win. WALDY BOMB ALERThttps://t.co/fyantJoSx7 (SECN+)#WeAreUK | @ryanwaldy21 pic.twitter.com/1X5KeupSIQ Kentucky’s lead-off hitter was held hitless in the Super Regional against Oregon State but was 5-of-13 in the Lexington Regional. The Wildcats need that version of Waldschmidt to have a chance to win the first baseball national championship in program history. The first-team All-ACC pitcher has broken out in his sophomore season. In 17 starts and 100.2 innings pitched, Arnold has a 2.77 ERA with 155 strikeouts. He recorded an immaculate inning in the Tallahassee Regional against UCF and has 31 strikeouts in 19 innings pitched since the start of the ACC Tournament. JAMIE ARNOLD IMMACULATE INNING @FSUBaseball pic.twitter.com/92dhSOq7n8 In May, he struck out 17 Pittsburgh hitters, which Florida State baseball’s social media account noted was the most for a Seminoles pitcher since 1987. 17 strikeouts for Jamie Arnold. Most for a Nole since 1987.T8 | FSU 0, Pitt 1 pic.twitter.com/mM1JHEf2S5 With his fourth strikeout against UConn in the Super Regional, he recorded his 150th of the season, the most for the program in 30 years. That was Jamie Arnold’s 150th strikeout of the season.Most by an FSU pitcher since 1994. The Cavaliers catcher has one of the coolest backstories among players in this year’s CWS. A 2024 second-team All-ACC member, Ference formerly played for Division III Salisbury before transferring during the offseason. In his first season at Virginia, Ference is hitting .354 with 17 home runs. In the Super Regional against Kansas State, he broke the game open in the top of the ninth with a two-out triple to give the Cavaliers a 7-4 lead in an eventual 10-4 win. TRIPPPPLLLLLEEE!!! Another big 2-out hit and we’re up 7-4!!!: ESPNU | #GoHoos pic.twitter.com/KzASUw6Sl8 The ACC Defensive Player of the Year made his biggest contributions at the plate in North Carolina’s Super Regional win over West Virginia. In an 8-6 Game 1 win, the first-team All-ACC team member hit a walk-off two-run home run in the bottom of the ninth inning. VANCE HONEYCUTT WALKOFF pic.twitter.com/K9gjJ9qZcY The next day, Honeycutt led off the second game of the series with a solo home run to set the tone for a 2-1 win. Vance Honeycutt First Pitch pic.twitter.com/DxOAu8DP8b Since the start of the Chapel Hill Regional, Honeycutt has a .308 batting average with four home runs. With a .380 average and 22 home runs, Makarewicz had a breakout season with the Wolfpack after playing at East Carolina for the past four seasons. In Monday’s 8-5 win on the road in the Athens Regional against Georgia, Makarawicz gave NC State breathing room by hitting a two-run home run in the top of the eighth inning and extending the team’s lead to 8-4. GO YARD ️#RoadToOmaha x ESPN / @NCStateBaseball pic.twitter.com/mVMrWqI2H7 Makrawicz batted .400 (6-for-15) in the three-game series, and NC State had 44 hits as a team. After the Wolfpack men’s and women’s basketball teams’ unexpected runs to their respective Final Fours in April, it might be the baseball team that breaks through with a national championship. More must-reads: Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!
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