Three Freshmen to Watch for the 2026 College Baseball Season
Over 30 high schoolers were drafted in the first round of the MLB Draft alone. Hundreds of picks later, only a fraction of the young draftees decided to pursue professional careers straight out of high school. Others decided to wait, commit to a college, and develop their talents in the NCAA. Let’s take a look at some of the top athletes who chose a collegiate environment over the start of their professional career.
Angel Cervantes is a right-handed pitcher from California. Before his commitment to the Bruins, he was selected 50th overall in the MLB Draft this year by the Pittsburgh Pirates. Rather than joining the Pirates’ farm system right out of high school, Cervantes has decided to further his athletic and academic career at UCLA. Following his final high school season, he was ranked the second-best right-handed pitcher in the nation by Prep Baseball. In his junior year of high school, this powerhouse righty finished out the season without surrendering a single earned run. After an impressive 2025, finishing their season with their first MCWS appearance in Omaha since 2013, the Bruins have a lot to gain by adding an arm like Cervantes’ to their pitching staff for the upcoming season.
Landon Schaefer, a six-foot-three shortstop from Fayetteville, Arkansas, was drafted 611th overall in the 20th round of this year’s MLB draft by the Philadelphia Phillies. However, Schaefer decided to stay in his home state and honor his commitment to the Arkansas Razorbacks. He was unable to play this past spring due to a hamstring injury, but his immense improvement from 2023 to the 2024 seasons made him a top high school prospect in the draft. With the coaching staff at Arkansas helping him improve his bat speed, he could become just as impressive offensively as he is at shortstop.
Brock Sell is an incoming freshman at Stanford. He’s consistent about driving the ball and has a swing that lacks power but is still producing hits when needed. Sell has also demonstrated that he’s a strong runner once he gets on base as well. His defensive skill in center field is something that will continue to improve as he gains experience playing for this ACC team. With consistent work, he should be a familiar face in center field for Stanford in the coming seasons. ACC baseball requires strong plate discipline to keep up with strong ACC pitchers at schools like Virginia, NC State, and UNC, and defensive strength as well. Athletes like Sell are going to help Stanford keep up with their ACC opponents for their second season in the conference.
