Baseball is back. For the pros, pitchers and catchers report on February 10th, spring training games begin on February 20th, and opening day is on March 26th, with the first regular season game on the day before between the Yankees and Giants. As for college, NAIA kicked off on January 22nd, Division 2 began on January 30th, Division one began on February 13th, and Division 3 on February 15th. At the high school level, Abington’s varsity baseball season begins on March 17th against defending 5A state champions Upper Dublin. Please come support! Now, let’s get onto the predictions.

Golden Spikes:Roch Cholowsky,UCLA / Justin LeBron, Alabama

I couldn’t make up my mind so I’m going with two players this year. LeBron and Cholowsky are very similar in some ways. Both have experience at the top level of college baseball, both are elite defensive shortstops, both batted over 300 in 2025, both are top draft prospects. This feels like a toss up between the two that’ll come down to who progresses more. I can’t wait to see what goes down this season.

National Pitcher of the Year:Cameron Flukey, Coastal Carolina

Coastal is such a pitching factory. Flukey is returning after a strong 2025 campaign that ended in an Omaha duel with LSU ace and current Seattle Mariner Kade Anderson. His fastball tops out at 98 mph, and also has a curveball, slider, and changeup. The most dangerous factor is his height. Flukey is 6 ‘6 with a high ¾ arm slot that adds break to his pitches, canceling out the usual struggles with pitch visibility that taller pitchers usually are impacted by. Flukey will be a key part of the Chanticleers hunt to avenge their 2025 Natty loss, and I expect him to dominate, even in a strong Sun Belt conference.

Overrated:Georgia Tech

This went well last year, let’s see if I can run it back. The 2026 Yellow Jackets come into this season with unanimously one of the best lineups in college baseball, but my concern is on the other side of the plate. This pitching staff is a huge question mark. Outside of a few standouts, this rotation consists of mostly freshmen and older guys who will need some serious improvement to be better. I think the sheer strength of this lineup should take them to regionals, but an inexperienced rotation will ultimately be the Yellow Jackets undoing.

Underrated:Troy

I ❤ Sun Belt Baseball. The Trojans were robbed of a regional berth last season, and now come into this season with a chip on their shoulders. They returned a lot of guys from that 39 win roster, including 6 starters, one of them being Steven Meier, who batted .300 in 2025, and stole over 20 bases in 2024 and 2025. They have their struggles, specifically in the pitching staff, which has been depleted of their top inning eaters. I’d be prepared for a tough start from the Trojans, but once this staff has time to figure things out, I see Troy ending up in regionals this year.

National Champions:UCLA

Last year I thought that the #1 team was overrated. This year they’re anything but. The Bruins have plenty of successful elements of a great team off the eye test, including a 2025 Omaha berth, a weak Big 10 conference, and ranked players up and down the lineup. I’m very confident that we’ll see UCLA lifting the National Championship trophy in Omaha this summer.

As you saw, Division II and NAIA baseball has already started, and plenty has happened already! Let’s check out some of the standouts so far.

Welcome to college baseball Ben Shepherd

True freshman at USC Aiken Ben Shepherd got his college baseball career off to a strong start. On opening day, Shepherd threw a no hitter, with 5 strikeouts and just one walk. Shepherd’s set a high bar for his college career, one that’ll surely be ending in division 1 baseball.

No snow days in college baseball

One of the consequences of the D2 baseball season starting so early came around this year where you wouldn’t expect it. Charleston took on Carson Newman at the same time as a snowstorm ripping through the south. Baseball in the snow seems cool as a concept until you realize how awful it is to play in. 

The streak is over

I touched on LSU Shreveport’s undefeated 2025 campaign during regionals last year. This season, they had an opportunity to extend their already historic winning streak. The first six games went well, but ultimately all good things must come to an end. For the first time since May 16th 2024, LSU Shreveport lost a baseball game. Central Methodist came into Shreveport and took down the Pilots 4-3. The streak ends at 65 games, a mark that will most likely never be topped. Another unbreakable record added among the others that fill the halls of baseball history.

The Cavalry has not arrived

Calvary University charged into Sioux City to take on the Morningside Mustangs. They probably should’ve just stayed home. Morningside won in the 5th inning with a final score of 42-2, led by 24 runs in the bottom of the second. I’ll be honest, I’ve been a part of some bad losses. This would be a new low. Now, this might seem harsh, but Calvary needs to be banned from baseball immediately for this performance. Tear down their field and donate all their equipment to local little league clubs. They’d probably play better than the guys using it now.