College Baseball Series Power Rankings: UCLA, Miss State Lead 2026 Field
College Baseball Series Power Rankings: UCLA, Miss State Lead 2026 Field
Power rankings for every team competing in the 2026 College Baseball Series at Globe Life Field and Surprise, Arizona, including No. 1 UCLA.
The NCAA Division I college baseball season opens the 2026 season across the country — but mainly in warm places as February rolls on — on Feb. 13, and no place outside of the state of Nebraska will have more of an Omaha feeling than Arlington, Texas.
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As has become a new tradition for college baseball, opening weekend’s biggest event is the Shriners Children’s College Baseball Showdown at Globe Life Field, where some of the SEC and Big 12’s best programs will play nine games over three days.
And the big change this year is that the Showdown, part of the College Baseball Series, is just the start of a three-week slate that for the first time ever features 21 teams across the country’s four largest conferences heading to Globe Life Field, along with two more teams heading to a second location during Weekend 1 in Surprise, Arizona.
Yes, the home of the Texas Rangers and the Texas Rangers’ spring training home are all part of the festivities this year.
The College Baseball Series at Globe Life Field and Surprise features 12 teams ranked in the D1Baseball Preseason Top 25, including No. 1 UCLA, which will play No. 14 Tennessee, No. 25 Texas A&M and No. 4 Mississippi State in the final weekend of the series.
Here’s a power ranking of every team headed to the College Baseball Series.
1. UCLA Baseball
The favorite to win a Big Ten Conference that was infused with talent a year ago as the Bruins, Oregon and USC — the three favorites to win the league — joined the conference along with Washington. The Bruins went to the College World Series in 2025, boast the No. 1 prospect in the draft, Roch Cholowsky, and are trying to become the first Big Ten team to win the championship since 1964.
2. Mississippi State Baseball
The Bulldogs hired former Virginia coach Brian O’Connor to jump-start the program, and he brought with him his ace — literally. Ace Reese transferred from Virginia to Mississippi State and is the SEC Preseason Player of the Year according to Baseball America. He hit .352/.422/.718 with 21 home runs and 18 doubles as a sophomore and is the No. 14-ranked player on the FloCollege composite rankings. The Bulldogs start the season No. 4 in the country.
3. Arkansas Baseball
One of the most successful and consistent programs in college baseball and one of the programs that has made traveling to Arlington an annual event, the Razorbacks enter the season ranked No. 7 in the country. They’re led by a host of intriguing players, including one of the best catchers in college baseball, Ryder Helfrick.
4. Louisville Baseball
One of the stars of the 2025 College Baseball Showdown when they stunned Texas in extra innings on Opening Day, Louisville won 40 games and reached the College World Series in 2025. They are led by one of the stars of the win over Texas, Zion Rose, the No. 37-ranked prospect at FloCollege, and outfielder Lucas Moore, the No. 51-ranked prospect. The Cardinals are No. 8 in the preseason rankings.
5. Auburn Baseball
The Tigers start the season ranked No. 9 in the country and boast two players in the top 50 of the FloCollege prospect list, right-hander Coleman Borthwick and second baseman Chris Rembert.
6. TCU Baseball
Almost considered the host of the College Baseball Showdown at this point, TCU has made Globe Life a home away from home since the stadium opened. They’re back in the first weekend and are the sixth team playing across the three weekends ranked in the preseason top 10 to start the season — the field is seriously loaded. The Horned Frogs are the Big 12 preseason favorite and should boast a strong pitching staff, led offensively by star Noah Franco.
7. Oregon State Baseball
The Beavers start the season ranked No. 12, and before they head to Arlington, they’ll play in the College Baseball Series’ Surprise, Arizona, venue during opening weekend. Formerly known as the Sanderson Ford Classic, the showcase joined the College Baseball Series and will feature teams that are also heading to Arlington. OSU will play Michigan, Arizona and Stanford. The only team not from the ACC, SEC, Big Ten or Big 12 in the field, the Beavers will play as an independent once again before the Pac-12 returns in full next year. Oregon State boasts the No. 39-ranked prospect in shortstop Maddox Molony and also returns No. 88-ranked prospect Ethan Kleinschmit, a left-handed pitcher.
8. Tennessee Baseball
What an offseason for the Vols, who stunningly lost coach Tony Vitello to the San Francisco Giants in the fall. It’s rare in baseball for a college coach to jump to MLB manager, but Vitello, whose team played in Arlington in 2024 — the same year they won the national championship — built UT into one of the best programs in the country. Ranked No. 14 to start the season, Tennessee boasts No. 36-ranked prospect Tegan Kuhns, a right-hander, and is led by No. 62-ranked prospect Henry Ford, a catcher.
9. Florida State Baseball
One of the teams Tennessee played in the College World Series, Florida State heads to Arlington as the No. 16-ranked team in the preseason poll. The Seminoles are part of Weekend 2 action that is headlined by their Saturday showdown with Auburn. Left-hander Wes Mendes, the No. 99-ranked prospect, and fellow lefty Trey Beard headline FSU’s pitching staff.
10. Vanderbilt Baseball
You know the SEC is loaded when a young and talented Vanderbilt team that is starting the season ranked No. 23 and loaded with both 2026 and 2027 MLB draft prospects is picked to finish eighth in its own conference. Such is life in the deepest league in the NCAA. The Commodores return to Arlington for the first time since 2023.
11. Arizona Baseball
The No. 24-ranked Wildcats return to Arlington for the second straight year and enter as one of TCU’s biggest threats in the Big 12. Arizona is led by right-handed pitcher Owen Kramkowski.
12. Texas A&M Baseball
Last season’s preseason No. 1 team is this year’s No. 25-ranked team after a disastrous 2025. But the Aggies have star shortstop Chris Hacopian, outfielder Caden Sorrell and third baseman Gavin Grahovac, who are all ranked in the top 30 on the FloCollege prospect list. Texas A&M may be No. 25 in the preseason poll, but it is picked to finish 13th in the SEC poll.
13. Oklahoma Baseball
The Sooners are picked to finish 14th in the SEC but 10th by Baseball America. Even with that, Oklahoma will be eyeing a return to the NCAA Tournament.
14. Arizona State Baseball
Led by No. 42-ranked prospect Cole Carlon, the Sun Devils are picked to finish fourth in the conference by Baseball America and by the conference coaches. Outfielder Dean Toigo is the Big 12 preseason Newcomer of the Year after a standout season in the Mountain West, where he was the conference’s co-player of the year.
15. Nebraska Baseball
Nebraska is picked to finish fourth by Big Ten coaches and returns to the College Baseball Showdown. The Cornhuskers are led by Jett Buck, Ty Horn and Case Sanderson, who are among the top players to watch in the Big Ten.
16. Oklahoma State Baseball
The Cowboys, like TCU and Arkansas, are mainstays at the College Baseball Series/Showdown. The Pokes return as a team picked to finish sixth in the Big 12 by Baseball America and tied for fifth with Kansas by Big 12 coaches after a 30-25 season a year ago.
17. Texas Tech Baseball
The Red Raiders are picked to finish ninth by Big 12 coaches and eighth by Baseball America. Tech is led by outfielder Logan Hughes, the No. 84-ranked prospect.
18. Kansas State Baseball
The Wildcats are picked to finish seventh by Big 12 coaches as they also return to the College Baseball Series. Kansas State went 32-26 last year.
19. Virginia Tech Baseball
The Hokies are in Arlington representing the ACC in the loaded Weekend 3 slate. They’ll play Texas A&M, Mississippi State and Tennessee. Tech is picked to finish 11th in the ACC.
20. Stanford Baseball
After going 27-25 a year ago, the Cardinal are slated to finish 12th in the ACC but will have one of the College Baseball Series’ top freshmen. Brock Ketelsen, a two-way left-hander, is the preseason ACC Freshman of the Year and dominated in summer baseball both at the plate and on the mound. Stanford and Arizona are the only two teams in the College Baseball Series who won’t be going to Arlington this year but instead will be featured in Surprise, Arizona.
21. Michigan Baseball
Michigan finds itself outside of the six-team Big Ten coaches poll and is picked to finish eighth by Baseball America. The Wolverines went 33-23 last year and played in the second week of the Amegy Bank College Baseball Series in 2025.
How To Watch College Baseball At The Shriners Children's College Showdown 2026
College Baseball Series At Globe Life Field Schedule 2026
Shriners Children's College Showdown Weekend 1
Feb. 13, 2026
- 12:00 p.m. ET: Oklahoma vs. Texas Tech
- 4:00 p.m. ET: TCU vs. Vanderbilt
- 8:00 p.m. ET: Oklahoma St vs. Arkansas
Feb. 14, 2026
- 12:00 p.m. ET: Texas Tech vs. Vanderbilt
- 4:00 p.m. ET: Oklahoma St vs. Oklahoma
- 8:00 p.m. ET: Arkansas vs. TCU
Feb. 15, 2026
- 11:30 a.m. ET: Vanderbilt vs. Oklahoma St
- 3:30 p.m. ET: Texas Tech vs. Arkansas
- 7:30 p.m. ET: TCU vs. Oklahoma
College Baseball Series In Surprise, Arizona
Feb. 13, 2026
Feb. 14, 2026
Feb. 15, 2026
Feb. 16, 2026
Amegy Bank College Baseball Series Weekend 2
Feb. 20, 2026
- 12:00 PM ET: Michigan vs. Florida St
- 4:00 PM ET: Nebraska vs. Louisville
- 8:00 PM ET: Auburn vs. Kansas St
Feb. 21, 2026
- 12:00 PM ET: Louisville vs. Michigan
- 4:00 PM ET: Florida St vs. Auburn
- 8:00 PM ET: Kansas St vs. Nebraska
Feb. 22, 2026
- 11:30 AM ET: Auburn vs. Louisville
- 3:30 PM ET: Nebraska vs. Florida St
- 7:30 PM ET: Michigan vs. Kansas St
Amegy Bank College Baseball Series Weekend 3
Feb. 27, 2026
- 12:00 PM ET: Arizona St vs. Mississippi St
- 4:00 PM ET: UCLA vs. Tennessee
- 8:00 PM ET: Virginia Tech vs. Texas A&M
Feb. 28, 2026
- 12:00 PM ET: Tennessee vs. Arizona St
- 4:00 PM ET: Mississippi St vs. Virginia Tech
- 8:00 PM ET: Texas A&M vs. UCLA
Mar. 1, 2026
- 11:30 AM ET: Virginia Tech vs. Tennessee
- 3:30 PM ET: UCLA vs. Mississippi St
- 7:30 PM ET: Arizona St vs. Texas A&M
2026 D1Baseball Preseason Top 25 Rankings
- UCLA (48-18)
- LSU (53-15)
- Texas (44-14)
- Mississippi State (36-23)
- Georgia Tech (41-19)
- Coastal Carolina (56-13)
- Arkansas (50-15)
- Louisville (42-24)
- Auburn (41-20)
- TCU (39-20)
- North Carolina (46-15)
- Oregon State (48-16-1)
- Florida (39-22)
- Tennessee (46-19)
- Georgia (43-17)
- Florida State (42-16)
- NC State (35-21)
- Kentucky (31-26)
- Clemson (45-18)
- Southern Miss (47-16)
- Wake Forest (39-22)
- Miami (35-27)
- Vanderbilt (43-18)
- Arizona (44-21)
- Texas A&M (30-26)
When Is The 2026 MLB Draft?
The MLB Draft begins the Sunday of MLB All-Star Week, which is being held in Philadelphia from July 11-July 14.
The 2026 MLB Draft Top 100 Prospects
Rank Name Position Age School Commitment
1 Roch Cholowsky SS 20 UCLA --
2 Grady Emerson SS 17 Fort Worth Christian Texas
3 Justin Lebron SS 21 Alabama --
4 Jacob Lombard SS 18 Gulliver Prep Miami
5 Derek Curiel OF 20 LSU --
6 Tyler Spangler SS 18 De La Salle Stanford
7 Liam Peterson RHP 20 Florida --
8 Sawyer Strosnider OF 20 TCU --
9 Cameron Flukey RHP 20 Coastal Carolina --
10 Drew Burress OF 21 Georgia Tech --
11 AJ Gracia OF 21 Virginia --
12 Carson Bolemon LHP 18 Southside Christian Wake Forest
13 Gio Rojas LHP 18 Stoneman Douglas Miami
14 Ace Reese 3B 20 Mississippi State --
15 Jackson Flora RHP 20 UC Santa Barbara --
16 Chris Hacopian SS 21 Texas A&M --
17 Eric Becker SS 20 Virginia --
18 Tyler Bell SS 20 Kentucky --
19 Vahn Lackey C 20 Georgia Tech --
20 Logan Schmidt LHP 17 Ganesha LSU
21 Coleman Borthwick RHP 17 South Walton Auburn
22 Caden Sorrell OF 20 Texas A&M --
23 Blake Bowen OF 17 JSerra Oregon State
24 Chris Rembert 2B 20 Auburn --
25 Jensen Hirschkorn RHP 17 Kingsburg LSU
26 Gavin Grahovac 3B 20 Texas A&M --
27 Brady Harris OF 17 Trinity Christian Florida
28 Trevor Condon OF 17 Etowah Tennessee
29 Aiden Ruiz SS 18 The Stony Brook Vanderbilt
30 Gabe Gaeckle RHP 21 Arkansas --
31 Eric Booth OF 17 Oak Gove Vanderbilt
32 Kaden Waechter RHP 18 Jesuit Florida State
33 Caden Bogenpohl OF 20 Missouri State --
34 Will Brick C 17 Christian Brothers Mississippi State
35 Joseph Contreras RHP 17 Blessed Trinity Vanderbilt
36 Tegan Kuhns RHP 20 Tennessee --
37 Zion Rose OF 20 Louisville --
38 Savion Sims RHP 18 Prestonwood Christian Oklahoma
39 Maddox Molony SS 21 Oregon --
40 Joey Volchko RHP 20 Georgia --
41 Jarren Advincula 2B 20 Georgia Tech --
42 Cole Carlon LHP 20 Arizona State --
43 Chase Brunson OF 20 TCU --
44 Rocco Maniscalco SS 16 Oxford Mississippi State
45 Ryder Helfrick C 20 Arkansas --
46 Tommy LaPour RHP 20 TCU --
47 Ryan Lynch RHP 20 North Carolina --
48 Cole Koeninger SS/RHP 18 Keller Tennessee
49 Beau Peterson 3B 18 Mill Valley Texas
50 Landon Thome 2B/3B 18 Nazareth Academy Florida State
51 Lucas Moore OF 20 Louisville --
52 Daniel Cuvet 3B 20 Miami --
53 Denton Lord RHP 18 South Walton --
54 Kevin Roberts OF 17 Jackson Prep Florida
55 James Clark SS 18 St. John Bosco Princeton
56 Connor Comeau SS/3B 17 Anderson Texas A&M
57 Andrew Costello C 18 Cathedral Prep Wake Forest
58 Trey Rangel RHP 18 The Colony Texas
59 Jake McCoy LHP 20 South Carolina --
60 Keon Johnson SS 17 First Presbyterian --
61 Eli Herst RHP 17 Seattle Academy Vanderbilt
62 Henry Ford OF 21 Tennessee --
63 Blake Bryant RHP 18 Citizen Christian Clemson
64 Jason DeCaro RHP 19 North Carolina --
65 Gavin Gallaher 3B 21 North Carolina --
66 Archer Horn SS 17 St. Ignatius Stanford
67 Trey Beard LHP 21 Florida Atlantic --
68 Cooper Sides RHP 18 Orange Lutheran LSU
69 Sean Duncan LHP 17 Terry Fox (Canada) Vanderbilt
70 Hunter Dietz LHP 20 Arkansas --
71 Ethan Bass SS 18 Glenbrook North Wake Forest
72 Noah Wilson OF 18 McCallie Vanderbilt
73 Carson Tinney C 20 Texas --
74 Shane Sdao LHP 22 Texas A&M --
75 Aidan Knaak RHP 21 Clemson --
76 Owen Kramkowski RHP 20 Arizona --
77 Kade Lewis 1B 20 Wake Forest --
78 Gary Morse RHP 18 Orange Lutheran Tennessee
79 Tre Broussard OF 20 Houston --
80 Jorvorskie Lane OF 17 Grapevine Arkansas
81 Matt Ponatoski SS 17 Moeller Kentucky
82 Jake Brown OF 20 LSU --
83 Malachi Washington OF 17 Parkview LSU
84 Logan Hughes OF 20 Texas Tech --
85 Steven Milam SS/2B 21 LSU --
86 Brady Ballinger 1B 20 Kansas --
87 Blake Morningstar RHP 20 Wake Forest --
88 Ethan Kleinschmit LHP 20 Oregon State --
89 Brett Renfrow RHP 20 Virginia Tech --
90 Will Yow SS 18 St. Anne's-Belfield Virginia
91 Ricky Ojeda LHP 20 UC Irvine --
92 Dominic Santarelli 1B 18 St. Joseph --
93 Andrew Williamson OF 20 Central Florida --
94 Wilson Andersen RHP 17 Jesuit Mississippi State
95 Jason Amalbert SS 18 DePaul Oklahoma
96 Ethan Norby LHP 20 East Carolina --
97 Cade Townsend RHP 20 Mississippi --
98 Alex Hernandez 2B/OF 20 Georgia Tech --
99 Wes Mendes LHP 21 Florida State --
100 Cole Prosek 3B 18 Magnolia Heights Mississippi
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