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For the first time, Baseball America is releasing preseason watch lists for its national college awards, offering an early snapshot of prominent contenders entering the 2026 season.

The pitchers listed below represent those best positioned to factor into the College Pitcher of the Year race, though contenders are not limited to this group. Additional players beyond the 20 included remain firmly in contention, and movement throughout the season is expected.

College production served as the primary evaluation factor for preseason inclusion, with prospect status, feedback from professional evaluators and level of competition also considered.

Below is the inaugural Baseball America Preseason College Pitcher of the Year Award Watch List. Preseason College Pitcher of the Year Cameron Flukey is listed first, with the remaining players presented in alphabetical order.

College Preseason Awards

College Preseason Pitcher Of The Year Watch List

Cameron Flukey, RHP, Coastal Carolina

Flukey enters 2026 as the Preseason College Pitcher of the Year and Baseball America’s top-ranked 2026 draft arm after a dominant sophomore campaign where he logged 101.2 innings with a 3.19 ERA and a 118-to-24 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Flukey pairs upper-90s velocity with one of the most effective breaking balls in the country. His ability to miss bats with multiple pitches, throw consistent strikes and handle a starter’s workload places him at the center of the Pitcher of the Year conversation from day one.

Trey Beard, LHP, Florida State

Beard features the highest release point among lefthanders who pitched in Division I last year and pairs it with advanced offspeed feel, driving a 33.7% strikeout rate. Velocity is not his calling card, and the ACC presents a stiffer test than Florida Atlantic’s schedule did last year, but evaluators remain optimistic as he steps onto a larger stage.

Ben Blair, RHP, Liberty

Blair transitioned seamlessly from a high-usage reliever to a full-time starter over his first two seasons at Liberty, compiling a 3.61 ERA across 132 innings. His fastball has climbed into the upper 90s and pairs cleanly with a sweeping breaking ball that has emerged as a legitimate swing-and-miss pitch, driving much of his success. Entering 2026, Blair’s combination of workload, bat-missing ability and continued development places him among the nation’s most intriguing Pitcher of the Year candidates.

Hunter Elliott, LHP, Ole Miss

Elliott returns to college baseball after a season that would typically push a pitcher to the professional ranks, posting a 2.94 ERA with 102 strikeouts over 85.2 innings in 2025, his first year back from Tommy John surgery. While his draft ceiling is lower than many on this list, Elliott’s ability to handle an SEC ace’s workload and consistently produce outs is firmly established. Entering 2026, Elliott’s track record and durability give him a clear case as one of the most proven arms in the country.

Casan Evans, RHP, LSU

Evans bypassed early-round draft money to enroll at LSU and quickly became integral to a national championship run, posting a 2.05 ERA with 71 strikeouts against 19 walks over 52.2 innings as the team’s closer. His ability to miss bats and handle leverage now carries into an expanded role. Entering 2026, Evans is expected to move into LSU’s Friday starter spot with both elite production and trust already established.

Jackson Flora, RHP, UC Santa Barbara

Flora emerged as one of the nation’s most electric starters in 2025 after moving from the bullpen into UC Santa Barbara’s rotation, forming a dominant one-two punch with 2025 No. 2 overall pick Tyler Bremner. He attacks hitters with a power fastball that reaches triple digits and a sweeping slider that misses bats consistently, leaning heavily on the combination to overpower lineups. Entering 2026, Flora’s velocity, bat-missing profile and role atop UCSB’s outstanding staff place him squarely among the most impactful arms in college baseball.

Gabe Gaeckle, RHP, Arkansas

Gaeckle has been one of the most electric arms on Arkansas’ staff over his first two seasons, posting a 3.63 ERA across 114 innings with a 30.7% strikeout rate while impacting games in both relief and spot starts. His mid-to-upper-90s fastball and two bat-missing breaking balls give him the kind of pure stuff few pitchers in college baseball can match. Entering 2026, Gaeckle’s candidacy hinges on a successful transition into a full-time starting role, where his workload and consistency will determine whether his elite arsenal can translate to Pitcher of the Year contention.

Ethan Kleinschmit, LHP, Oregon State

Kleinschmit made a smooth transition from Linn-Benton Community College to Oregon State in 2025, starting 17 games and posting a 3.56 ERA as a sophomore while showing a knack for picking up strikeouts. He followed the spring with a stint on Team USA, further solidifying his standing among the nation’s top lefthanded starters. 

Aidan Knaak, RHP, Clemson

Knaak has established himself as one of the ACC’s most reliable starters over two seasons at Clemson, posting a 3.78 ERA across 31 starts (173.2 innings) with a 29.8% strikeout rate and a 7.9% walk rate. He pairs a low-90s fastball that has touched 96 mph with one of the best changeups in college baseball, a true separator he trusts in any count against both righties and lefties. That combination of durability, strike-throwing and a dominant secondary pitch gives him a rare floor-and-ceiling blend among returning starters.

Tegan Kuhns, RHP, Tennessee

Kuhns arrived at Tennessee with top-of-the-class stuff and forced his way into the weekend rotation as a freshman in 2025, logging 36.2 innings. While his spring results were uneven, his summer performance in the Cape Cod League recalibrated expectations, as he struck out 20 and walked just one over 13.1 innings across three starts. With mid-90s velocity, a high-spin breaking ball and a full starter’s mix, Kuhns’ inclusion reflects both his upside and the belief that his stuff is poised to translate more consistently over a larger workload.

Tommy LaPour, RHP, TCU

LaPour’s trajectory has trended sharply upward since stepping into Wichita State’s weekend rotation as a freshman, then elevating again after transferring to TCU in 2025. As a sophomore, he logged 90.1 innings across 16 starts with a 3.09 ERA, pairing a 23.4% strikeout rate with a 7.2% walk rate. With a power fastball that has reached triple digits and two reliable secondary offerings, LaPour has already shown he can combine velocity, durability and efficiency at a high level.

Ryan Lynch, RHP, North Carolina

Lynch emerged quickly as a factor for North Carolina as a freshman in 2025, finishing the year with a 3.08 ERA over 61.1 innings while forcing his way into the rotation during the postseason. His success was driven by a mid-90s fastball and a hard, sweeping slider that consistently missed bats. With his size, arm strength and ability to impact games in multiple roles already established, Lynch’s candidacy hinges on how fully his starter profile comes together over a full season.

Ryan Marohn, LHP, NC State

Marohn stepped directly into NC State’s rotation as a freshman and has provided steady, dependable innings through two seasons, posting a 3.62 ERA across 24 starts and 144.1 innings. He combines outstanding strike-throwing consistency with a deep, usable mix, leaning on a low-90s fastball while getting swing-and-miss from multiple secondaries.

Ethan Norby, LHP, East Carolina

Norby established himself in East Carolina’s rotation early and took a clear step forward as a sophomore in 2025, boosting his strikeout rate while cutting down on walks across 14 starts. Through two seasons and 149.1 innings, he owns a 3.80 ERA and has shown the ability to navigate lineups with a deep, well-sequenced mix. His success is driven by feel and pitch diversity rather than pure velocity, a profile that has already held up across both the AAC and international competition with Team USA.

Jack Ohman, RHP, Yale

Ohman delivered one of the most dominant freshman seasons in recent memory, posting a 1.34 ERA with an 87-to-20 strikeout-to-walk ratio across 73.2 innings. Ohman overwhelmed hitters with a mid-to-upper-90s fastball, which averaged more than 20 inches of carry, and paired it with a plus gyro slider that produced a 49% miss rate. Returning to Yale after that breakout, Ohman brings both elite results and top-end stuff that already stack up with the nation’s best arms. He’s poised to dominate the Ivy League again.

Liam Peterson, RHP, Florida

Peterson’s pure stuff has consistently stood out, even as his results have lagged behind the quality of his arsenal. He features a mid-to-upper-90s fastball that plays at the top of the zone, supported by an upper-80s slider and changeup that each produced 43% whiff rates. When his command and sequencing sync up, Peterson has the ingredients of a frontline arm capable of driving a Pitcher of the Year case.

Logan Reddemann, RHP, UCLA

Reddemann built a strong foundation over two seasons at San Diego, posting a 3.29 ERA across 131.1 innings while showing advanced control, highlighted by one of the best walk rates in Division I. He reinforced that profile on the Cape, where he struck out 25 against just three walks, before transferring to UCLA for 2026. With a four-pitch mix, steady velocity and proven strike-throwing, Reddemann brings a polished profile to the front of the No. 1 Bruins’ staff.

Dylan Volantis, LHP, Texas

Volantis emerged as one of the most dominant relievers in college baseball last year, posting a 1.94 ERA with 74 strikeouts against 12 walks across 51 innings en route to Baseball America College Freshman of the Year honors. His ability to miss bats from a difficult lefthanded slot, anchored by a fastball-breaking ball combination that consistently overwhelmed hitters, separated him throughout the season.

Joey Volchko, RHP, Georgia

Volchko arrived at Georgia with some of the loudest pure arm talent in college baseball after flashing dominance in two seasons at Stanford despite inconsistent results. His fastball has averaged 95 mph and touched 99 with heavy cut, and it’s complemented by two high-spin power breaking balls that give him multiple bat-missing avenues. The gap between his stuff and his production remains the variable, but if his control and command take a step, few arms in the country offer a higher-impact ceiling.

Dax Whitney, RHP, Oregon State

Whitney arrived on campus with top-two-round buzz and quickly proved he belonged among the best starters in college baseball, regardless of age. As a freshman, he logged 76.2 innings with a 3.40 ERA and 120 strikeouts, earning a spot on the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team. With a mid-90s fastball that has touched 98 mph, multiple bat-missing breaking balls and the ability to compete in the strike zone, Whitney enters 2026 as the premier underclass arm in the country and a legitimate contender to sit atop the 2027 draft class.