COLLEGE BASEBALL ’26: Ten teams to watch

Ten teams to watch in college baseball in 2026, listed in alphabetical order with 2025 record:

Arkansas (50-15)

Dave Van Horn fields winning and usually elite teams year after year, so don’t bet against him finding a way to put together a College World Series-worthy team despite having to replace the entire outfield and weekend rotation. Gabe Gaeckle fills the Friday night starter’s role, which he held the first month of last season before moving to the bullpen. Ryan Helfrick is one of the nation’s best catchers.

Coastal Carolina (56-13)

The Chanticleers, who strung together 26 wins in a row before getting swept by LSU in the CWS finals, will continue to rely on pitching and defense and an opportunistic offense. Cameron Flukey anchors the weekend rotation after going 8-2 with a 3.19 ERA and 118 strikeouts in 101 2/3 innings. Coastal batters were hit by pitches a Division I-record 176 times.

Georgia Tech (41-19)

D1Baseball touts the Yellow Jackets’ lineup as the best overall in the country with Drew Burress ranked No. 1 center fielder, Jarren Advincula the No. 2 second baseman and Vahn Lackey the No. 2 catcher. Kent Schmidt (.397) leads a group of seven players who batted at least .300. Tate McKee anchors a pitching staff that will determine how far this team goes.

Louisville (42-24)

The Cardinals made a nice postseason run, going 2-2 at the CWS, and they bring back many of the key pieces. Lefty Ethan Eberle had a strong freshman season and succeeds strikeout machine Patrick Forbes as the Friday night starter. The offense has strength and speed. Tague Davis and Zion Rose combined for 31 homers, and Lucas Moore led the nation with 53 steals.

LSU (53-15)

The Tigers have won two of the last three national championships and are set up to make another run. Derek Curiel is a projected top-10 draft pick and will play center in what stacks up to be the best outfield in the country. LSU, which lost Kade Anderson (No. 3 draft pick), has a rising in star in Friday night starter Casan Evans, who repeatedly came through in high-pressure situations out of the bullpen as a freshman.

Mississippi State (36-23)

Lots of eyes will be on the Bulldogs with Brian O’Connor taking over after 22 seasons at Virginia. His transfer class is one of the best in the country. Tomas Valincius, projected to be the No. 1 starter, is among five players who followed O’Connor from Virginia. Kevin Milewski hit 16 homers for Seton Hall and Drew Wyers batted .407 at Bryant, where he was America East player of the year. Ace Reese (.352, 21 HRs) is among 15 holdovers.

Tennessee (46-19)

Another team that will draw lots of eyeballs with Josh Elander taking over after the San Francisco Giants hired away Tony Vitello to be their manager. Elander was Vitello’s right-hand man as the Volunteers evolved into an elite program, but he inherits a team that has significant holes to fill. Tegan Kuhns, who made 10 starts as a freshman, gets the ball for the opener. Virginia transfer Henry Ford, one of the top players in the ACC the last two years, adds pop.

TCU (39-20)

The Horned Frogs are set up for a deep postseason run after they made the NCAA Tournament with a young core of players. Big 12 preseason player of the year Sawyer Strosnider was the first freshman since 2001 to post a quadruple-double with 13 doubles, 10 triples, 11 home runs and 10 stolen bases. Friday night starter Tommy LaPour led the Frogs with eight wins and had a 3.09 ERA over 16 starts and was 6-0 in Big 12 games.

Texas (44-14)

The pitching staff is loaded and led by 2025 All-American Dylan Volantis, who moves from the closer’s role to Friday night starter, and transfers Carson Tinney and Aiden Robbins bolster the offense. Volantis posted a 1.94 ERA and opponent batting average of .185 as a freshman. Tinney batted .348 with 17 homers for Notre Dame, and Robbins was in the top 10 nationally with a .422 batting average and .537 on-base percentage for Seton Hall.

UCLA (48-18)

John Savage is an old-school coach who likes to develop his own talent and go to the transfer portal sparingly, and that served him well with his current group. The Bruins are well-positioned for a big season with all but one everyday starter back. It all starts with SS Roch Cholowsky, the projected No. 1 overall pick in the MLB draft. San Diego transfer Logan Reddemann, one of two players brought in through the portal, is the No. 1 pitcher. Freshman pitcher Angel Cervantes is highest-drafted player (No. 50) to choose to go to college.

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AP college sports: https://apnews.com/hub/college-sports