Ranking the top MLB draft prospects in the 2025 Men’s College World Series
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Kiley McDaniel
The prospect talent in Omaha is strong this year. Even though only two SEC teams made it, the Men’s College World Series field is full of traditional powers with first-round talents.
Before regionals, I ranked the programs with the most MLB draft prospects and though the second-, third- and eighth-ranked teams made it to Omaha, the other five MCWS teams didn’t crack the top dozen. Most of them would’ve been in the next tier — with the notable (and fantastic) exception of Murray State.
Below, I rank the top 15 prospects in the tournament (regardless of draft class), who are all strong candidates to be drafted in the first or compensation rounds. Some underclass prospects could belong in that conversation, and they’re all covered below in the team-by-team breakdown. This ranking is based on major league potential and draft stock, not potential College World Series impact, and prospects are 2025 draft-eligible unless noted otherwise.
Here are all the top pro prospects in Omaha this year.
Watch: MCWS, starting Friday on ESPN | Storylines, predictions | Schedule
Top MLB draft prospects in MCWS
1. Roch Cholowsky, SS, UCLA (2026)
2. Kade Anderson, LHP, LSU
3. Aiva Arquette, SS, Oregon State
4. Dax Whitney, RHP, Oregon State (2027)
5. Wehiwa Aloy, SS, Arkansas
6. Brendan Summerhill, CF, Arizona
7. Gage Wood, RHP, Arkansas
8. Derek Curiel, CF, LSU (2026)
9. Casan Evans, RHP, LSU (2027)
10. Cole Gibler, LHP, Arkansas (2027)
11. Caden Bodine, C, Coastal Carolina
12. Anthony Eyanson, RHP, LSU
13. Patrick Forbes, RHP, Louisville
14. Charles Davalan, LF, Arkansas
15. Zach Root, LHP, Arkansas
Arizona
Top Prospect: Brendan Summerhill, CF
Summerhill is the clear headliner here, tracking as a mid-first-round pick with above-average tools, but Arizona also has a ton of pro talent depth who should be drafted in later rounds.
The Wildcats outfield features Aaron Walton and Easton Breyfogle (2026), while the infield has some pro talent in shortstop Mason White, third baseman Maddox Mihalakis and catcher Adonys Guzman. The pitching staff also has some depth with right-handers Collin McKinney, Owen Kramkowski (2026) and Smith Bailey (2027), along with a few more in the bullpen.
One or two will sneak into the third round, but most fit just beyond that.
Arkansas
Top Prospect: Wehiwa Aloy, SS
Arkansas is flush with early-round pro talent, finishing second in my rankings of teams with the most pro talent and now first among the programs in Omaha. Aloy leads the way — he’ll likely be selected by Pick 15 in this summer’s draft — but right-hander Gage Wood, left-hander Zach Root and left fielder Charles Davalan should all go by around Pick 50. Third baseman Brent Iredale is a sleeper pick who should also go in the top three rounds of this draft.
Catcher Ryder Helfrick and right-hander Gabe Gaeckle lead the 2026 group, and left-hander Cole Gibler tops the 2027 hopefuls. All three players could go in the first two rounds.
Coastal Carolina
Top Prospect: Caden Bodine, C
The Chanticleers are similar to Gonzaga’s men’s basketball team — a perennial, nationally relevant mid-major program. Bodine leads the way as a late-first/early-second-round prospect who stands out for his contact and framing. There isn’t a ton of top-five-round depth talent, but right-handers Jacob Morrison and Cameron Flukey (2026) and left-hander Dominick Carbone (2026) are the next-best talents, with Flukey the best of the bunch.
Louisville
Top Prospect: Patrick Forbes, RHP
Forbes is a late-first/early-second-round fit as a starter with big stuff but could end up as a reliever in the majors. Louisville’s lineup has some pro prospects: outfielder Zion Rose (2026), center fielder Lucas Moore (2026), first baseman Tague Davis (2027), third baseman Jake Munroe and catcher Matt Klein. Right-hander Tucker Biven, who has been trending up in the second half of the year and getting some starts.
LSU
Top Prospect: Kade Anderson, LHP
LSU was third (now second among teams in Omaha) in my rankings of the programs with the top pro talent. Anderson could be the No. 1 pick and seems like a lock to at least go in the top five. Outfielder Derek Curiel and shortstop Steven Milam lead the way in their 2026 group while right-handers Casan Evans and William Schmidt are the team’s top 2027 prospects.
There’s also plenty of depth beyond those players. Right-handers Anthony Eyanson and Chase Shores, second baseman Daniel Dickinson and designated hitter Ethan Frey are all in the conversation to go in the first three rounds of the 2025 draft.
Murray State
Top Prospect: Will Vierling, C
The Racers might be the team with the most improbable Cinderella run to Omaha in our lifetime. Vierling (cousin of Detroit Tigers outfielder Matt Vierling) is a later-round prospect for this year as a left-handed-hitting catcher. After checking with some scouts, that might be all of the pro talent on this team. A college team full of good college players who are hot at the right moment might be enough to make some noise in Omaha, but just getting this far is an incredible accomplishment.
Oregon State
Top Prospect: Aiva Arquette, SS
Arquette and right-hander Dax Whitney (2027) are both top-half-of-the-first-round talents to headline a strong Beavers club. There’s more high-end talent in the lineup and rotation with third baseman Trent Caraway, left fielder Gavin Turley, left-hander Nelson Keljo, right-hander Eric Segura (2026) and left-hander Ethan Kleinschmit (2026), who are all top three-to-four-round talents playing key roles for Oregon State this year.
UCLA
Top Prospect: Roch Cholowsky, SS (2026)
Cholowsky is the top pro prospect in college baseball, making him an early candidate to go first overall next summer. He has a complete game and is above average at almost everything on the field.
There’s some depth for the Bruins in the third-to-fifth-round range, particularly in the infield: catcher Cashel Duggar (2026), third baseman Roman Martin (2026), first baseman Mulivai Levu (2026), second baseman Phoenix Call (2026), left fielder Dean West (2026) and right-handers Cal Randall (2026) and Easton Hawk (2027). But they don’t have much else in the 2025 group.
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Julian Sayin had a 40-yard touchdown pass to Carnell Tate early in the fourth quarter, Ohio State got a couple of key stops in the red zone and the third-ranked Buckeyes opened the defense of their national championship with a 14-7 victory over top-ranked Texas on Saturday.
It was the fourth time the No. 1 team in the AP preseason poll has met the previous season’s national champion in the opener. The defending champ has won the last three.
“Just a gritty win to start the season,” Ohio State coach Ryan Day said. “We just felt like in Week 1, we didn’t want to beat ourselves. We took that into consideration with everything that we did.”
Arch Manning completed 17 of 30 passes for 170 yards, a touchdown and an interception for the Longhorns.
Texas was 1 of 5 on fourth down, including being stopped twice in the red zone. Manning was stuffed at the 1-yard line on fourth-and-goal by Caden Curry and Lorenzo Styles Jr. on a QB sneak in the third quarter.
The Longhorns were driving for a tying touchdown late in the game but Jack Endries was stopped by Caleb Downs 1 yard short of a first down to end hopes of a comeback.
“Ultimately, not good enough. Obviously you don’t want to start off the season 0-1,” Manning said. “They’re a good team. I thought we beat ourselves a lot, and that starts with me. I’ve got to play better for us to win.”
Sayin was 13 of 20 passing for 126 yards. His best pass of the day came with 13:08 remaining in the game, when Tate beat Texas cornerback Jaylon Guilbeau for the long score. Tate juggled the ball before pulling it down in the end zone to put the Buckeyes up by two touchdowns.
CJ Donaldson opened the scoring midway through the second quarter on a 1-yard run up the middle to cap a 13-play, 87-yard drive that took eight minutes off the clock. The Buckeyes benefitted from a pair of penalties, including a face mask call on Colin Simmons that wiped out an incomplete pass on third-and-4.
Texas finally got points with 3:28 remaining in the fourth quarter when Manning connected with Parker Livingstone on a 32-yard touchdown.
The Longhorns defense forced a three-and-out, giving Texas a chance to tie.
After an entertaining Week 0 appetizer and a smattering of games Thursday and Friday, it’s time for Week 1 of the college football season to finally kick off. And the game to start off the first full Saturday of the season couldn’t be much better.
It’s the Texas Longhorns vs. the Ohio State Buckeyes. It’s the No. 1 and No. 3 teams in the preseason AP poll facing off. It’s a College Football Playoff rematch and Arch Manning’s first major test as starter against the defending national champions.
Needless to say, it’s going to be good.
We’ll be keeping track of Texas-Ohio State — and any other notable happenings that might pop up — as the college football season returns. Here’s everything that’s going on across Week 1 in college football:
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