College Baseball
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Week 7 MLB Draft Eligible College Baseball Standouts

College Baseball keeps moving along as teams continue to climb rankings for a ticket to Omaha. Along with the teams, some MLB Draft-eligible college players are standing out and moving up pre-draft rankings as well. In this series, we have covered many draft-eligible sophomores and juniors as we prepare you for the MLB Draft in July and set you up to dominate your FYPDs in the off-season. We will break down top-producing pitchers and hitters from the college side, giving you the leg up in your leagues. Let’s dive into week seven’s MLB Draft-eligible college baseball standouts.

Batting Prospects

Bryker Hurdsman, OF Jr. BYU

(23 GP, .429/.505/.679, 3 HR, 29 R, 16 RBI, 7 SB)

One of the best hitters in the NCAA this season has been Bryker Hurdsman of Brigham Young University. Despite the 6’4” and 200-pound frame, Hurdsman has not been known for his power in his lone season at Utah Tech and BYU. In fact across 63 games played prior to this season and 180 at-bats, Hurdsman hit just seven total. The bat-to-ball skills are what Hurdsman has been known for, as well as the ability to draw a walk, as we saw a solid performance from him as a sophomore in 2024.

Across 38 games played in his first season at BYU, Hurdsman slashed .272/.375/.476 with four home runs, 19 runs scored, 13 RBIs, and five stolen bases. What has continued to raise Hurdsman stock this season has been hitting the ball to all fields, as we have seen the extra base pop increase. This, paired with the bat-to-ball skills and improving his OBP and average, should get him pushing towards the first three rounds. If a team can get him to lift the ball more, this could be an interesting profile.

Trent Caraway, 3B So. Oregon State

(26 GP, .302/.339/.466, 3 HR, 24 R, 19 RBI, 4 SB)

Oregon State has a track record of turning out solid bats in the MLB Draft, and Trent Caraway might be one of the next names to make his mark. The 6’2” and 203-pound right-handed Caraway was impressive in his freshman season at Oregon State, playing in just 18 games but slashing .339/.431/.516 with two home runs, 16 runs scored, 10 RBIs, and four stolen bases. This solid performance carried over into the Cape Cod Baseball League, where we saw Caraway play for Falmouth, appearing in 28 games and slashing .276/.362/.449 with four home runs, 17 runs scored, 21 RBIs, and five stolen bases in six attempts.

The power boost in the CCBL was encouraging, as it was with wood bats and could be indicative of future power, making this a good sign as he entered his sophomore season. Thus far, we haven’t seen the power that showed up in the CCBL, but the extra base power has been a welcome sight for Caraway. If he continues to show solid performance this could be a major value to a team in the third to fifth round of the draft.

Kyle Lodise, SS Jr. Georgia Tech

(29 GP, .393/.500/.863, 12 HR, 44 R, 38 RBI, 7 SB)

Georgia Tech has to be happy with the performance Kyle Lodise has put in during his first season with the club. Brother to Florida State infielder Alex Lodise, Kyle Lodise has stood out as a power hitting shortstop with big upside with his approach at the plate. Standing 5’11” and 180 pounds, Lodise has increased his power output each season in both home runs and extra base hits. Across 48 games played for Augusta University in 2024, Lodise slashed .369/.498/.693 with 14 home runs, 55 runs scored, 49 RBIs, and 24 stolen bases in 29 attempts.

After the 2024 College Baseball season, Lodise played for Chatham in the Cape Cod Baseball League. Across 37 games played, Lodise struggled with the wood bat, slashing just .239/.394/.358 with three home runs, 19 runs scored, 12 RBIs, and nine stolen bases in 12 attempts. The bright spot was the 28 walks in 109 at-bats in the CCBL, an encouraging sign for his patience at the plate. This season the bat looks fantastic, and the plate discipline has been on full display as Lodise’s draft stock continues to rise. Look for him to push for a selection in the first or second round with a solid finish to the season.

Pitching Prospects

Dominic Fritton, LHP Jr. NC State

(7 GS, 41.1 IP, 59 K, 2.16 ERA, 3.7 BB/9, 12.7 K/9)

The WolfPack of North Carolina State has to be happy with this season, as Dominic Fritton is putting together a strong case to be drafted in the first two rounds. Standing at 6’1” and 193 pounds, Fritton features a mid-90s fastball that has peaked at 97 mph, the curveball sits at 76 mph, while the change-up is an 82 mph offering with solid fade.

Fritton dominated as a freshman for the Wolfpack, appearing in 17 games while starting nine games with 75 strikeouts over 62.2 innings pitched, good for a 10.8 K/9, and finished with a 3.59 ERA in the ACC. The walks are and have been an issue for Fritton in his collegiate career at NC State as his sophomore season was overall a disappointment. This season, however, Fritton has strung together excellent outings like the 7.1 innings pitched against Pittsburgh, where he struck out 13 batters, allowing four hits, two walks, and two earned runs.

Size-wise wise Fritton will have to show excellent stuff as he moves to professional ball, but the bounce-back season is a major help to his draft stock this July.

Blake Gillespie, RHP Jr. UNC Charlotte

(7 GS, 43.2 IP, 58 K, 3.92 ERA, 1.4 BB/9, 12 K/9)

The workhorse of UNC Charlotte, Blake Gillespie, has been solid for the 49ers, working deep into games this season. Standing at 6’2” and 205 pounds Gillespie was previously at Georgia working primarily out of the bullpen. This season was Gillespie’s first opportunity to start full-time, and the pitch mix works well as he features a mid-90s fastball with a solid 11-5 breaking curveball coming in at 78-80 mph, and the change-up has been solid at 87 mph with good tumble and fade.

Over the summer, Gillespie went to the Appalachian League to get more work in before heading to UNC Charlotte and the results were fantastic. Across five starts, Gillespie pitched 23.2 innings, striking out 26 batters, good for a 9.9 K/9, while walking just two batters and finishing with a 0.76 ERA. On 3/7 Gillespie was just the second 49er pitcher to throw a no-hitter in school history as he dominated James Madison, striking out 11 batters over his nine innings pitched with just one walk. This was not a one-off, as he has been solid against UTSA, striking out 13 batters over eight innings pitched, allowing two earned runs on five hits with no walks.

Finally, against Memphis, we saw Gillespie spin eight innings, striking out 11 batters with five hits, one run, and no walks. The profile looks like a solid SP four of five with potential as he gets more development as a starter, but overall, the mileage on the arm is not a concern at all.

Micah Bucknam, RHP Jr. Dallas Baptist

(7 GS, 40.1 IP, 53 K, 3.79 ERA, 3.1 BB/9, 11.8 K/9)

Hailing from Nelson, New Zealand, Micah Bucknam has been solid in his Junior season at Dallas Baptist. The 6’1” 212-pound right-hander previously pitched for LSU from 2023-24 out of the bullpen but with less than stellar results. Bucknam features a fastball that tops out at 97 mph in short bursts but regularly sits in the mid-90s, the sweeper has solid movement down in the zone coming in at 85 mph, and the change-up in the upper 80s with solid tumble and fade.

The last two seasons Bucknam has gone to the Cape Cod Baseball League, where he has seen steady results. This past year, pitching for Yarmouth-Dennis, he appeared in six games, starting five while striking out 24 batters over 21.1 innings pitched, good for a 10.1 K/9 and finished with a 4.22 ERA. Walks and earned runs plagued him in his short stint in the CCBL, but with Dallas Baptist, he looks to turn a corner. The standout game for Bucknam has been the seven-inning performance against Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU), where he struck out 14 while allowing three hits and walking just one batter with no earned runs.

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