NCAA baseball tournament: 8 MLB Draft prospects to watch in super regionals

An exhilarating and occasionally absurd four days of baseball trimmed the NCAA championship hopefuls from 64 to 16 teams. And there’s still plenty of top-shelf talent remaining for super regionals weekend.

With Major League Baseball’s draft lurking next month and eight best-of-three series at hand, USA TODAY Sports explores eight draft-eligible pro prospects to keep an eye on this weekend:

Andrew Fischer, 1B, Tennessee (Fayetteville super regional)

Few players bring more energy than Fischer, who asked Tennessee fans to double the volume from Sunday to Monday’s winner-take-all regional game against Wake Forest, then hit a two-run home run after exhorting the crowd and drawing the obscene ire of the Demon Deacons’ coach.

But Fischer is much more than pop and circumstance: He can seriously rake, batting .343 with 24 home runs and an affinity to rise to the occasion, as we learned Monday. In his first look at the Razorbacks – now the highest-remaining seed in the tournament – he banged out eight hits against their pro-caliber pitching staff, and torched eventual No. 1 seed Vanderbilt for three homers earlier in May.

MLB teams will assess Fischer as a corner infielder, as his power may not be grand enough for first base, but his defense at third would need some work. That potential tweener status (think of Fischer as a slightly bigger and similarly exuberant Nick Swisher) might keep him out of the first round, but Arkansas – and a potential Omaha trip – give Fischer a last-minute platform against elite competition.

Gage Wood, RHP, Arkansas (Fayetteville super regional)

With another lights-out performance in the supers, Wood could have recency bias on his side come draft night. He started and won the Razorbacks’ do-or-die finale in their regional, reaching a career high in innings (six) and strikeouts (13), an emotional night for a pitcher who spent his freshman year as the Hogs’ closer yet missed seven consecutive weekends in this, his junior spring, due to a shoulder impingement.

But Sunday against Creighton, Wood’s fastball sat in the upper 90s and, paired with a devastating curveball he dominated Bluejays hitters. While that for-now two-pitch profile may suggest some reliever risk for drafting teams, Wood only seems to be scratching the surface of his potential. The Volunteers will pose a timely hurdle for Wood to try and vault.

Jamie Arnold, LHP, Florida State (Corvallis super regional)

It’s debatable which college left-hander is most ready to leap quickly to the major leagues, but it’s hard to side against Arnold, who remains in contention for the No. 1 overall pick and shouldn’t slide beyond the top four selections next month.

Arnold’s fastball-slider combination looks pro-ready now, as he sits around 96 mph with his heater and has touched 98. But in concert with his slider, a nasty offering with about a foot and a half of run, Arnold can seem untouchable.

In his regionals start against Mississippi State, Arnold effectively unleashed his cutter, striking out 13 in seven innings against two walks. Oregon State – which features a prospect-laden, upperclassmen heavy lineup with its own projected top five pick – will be an awesome test Friday night.

Gavin Turley, OF, Oregon State (Corvallis super regional)

Speaking of the Beavers, Turley won’t hear his name called in the first minutes of next month’s draft like his teammate, shortstop Aiva Arquette. But Turley’s projectable frame and body of work at Oregon State may nudge him into the first two rounds.

Turley was a paragon of consistency in Corvallis, breaking Michael Conforto’s school record with 184 RBIs, and posting seasons of 14, 19 and 18 home runs. In a stellar junior year, Turley boosted his average from .277 to .352 while trimming his strikeout percentage from 27.3 to 21.8. At 6-foot-1, 195 pounds, Turley should be well-positioned to add strength as he matures yet is athletic enough to play a serviceable outfield.

Ike Irish, C, Auburn (Auburn super regional)

“First catcher off the board” is rarely the sexiest draft designation, but Irish will be a crowd-pleasing pick due to his offensive skill set. Thirty-two of Irish’s 75 hits this year went for extra bases, and he paired his 18 homers with a .464 OBP. Irish had seven hits in 14 at-bats, including two homers, in Auburn’s 3-0 run through its own regional.

The question for the club drafting him is whether Irish is merely a “bat-first catcher” or simply a bat, period. He caught just 12 games this season, spending 43 in the outfield, a reverse of the 25 behind the plate and 12 on the grass from a year ago.

Caden Bodine, C, Coastal Carolina (Auburn regional)

Contact is making a comeback in the big leagues, and if drafted clubs care about putting bat on ball, Bodine would be their guy. He’s struck out just 21 times in 280 plate appearances, an absurd 7.5% K rate, and it’s at 7.8% for his career.

But Bodine is hardly just flinging bat at ball. He’s banged out 229 hits in 176 games at Coastal and has impressed in myriad summer ball circuits as well. His skill set should put him on the fringes of the first round.

Ethan Frey, OF, LSU (Baton Rouge super regional)

Legends are made at Alex Box Stadium, regardless of what a player might do beyond its environs. Thing is, Frey’s place in Bayou Bengal lore is now secure, yet he’s also got a very bright pro future ahead.

Frey helped LSU avert disaster in the regional round, roping a bases-loaded double to erase most of a 5-1 deficit to serious underdog Little Rock, part of a 4-for-4 performance that also included a home run. The Tigers survived the upset bid, and Frey has another platform to display his burgeoning power.

It’s not easy cracking the depth chart in Baton Rouge and Frey did not become a regular until this season. But oh, what a breakout for the 6-5, 230-pound right-handed slugger: He’s racked up 13 homers and 13 doubles in 153 at-bats and worked his way up to the No. 2 hole for the Tigers’ elimination game. The season onramp is running short, but Frey’s upside is only just coming into view.

Patrick Forbes, RHP, Louisville (Louisville super regional)

Yet another sleeper cell talent still alive in this tournament: Forbes is in just his first full season as a starting pitcher and missed a chunk of it due to a flexor strain. Yet his powerful arsenal may be coalescing just in time.

Forbes struck out 13 in six innings of Louisville’s regional opener against East Tennessee State, featuring a fastball that tops out in the upper 90s. Forbes’ gem set the stage for their knockout of No. 1 overall seed Vanderbilt. Now, they’re home to Miami with as good a shot as anyone of getting to Omaha. And Forbes, who hasn’t even amassed 100 innings pitched at Louisville, has another shot at driving up his stock.

Who is in NCAA baseball super regionals?

• No. 3 Arkansas
• No. 4 Auburn
• No. 5 North Carolina
• No. 6 LSU
• No. 8 Oregon State
• No. 9 Florida State
• No. 13 Coastal Carolina
• No. 14 Tennessee
• No. 15 UCLA
• Arizona
• Duke
• Louisville
• Miami
• Murray State
• UTSA
• West Virginia

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