ACC baseball preview: 20 names to know in 2025

Forget the roses, the candy hearts and all the other romantic trappings. The best Valentine’s Day present this year will be diamonds.

Just not the shiny kind fitted onto a ring, a necklace or earrings.

Friday won’t just be a day for lovers. It’s a day for lovers of Division I college baseball as the boys of spring return to their grassy diamonds to begin a new season.

Anticipation is especially high around the ACC, which should be just as competitive as it was a year ago when it tied a College World Series record by sending 4 teams to Omaha.

And even deeper with the addition of Stanford and Cal.

So while we wait for the umpire to shout  “Play Ball” and for the first pitch to be thrown, here are 20 names from around the league you need to know in 2025:

20 names to know for ACC baseball

The ACC sent a record-tying 4 teams to the College World Series last year and should be just as deep and competitive this season. Here are the best of the best.

1. Jamie Arnold, LHP, Florida State

Arnold enjoyed a breakout season that was exceeded statistically only by Wake Forest’s first-round draft pick Chase Burns. He went 11-3 with a 2.98 ERA and 159 strikeouts in pitching the Seminoles to the College World Series and earning first-team All-American honors. Arnold showed off his dominant best by striking out 17 against Pitt in mid-May, the most by an FSU pitcher since 1987. With 3 plus pitches, including a nasty slider that produced one of the highest whiff rates in the country last season (41%), he’s projected to be a top-5 pick in this year’s MLB Draft — and is a candidate to go No. 1 overall.

2. Drew Burress, OF, Georgia Tech

Burress arrived at Tech with a reputation for having one of the most explosive bats in last year’s freshman class. And he wasted no time in backing it up. The compactly built 5-9, 180-pound slugger hit 2 homers in his college debut against Radford, then doubled that output by going deep 4 times later against Georgia State later in February. He finished the season leading the Yellow Jackets with a .381 average, 25 homers and 67 RBIs while also stealing 8 bases and setting a school record with 10 assists by an outfielder. Burress led all Division I freshmen in 6 statistical categories. It’s a performance that sends him into his sophomore year as the preseason ACC Player of the Year favorite.

3. Cam Cannarella, OF, Clemson

After winning the ACC’s Rookie of the Year award in 2023, Cannarella put together another strong season last year despite playing through a shoulder injury. A left-handed line-drive hitter, he earned first-team All-ACC honors for the second time by hitting .337 with 11 homers and 60 RBIs as a sophomore. As outstanding as he has been with the bat during his 2 seasons with the Tigers, he’s been even better defensively in center field. He’s ranked the No. 1 defensive outfielder in the nation by Baseball America, a title he validated with a spectacular, game-saving catch against Florida in the NCAA Super Regionals last spring. He’s also ranked as the No. 2 fastest runner, a talent he’ll have a better chance to use this season now that he’s 100% healthy again. MLB.com ranked Cannarella the No. 15 prospect in this year’s draft class.

4. Hunter Carns, C, Florida State

The physical, power-hitting catcher was taken in by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 20th round last summer but would have gone much higher had he not advertised his intention to play college ball for the Seminoles. Carns gave a preview of his ability to drive the ball to all fields by hitting 5 home runs during the fall, including 1 in a scrimmage against Alabama. He also showed advanced defensive skills for a freshman. Although he’ll start the season as a backup to veteran catcher Jaxson West, coach Link Jarrett will find a spot for him somewhere in the lineup – whether as the DH or in the outfield – from Day 1.

5. Daniel Cuvet, 3B, Miami

One of the nation’s top prospects coming out of high school a year ago, the local product from Fort Lauderdale was a major bright spot in an otherwise miserable 2024 for the Hurricanes, who were just 27-30 (11-19 ACC) in their first season under JD Arteaga. He led all Division I freshmen with 75 RBIs while hitting .351 and setting a school record with 24 homers. A right-handed hitter whose power is generated by a pure 6-3, 235-pound stroke, Cuvet was named recently by D1Baseball.com as the nation’s top third baseman heading into the new season.

6. Jason DeCaro, RHP, North Carolina

DeCaro was thrust into the Friday night starter’s role as a 17-year-old freshman after teammates Jake Knapp and Folger Boaz suffered season-ending injuries. And he rose to the occasion by compiling a 6-1 record in a team-leading 18 starts to go along with a 3.81 ERA and 78 strikeouts. He has 4 pitches he can throw for strikes, including a fastball clocked in the mid-90s and a curve whose 2.957 average spin rate was higher than all but 12 major league pitchers last season.

7. Jacob Dudan, RHP, NC State

The hard-throwing right-hander was the Wolfpack’s ace in the hole out of the bullpen last season. He earned Freshman All-American honors by recording a 4-2 record with 6 saves and 56 strikeouts in just 48 innings. And he did it with a flair for the dramatic. That was best illustrated in the game that sent State to the College World Series. Entering with the bases loaded and 1 out in the bottom of the 5th inning against Georgia, Dudan struck out Bulldogs slugger Charlie Condon on 4 pitches, then got out of the jam without allowing a run. With closer Derrick Smith back, it’s uncertain whether coach Elliott Avent will continue to use him in relief or as a starter. Either way, he’ll be the most important arm in the Wolfpack’s arsenal.

8. Jacob Ference, C, Virginia

Ference had no problem adjusting to the higher level of competition after transferring to UVa from Division III Salisbury State last season. He stepped right into a starting role behind the plate and in addition to a solid backstop for one of the nation’s best pitching staffs, he displayed a combination of power and surprising speed for a catcher by hitting .350 with 17 homers and 12 stolen bases. A redshirt senior, he’s one of the most experienced players in college baseball and a key element for the Cavaliers offensively and defensively.

9. Patrick Forbes, RHP, Louisville

Forbes will stick to pitching this season after missing a month last year with a hand injury, suffered when he was hit by a pitch. The injury limited him to only 29 innings on the mound. But he showed no ill effects upon his return. Flashing a fastball that tops out at 98 MPH, he allowed only 4 runs with 21 strikeouts and 11 hits allowed in 17 2/3 innings over his final 8 appearances. He followed that up with a strong summer in the Cape Cod League that has set him up to be one of the top pitchers in the ACC in 2025. MLB.com ranked him No. 62 among draft prospects this season.

10. Henry Ford, OF, Virginia

Like Burress, Ford made an immediate splash by hitting a walk-off double in his first game with the Cavaliers last season. He also had a 3-homer game, including a grand slam in a come-from-behind win against North Carolina. He finished with a freshman school-record 17 homers and a team-leading 69 RBIs while batting .336, earning an invitation to the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team training camp last summer. Ford will be moving from first base to right field this season. But he’ll continue to be a major force in the middle of the Cavaliers’ batting order as they look to make a return trip to Omaha.

11. Luke Gaffney, 1B, Clemson

Tigers coach Erik Bakich returned to his Big Ten roots by grabbing Gaffney off the transfer portal from Purdue. The 6-2, 215-pound first baseman was the B1G Freshman of the Year in 2024 after hitting .359 for the Boilermakers while setting school records for home runs (13), RBIs (64), total bases (135) and runs (62). Not only will Gaffney add a big bat into the middle of Clemson’s lineup, but he also brings added value with his ability to play behind the plate if necessary. He was Kentucky’s No. 3-rated catcher in the 2022 recruiting Class by PerfectGame.com.

12. Henry Godbout, 2B, Virginia

A classic pull hitter who makes solid contact and rarely strikes out, Godbout is coming off a sophomore season in which he led the Cavaliers with a .372 average while recording career-high totals in doubles (18), homers (9) and RBIs (47) and an OPS of 1.117. Besides his consistency at the plate, Godbout is also an outstanding fielder who made only 4 errors on 224 chances in 2024. He’s rated by D1Baseball.com as the nation’s top returning second baseman and is projected to join his infield mate Griff O’Ferrall as a first-round draft pick this summer. 

13. AJ Gracia, OF, Duke

It took Gracia awhile to finally get to Duke after committing to coach Chris Pollard as an 8th-grader. But once he arrived last season, he wasted no time making his mark with the Blue Devils.  He set school freshman records by hitting 14 homers and driving in 58 runs, surpassing the latter mark on the same day the former holder of the record, Joey Loperfido, was called up to the majors by the Houston Astros. In addition to his quick left-handed swing, which produced a .559 slugging percentage, Gracia also showed an advanced knowledge of the strike zone that helped him lead the team with 48 walks.

14. Marek Houston, SS, Wake Forest

Houston has always been a standout fielder for the Deacons. He’s Baseball America’s preseason choice as the nation’s best defensive infielder with the best infield arm. But last season, he added a potent offensive element to his repertoire by improving his average more than 100 points from .220 as a freshman to a team-leading .326. He also recorded 16 doubles, 8 homers and 39 RBIs while also walking 38 times and scoring 57 runs in the leadoff spot to serve as an effective table-setter for Wake’s potent offense.

15. Kyle Johnson, LHP/OF, Duke

Johnson is poised to become one of the ACC’s breakout stars this season after showing a glimpse of his well-rounded skill in becoming the first 2-way player to earn Freshman All-American honors in a utility role since former Blue Devil and current Major Leaguer Marcus Stroman. In 15 games on the mound (including 10 starts), the lefty compiled a 4-1 record with 53 strikeouts in 49 1/3 innings with a fastball that was clocked as high as 96 MPH. As a right-handed hitting outfielder, he batted .253 with 3 homers, a .480 slugging percentage and a .398 on-base percentage in 75 at-bats. He capped his promising debut season with a 2-run double in Duke’s ACC Tournament championship victory against Florida State.

16. Kane Kepley, OF, North Carolina

The Tar Heels got more than just a pitching coach when they hired Scott Jackson from Liberty. They also got a productive, experienced player capable of filling some of the void left by the departure of all 3 starting outfielders. Kepley came along with Jackson from Liberty, where he hit .332 with 9 homers, 53 walks and 25 stolen bases for the Flames as a sophomore last season. “He’s got a chance to be special,” UNC coach Scott Forbes said of Kepley in an interview with Inside Carolina last fall. “We’re lucky we got him.” MLB.com ranked Kepley the No. 40 prospect in this summer’s draft class.

17. Aidan Knaak, RHP, Clemson

Knaak quickly emerged as the ace of Clemson’s staff by going 5-1 with a 3.35 ERA in 15 starts in his first college season. He held opponents to a .221 batting average while striking out 108 and walking only 29 in 83 1/3 innings to become the first Tigers freshman pitcher to earn first-team All-ACC selection since Ryan Mottl in 1997. The hard-throwing right-hander has a fastball that hovers in the mid-90s, a solid curveball and a swing-and-miss changeup that’s his out pitch. He enters 2025 as a first-team preseason All-American, according to D1Baseball.com.

18. Rintaro Sasaki, 1B, Stanford

Sasaki could have become a star back home in Japan after becoming a national phenomenon by launching 140 home runs at the same high school that produced Shohei Ohtani. But instead of entering the Nippon Professional Baseball League draft, where he was projected to be the No. 1 pick, he chose to come to America and play college ball at Stanford. He strikes an imposing presence in the left-handed batter’s box at 6-0, 275 pounds. “He boasts thunderous bat speed, as well as pitch recognition skills,” Baseball America’s Peter Flaherty wrote in naming Sasaki the No. 1 player in the incoming freshman class. “Sasaki projects to hit in the middle of Stanford’s lineup this spring and has ACC Freshman of the Year upside.”

19. Luke Stevenson, C, North Carolina

Another member of the ACC’s star-studded 2024 freshman class, Stevenson stepped in and caught 63 of the Tar Heels’ 64 games on the way to the College World Series, earning praise for his strong arm and maturity behind the plate in handling a pitching staff that was decimated by injuries. He also put together a solid season at the plate, hitting .284 with 14 homers and 58 RBIs. He also led the team with 48 walks. He followed that up with selection to the USA Baseball Summer Tour team. As a draft-eligible sophomore, he has a chance to play his way into the early first round of this summer with another productive season.

20. Max Williams, CF, Florida State

A transfer from Alabama, Williams fit right into the leadoff spot and helped take FSU all the way to Omaha by hitting .311 with 14 homers and 46 RBIs while also anchoring an outfield alongside MLB Draft picks James Tibbs and Jaime Ferrer. With Tibbs and Ferrer gone, Williams will move down in the batting order, where his left-handed bat – which has produced some of the team’s highest exit velocities – will be expected to carry an even bigger portion of the offensive load.