Who are the best starting pitchers in college baseball right now? This list is more based on who I want to give the ball in a do-or-die game today more than who is the best long-term prospect. As you might guess, there’s a lot of overlap in those two concepts: The top four in last year’s list were top 15 picks in the 2025 MLB draft. In addition, one of the biggest arrow-up prospects since the draft (LSU/Red Sox RHP Anthony Eyanson) was ranked 10th.
Compared to my latest draft rankings, the pitchers below will skew toward older, more proven players. These pitchers have been excellent this season (i.e., avoiding a blowup outing to balloon their ERA), and the tiebreaker is their raw stuff. I’ve denoted players who are currently injured with an asterisk if their return to the mound is TBA; NC State RHP Jacob Dudan is out for the season, but he would comfortably make the top 20 if he was healthy.
1. Dax Whitney, RHP, Oregon State*
Sophomore, 63.0 IP, 2.00 ERA, 104 Ks
Whitney walked off the mound after 89 pitches in his most recent outing against Hawai’i with tightness in his right arm. We don’t know how serious that injury is yet, but Whitney is generally considered the best pitching prospect in college baseball. He had a late spring rise as a high school pitcher from Idaho who grew into one who generated late first-round interest in the 2024 MLB draft. The price will be much higher next July.
2. Jackson Flora, RHP, UC Santa Barbara
Junior, 69.1 IP, 0.78 ERA, 88 Ks
Flora is basically a lock to go in the top 10 picks come July, and he has a real shot to go in the top five. His lively stuff got a bit better this season — he hit 100 mph last season, too — but his feel and command are what took the biggest step forward this year.
3. Logan Reddemann, RHP, UCLA
Junior, 59.2 IP, 2.87 ERA, 84 Ks
Reddemann has been one of the biggest MLB prospect risers this year, going from a third-rounder to a first-rounder after 10 starts. His stats are up and his command is still sharp, evidenced by his school-record-tying 18-strikeout game earlier this season.
4. Mason Edwards, LHP, USC
Junior, 65.1 IP, 1.79 ERA, 119 Ks
Edwards has the lowest velocity in this top 10 and also has the highest walk rate, but he has been nails this spring. He has the highest strikeout rate of this group, among the highest ground ball rate, the second-lowest ERA and the lowest xFIP (an ERA estimator). There is some question from scouts how his unusual combination of skills will play at higher levels, but he has found plenty of success in college baseball.
5. Tomas Valincius, LHP, Mississippi State
Sophomore, 63.1 IP, 2.13 ERA, 87 Ks
Valincius followed head coach Brian O’Connor from Virginia to Starkville after a solid freshman season. His velocity is up this season as he has been stellar in the best conference in the country, ranking high by almost every metric even in the rarified air of an elite group of pitchers.
6. Chris Levonas, RHP, Wake Forest
Sophomore, 56.0 IP, 2.89 ERA, 87 Ks
Levonas turned down big money as the 67th overall pick out of a New Jersey high school in the 2024 MLB draft, but he’ll make more next season as he’ll battle Whitney and Valincius to be the top-drafted college pitcher. He has the best velocity of anyone mentioned in this article and also has a plus breaking ball.
7. Ruger Riojas, RHP, Texas
Senior, 55.2 IP, 3.88 ERA, 89 K
Riojas will turn 23 in July, which gives him a leg up in this discussion, but pushes him down a bit in the draft relative to his above average stuff and performances. He spent his first two years in college at University of Texas-San Antonio, and he has really taken a step forward in his second season in Austin.
8. Hunter Dietz, LHP, Arkansas
Redshirt sophomore, 59.2 IP, 3.62 ERA, 92 K
Dietz was a big name in high school, coincidentally on the same high school pitching staff with Liam Peterson (below) and Landen Maroudis (signed for $1.5 million with the Toronto Blue Jays in 2023). Peterson and Dietz both had seven-figure interest and both will deliver on that this season; Peterson has been consistently posting for the Gators while Dietz has battled injuries but moved past them this spring.
9. Dylan Volantis, LHP, Texas
Sophomore, 56.2 IP, 2.06 ERA, 80 K
Like Edwards, Volantis is a lefty who doesn’t throw as hard as the others on this list. Unlike Edwards, Volantis throws a heavy sinker, differing from Edwards’ four-seamer. Volantis was a classic projection lefty out of high school who has delivered on some velocity gains, but he is using more deception and angles to rack up ground balls, helped by improved command this season.
10. Ben Blair, RHP, Liberty
Junior, 67.1 IP, 2.94 ERA, 86 K
Blair throws from a lower arm slot and has some unique pitch shapes, but also has some classic traits scouts look for, like being 6-foot-3 and sitting 93-95 mph with his fastball. Blair’s control is among the best in all of college baseball (3% walk rate dusts every player mentioned in this article), daring hitters to make hard contact against his above average stuff.
The next 10
11. Cade Townsend, RHP, Ole Miss
12. Cole Carlon, LHP, Arizona State
13. Liam Peterson, RHP, Florida
14. Cam Flukey, RHP, Coastal Carolina
15. Wes Mendes, LHP, Florida State
16. Tegan Kuhns, RHP, Tennessee
17. Ryan McPherson, RHP, Mississippi State*
18. Ethan Lund, LHP, Oklahoma State
19. Jack Radel, RHP, Notre Dame
20. Ethan Kleinschmit, LHP, Oregon State
