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Virginia’s Jarrett Parker is one of two returning All-Americans.
New sets of stars take center stage this season.
Virginia’s Jarrett Parker and Middle Tennessee State’s Bryce Brentz are the only returning All-Americans from last season.
Parker is expected to have a sensational junior campaign and Brentz could be the one to lead the Blue Raiders to unchartered waters.
LSU’s Anthony Ranaudo headlines our list of starting pitchers. The list also includes Texas’ Taylor Jungmann, Arizona State’s Josh Spence and Georgia Tech’s Deck McGuire.
Cal State Fullerton’s Christian Colon and Rice’s Anthony Rendon are the headliners at the plate.
Colon had a solid sophomore campaign last season and leads the Titans into what should be a special campaign. Rendon, meanwhile, was a fabulous freshman last season and already could be the nation’s elite player as a sophomore this season.
Our preseason All-Americans are unveiled.
POSITION PLAYERS
C Dan Burkhart, Ohio State
Hometown, High School: Cincinnati (Ohio) Archbishop Moeller
Burkhart is the heart and soul for the Buckeyes. It also helps that he is solid behind the plate and an excellent hitter. He batted .354 with 10 homers and 62 RBIs last season.
1B Cody Hawn, Tennessee
Hometown, High School: Knoxville (Tenn.) South Doyle
Hawn’s stock is at an all-time high entering the season. He was fantastic at the plate last season, hitting .364 with 22 homers, 81 RBIs and a .451 on-base percentage.
2B Ross Wilson, Alabama
Hometown, High School: Hoover (Ala.) High
Wilson continues the family tradition of success at Alabama. He hopes for another productive campaign after hitting .353 with nine homers and 47 RBIs last season.
SS Christian Colon, Cal State Fullerton
Hometown, High School: Corona (Calif.) Canyon
Could be the best college baseball player this season. Colon is an exceptional fielder and offensive cog. He batted .357 with eight homers and 40 RBIs last season. He also fielded at a .959 clip.
3B Anthony Rendon, Rice
Hometown, High School: Houston (Texas) Lamar
Could be the most talented position player to go through Rice. As only a freshman last season, Rendon batted .388 with 20 homers and 72 RBIs. Impressive to say the least.
OF Jarrett Parker, Virginia
Hometown, High School: Stafford (Va.) Colonial Forge
He was one of the nation’s most improved players last season, especially in the power department. He is coming off a campaign hitting .355 with 16 homers and 65 RBIs.
OF Tyler Holt, Florida State
Hometown, High School: Gainesville (Fla.) High
Holt has an infectious and hard-nosed attitude. It also helps that he’s coming off a campaign where he batted .401 with 34 stolen bases and had a .520 on-base percentage.
OF Bryce Brentz, Middle Tennessee State
Hometown, High School: Knoxville (Tenn.) South Doyle
A former high school teammate of fellow All-American Cody Hawn, Brentz is one of the hottest names in college baseball. He batted .465 with 28 homers and 73 RBIs last season.
DH Blake Dean, LSU
Hometown, High School: Crestview (Fla.) High
Dean has had a fabulous career for the Tigers and hopes end things with a bang this season. He batted .328 with 17 homers and 71 RBIs last season.
UT Danny Hultzen, Virginia
Hometown, High School: Bethesda (Md.) St. Albans
Hultzen was phenomenal as just a freshman last season. He batted .327 and had a .410 on-base percentage. He also had a 2.17 ERA in 95 1/3 innings and limited opposing teams to a .250 batting average.
PITCHERS
SP Anthony Ranaudo, LSU
Hometown, High School: Jackson (N.J.) St. Rose
It helps that Ranaudo is a top prospect, but he also is coming off a campaign where he had a 3.04 ERA in 124 1/3 innings for the national champions. That helps, too.
SP Josh Spence, Arizona State
Hometown, High School: Victoria (Australia) St. Joseph’s Prep
Spence captured the nation’s attention last season with a strong junior campaign. He went 10-1 with a 2.37 ERA in 102 2/3 innings. Teams hit .240 against the lefty.
SP Taylor Jungmann, Texas
Hometown, High School: Temple (Texas) Georgetown
Jungmann was fabulous as a freshman last season and hopes to have a great sophomore campaign. He went 11-3 with a 2.00 ERA in 94 2/3 innings. Teams hit .193 against him.
SP Deck McGuire, Georgia Tech
Hometown, High School: Richmond (Va.) Deep Run
The Yellow Jackets have a solid chance to get back to Omaha with McGuire leading the weekend rotation. He went 11-2 with a 3.50 ERA in 100 1/3 innings last season.
RP Addison Reed, San Diego State
Hometown, High School: Rancho Cucamonga (Calif) Los Osos
Stephen Strasburg was the Aztecs’ headliner last season. Now, it’s Reed, who made 25 appearances last season and had a 0.65 ERA in 27 2/3 innings. He also had 20 saves.
RP Matty Ott, LSU
Hometown, High School: Chalmette (La.) Holy Cross
As just a freshman last season, Ott was a huge reason for LSU’s success. He made 37 appearances and had a 2.68 ERA in 50 1/3 innings. He also recorded 16 saves.