College baseball is back. And for us, Opening Day isn’t just about rankings, draft boards, and the road to Omaha — it’s about tracking former Top Tier players as they take the field all across the country.
Friday, February 13 officially opens the 2026 Division I season, and there is no shortage of storylines. A year removed from Steve “Monster” Milam helping LSU capture the 2025 College World Series title, the landscape looks different. The transfer portal reshuffled rosters. The MLB Draft pulled talent away. New coaching staffs stepped into blueblood programs. And as always, a new wave of players is ready to emerge.
But before first pitch, here’s where Top Tier alumni are making noise this spring.
Steve Milam returns to LSU coming off a championship run that cemented his reputation as a big-moment performer. After earning All-Tournament honors in both the Baton Rouge Regional and the College World Series, Milam enters his junior season listed No. 84 on Baseball America’s Top 200 draft prospects and as a 2026 Preseason All-SEC Second Team selection. The Tigers will have a target on their back, but if anyone is built to handle that spotlight, it’s Milam.
In Gainesville, AJ Malzone makes the jump from Wabash Valley to Florida. After hitting .347 with 10 home runs, 16 doubles, and 58 RBIs in 2025, Malzone now competes for innings behind the plate in the SEC.
His offensive profile will determine how much time he earns, whether that’s at catcher or potentially in a DH role. Florida opens against UAB this weekend, and it won’t take long to see where Malzone fits into the Gators’ plans.
Daniel Pacella heads to Oxford after three standout seasons at Illinois State. A two-time All-MVC First Team selection, Pacella hit 48 career home runs and drove in 176 runs in 151 games before transferring to Ole Miss for his senior year. Now he’ll test his bat in the SEC against elite pitching week in and week out.
Mississippi State brings in a trio worth watching. Tomas Valincius arrives after earning All-ACC Freshman honors at Virginia and working his way into a weekend rotation role. His stuff suggests he’ll have a significant impact in Starkville. His brother, Vytas Valincius, transfers from Illinois for his graduate season after putting together two strong years in the Big Ten. And freshman Jack Bauer, a national headline-maker for setting the high school fastball velocity record, joins the Bulldogs with enormous expectations after turning down a potential first-round draft selection last summer.
Vanderbilt adds Mack Whitcomb from Tennessee Tech, where he hit .360 with 15 home runs and a .649 slugging percentage en route to OVC Player of the Year honors. Whitcomb broke his program’s single-season home run record by a catcher and now slots into the Commodores’ lineup, likely at DH.
Illinois State adds a major arm in Michael Addari, a 6-foot-6, 225-pound right-hander whose fastball reportedly touched 97 mph this fall. Addari brings upside and projection to Bloomington and is already drawing scouting interest.
Arkansas left-hander Hunter Dietz enters 2026 healthy and gaining draft buzz. After battling injuries early in his college career, Dietz is now listed as MLB.com’s No. 38 draft prospect and looks poised to play a major role for a Razorbacks team aiming for Omaha.
Lucas Smith returns to UIC after starting every game in the outfield last season and hitting .340 with 17 extra-base hits and 30 RBIs. He was a perfect 122-for-122 in defensive chances and has firmly established himself as a key piece for the Flames.
Michigan State freshmen CJ Deckinga and Davis Weeks enter East Lansing with opportunity ahead. While their roles are still developing, both are expected to carve out innings for the Spartans this spring.
Jameson Martin enters his sophomore season at Minnesota after logging 37 starts as a true freshman. Already listed as a 2027 draft prospect by D1Baseball.com, Martin should see significant action again as the Gophers open against Stetson, St. John’s, and Ball State.
UC Davis right-hander Matt Barnes II, who made 20 appearances as a true freshman, is positioned for a larger role this year after flashing promise in 2025. The 6-foot-5 arm could see rotation opportunities immediately.
Plenty of Star Power Outside of the Top Tier Alumns
Nationally, the star power is undeniable. UCLA opens as the preseason No. 1 team, led by shortstop Roch Cholowsky, widely viewed as the top draft prospect in college baseball. Florida’s Liam Peterson headlines the SEC as a projected first-rounder and Friday night ace. Alabama’s Justin Lebron looks like an early Player of the Year candidate. Thirteen of MLB Pipeline’s Top 100 draft prospects are college players this season, and ten of them play for preseason Top 25 programs.
For our players and families, this weekend is more than entertainment. It’s a roadmap. It’s a chance to see what the next level looks like — the tempo, the competitiveness with two strikes, the ability to execute in high-leverage moments.
If you’re looking to tune in, ESPN Unlimited will have games throughout the weekend, and there are online streaming guides that help you locate nearly every Division I matchup. Opening weekend stretches across six time zones, from early-morning games in Puerto Rico to nightcaps in Hawaii.
College baseball is back. The road to Omaha starts now. And across the country, Top Tier alumni are part of the story.
Here’s a handy guide to where you can tune into just about every D1 college baseball game:
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