Friday, Feb. 13 marks the season opener for Division I college baseball, and we want to help ring in the 2026 season with a preview before first pitch.
A lot has happened since Roos alum, Steve Milam, and the LSU Tigers won the 2025 College World Series. Transfers, newcomers and the MLB Draft has created some shuffling of rosters and personnel. To make sure you know where to look and who to follow, we'll list transfers' new spots, newcomers to look out for and some storylines to keep a close eye on.
Here is part one of our 2026 college preview:
Transfers
AJ Malzone (Previous: Wabash Valley; Florida)
Daniel Pacella (Previous: Illinois State; Ole Miss)
Jack Scheri (Previous: Wabash Valley; Stony Brook)
Tomas Valincius (Previous: Virginia; Mississippi State)
Vytas Valincius (Previous: Illinois; Mississippi State)
Tommy Townsend (Previous: Butler; Xavier)
Bryce Koch (Previous: Cincinnati; Louisville)
Aidan Hayse (Previous: Tennessee; Mercer)
Amir Gray (Previous: Purdue; Dayton)
Mack Whitcomb (Previous: Tennessee Tech; Vanderbilt)
Michael Addari (Previous: Michigan State; Illinois State)
John Hughes (Previous: North Carolina; Michigan)
Brenden Stressler (Previous: Saint Louis; Michigan)
Storylines
Projected first rounder
One of the biggest storylines to keep an eye on is Florida's Liam Peterson. Peterson is a projected first-round draft pick and the Gators ace. Despite some pop-up injuries, Peterson has been as reliable as anyone. A summer ago, he was named to the USA Baseball Collegiate National Team. MLB.com has Peterson listed as the No. 13 prospect in its 2026 prospect rankings. He is also listed on the 2026 Golden Spikes Award Preseason Watch List.
We won't have to wait long to get our first look at Peterson. He'll be Florida's Friday night starter taking the ball against UAB in Gainesville at the end of the week.
Mississippi State Trio
A trio to keep an eye on are the newcomers in Starkville, Mississippi. Tomas Valincius, Vytas Valincius and Jack Bauer are all newcomers at Mississippi State.
Tomas, former Virginia freshman standout, joins Brian O'Connor and staff at Mississippi State. Tomas had a solid freshman season working himself into the weekend rotation and earned All-ACC Freshman honors. Still to be determined what his role will be as a sophomore in the SEC, but Tomas still has front-of-the-line stuff and is sure to play a big role in 2026.
Vytas is in his grad year at Mississippi State after transferring from Illinois. He joins his brother and returns to the SEC. Vytas put together two solid seasons for the Fighting Illini and will get a chance to cap off his collegiate career in the new Mississippi State regime.
Bauer enters his freshman year with a lot of buzz surrounding him. He became a nationwide phenom when he set the high school fastball velocity record a season ago. He's more than just a lefty that can throw hard, though. Bauer is someone that draws a lot of intrigue as to where he can take his skillset now that he's in the SEC. He was projected to be selected in the first round of last summer's MLB Draft but opted to go to college, so there's no doubt Bauer is someone the professional scouting community anticipates being a reliable arm in the future. We'll keep an eye on Bauer and his role for the Bulldogs this spring. He was recently named the Preseason Freshman of the Year by Baseball America.
Returning Champ
'Monster' Milam is coming off a College World Series title with LSU. He's entering his junior season in Baton Rouge and trying to follow up on a 2025 season that earned him a spot on the Baton Rouge Regional All-Tournament Team and the CWS All-Tournament Team. It's evident Milam can perform at a high level; now he's doing it with a ton of attention from the scouting community - listed as No. 84 on Baseball America's Top 200 Prospects for the 2026 MLB Draft. He is a 2026 Preseason All-SEC Second Team honoree.
It's hard to repeat a season that culminated in reaching the pinnacle of college baseball, but if there's a player and program that can one-up it, Milam and the Tigers are just that.
Newcomer in Oxford
Daniel Pacella had three great seasons at Illinois State and now heads to Ole Miss for his senior year. He arrives in Oxford with two All-MVC First Team honors under his belt. Through those three seasons, Pacella hit 48 homers and knocked in 176 runs over 151 games as a Redbird. It's an accomplished collegiate resumé so far, and Pacella himself had to weigh draft buzz vs. returning to school last summer. Now, Pacella will show what he can do in the SEC in his final college season. The Rebels open up against Nevada at home on Friday.
The Noles
Florida State was incredibly close to reaching the College World Series in 2025 - which would've been repeat appearances, but the Seminoles found themselves on the wrong side of a very competitive Super Regional against Oregon State. Nonetheless, the Noles should be a preseason favorite to reach Omaha in 2026. They return a talented roster to Tallahassee, including star lefty Wes Mendes. Last season, Mendes was a Tallahassee Regional All-Regional Team honoree and was on the Golden Spikes Award Midseason Watch List. John Abraham is also in his third season and looks to solidify himself as a weapon out of the pen. He's pitched a total of 66 innings in his career at Florida State but will now step into an upperclassman role for an FSU team with high aspirations.
The Redbirds New Arm
Illinois State is a team that has acquired an abundance of talent over the offseason - through the portal and through incoming freshmen. One name to keep an eye on is Michael Addari. The 6-foot-6, 225-pound junior is gaining interest from the scouting community after a strong fall. D1Baseball.com has reported Addari up to 97mph. He's an intriguing arm to watch over the spring and should be in a position to shine over the next few months in Bloomington, Ill.
He's Back
Hunter Dietz is gaining draft buzz as a junior at Arkansas. Dietz, a LHP out of Calvary Christian, had a decorated high school career. Since then, he has battled a number of injuries at Arkansas but is ready for the 2026 season. He is listed as the No. 38 draft prospect, according to MLB.com. Dietz is a name to keep an eye on as Arkansas looks to return to Omaha after falling in the CWS a season ago.
