18 Standout College Baseball Pitchers From Opening Weekend


Image credit: Tennessee LHP Liam Doyle (Photo courtesy of Tennessee Athletics)
Quality pitching in college baseball has arguably never been at more of a premium. In 2021, just 129 Division I teams averaged six or more runs per contest. By 2023 and 2024, that number skyrocketed to 229 and 228, respectively.
Florida head coach Kevin O’Sullivan, who has taken his teams to Omaha nine times since 2010, summed it up succinctly.
“If you can’t pitch in college baseball right now, you’re not going to get very far,” he told Baseball America last month. “Plain and simple. Offenses are as good as ever and it puts a tremendous amount of stress on the pitching to keep you in it.”
Several teams across the country have already benefited from the kind of excellence on the mound that O’Sullivan described.
We zeroed in on 18 such outings from the first two days of Division I action. Each pitcher is listed alphabetically below.
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Kade Anderson, LHP, LSU
Jay Johnson could have composed his pitching staff a number of different ways after signing a handful of supremely talented transfer arms. He ultimately settled on returning draft-eligible sophomore lefty Kade Anderson to lead the group after using him as both a starter and reliever as a true freshman in 2024.
Anderson rewarded Johnson’s confidence with five shutout innings, just four hits allowed and eight strikeouts to just one walk against Purdue Fort Wayne on Friday night in Baton Rouge. Anderson has one of the most unique arsenals in college baseball, which includes a changeup that drew its fair share of whiffs in the Tigers’ season opener.
Final line: 5.0 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 8 K
Jamie Arnold, LHP, Florida State
Florida State southpaw Jamie Arnold kicked off his draft season in dominant fashion—the way many expected from the top-ranked pitcher in the class.
Arnold sliced through a reasonably competitive James Madison lineup on Friday night in Tallahassee, striking out eight in six innings while allowing just one base runner and facing two batters over the minimum (one reached on an error).
The outing was a complete display of Arnold’s greatest strengths: a high-octane fastball with ample carry through the zone, a sweeping slider that draws plenty of whiffs and above-average command.
It was a tone-setting performance for one of the nation’s elite arms.
Final line: 6.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 8 K
Matthew Becker, LHP, South Carolina
It was an offseason of improvements for South Carolina senior southpaw Matthew Becker, according to head coach Paul Mainieri, who last month told Baseball America that his veteran lefty made mechanical tweaks and added a changeup to his repertoire to prepare for a role in the Gamecocks’ starting rotation.
Becker certainly looked the part in his first start of the season on Saturday, tossing five shutout innings with nine strikeouts and just one hit allowed, which marked the only baserunner against him.
Becker has long demonstrated an ability to miss bats as he posted a 12.4 K/9 rate in his first three college seasons. His appearance on Saturday was no different.
Final line: 5.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 9 K
Pierce Coppola, LHP, Florida
Florida junior lefty Pierce Coppola entered his fourth college season as an arm of great intrigue for scouts. At 6-foot-8 and armed with a runny fastball and big slider, he oozes potential. However, major injuries have limited him to just 28 innings since 2022.
Fully healthy now, Coppola in his first 2025 start showed exactly why the pro community is keeping close tabs. The lefty struck out 12 and walked just one in five shutout innings against Air Force, marking the most strikeouts by a Florida pitcher since 2023.
Coppola has struck out 21 batters in 10 innings across his last two starts dating back to last year.
Final line: 5.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 12 K
Jason DeCaro, RHP, North Carolina
North Carolina’s Jason DeCaro was one of the best true freshman pitchers in the nation last year. He climbed into the Tar Heels’ Friday night role this season and quickly demonstrated his readiness for the task.
While facing a Texas Tech lineup that has the potential to reach the NCAA Tournament this year, the righty on Friday threw five scoreless innings, struck out six against two walks and faced three batters over the minimum.
DeCaro now sports a 3.61 ERA in 94.2 innings spread across 19 career starts.
Final line: 5.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 6 K
Liam Doyle, LHP, Tennessee
Tennessee was sure that it had brought in a bonafide ace in Ole Miss transfer lefty Liam Doyle, whose surface-level numbers might not have been terribly appealing but possessed the means to take a sizable step forward after a change of scenery.
While it’s far too early to draw any conclusions about Doyle’s progress, his first start as for the reigning national champion Volunteers was nothing short of encouraging.
Doyle mowed down Hofstra’s lineup, striking out 11 in five innings while allowing no runs, just one hit and zero walks. The southpaw is a draft-eligible sophomore.
Final line: 5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 11 K
Dylan Eskew, RHP, South Carolina
Becker wasn’t the only South Carolina pitcher who dominated in the first two days of play. Fellow senior Dylan Eskew, who is in his third season with the Gamecocks after transferring from Chipola College, was similarly effective.
Eskew offered five innings and allowed one run on three hits while striking out a career-high nine batters against Sacred Heart. This season is Eskew’s second as a member of South Carolina’s rotation after he made 15 starts in 19 appearances last year.
Final line: 5.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 9k
Jackson Flora, RHP, UC Santa Barbara
UC Santa Barbara sophomore righty Jackson Flora might be easy to overlook, considering he’s rotation-mates with one of the top arms in the nation this year, junior righty Tyler Bremner.
But, to be sure, Flora is a name worth knowing. Gauchos head coach Andrew Checketts told Baseball America he believes Flora has “first-round stuff.” The underclassman righty and 2026 draft prospect backed up that high praise Saturday when he pitched five scoreless innings, allowed just three hits, didn’t issue any walks and struck out six en route to a win against Campbell.
If Bremner and Flora live up to expectations this season, they could form one of the top pitching duos in the West, if not the country.
Final line: 5.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 6 K
Patrick Forbes, RHP, Louisville
If he pitches the way he did against No. 14 Texas on Friday night all season, Louisville junior righty Patrick Forbes‘ draft stock could truly soar.
Against the Longhorns, Forbes utilized a mid-to-high-90s fastball and sharp slider to generate 11 strikeouts in just five innings while allowing two runs to score on five hits, one of which was a home run off a cutter he said he’s still trying to gain feel for after adding it to his mix this offseason.
Forbes is the lone pitcher on this list who gave up more than one run. However he was so effective and electric that we would have been remiss to omit him.
Final line: 5.0 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 1 BB, 11 K
Gabe Gaeckle, RHP, Arkansas
Arkansas had big shoes to fill this offseason after the White Sox drafted ace Hagen Smith in the first round. Head coach Dave Van Horn’s confidence in sophomore righty Gabe Gaeckle never wavered, and Gaeckle offered a validating performance on Friday afternoon against Washington State.
The righthander limited the Cougars to one hit and issued one free pass in five scoreless innings while striking out seven.
It was an impressive result for a second-year player who had no prior collegiate starting experience.
Final line: 5.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 7 K
Luke Harrison, LHP, Texas
After Forbes and Louisville stymied their bats in Friday’s loss, the Longhorns needed several key contributors to step up against Ole Miss on Saturday to secure a chance at a winning weekend.
That’s exactly what happened when junior lefty Luke Harrison pitched 6.1 scoreless innings with six strikeouts and just two hits allowed, a performance reminiscent of 2022 when Harrison was an ultra-effective freshman reliever for the Longhorns.
Texas head coach Jim Schlossnagle told BA last month that he felt as though Harrison was a breakout candidate in 2025. Saturday marked a strong first step.
Final line: 6.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 6 K
Tommy LaPour, RHP, TCU
TCU earlier this week received dreadful news when it found out that lefty Ben Abeldt, an All-American-caliber reliever who moved into the Horned Frogs’ Friday night role, would miss the season due to a partially torn UCL.
The development made it all the more important that TCU’s healthy arms step up in order for the team to have a chance at returning to the NCAA Tournament after missing the field last year.
Wichita State transfer Tommy LaPour certainly did, holding San Diego scoreless over six innings, setting the Horned Frogs up for a comfortable 9-2 victory.
LaPour was one of BA’s top-ranked transfer portal entrants over this offseason.
Final line: 6.0 IP, 6 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K
Justin Mitrovich, RHP, Elon
Though his team couldn’t complete a nearly stunning upset at No. 1 Texas A&M, Elon junior Justin Mitrovich did everything in his power to give the Phoenix a chance on Opening Day.
The 6-foot-3 righty, who operates in the low-to-mid-90s and throws a plus changeup, held the Aggies to just one hit and didn’t surrender a run in five innings despite issuing five walks and striking out only three.
Mitrovich, who opened the season as BA’s No. 199 draft prospect, might not have the flashiest line on this list, but he still managed to keep the nation’s top team off the board.
Final line: 5.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 4 BB, 3 K
Liam Peterson, RHP, Florida
Florida sophomore righty Liam Peterson made several big changes to his operation over the offseason with aims at establishing a more repeatable delivery and eliminating the control issues that plagued him at times as a true freshman last season.
With help from Florida’s coaches as well as Southern Miss head coach Christopher Ostrander, who he worked with in Cary, North Carolina, with the Collegiate National Team, Peterson eliminated unnecessary lateral motion and raised his arm slot.
Those changed passed their first test on Friday against Air Force when the righty delivered six shoutout innings, allowed just two hits and one walk and struck out a career-best 11.
Final line: 6.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 11 K
Ryan Prager, LHP, Texas A&M
Draft enthusiasts are already plenty familiar with Texas A&M ace Ryan Prager, who was selected by the Angels in the third round last summer but opted to return to school for his senior season.
Prager’s plus command and ability to generate whiffs made him one of the more steady arms in all of college baseball last season. That theme continued Friday when he blanked Elon for five innings and struck out eight against just one walk.
Prager should once again garner early-round consideration this season.
Final line: 5.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 8 K
Zach Root, LHP, Arkansas
Arkansas scored big in the offseason transfer portal when it landed former East Carolina lefty Zach Root, a top-100 2025 draft prospect who owns multiple plus pitches and has a knack for strikeouts.
Root showed off those skills against Washington State on Saturday over five innings of work. He allowed just one run on two hits and a walk and struck out eight, including four of his first six outs of the contest.
Root joins Gaeckle, righty Gage Wood and lefty Landon Beidelschies to form one of the top rotations in the nation.
Final line: 5 IP, 2H, 1 R, 1 BB, 8 K
Jared Spencer, LHP, Texas
It came as somewhat of a surprise when former Indiana State lefty Jared Spencer turned down professional opportunities in favor of transferring to Texas, though some would argue that the southpaw now has an opportunity to prove that he can be an effective starter and increase his draft value.
The road toward achieving that goal got off on the right foot Friday when he shut down Louisville for 5.2 innings, allowing just four hits and striking out six.
Spencer has long been viewed as the Longhorns’ ace. He looked the part on Opening Day.
Final line: 5.2 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 6 K
Dax Whitney, RHP, Oregon State
The only true freshman on this list, Oregon State righty Dax Whitney pitched well beyond his years on Saturday in a blowout win over UNLV, which saw him strike out eight batters in five scoreless innings.
An Idaho native, Whitney occasionally grabbed 98 mph and roughly 20 inches of induced vertical break with his fastball and backed up the pitch with a high-spin slider and sharp 12-6 curveball.
While 2027 is a long way away, Whitney already looks the part of an early first rounder.
Final line: 5.0 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 8 K