2025 ACC Baseball Season Preview

Projected Standings (2024 Record)

1. Virginia (46-17, 18-12)
2. Florida State (49-17, 17-12)
3. North Carolina (48-16, 22-8)
4. Clemson (44-16, 20-10)
5. Wake Forest (38-22, 15-15)
6. Duke (40-20, 16-14)
7. N.C. State (38-23, 18-11)
8. Stanford (22-33, 11-19 Pac-12)
9. Virginia Tech (32-22, 14-16)
10. Louisville (32-24, 16-14)
11. Georgia Tech (33-25, 15-15)
12. California (36-19, 17-13 Pac-12)
13. Miami (26-30, 11-19)
14. Boston College (22-31, 8-22)
15. Pittsburgh (26-28, 10-10)
16. Notre Dame (27-25, 9-21)

Top 10 MLB Draft Prospects For 2025

1. Jamie Arnold, LHP, Florida State
2. Cam Cannarella, OF, Clemson
3. Luke Stevenson, C, North Carolina
4. Marek Houston, SS, Wake Forest
5. Matt Scott, RHP, Stanford
6. Henry Ford, OF, Virginia
7. Ethan Conrad, OF, Wake Forest
8. Henry Godbout, 2B, Virginia
9. Cam Leiter, RHP, Florida State
10. Kane Kepley, OF, North Carolina

Team To Beat: Virginia

Virginia has appeared in the College World Series in three of the last four seasons, and it is once again armed with a wealth of talent capable of leading it back to Omaha. It starts on offense with the Cavaliers, who have the deepest lineup in the conference. First-team preseason All-Americans Henry Ford and Henry Godbout lead the charge, though transfer Chris Arroyo, potential 2026 first-rounder Eric Becker, Harrison Didawick and Jacob Ference give the Cavaliers plenty of depth. On the bump, southpaw Evan Blanco will anchor the rotation, while senior righthander Jay Woolfolk and Arroyo are also in line for weekend roles.

Player Of The Year: Cam Cannarella, OF, Clemson

Cannarella hit the ground running in 2023 as the ACC freshman of the year. The toolsy outfielder followed with an even more productive 2024, when he hit .337/.417/.561 slash line with a career-high 11 home runs. Cannarella’s skill set allows him to have his fingerprints all over the box score night in and night out. He boasts a plus hit tool with highly advanced contact skills, and he tapped into more power last season. He is a plus runner whose speed and athleticism translate both in the outfield and on the basepaths. Cannarella is a potential top-five overall pick in this year’s draft.

Pitcher Of The Year: Jamie Arnold, LHP, Florida State

Following a solid freshman season in which he showed flashes of his immense upside, Arnold was one of the best pitchers in the nation in 2024 and pitched his way to a 2.98 ERA with 159 strikeouts—a total that ranked third in the nation—to just 26 walks in 105.1 innings. The low-slot southpaw’s fastball has been up to 97 mph with plenty of life through the zone, and his mid-to-high-80s slider generated a 41% miss rate in 2024 and is one of the best of its kind in this year’s draft class.

Freshman Of The Year: Rintaro Sasaki, 1B, Stanford

Sasaki sent shockwaves through the amateur baseball world in 2024 when he announced that he would be forgoing the NPB draft in Japan to attend college in the United States. He arrived in Palo Alto last spring and got his first taste of college baseball in summer leagues, where across 35 games he belted seven home runs and walked more times (34) than he struck out (33). The lefthanded-hitting Sasaki has comfortably plus raw power, though he also has a present feel to hit with a sound approach. He projects to be a middle-of-the-order bat this spring for the Cardinal and could be one of the more impactful freshmen.

Notable Storylines

●  After the end of the Pacific-12 Conference as we once knew it in 2024, the ACC added a pair of schools to its baseball contingency in California and Stanford. The Cardinal have 19 College World Series appearances—including a run of three straight from 2021 to 2023—and a pair of national titles to their name, while the Golden Bears boast an intriguing roster and figure to contend for an at-large NCAA Tournament berth. Each team adds to the already immense level of talent in the conference and helps cement its status as one of the best in college baseball.

●  Former Japanese high school phenom Rintaro Sasaki will serve as an anchor in Stanford’s lineup this spring. Dubbed the “Japanese Prince Fielder,” Sasaki is a 6-foot, 275-pound, lefthanded-hitting first baseman who hit a Japanese high school record 140 home runs and also hit over .400. While his path to college baseball is unique, Sasaki joins 2023 White Sox draft pick Rikuu Nishida and current Hawaii righthander Itsuki Takemoto as fellow Japanese amateurs who chose to carve out college careers in the United States.

●  The first pick in the draft has come from a current ACC school only once since 2013, when the Pirates selected Louisville catcher Henry Davis first overall in 2021. However, that could change this July as both Florida State lefthander Jamie Arnold and Clemson outfielder Cam Cannarella are in contention to be the first name called. While Arnold and Cannarella are the two favorites from the conference, don’t count out North Carolina catcher Luke Stevenson as a potential 1-1 dark horse.

●  The ACC has accounted for only one national championship—Virginia in 2015—this century. In 2025, the conference is chock full of talent and boasts a handful of national championship contenders. Virginia leads the pack, but don’t discount North Carolina, which is poised for another run to Omaha.

●  Florida State—when healthy—is armed with a rotation that can go toe-to-toe with any lineup in college baseball. Clemson has reloaded after being one win away from the College World Series last June. And that’s without even mentioning NCAA Tournament regulars such as Wake Forest, Duke and North Carolina State.