Five Things To Know Before The 2024 College Baseball Season — College Baseball, MLB Draft, Prospects

Image credit: Josh Hartle (Brian Westerholt/Four Seam Images)

College baseball season is upon us. The Road to Omaha begins Friday with Opening Day.

At Baseball America, we have plenty of preview coverage to get you ready for the season. Find team-by-team breakdowns for each team ranked in the Preseason Top 25, conference previews, features and more.

But if you haven’t been following along with all of that over the last few weeks, doing all that reading ahead of first pitch may be a little daunting. So, if you’re looking to cram before the season begins, we’re here for that too. Here are five things you need to know before college baseball begins.

1. Wake Forest begins the season ranked No. 1. The Demon Deacons last season went 54-12, won the ACC, were the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament and reached the semifinals of the College World Series before falling to eventual national champion LSU. They’re back for more in 2024, despite losing some key players like ace Rhett Lowder and third baseman Brock Wilken, who were both first-round picks.

Wake last season led the nation in team ERA (2.83) and again is poised to dominate on the mound. Preseason All-Americans Josh Hartle and Chase Burns will lead the rotation. The Deacs also have a powerful offense, anchored by Preseason All-Americans Nick Kurtz and outfielder Seaver King. That star power propelled Wake to the top of the Preseason Top 25 for the first time in its 44-year history.

2. LSU is aiming to be the first repeat CWS champion since South Carolina’s run in 2010-11. The Tigers last season won the national championship in thrilling fashion, led by the dynamic duo of Paul Skenes and Dylan Crews, who went on to be the first two picks in the draft. LSU reloaded and has arguably the deepest roster in the country, though replacing the elite production it lost won’t be easy.

The Tigers added starting pitchers Luke Holman (Alabama) and Gage Jump (UCLA), shortstop Michael Braswell (South Carolina), outfielder Mac Bingham (Arizona) and key reliever Justin Loer (Xavier) through the transfer portal, as well as bringing in the third-ranked recruiting class in the country. LSU also returns players like All-American third baseman Tommy White, righthanders Thatcher Hurd and Gavin Guidry and first baseman Jared Jones. Finding the right mix in the lineup and on the mound will be paramount, but the Tigers are not lacking for talent.

3. The SEC’s dominant position in the sport is set to continue. The conference has produced the last four national champions and at least one of the CWS finalists in 14 of the last 15 seasons (including four SEC showdowns for the national championship).

While Wake Forest is carrying the ACC banner atop the preseason rankings, the SEC has five teams in the top 10 and eight representatives in the Top 25. The conference accounted for five of 14 first-team Preseason All-Americans and placed 17 players on the three teams, which are voted on by MLB scouting directors. None of that guarantees on-field success this spring, but the conference’s talent stands out.

4. The Pac-12 (as we know it) is set for its final season. The conference is breaking up at the end of the academic year, with schools scattering to the ACC (California and Stanford), Big 12 (Arizona, Arizona State, Colorado and Utah) and the Big Ten (Oregon, Southern California, UCLA and Washington). Oregon State and Washington State, the two schools that will remain in the conference following the season, may be able to rebuild the conference in a couple years. But it won’t look anywhere close to the same as the league that has been a driving force throughout college baseball history.

In a twist not lost on anyone, the Beavers are the Pac-12 favorites. Led by All-American second baseman Travis Bazzana, they have a powerful offense and a deep pitching staff. Stanford, the two-time reigning champion, is reloading and look for a bounce-back season from UCLA after last year missing the NCAA Tournament.

5. The Player of the Year race looks electric. Even with Golden Spikes Award finalist Jac Caglianone returning after an impressive sophomore season that saw him hit 33 home runs and serve as a weekend starter for Florida, there are no shortage of serious candidates in the running.

In addition to Caglianone, look out for White, who could break the 21st century career home run record. West Virginia infielder JJ Wetherholt last season was the national batting champion and the Big 12 player of the year. Wake has no shortage of contenders with Burns, Hartle and Kurtz leading the way. Bazzana does a bit of everything for Oregon State and Georgia slugger Charlie Condon is coming off a Freshman of the Year season, in which he hit 25 homers. Caglianone may be the favorite, but he’s just one of the many talented players to watch nationally.