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Like everything else in college athletics, the recruiting landscape is shifting dramatically under our feet, as the advent of the transfer portal and NIL dollars prompt teams to overhaul their traditional approaches to roster construction. Coaches have had to adjust to a new world where freshmen need to be very special — or at least uncommonly advanced — to find the field early for power programs that have gotten much older. When there’s pressure to win now, coaches are more apt to plug holes with short-term solutions through the transfer portal, rather than wait for freshmen to develop. And when high-profile freshmen have to wait behind older players for a year, chances are pretty good that they will hit the portal themselves a year later.
With all of that in mind, we have adjusted our approach to ranking the top freshman classes, as well. For this year’s exercise, we placed even more emphasis on star power over depth. Programs that brought in marquee recruits who can help them win now were rewarded in these rankings; depth among freshman classes was just a bonus (and certainly the top two programs on our list have very deep classes as well as marquee star power).
For the second time in three years, LSU tops these rankings, thanks to the addition of a first-round talent on the mound in William Schmidt, who pulled his name out of the draft to honor his commitment to LSU, and one of the nation’s most impactful freshman bats in Derek Curiel.
Reigning national champion Tennessee isn’t far behind, with a loaded class that includes 10 players who ranked among Prep Baseball’s top 100 prospects to show up on college campuses this fall. That’s more than any other program; second was LSU with six.
These rankings were assembled in collaboration with Prep Baseball’s vice president for scouting, Shooter Hunt. After examining Prep Baseball’s rankings from last spring, we incorporated our own observations from fall ball and our conversations with coaches to determine which freshmen are poised to make the biggest impacts in 2025. Given the importance of fall ball evaluations in our process, we have included notes from our Fall Reports in the list below.
Without further ado, here's the top 4:
Preseason rankings: Texas A&M tops 2025 D1Baseball preseason top 25 rankings
1. LSU
Instant Impact Pitcher: William Schmidt, RHP
From The Fall Report: There’s a lot of excitement around Schmidt, who turned down potential first-round money to come to LSU. Schmidt has a fastball ranging from 93-98 mph with an 84 mph change and an 83-85 mph curve with a 3000+ spin rate.
Instant Impact Position Player: Derek Curiel, OF
From The Fall Report: The newcomer burst into the fall and established himself as the team’s top outfielder and is in a position to start somewhere, hit near the top of the lineup and prove himself as one of the top freshmen in the country. He batted .388 with a .522 on-base percentage this fall.
Don’t Forget About: Cade Arrambide, C
From The Fall Report: Arrambide is strong defensively with a big arm. He’s also had a big fall at the plate, batting .360 with six doubles and could be too good to sit despite the SEC freshman learning curve.
2. Tennessee
Instant Impact Pitcher: Tegan Kuhns, RHP
From The Fall Report: He was ranked as the by Prep Baseball. The loose-armed 6-foot-3 righthander sat 92-95 against Troy and is another young Volunteer arm who has the look of a top-of-the-rotation winner and potential day one draft pick.
Instant Impact Position Player: Jay Abernathy, OF
From The Fall Report: Most impressive of all the Vols’ newcomers — and that’s saying a lot — was leadoff man Jay Abernathy. A Georgia prep and another top 100 prospect for last summer’s draft, he’s a top of the order player whose speed will apply pressure on opposing defenses. The lefthanded hitter covers the plate with ease and his zone awareness should provide a smooth transition to SEC ball. He’s a pure hit machine at the plate and showed it early and often against Western Kentucky, finding a barrel in each at-bat, and driving in a pair of runs.
Don’t Forget About: Levi Clark, C
From the Fall Report: Strong and mature bodied at 6-foot-1, 210 pounds, Clark was one of the youngest prep draft prospects a year ago and had some buzz as a top 100 prospect per Prep Baseball. His impact righthanded bat holds plenty of power thanks to a strong frame and well above average bat speed. He could blossom into a run-producing backstop and day one draft prospect in time. He’s also the rare freshman catcher whose defensive skills stand out first as the reason why he could get on the field right away. He has a plus arm with excellent accuracy, helping him consistently turn in sub-2.00 pop times to second base.
3. Wake Forest
Instant Impact Pitcher: Duncan Marsten, RHP
From The Fall Report: It was an impressive look at the 6-foot-4, 215-pound freshman righthander, who showed 92-95 mph heat from a clean three-quarters arm action. Like Dallas, Marsten can throw both a sinker and a riding four-seamer, and he flashed a plus changeup at 83-86 along with a quality slider at 82 against the Mountaineers. A big-name prep recruit from superpower Harvard-Westlake High School in Southern California, Marsten is polished and poised beyond his years, ready to step immediately into a weekend rotation spot and flourish.
Instant Impact Position Player: Dalton Wentz, 3B
From The Fall Report: The leader for the third base job is talented freshman Dalton Wentz, a strong-bodied 6-2, 215-pound switch-hitter with advanced feel to hit and excellent defensive instincts at the hot corner, where his plus arm is an asset. He had been committed to South Carolina until the Gamecocks made a coaching change this summer, at which point the Demon Deacons pounced. He looks ready to step into an everyday role right out of the chute.
Don’t Forget About: Chris Levonas, RHP
From The Fall Report: In the group of freshmen, aside from Marsten, the top arm is righty Chris Levonas, who was shut down this summer and fall while working his way back from a small impingement but is back throwing bullpens now. He can run his heater up to 98, and Walter said “the slider is a plus pitch right now, the breaking ball is a plus pitch metrically, but he doesn’t know quite how to use it or land it yet. But three or four bullpens into this, it’s a real pitch too, and the fastball has really good ride to it, really good release height.”
2025 MLB DRAFT: Top 50 college baseball prospects entering this season
4. Ole Miss
Instant Impact Pitcher: Cade Townsend, RHP
From The Fall Report: Townsend was electric in my fall look, striking out two in 1.2 scoreless innings in the Pizza Bowl. A wiry, quick-twitch 6-foot-1, 185-pound righthander, Townsend pumped 93-95 heat with good ride, along with an excellent power cutter at 88-91, a slower downer curveball with big depth and a quality changeup. It’s a starter’s arsenal, and he has obvious future star potential.
Instant Impact Position Player: Owen Paino, SS
From The Fall Report: Freshman Owen Paino is the sixth-highest ranked position player from the high school class of 2024 to show up on a college campus this fall, according to Prep Baseball, and he has all the tools to be a huge star in the SEC, with athletic, rangy actions and a plus arm at short, along with a premium lefthanded bat. “Paino’s everything we thought he would be, he’s gonna be a superstar. He’s a first-rounder in three years,” coach Mike Bianco said.
Don’t Forget About: Owen Hancock, RHP
From The Fall Report: Hancock is a high-ceiling power righty with a projectable, prototype pitcher’s frame at 6-foot-5, 198 pounds. He had a rough outing in the Pizza Bowl, but he still showed quality stuff, with a 93-95 fastball from an over-the-top slot along with a tight slider at 84-86, spinning into the 2700 rpm range. Bianco said he’s been up to 97-98.
The rest of the rankings: (), ()
