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Congrats to the Tennessee Vols on winning their first NCAA Baseball Championship this season in an electric Regionals, Super Regional, and College World Series. Today, we will be looking at some players who impressed in this year’s tournament and who have made their draft rise climb exponentially. 

OF Jaime Ferrer Florida State: In a lineup powered by two top 15 selections in this year’s draft (James Tibbs III, Cam Smith), only a few saw what Jaime Ferrer brought to the Noles lineup until the Super Regionals and College World Series.vThe junior outfielder started to get hot against UConn with two home runs and kept that hot streak going once he got to Omaha. His power stayed displayed in the first matchup versus the Vols, with one homer and four RBIs. In the elimination game versus Virginia, he came to play sending two more into the Nebraksa air and bringing home four more runs. Big-time players show up in big moments, and that was what Ferrer has quietly done all season. His contact is always deep and his swing looks nearly pro-ready. This is a player who should see his draft stock rise come mid-July. 

RHP Chris Cortez Texas A&M: Currently ranked #100 on MLB’s draft board, Cortez showed off his skills on the biggest stage and brought the Aggies just a couple of outs away from a National Championship. The junior starter had great numbers this season but was also seen as just the #2 guy behind Ryan Prager. He made his first start vs Florida for a chance at an extra day’s rest and came through with three great innings striking out six batters. Then came his chance in the College World Series game #2 and he was up to the challenge. 4 ⅓ perfect innings versus the power bats of Tennessee striking out seven batters on 99 pitches. 99 pitches in not even having a games work is a lot but, the stuff he showed was very impressive, especially his swing and miss. His fastball sits in the high 90s and sometimes triggers triple digits as well as offering a slider and changeup that causes hitters problems. 

OF Dylan Dreiling Tennessee: #72 ranked on MLB’s big board, Dreiling made a very strong case for why he should be moved up in the draft. Similar to Ferrer, maybe teams somewhat overshadowed him by other stars on the team like Billy Amick, Christian Moore, and Blake Burke. In this year’s College World Series, there may not have been a better overall hitter than Dreiling hitting for a .500 batting average including monster games vs Florida State going 4/6 with 3 RBIs, and 4/5 versus Texas A&M driving in three runs to try and keep his team in Game 1. Game 3 of the CWS was his best by far going 2/2 with a game-changing two-run homerun and tacking on another RBI earlier in the game to help Tennesse win its first National Championship. Deservingly, he took the MVP award after his 7/12 and 7 RBI performance in the CWS. 

RHP Carson Dorsey Florida State: Another under-the-radar Nole, Dorsey was thrust into a starting rotation role after transferring in from a Juco. He was called upon early after Cam Leiter went down to injury and has now found himself a chance to be in the first couple of rounds in this year’s draft. Though only having one start in the College World Series, Dorsey showcased why the Noles leaned heavily on him in their win over Virginia. Dorsey went seven innings allowing three runs striking out seven and walking two on 106 pitches. Similar to Cortez, he has a fastball that sits high 90s and his swing and miss was lethal. Drafted 17th round out of high school, Dorsey is in line for a much better position this time around. 

LHP Ryan Prager Texas A&M: #59 ranked prospect by MLB’s draft board, Prager has been the ace all season long for the Aggies hence why his name was called to send them to the College World Series Final Four with a win versus Kentucky. Prager pitched 6 ⅔ innings striking out four and only allowing two hits in his 95-pitch performance. Prager had a chance against the #1 ranked Tennesse Vols in the CWS finals and he excelled in game #1 leading his team to a 1-0 series lead. Only four innings and 81 pitches of work striking out six and allowing two runs on two hits. Fastball, changeup, and slider are all in his arsenal and his mix can throw batters off guard. Coming off a missed 2023 season due to Tommy John, the concerns about Prager are seemingly put to rest. 

Honorable mentions: OF Kavares Tears Tennessee, OF Harrison Didawick Virginia, C Jacob Cozart NC State, OF Casey Cook North Carolina, OF Ryan Waldschmidt Kentucky, LHP Pierce Coppola Florida