The SEC opened convention play this previous weekend and there have been a bunch of nice matchups. Essentially the most stunning consequence was Tennessee’s sweep of Florida, as each groups entered the collection ranked within the high 10. At this level, the Volunteers appear like the very best staff in school baseball. Exterior of the SEC, Stanford’s Japanese phenom Rintaro Sasaki hit his first profession residence run on Saturday, and we noticed a four-homer day from Northwestern’s Trent Liolios.
Sticking to the theme of final week, these notes are on draft-eligible gamers who will not be presently listed on The Board, because it’s nonetheless too early to rank them, however who nonetheless ought to hear their names referred to as this July.
Logan Lunceford, RHP, Wake Forest
Weekend Line: 7.0 IP, 8 SO, 1 BB, 0 ER vs. Miami
Wake Forest is residence to the most effective pitching labs within the nation, and the Demon Deacons teaching workers and pitchers are properly versed in analytics. Logan Lunceford matches the archetype of an early period “analytics darling.” His fastball sits at solely 90 mph, but it surely has the form that Stuff+ fashions love and loads of carry, and he throws it at a flat angle. It’s carried out properly thus far this 12 months, producing a 32% whiff charge.
Lunceford’s finest pitch is his changeup, which sits within the higher 70s and falls off the desk with a tailing form. It’s his major offspeed pitch in two-strike counts and is among the higher changeups I’ve seen this 12 months. He additionally throws a 12-6 curveball, which has depth to it but in addition tends to be tender and simple to ID out of the hand. Apparently, he makes use of it extra as a pitch to steal strikes early in counts quite than as a putaway pitch; he throws the curve 12% of the time general, however 21% of the time in 0-0 counts. This pitch matches properly in a starter’s arsenal, however I’d wish to see him discover a gyro-type slider so as to add to the repertoire as one other offspeed pitch to strike out hitters.
There’s aid threat right here given his slight body and his scattershot command, however he has a starter’s means to get whiffs along with his fastball/changeup combo and steal strikes along with his curveball. Lunceford is probably going a third- or fourth-round decide who initiatives as a backend starter or multi-inning reliever relying on the event of his command.
Nate Snead, RHP, Tennessee
Weekend Line: 5.2 IP, 6 SO, 1 BB, 0 ER, 2 SV vs. Florida
Friday’s Tennessee-Florida sport featured two of the very best pitching prospects within the SEC in Liam Doyle and Liam Peterson, however they weren’t the one pitchers exhibiting loud stuff. Nate Snead completed off the win for Tennessee, going 3 2/3 innings, hanging out 4, and touching 101.
Snead transferred from Wichita State to Tennessee after his freshman 12 months and has been used virtually completely in a multi-inning aid position thus far throughout his time in Knoxville. He threw 75 innings in 29 appearances final season and has thrown 17 innings in six appearances this season. Snead was the Sunday starter towards Hofstra within the first collection of the 12 months, however since then Tennessee has opted to make use of him in higher-leverage innings.
Standing at 6-foot-2 and 210 kilos, Snead throws throughout his physique from a three-quarters arm slot with a decrease launch peak, which helps him generate an unorthodox angle on his pitches. His sinker averages 96 mph with late arm-side run. Regardless of its velocity, his sinker hasn’t missed a ton of bats thus far in his school profession (23% whiff charge), and its form would want some tweaking to achieve success in professional ball. He pairs it with a low-to-mid-80s slider, which is vertically oriented with sharp chunk and a bit extra depth than the typical gyro slider. He’s proven a cutter and changeup from time to time however hasn’t had to make use of them a lot out of the bullpen.
Snead’s stroll charges point out he has starter command, although from a visible perspective, it’s extra scattershot. A multi-inning aid position matches his ability set the very best and certain will get him to the majors the quickest. Faculty relievers are a tough demographic to guess the place they go, however I may see Snead as a fifth-round decide if he continues this degree of manufacturing.
James Ellwanger, RHP, Dallas Baptist
Weekend Line: 4.2 IP, 5 SO, 2 BB, 1 ER vs. UTSA
Dallas Baptist is a mid-major powerhouse that draft watchers have to concentrate to every 12 months. Even within the NIL/switch portal period, this system nonetheless manages to provide draft-worthy expertise, with two top-100 picks in 2024 and eight whole gamers picked in 2023. This 12 months, its high prospect is James Ellwanger, a tall, lanky right-hander with a giant fastball. Standing 6-foot-4 and weighing 209 kilos, Ellwanger sits 93-95 along with his fastball, topping out at 99, with carry thrown from a downhill airplane. The remainder of the repertoire is vertically oriented, with a 12-6 curveball that he spins properly with loads of depth, and a tighter gyro slider that sits within the mid-80s. Each venture to be above-average pitches. Ellwanger doesn’t have a lot really feel for his pitches, although, and his command is persistently under common, so he’ll seemingly find yourself in a bullpen position as a professional, the place the stuff is loud sufficient to play in high-leverage conditions.
Brent Iredale, 3B, Arkansas
Weekend Line: 8 AB, .125, 4 SO, 3 BB vs. Ole Miss
A local of Sydney, Australia, Brent Iredale spent two years at New Mexico Junior Faculty earlier than arriving at Arkansas. He’s off to an amazing begin this 12 months, hitting .397/.562/.847 with seven residence runs and extra walks than strikeouts.
Iredale has a compact swing with plus velocity that’s proven elevated whiff charges (27%) up thus far. He’s upright in his stance, and the operation feels weak to velocity up and breaking balls, which is one thing to regulate as he sees extra SEC pitching. The place Iredale stands out is within the chase and energy division. He has a great eye on the plate with out being overly passive. Energy clever, he’s posted above-average exit velocities (113.7 mph vs. Michigan; you’ll be able to take 3-4 mph off for the metal-to-wood conversion) and lifts the ball properly, permitting his pure uncooked energy to play.
Nothing particularly stands out about his protection at third. He showcases a mean arm with first rate arms and bend. He’s a fringe common runner presently, and will doubtlessly add some positional versatility by taking part in nook outfield. Iredale initiatives as a bench bat with some probability of growing right into a low-end common.
James Quinn-Irons, OF, George Mason
Weekend Line: 11 AB, .091, 2 SO, 2 BB, 1 SB vs. Dayton
Even after a tough collection towards Dayton, close to the highest of the school wRC+ leaderboards sits George Mason’s James Quinn-Irons. He has struggled with strikeouts thus far in his profession, however in 2025, he’s minimize his strikeout charge in half and appears like one of many higher hitters in school baseball. At 6-foot-5, 230 kilos, Quinn-Irons stands out resulting from his uncooked energy, posting exit velocities close to 114 mph (about 110 with wooden bat). His strategy has been much like his first two years at George Mason, with mid-20% chase charges and a barely aggressive strategy. He’s been whiffing much less, particularly towards fastballs, however his whiff charges towards offspeed are nonetheless elevated, and that’s regarding given the weaker competitors he’s confronted. Defensively, Quinn-Irons initiatives as a nook outfielder, regardless of primarily taking part in middle area at George Mason. He has common straight-line velocity and may make the simple catches in middle, however that’s about it. His arm is above common and matches properly in proper, however a transfer to the corners would put extra strain on him to provide on the plate.