Three Week 2 College Baseball Series To Watch From An MLB Draft Perspective

Here are three college series we are paying attention to during week two—from a draft perspective.

Note that both 2022 & 2023 rankings describe players in a college-only list, compared to a 2021 ranking that features both college and high school prospects.

No. 11 Duke vs. Boston College

Friday, 3 p.m.
Saturday, 3 p.m.
Sunday, 1 p.m.

With ACC conference play getting started this weekend, there’s plenty of high-level baseball matchups around the country. Boston College has a chance to land three first-round picks in the draft this year, so outfielder Sal Frelick, infielder Cody Morissette and righthander Mason Pelio are the standouts to pay attention to.

Frelick is a catalyst at the top of the lineup who offers speed and pop. He’s off to a solid start to the season, going 6-for-15 (.400) with two walks to three strikeouts and a double through three games against Charleston Southern. Pelio is the Friday night arm and tossed five shutout innings with four strikeouts and two walks.

Ethan Murray is the top bat to watch for the Blue Devils. He had a pair of multi-hit games against Coastal Carolina on opening weekend and is leading the team in hitting. Each of Duke’s weekend starters are draft guys.

Ranked 2021 Players:

Sal Frelick, OF, Boston College — No. 17
Cody Morissette, SS, Boston College — No. 28
Mason Pelio, RHP, Boston College — No. 41
Ethan Murray, SS, Duke — No. 134
Cooper Stinson, RHP, Duke — No. 137
Jack Carey, RHP, Duke — No. 187

Ranked 2022 Players:

Henry Williams, RHP, Duke — No. 24
Chad Knight, C, Duke — No. 65
Grant Norris, SS, Duke — No. 93

Clemson vs. No. 16 South Carolina

Friday, 4 p.m.
Saturday, 4 p.m.
Sunday, 1:30 p.m.

After a competitive rivalry series between Florida and Miami last weekend, we have another ACC-SEC matchup that should bring some fireworks between Clemson and South Carolina in a home/neutral/away series in Clemson, Greenville and Columbia, S.C.

While righthanders are the most prominent ranked players on both teams currently, South Carolina catcher/first baseman Wes Clarke might be as “must-see” a player as any in the country at the moment. Clarke is scorching hot entering this series, with a .769/.850/.2.308 line with a nation-leading six home runs. He’s tallied 10 hits through four games and eight of them have been extra-base hits.

In addition to Clarke and the 2021-eligible arms that have impressive pure stuff, both teams have quality underclass players on both sides of the ball to monitor.

Ranked 2021 Players:

Brannon Jordan, RHP, South Carolina — No. 124
Carter Raffield, RHP, Clemson — No. 129
Thomas Farr, RHP, South Carolina — No. 155
Mack Anglin, RHP, Clemson — No. 196

Ranked 2022 Players:

Brett Thomas, RHP, South Carolina — No. 14
Brennan Milone, SS, South Carolina — No. 17
Jonathan French, C, Clemson — No. 22
Dylan Brewer, OF, Clemson — No. 60

Ranked 2023 Players:

Will Sanders, RHP, South Carolina — No. 25
Jackson Phipps, LHP, South Carolina — No. 28
Magdiel Cotto, LHP, South Carolina — No. 37
Alek Boychuk, C, South Carolina — No. 38
Caden Grice, LHP/1B, Clemson — No. 50

Round Rock Classic

Auburn, Baylor, No. 25 Oklahoma, Texas A&M

Friday, 12 p.m. — Auburn vs. Oklahoma
Friday, 6 p.m. — Texas A&M vs. Baylor

Saturday, 12 p.m. — Baylor vs. Auburn
Saturday, 6 p.m. — Oklahoma vs. Texas A&M

Sunday, 11 a.m. — Auburn vs. Texas A&M
Sunday, 5 p.m. — Oklahoma vs. Baylor

The Texas baseball tournaments continue this week, after Week 1 gave us a massive field of draft prospects at the State Farm College Baseball Showdown. The Round Rock Classic isn’t as deep (and there are two fewer teams) but watching righthander Richard Fitts pitch against Baylor will be a good one—assuming Auburn keeps the same weekend rotation from week 1.

Auburn’s shortstop Ryan Bliss is one of the more exciting players to watch in college baseball and enters this series hitting .500/.545/.900 with a homer and a double, and already having flashed the leather at a high level up the middle.

Texas A&M lefthander Jonathan Childress racked up nine strikeouts in just 4.2 innings last Sunday against Xavier and is a pitcher some scouts think could have a breakout 2021 season with a full year.

Beyond that, there’s a solid group of underclassmen in the field, with Oklahoma leading the way with players like third baseman Peyton Graham and outfielder Jace Bohrofen. Two-way player Cade Horton would be a must-watch, but a Tommy John surgery ended his 2021 season before it could begin.

Ranked 2021 Players: