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2026 College Crosscheck, Week 11: Texas at Vanderbilt, Nebraska, Coastal Carolina

April 30, 2026
David Seifert
Director of College Scouting

On the road to Nashville in Week 11 for an SEC matchup of Texas at Vanderbilt.

The Longhorns’ top position prospect for 2026 is centerfielder Aiden Robbins. He’s been on the fast rise all season and was featured earlier here. The first thing I noticed about Robbins wasn’t his big bat speed or his two home runs. Upon first look I saw infectious energy and passion for the game. Robbins is wired to compete, while he also enjoys the moment. A bat-to-ball specialist his first two years of college at Seton Hall, he began making money as a slugger during Week Six at Auburn with three home runs, all at 109+ mph EV, and totaled 1256' of distance. Robbins was back at it early at Vanderbilt, belting two home runs in his first three at-bats of the series. Both were impressive for their own reasons. The first was a second pitch top of the wall scraper that came after a first pitch brushback. The second was a deep no-doubter that flew well into the left centerfield bleachers. His plus bat speed is generated by a quick flick of the wrists and power is Robbins’ top tool. The 6-foot-2, 190 pound righthanded hitter also possesses a strong hit tool and specializes in crushing fastballs (.539 batting average, 1.105 SLG). He leads Texas with 18 home runs, is second in batting average (.357) and his hard hit rate is 94th percentile at 64.9%. Robbins is also an average runner with average arm strength and close to average range in the big field. He’s most likely a leftfielder as a pro and is likely to be selected towards the end of the first round.


Carson Tinney’s 6-foot-3, 240-pound XXL frame has received comps to 24-year Major Leaguer Carlton Fisk, yet Tinney also reminds me of the Phillies 2010 third round pick Cameron Rupp. At the plate Tinney has recouped some of the value in his bat after immense struggles in the Cape last summer when he batted .165 and struck out 36 times in 79 at-bats. He’s currently third on the team with a .338 batting average, second in home runs (16) and first in OPS at 1.210. His latest long ball was a walk-off against Sam Houston Tuesday night. There’s length to his swing path, but it’s also loaded with leverage and plus-plus power. His max EV this season is 115.8 mph and his EV 90 even more impressive at 113.2 (99th percentile). There’s also drift to his operation and swing/miss with a 23.5% strikeout rate and significant struggles against changeups and curveballs. Against Vanderbilt he finished the series 4-for-11 with a walk and a noteworthy HBP when he wore 94 in the ribs like a man on Saturday evening. Behind the plate Tinney is a wide-shoulder wall, very similar to Rupp. He’s also a quiet receiver who beats the pitch to the spot and feathers into the zone. He then presents the ball well, especially the low pitch that he gets under and brings up into the bottom of the zone. He was exceptional at this skill with hard-throwing Thomas Burns on the mound Saturday evening. Tinney also has plus arm strength. Opponents had only 11 attempts this season going into the series at Vanderbilt before the Commodores exposed a side of Tinney during Saturday’s 5-0 win that had not been seen all season - they stole four bases in four attempts, two of them due to inaccurate throws. His downhill arm strength was still present, but 40-grade accuracy and running on the right pitch aided Vandy. Tinney also committed his first error of the season during Saturday’s contest, an overthrow into centerfield that allowed the base stealer to advance another base to third. Tinney is one of a handful of high quality college catching prospects this year and the second round is his likely landing spot.

Thomas Burns is another large human at 6-foot-3, 230 pounds. The righthander pumped 97-99 heaters and sat 97 with good life on Saturday after recording one out in relief on Friday evening. He posted 3.1 scoreless innings on 47 pitches, 33 for strikes on Saturday with five strikeouts. His cutter grades as plus at 88-91 with short, darting action that he repeated at the knees to his glove side. His next best pitch was his 77-78 mph curve that he effectively used several times including one in particular to set up Colin Barzi in the fifth inning that he finished with a 97 mph fastball. His final pitch was a mid-80s changeup that he used to fan Brodie Johnston. It didn’t have the greatest shape, but he located it well to his arm side on the outer fifth for a whiff. Burns hasn’t had the greatest season with a 4.70 ERA and 12 walks in 15.1 innings. But he has struck out 30 and limited opponents to a .145 batting average. His market should begin in the fourth round.


Saturday starter Ruger Riojas was not as sharp as he was earlier in the season. His stuff lacked the electric finish and for the most part was elevated and flat. He lasted just three innings, allowing five earned runs on eight hits. However, he didn’t walk anyone and struck out six with a 94-96 mph fastball, 87-88 cutter, 83-84 slider and 82 split-change. He also tried to adapt, realizing that his high three quarter release point wasn’t really effective. He dropped to a lower three quarter slot where his fastball sat 89-91 with more run and sink. Early in the year Riojas was evaluated as a potential top 35 overall pick, but this look didn’t justify that lofty of a selection. Regardless, he’s likely to become the highest drafted senior in this year’s class and will turn 23 years of age on the same day he becomes a millionaire – day one of the draft.

There’s always a draft market for lefthanders and senior Luke Harrison will be one to strongly consider. The 6-foot-2 southpaw has been a consistent performer throughout his college career and he’s in the middle of another strong season this spring. On Sunday he struck out seven in 4.1 innings while holding Vandy to one earned run. He showed nearly equal usage of a 90-94 mph fastball, 88-90 cutter and 80-81 slider. He also manipulated a third breaking ball with a 76-77 mph curve. No single pitch overwhelmed the Vandy bats, but the mix did as he pumped strikes to spots and held the Dores in check. Harrison is likely to go in the top ten rounds as a slot-saving senior, but make no mistake, he’s a legitimate prospect with a higher than average probability of becoming a big leaguer in some capacity. I don’t like him as much as I did Quinn Mathews (Stanford), a fourth rounder in 2023, but lefty performers from major conferences are low risk and tend to succeed in professional baseball.

Shortstop Adrian Rodriguez has not looked like himself for most of this spring after offseason hand surgery that followed a freshman season of .313/.410/.516 at the plate. Much of his bat speed and resulting power has been reduced, but he looked to be on the brink of a resurgence with his first home run of the season and several other well-struck baseballs this series. He also looked out of place at shortstop with below average range and arm strength, but he has the athleticism for improvement. The 6-foot-2, 210 pounder also looked to be favoring his shoulder when throwing and it may have temporarily been hanging. At the plate the switch-hitter looks more comfortable from the left side where there's more bat speed and hard contact. He is slugging .244 from the right side vs .461 from the left with a max EV of 107.7 RH and 111.9 LH. Regardless of his “down” sophomore season, A-Rod is a top prospect to watch for the 2027 draft.


A first round prospect for next summer, Dylan Volantis leads the Longhorns’ rotation with a 2.06 ERA in 56.2 innings. His curve ball is his go-to offering. It’s a spike variety with a similar grip as his two-seam fastball. It’s an 81-83 mph plus pitch with hard, downer action and a 73.3% Whiff rate (100th percentile). He can also run his heater up to 94-95 and tie up hitters with a plus 86-88 mph cutter. It’s another elite pitch in his arsenal that has compiled a 96th percentile Z-Whiff of 33.3%. There’s definite funk to his unconventional operation with a high release point, but the southpaw commands his stuff and piles up the scoreless innings. The 2027 draft is loaded with potential high round southpaws and Volantis will likely battle Mississippi State’s Tomas Valincius for the top of the class.


Two more Longhorns also impressed. Sophomore righthander Jason Flores touched 100 several times on Saturday, while freshman Sam Cozart was stellar in his relief role on Friday with two hitless and scoreless innings to close it out. He appeared again on Sunday, posting three innings with five strikeouts to earn his sixth win of the spring. Big and burly he looks like a 10-year Major League veteran and reminded me of long-time Major League closer Jeff Reardon with his grown man beard. Cozart is yet another large human on a team loaded with them. Standing 6-foot-6, 260 pounds, I first caught a look at Cozart last summer in the MLB Draft League where he struck out 26 against two walks in 19 innings against mostly draft-eligible college hitters. There’s obvious effort, but with it comes good arm strength and arm speed that produces some filthy offerings. He’s a power arm that is able to locate a 94-96 mph big-ride heater, subtract almost 20 mph with his 78-79 curve and finish with an 87 cutter. He had the Vandy bats swinging at air on Friday, but what sets him apart from others, especially those his age, is his ability to keep the game slow inside. It’s a true separator.


VANDERBILT

With the right field fence moved in ten feet, Vanderbilt’s conversion from Pitching U to Slug City has been much discussed this season. The Commodores are currently tied with Arizona State for fourth in the country with 90 team home runs in 45 games.

Besides the shorter porch, one who is much responsible for the over the fence explosion is second baseman Mike Mancini. He’s in the process of posting an excellent senior season from the leadoff spot with 13 home runs and 14 stolen bases. One of those 13 long balls was a monster shot on Friday. It was such a blast that I didn’t realize the 5-foot-11, 180 pound lefthanded hitter had that type of juice. His top EV this season is 109.7 mph, good for average raw power. He’s also an above average runner who hasn’t been thrown out stealing this spring. Despite some struggles with in-zone whiff, he’s managed to bat .301 with a .396 ISO, both large improvements from 2025 when he batted .269 with a .124 ISO. Mancini also plays left field which gives him more value for the draft where he’ll likely be a top ten round, pool-saving pick this July.

Rightfielder Braden Holcomb looked much improved compared to my initial look at Globe Life during opening weekend this spring. He finished the Texas’ series 5-for-11 with four RBIs. The 6-foot-5, 245-pounder is currently second on the team with a .337 batting average and tied for the lead with 13 home runs. Although his chase rate is much too high at 27.8% (23rd percentile) and resulting strikeout rate of 25% (17th percentile) is still much too high for success in pro ball, it is an improvement from his 2025 rate of 26.7%. He’s also made progress with his hit ability and power production (.309 ISO) compared to last season. At the end of the day there are not too many XL-framed position players with his athleticism and toolset that includes plus raw power (max EV 112.8 mph) and both average arm strength and run speed. Holcomb easily has the physical size combined with top ten round tools and could be selected towards the back of that range with a strong finish to his junior season.

Potential future high round picks for Vanderbilt include Brodie Johnston and Ryker Waite for 2027 and strong-armed freshman lefthander Aiden Stillman for 2028. Stillman struck out six in 3.2 innings on Saturday during his second start of the 2026 season. His fastball was a bit straight, but up to 96 mph and he located his low-80s breaking ball. He also flashed a raw changeup that he slowed his arm and aimed to the plate. Stillman is a work-in-progress at this point, but there’s an awful lot to like for the future of the 19 year-old southpaw.

Johnston is already a well-known prospect who we ranked No. 13 in our preseason look at the 2027 college class. He’s made significant strides in the batter’s box this spring in all areas, most importantly reducing his strike out rate and increasing his power production. He’s done both at amazing rates, slicing his K rate from 28.3% to 16.7%, while boosting his ISO from .274 to .304. His top tool is power with 13 home runs, 15 doubles and an EV 90 of 106.3 mph (89th percentile) this spring. He’s also improved defensively at the hot corner which bodes well for projecting him to stay in spot at the next level. Waite was a favorite of mine in the Cape last summer for the quick-twitch in his game and the resulting production in the batter’s box for Bourne (.287/.409/.417). The 5-foot-10, 185-pound switch-hitter has continued to produce at a high level this spring for the Commodores, batting .295 with 17 XBHs and 10 stolen bases. Ranked No. 35 in the preseason, he’s a natural shortstop with plenty of the needed tools and skills to remain in place. He’ll need to lower his strikeout rate of 21.6% to receive that lofty draft status next year when it really matters, but the sophomore has done more than enough during his first full season (three at-bats as a freshman) to warrant looks from high-level evaluators moving forward.

Freshman Tyler Baird was another key contributor and top prospect who caught my eye. On Saturday he posted three innings of scoreless relief with four strikeouts to earn the save, his fifth of the season. Baird’s sinking fastball peaked at 96 and his best pitch was an above average changeup. The 6-foot-4 righthander also mixed in some quality backdoor breakers in the 79-82 mph range and several mid-80s cutters. He’s another talented Vanderbilt arm to watch develop for the 2028 draft.

ADDITIONAL TOP PROSPECTS FROM AROUND THE COUNTRY:

Nebraska’s Carson Jasa was nearly untouchable during his first three innings against Illinois. He scuffled a bit in the fourth as he walked three, but went on to complete five innings and gain his eighth win of the season. The 6-foot-7, 215 pound righthander touched 98 with his fastball and mostly sat 94-96. It’s not the liveliest of offerings, and is commonly referred to by scouts as a dead zone heater, but he showed the ability to spot it at times, especially up in the zone with two strikes. For that reason his 83-85 mph slider and 86-87 cutter were his primary weapons, and he even mixed in an above average 79-81 curve and an 81 mph changeup during this look. Overall, there’s a lot to like with Jasa, especially the fact that he continues to improve year over year. He recorded a 9.16 ERA and an 18.6% walk rate in 2025 and has improved both this spring, currently sitting at 8-1 with a 3.90 ERA and a 14.2% walk rate. He’s also struck out 82 in 57.2 innings pitched. The top five rounds is a logical landing spot and anywhere above that range will likely be due to increased strike-throwing, currently at 55.7% (6th percentile), of his fastball over the remainder of the season.

Week 11 of the college season also marked the return of Coastal Carolina’s Cameron Flukey to the hill. Flukey pumped four pitches for strikes that included a 95-97 mph fastball, a 76-78 curve, an 82-84 slider and one kick changeup at 89 which is a new pitch. His improved slider graded as his top pitch with his curve not too far behind. It was an impressive comeback start of two innings that gave the scouting industry some positive buzz. With continued good health and starts similar to this, Flukey will likely be selected in the top 15 overall pickss.