It’s been a never-ending hangover type of season for the defending National Champs. It continued this past weekend as LSU traveled to Georgia and was swept. Unlike many past seasons, the Tigers are not well-stocked with draft talent for the upcoming draft. They do have a potential first rounder in centerfielder Derek Curiel, but beyond him and Jake Brown, the pickings have become slim with injuries and underperformance.

Curiel’s transition from left to centerfield has gone well and it now looks like a spot he can hold at the professional level. He didn’t take the best route in the sixth inning of Sunday’s game on a deep fly ball to right centerfield off the bat of Cole Johnson, but earlier in the series on Friday he did, and robbed the Bulldogs’ cleanup hitter Rylan Lujo of extra bases with a diving catch to close the fourth inning. Curiel ranges gap to gap with above average speed and throws below average. His DRS (Defensive Runs Saved) as computed by 643 Synergy Charts is 14.29 which leads all centerfielders in D1 Baseball. At the plate the lefthanded hitter sets up slightly open with a vertical bat. It’s an easy, simple stroke that takes bat-to-ball with regularity. His 93.6% Z-Contact (in-zone) rate highlights his contact-oriented approach that has produced 14 doubles, six home runs and a .342 batting average this season. His power had been a primary concern of scouts, but it too has improved this season to a max of 110.8 mph and an EV 90 of 105.3, both up from 107.5 and 104.7 produced last season. Both of his EV totals this season rank at least in 85th percentile. Curiel also has a career platoon split of a .280/.453 (AVG/SLG) vs LHPs and .370/.546 vs RHPs. The pitch that gives him the most struggles has been the lefty curveball where he’s whiffed at a 50% rate (5th percentile) over his career. Regardless, the improvement he has made from as a freshman in 2025 to this season has been significant and has boosted his draft value into a no-doubt first round pick.

Rightfielder Jake Brown has been sidelined with a broken hamate since April 19. He began the season ranked in the top three round range and was moving up draft boards with 16 home runs and a .303 batting average. Although he doesn’t have quite the in-zone contact rates that 19th overall selection Ike Irish produced last season, Brown is somewhat similar to the former Auburn Tiger. Both project to right field at the pro level and both possess the hit and power tools with Brown being the more advanced at the same age of elevating the baseball. There’s even more to like with his bat as Brown has struck out less than 17% of the time in his college career to go along with average raw power (109 max EV) that he gets to with regularity. In a year deep in college outfielders, the best since 2022, there’s a large range to where he’ll ultimately land, but the lefthanded slugger has likely floated inside the overall top 75 picks.

Shortstop Steven Milam has fallen short of the preseason draft expectations in the batter’s box, but he has not on the dirt. He’s committed just two errors all season (.990 FLD) and ranks third among all college shortstops with a 12.32 DRS. He has good range and above average arm strength from all angles with very good accuracy. Milam showed off this triple combo of abilities on a flat-footed throw from near the outfield grass on a grounder up the middle on Sunday. With the bases loaded and the second baseman late to cover the bag, it was a higher-level decision-making play that illustrated his baseball instincts and physical talents.

Offensively, the switch-hitter controls the strike zone with just a 9.3% overall strikeout rate and a 12.5% walk rate this season and there isn’t any single pitch type from either side of the plate that gives him struggles. His swing is long through the zone and his K rate is 10% from the left side and just 7.5% from the right. Milam also has nearly identical max EVs with a 107.6 mph from the left and 107.5 from the right – both are Major League below average, but equal power from both sides of the plate isn’t always the case. He is not Marek Houston who was selected 16th overall last summer, mostly for his defensive talents, but Milam has posted a better max EV (107.6 vs 107.2) and a better Z-Contact rate than Houston did last spring (93.1% vs 92.1%). And even more interestingly, Milam also has a nearly equal Z-contact rate to Curiel’s 93.4% and is regarded as a better defender up the middle at shortstop than Curiel is a defender in centerfield. Again, Milam is not a first-rounder like Houston or like Curiel will become, but the 5-foot-8 Milam has valuable talent that should be rewarded during day one (top four rounds) of the 2026 draft.

On the mound for the Tigers, junior righthander Deven Sheerin stood out. He did allow four runs and four hits in relief on Friday, but struck out three in 2.1 innings and showed many of the reasons he’s highly regarded. Sheerin is big, tall and strong at 6-foot-5, 255 pounds. More thrower than pitcher, he presents a nasty look to same-sided hitters with a low three-quarter release that produces plus tailing life. Adding to that slot and life is what came out — a lively, hard-tailing 97-98 mph heater, an 84-88 sweeper/slider, an 82 curve and one 88 mph circle change. His fastball has limited opposing hitters to a .145 to date this season and a 99th percentile Whiff rate of 36.3%. His curve is his third pitch, but it has been his second most effective offering with a 95th percentile Whiff rate of 50%. Sheerin also showed a remarkable ability to locate his slider to both sides of the plate on this look. With further development of his hard sweeper to an already nasty-pack arsenal, Sheerin is a potential quick mover through a minor league system and setup type on a major league club. He’s likely to receive fourth-to-fifth round consideration this July.

Sophomore-eligible righthander Mavrick Rizy started Saturday’s game and flashed some of what once made him a top round prospect, but was lackluster overall. He looked mostly like a tall (6-foot-9) guy with a good arm, rather than a top round pick. His arm is loose, but he loses his natural advantage of a high release by breaking down to a 5-foot-6 release point. There also really isn’t anything special about his 94-96 mph fastball that is thrown with well below average control. His slider did show many of average quality at 85-86 mph and he found the strike zone on this look more than his season average of 57.1% (33rd percentile). Currently valued in the 7th-10th round, he’s more of a developing prospect at this point and is best off returning to college for his junior season to rebuild his draft value.

Good news for the Tigers – there is a lot to look forward to in 2027 with top pitching prospects William Schmidt and Casan Evans leading the way. Both are well-known prospects who already possess the stuff to become first-rounders in next summer’s draft. Both scuffled at Georgia, especially with their control. Evans allowed four earned runs in 1.2 innings on 56 pitches. He never looked comfortable on the bump mixing a straight 95-96 mph fastball and a plus changeup. It was plus in terms of action and velocity, but lacked command. Evans has walked 15 in 20.1 innings this season with an overall strike rate of just 56.6% (25th percentile).

Schmidt has also looked better than he did this most recent trip to the mound. The 6-foot-4 righthander struck out six in four innings, but also walked four. He relied upon a plus mid-80s slider as his primary weapon while mixing a 94-96 mph fastball, 87-88 cutter and 77-81 curve. All of his breakers spin tight with rpm in the 2700s. His slider is his go-to for a reason. It has produced 97th percentile with both its Whiff (52%) and Z-Whiff (37.1%). Further good news is that his walk rate is down (14.5% to 11%) and his strikeout rate is up (27.1% to 30%) since last season as a true freshman. With continued polish, turning his control into command, he will become a lock first-rounder next summer.

GEORGIA

High-rising prospect Daniel Jackson was featured in last week’s College Crosscheck- April Risers. He’s the first player in Georgia baseball’s history to homer and steal more than 20 of each in one season. Typically shortstops and centerfielders would be the most likely candidates for such an accomplishment, but Jackson is a catcher. He currently sits at 25 home runs and 24 stolen bases. The righthanded hitter leads the SEC in batting average, home runs and RBIs, and is fourth in stolen bases and it took less than nine innings in Friday’s opener to illustrate his season in a nutshell. In his first at-bat he launched a 410’ home run with a 107 EV, then doubled to leadoff the sixth and a couple pitches later instinctively stole third base on the pitcher. It was a perfect throw by the catcher, but he was sent back to second base after a horrendous call by the home plate umpire who ruled the batter interfered with the catcher’s throw. Fortunately, for the good of the game, Rylan Lujo lined an RBI single two pitches later to give Georgia an 8-7 lead. Jackson reached base five times on Friday, four times on Saturday and three more on Sunday. He finished the series 6-for-10 with two home runs, seven RBIs, six walks and a stolen base. Not only a candidate for SEC Player of the Year, he’s also a front-runner for the Golden Spikes Award and a first round prospect.

Lujo, a sophomore-eligible, has recently emerged as a legit prospect with a strong second half of the season performance. The 6-foot-2, athletic-bodied centerfielder was an under-the-radar transfer from Dayton. He’s also a product of the baseball factory Marjory Stoneman Douglas HS in Parkland, FL and is the grandson of Rennie Stennett, a long-time outfielder for the Pittsburgh Pirates in the 1970s. The Bulldogs’ cleanup hitter has a quiet approach at the plate and sets up with a slightly open stance. He’s a pull hitter with some sweep to his swing and chasing the breaking ball was a concern during this look. However, he gets the bat to ball for a manageable 22.4% (82nd percentile) whiff rate on sliders. With present below average raw power that is best to his pull side (107.5 max EV), he’ll likely grow into his wiry 190-pound frame and add further pop. He’s a below average runner down the line from the right side, but has above average speed underway. Lujo also showed average range in centerfield with sure hands, fair routes and average to slightly above average arm strength. Overall, Lujo undoubtedly has present draft value, but might be a year away from maximizing his draft stock with further physical development and continued high level performance.

Tre Phelps was also featured in last week’s College Crosscheck. He’s one of several picks-to-click for Prep Baseball, as he’s currently undervalued by the industry. He could be this year’s Colby Shelton (Florida) who fell in the draft only to find immediate success in pro ball. Phelps’ talents begin with ultra quick hands at the plate that have produced a max EV of 109.4 and an EV90 of 105.3 (85th percentile). He is aggressive with just a 7.7% walk rate, but it’s affected by an NCAA-leading 30 HBPs this season as he crowds the dish and doesn’t give an inch. Overall, he puts it all together to produce a high average (.375) and power (18 home runs, .328 ISO). Phelps also shows defensive versatility. The everyday third baseman for much of the season, he played second base on Friday and can also play the outfield. Ultimately, he’ll likely have the most value as a pro at second base where one can dream of him becoming an all-star if it all clicks.

A trio of portal transfer righthanders Joey Volchko, Dylan Vigue and Matt Scott took the hill over the weekend for the Bulldogs. All show improvement from past seasons with their statistics, but none have made the jump to top round prospects. Scott, a senior, was once regarded as a top half of the first round talent. His fastball sat 94-95 during his relief appearance on Friday. It had some ride at the top of the zone, but is not an electric pitch. His slider was a below average pitch at 84-86. For the season he’s posted a 6-0 record with 54 strikeouts in 40.1 innings.

Volchko made the Friday start, but didn’t pitch long, throwing 3.1 innings on 80 pitches. Once a first round talent for me, he’s dropped into the mix of future relievers with upper-90s fastballs and below average overall control. His best pitch on this look was a hard slider that flashed plus at 87-89 mph and spin into the 3000 rpm range. He occasionally showed an 81-82 curve and a couple of low-90s changeups. Metric-wise his curve has been his best pitch this season with a 51.8% Whiff rate (96th percentile), but was not often-used (nine times) this time out. At its best the pitch has late 12/6 action with good depth and he’ll throw it to both sided batters. Volchko will likely be selected around the fourth round.

Saturday’s starter Vigue mirrors Volchko in many ways. He too made a short start of just 2.1 innings on 52 pitches. His usually reliable, and most often thrown pitch, an 85-87 mph sweeping slider, wasn’t in top form on this look. It had been his top offering this spring, producing a 93rd percentile Whiff rate of 47.5%. His 94-96 mph sinking fastball was used as his main pitch, but it played very average. On a good note, it is one that looks to be more easily manipulated for greater success going forward than Volchko’s heater. The 6-foot-3, 230-pound Vigue has decreased his walk rate to 13.5% from 15.6% last season at Michigan while increasing his strikeout rate to 29%, up from 18.9% last year. He will also likely be selected around the fourth round, a few picks ahead of Volchko for me.

My favorite Georgia arm this weekend was Justin Byrd, a 6-foot-2 athletic righthanded reliever with a starter look to his operation. He’s typically a strike-thrower (70.1% / 94th percentile), but uncharacteristically walked two batters during three innings of work. He’s free-passed just nine in 47 innings with 60 strikeouts this spring. The 22 year-old has a loose arm with very good arm action and he repeats his delivery. His fastball rides at 94-97 and he flashes the ability to paint either corner. His low-80s sweeping breaker had late action and 19” horizontal movement. He also showed another same speed breaker with less horizontal as well as an 86 mph split changeup. All told, it’s two above average pitches with plus control. Undrafted last spring after transferring from D2 USC Aiken, Byrd slots in just above both Volchko and Vigue on my draft pref list, regardless of his age, but valid arguments could be made for the trio in any order.

Sophomore draft-eligible Paul Farley also caught my attention with a big-diving slider in the low-80s and a fastball touching 95. The righthander shut the door for 3.2 scoreless innings on Saturday, earning the win in relief. Freshman righthander Joe Nottingham pitched one scoreless in relief on Sunday. His fastball touched 98 and he struck out two of the three hitters he faced. Fourth-year junior lefthander Caleb Jameson also showed a good arm with a heater up to 96 and a mid-80s breaker from a three-quarter release point. The Baylor transfer had walked only one in 16 innings coming into the game, but free-passed both batters he faced this outing.