Ranking the top 25 freshman classes entering the 2024 college baseball season

Editor’s note: The following article was published first on d1baseball.com. Stay locked into D1Baseball’s coverage by using code 24Season for 24% off any annual subscription.

As with our transfer rankings, this list will consider instant impact, but we’re also placing more stock on future projections with the freshmen, who often blossom after a year or two of college experience.

1. Arkansas

THE HEADLINERS: The Hogs hit the jackpot with a remarkable collection of freshman arms buttressed by a blue-chip catcher and some nice positional building blocks. LHP Hunter Dietz (No. 6 on the Prep Baseball Report list of the top 150 incoming freshmen) is the top-ranked prospect in this group, a 6-foot-6, 230-pound ox who ran his heater up to 96 this fall along with an excellent splitter and a good slider. He figures to be a rotation mainstay over the course of his Arkansas career and stands a good chance to depart campus as a first-round pick. RHP Gabe Gaeckle (No. 26) also has a high ceiling, and he was even more electric than Dietz in our fall look, showcasing an exciting four-pitch arsenal and the ability to miss bats with multiple pitches. He came out of the chute firing 95-96 mph heat with excellent carry in the first inning, when he struck out the side and then settled in at 92-94 for the next two innings. An athletic, live-bodied 6-foot, 190-pound righty with an over-the-top slot, Gaeckle also features a 12-to-6 hammer at 77-79 with tight spin into the 3000 rpm range, as well as an 82-84 slider spinning in the 2800-2900s, and a promising mid-80s changeup. He has future star written all over him. The same is true of catcher Ryder Helfrick (No. 49), who stood out this fall for his innate knack for finding the barrel, emerging righthanded power, and superb catch-and-throw skills. Don’t be surprised if he wins a fierce battle against several older veterans and winds up leading the Hogs’ catching corps as a freshman.

RANKINGS: Wake Forest, Florida, Arkansas, LSU lead 2024 D1Baseball preseason poll

2. UCLA

THE HEADLINERS: Shortstop Roch Cholowsky is the No. 7 ranked player in college baseball’s freshman class. The 6-foot-2, 195-pound righthanded hitter looks and plays like a big-league defender already. He will play third base as a freshman but likely slides over to shortstop next year. The Arizona native was a state-champion quarterback in high school and the upside here feels infinite. Shortstop Roman Martin is another All-American prep who found his way to Westwood. Martin earned co-MVP honors of the famed Trinity League as a high school junior, and that may be the single best prep league in America. The right-handed hitter missed the fall with a thumb injury but this is a high-end talent. Right-hander Justin Lee pairs pitchability with low-to-mid 90s velocity. His clean delivery and feel for spin could make him a weekend rotation arm early in his career. 6-foot-4 right-hander Cal Randall attacks hitters with a 94-96 mph heater and that fastball makes him an immediately viable option in the bullpen.

3. North Carolina 

THE HEADLINERS: North Carolina brought in its best group of power arms in years, a group that rivals Arkansas for the best collection of freshman pitching in the country. Four of North Carolina’s prized freshman arms will also compete for rotation jobs, with the others likely to serve as key pieces of what should be an elite bullpen. RHP Jason DeCaro (No. 28 on the PBR list of top 150 freshmen) reclassified from the class of 2024 to 2023, and he is one of college baseball’s youngest players — he won’t turn 18 until April. A loose, projectable 6-foot-5, 225-pounder with fast, three-quarters arm action, DeCaro pumped 92-94 heat with high spin into the 2500s in his perfect inning this fall against Liberty, complementing it with a very tight three-quarters breaking ball at 79-80, spinning into the 2900s. His stuff is already very good, and it’s easy to dream of what he could become as he matures. RHP Boston Flannery (No. 45) is a physical 6-4, 220-pounder who worked at 91-95 against the Flames. UNC coach Scott Forbes said Flannery has the look of an electric bullpen weapon who can overpower hitters with his fastball and slider, but he also can fill up the zone and command three pitches in a starting role, so that also remains a distinct possibility. From the left side, Folger Boaz (No. 149) is a strong, athletic 6-2, 190-pounder who throws strikes with a high-spin heater at 91-93 and a tight slider that rates as the best on the staff. UNC also landed a blue-chip catching prospect in Luke Stevenson (No. 51), a physical left-handed hitter with a quiet approach and loads of strength in his swing. He’s also a very advanced defensive catcher for his age, and he will step right into everyday duty, replacing stalwart Tomas Frick.

4. Texas A&M

THE HEADLINERS: Last year, the Aggies had one of the nation’s premier freshmen in left-handed hitting outfielder Jace LaViolette. That could very well be the case yet again this spring with the addition of California product Gavin Grahovac. Grahovac can play in the outfield or infield, but the Aggies are playing him at the hot corner for the upcoming season. He was solid there defensively this past fall. But his greatest attributes are at the plate. At 6-foot-2, 220 pounds, Grahovac physically reminds me a lot of former Texas Tech standout and Rangers slugger Josh Jung. Grahovac has a sweet swing and some big-time pop from the right side. Everything off his bat is hard contact. Clearly, there’s always a transition with any freshman to big-time Division I Baseball. But Grahovac looks ready-made from the start … On the mound, the Aggies have a pair of ultra-talented arms to watch this spring. The first is right-hander Isaac Morton, who might not be in school if not for an injury last season. Morton is a 6-foot-3, 190-pounder, with serious projection, who was up to 95-96 mph with his fastball this past fall, while also showing a slider in the mid-80s to go with a changeup. Morton has good poise and is slated to be an instant impact arm. The same could go for lefty and Maryland prep product Kaiden Wilson. Wilson is up to 96-97 mph with his fastball and reminds Jim Schlossnagle of former TCU standout lefty Brandon Finnegan in terms of his stuff and makeup.

5. NC State 

THE HEADLINERS: Like rival North Carolina, the Wolfpack brought in a banner class of impact arms in a recruiting class that the coaches believe is their best since the Carlos Rodon/Trea Turner group in 2010. The highest-ranked prospect coming out of high school was RHP Chance Mako (No. 30), a long, lean and super-projectable 6-foot-7, 195-pounder who pitched mostly at 92-94 this fall but can touch 96, with the makings of a promising slider and changeup. Several other arms flew under the radar a bit in high school but showed off major star potential this fall. LHP Ryan Marohn tossed three scoreless frames in our fall look, pounding the zone at 90-92 mph with the makings of a plus changeup with deception and dive, along with a solid 81-83 slider. A projectable southpaw with a clean, athletic high three-quarters delivery and an advanced ability to control the running game, Marohn profiles as a future starter and has a chance to be a rotation mainstay in the years to come. RHP Jacob Dudan put on 12-14 pounds since arriving for summer school in June, and his stuff made a big jump this fall when we saw him pump easy 92-95 mph heat for three innings, along with an 84-86 slider that was outstanding at times, with wicked bite and tight spin into the 2900 rpm range. The Wolfpack also landed two very talented up-the-middle position players who should be foundational pieces for the next three years. Catcher Alex Sosa (136) has a beautiful left-handed stroke that produces hard line-drive contact to the middle of the field, and he’s also a very promising defender who should take over for Jacob Cozart next year and continue NC State’s long history of standout backstops. And Luke Nixon is a live athlete with exciting left-handed bat speed and hitting acumen as well as smooth infield actions and arm strength that should make him the shortstop of the future, and likely the second baseman of the present.

Read the full breakdown of each freshman class: