By Chris Marler
We continue our countdown to NCAA Regionals. Here are the best non-SEC Players to Watch this weekend in the NCAA Tournament.
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Drew Burress, CF Georgia Tech (Oxford Regional)
Burress isn’t draft eligible until next season, but he might be one of the best, if not the best, prospects in the country. He will be a surefire first rounder next year and has been talked about as a potential 1:1 when next June rolls around.
His sophomore year saw a dip in numbers, but that’s mainly because of how absurd his freshman season was. Through two years, the center fielder has a slash line of .360/.490/.761, has 43 home runs (18 this year), and finished with 60+ RBIs each season. Just for good measure he’s also had 30 more walks (106) than strikeouts (76) in 115 games and 559 plate appearances.
Drew Burress has launched his 14th HR of the year, inching his way closer to the NCAA lead.
Burress got a 92 MPH heater away and hammered it to straight-away center field, leaving the bat at 106 MPH. Tons of bat speed with loft, looks like the potential 1.1 guy in 2026. pic.twitter.com/XbqofBealt
— Tyler Jennings (@TylerJennings24) March 22, 2024
He’s playing in the Ole Miss regional on a Georgia Tech team that feels like they should’ve been hosting this weekend instead of making a trip to Oxford.
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Ryan Wideman, CF Western Kentucky (Oxford Regional)
If you read any of our SEC Midweek Previews throughout the season this name should sound familiar. Wideman is not only one of my favorite players in all of college baseball, he’s also one of the best overall and most talented players in the country, period.
The Wideman show continues ‼️@WKU_Baseball Junior OF Ryan Wideman evaporates the first pitch he sees to LCF for a no-doubt 💣. 422ft off the bat.
Impressive blend of power/speed in the 6-foot-5, 210-pound frame. @PB_DraftHQ @DSeifertD1PBR pic.twitter.com/FJsrj3OfIq
— Ian Smith (@IanSmittyGA) March 22, 2025
Wideman is every bit of a five tool player and finished this season hitting .398 with 10 home runs, 36 extra base hits, and 45 stolen bases. He’s a bit lanky and unorthodox at 6-foot-5 and just 200 pounds. However, he’s also drawn comparisons to Dale Murphy by some scouts and is projected to be selected in the first five rounds of this year’s draft.
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Cam Cannarella, CF Clemson (Clemson Regional)
Cannarella’s stat line isn’t necessarily going to wow you, but he’s as exciting of a player as anyone in the country in center field. He’s arguably the best outfield defender in college baseball, and is at his best when the lights shine brightest.
He came into regionals with a 19 game hitting streak and just posted a .438 average in the ACC tournament including a home run in the championship game against North Carolina. He is currently ranked as the No. 18 best draft prospect regardless of class in the NCAA Tournament by Baseball America.
The emotional heartbeat of @ClemsonBaseball and the most exciting player in the Clemson Regional, @CamCannarella is peaking at the right time 📈
Over the last month, he’s 26-for-58 (.448) with seven extra-base hits and paces the Tigers with 16 RBIs and an 1.181 OPS. pic.twitter.com/uSc5s1AqDg
— D1Baseball (@d1baseball) May 28, 2025
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Will Jones, P Northeastern (Tallahassee Regional)
Northeastern has become a popular Cinderella pick to make it out of Regionals despite being a 2 Seed in the Tallahassee regional and having the third best odds to advance. They went 48-9 on the year and have won 27 straight games. One big reason for both those numbers – Pitcher Will Jones.
Jones is a 6-foot-5 220 pound lefty that finished the season with gaudy numbers. He was second in the country with a 1.82 ERA, and he held hitters to a .201 batting average on the season. He held opponents to one run or fewer in 11 of his 14 appearances, and finished 11-0.
The one knock on Jones is that he hasn’t gone very far into games this season. He’s thrown more than 90 pitches just once and lasted past the sixth inning just twice. They’ll almost certainly need him to go past both of those numbers if Northeastern is to win a 12th game for the senior.
Tip of the cap to Will Jones in his last home start 🧢
5.1 scoreless frames with eight punch outs 🥊
His 10th win of the year ties the program record for single-season wins 💪 pic.twitter.com/uZ3AKl2B4J
— Northeastern Baseball (@GoNUbaseball) May 16, 2025
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Roch Cholowsky, SS UCLA (Los Angeles Regional)
We’ll close with a player that SEC teams won’t see this weekend, but may very well in Super Regionals or Omaha. Cholowsky has been incredible this season for the Bruins. The sophomore shortstop is still a year away from being draft eligible, but may be a finalist for the Golden Spikes Award this year regardless.
Roch Cholowsky leads the nation in wins-above-replacement (WAR) according to @643charts, but his impact goes far beyond the numbers. His leadership and presence on-and-off the field have earned high praise from Coach Savage.
📰@latimessports #GoBruins pic.twitter.com/RENCo8IuHs
— UCLA Baseball (@UCLABaseball) May 13, 2025
He finished the year with a .369 average, 23 home runs, and 69 RBIs. He was the Big Ten Player of the Year, and named the most outstanding underclassmen in the country ahead of guys like Alabama’s Justin Lebron and the aforementioned Drew Burress from Georgia Tech. In the Big Ten Tournament last week he hit .33 (5-for15) with three home runs and 6 RBIs.
Honorable Mentions
- SS Alex Lodise, SS Florida State – Tallahassee Regional
- C Luke Stevenson, C UNC – Chapel Hill Regional
- P Jamie Arnold, Florida State – Tallahassee Regional
- C Caden Bodine, Coastal Carolina – Conway Regional
- OF AJ Garcia, Duke – Athens Regional
