It’s been a wild ride in the NCAA postseason, and while many of us knew that at least one SEC school would make the College World Series final, I don’t think many expected Oklahoma to be one of the final schools. They lost their last four conference series and the SEC Tournament opener to LSU (which didn’t make the tournament). The Sooners were one of the last teams to make the field, and they’ve taken advantage of this opportunity.
North Carolina is looking to snap the SEC’s dominant run in the College World Series final. The Tar Heels are a well-balanced team and no strangers to adversity in this postseason. It took another ninth-inning collapse by USC for North Carolina to escape Super Regionals. Since then, they’ve looked comfortable in Omaha, winning each game by at least three runs.
College World Series Schedule
(Best-of-3 series)
- Saturday, June 20, 7:00 PM CT on ESPN
- Sunday, June 21, 1:30 PM CT on ABC
- Monday, June 22, 6:00 PM CT on ESPN (If Necessary)
| North Carolina | Probable Pitchers | Oklahoma |
| RHP Jason Decaro | Game 1 | LHP Cord Rager |
| RHP Ryan Lynch | Game 2 | RHP Xander Mercurius |
2026 MLB Draft Players to Watch
North Carolina
| Player | Position | Top 150 Rank |
| Ryan Lynch | RHP | 58 |
| Jason DeCaro | RHP | 108 |
| Gavin Gallaher | 3B | 124 |
| Owen Hull | OF | NR |
Owen Hull has been on a tear during the College World Series. He’s 9-for-13 in three games, and his season stats have been impressive. In 66 games, Hull is batting .398/.506/.614 with 26 doubles and eight home runs.
Oklahoma
| Player | Position | Top 150 Rank |
| LJ Mercurius | RHP | 66 |
| Camden Johnson | 3B | 93 |
| Brendan Brock | C | 103 |
| Jaxon Willits | SS | 131 |
LJ Mercurius has been a difference maker coming out of Oklahoma’s bullpen. Jaxon Willits is the older brother of Eli Willits, last year’s first overall pick. Willits is having a big College World Series as he’s batting 7-for-13 with two doubles and a home run.
Mock Draft 2.0
It’s amazing how many things have changed for the Chicago White Sox. When they won the MLB draft lottery, it was initially seen as a pivotal moment in the rebuild, presenting a great chance of drafting a difference maker that could be a core piece in a future contending team. That early expectation was Roch Cholowsky.
Now it’s June, and the Chicago White Sox are challenging the Cleveland Guardians for first place in the AL Central. By the time draft day comes, the White Sox will be in the playoff picture and have the first overall pick in hand. They are in this position because Colson Montgomery has continued to combine big power with surprisingly good defensive metrics. Miguel Vargas has taken a big step forward and might be an All-Star at third base. I'm pretty sure White Sox fans don’t really want to contemplate a future without Munetaka Murakami. Chase Meidroth has been a solid contributor and key member of the clubhouse. Oh, and Caleb Bonemer has climbed up top prospect rankings, and is currently 13th on MLB Pipeline's list.
Suddenly, this first-overall pick does not need to be a franchise savior. Instead, it’s a great opportunity for the White Sox to add more depth and continue their path of finding more bats than spots.
In this mock draft, I’m combining the gossip I’m hearing and gathering, while making some educated guesses. My top five picks do not change from Mock Draft 1.0, but an option at Pick 41 for the White Sox might not be on the board.
1) Chicago White Sox select Roch Cholowsky, SS, UCLA
Who I would pick: Grady Emerson, Shortstop, Fort Worth Christian (TX)
Who I think the White Sox will pick: Roch Cholowsky, Shortstop, UCLA
Both Roch Cholowsky and Grady Emerson will be attending the MLB Draft Combine. I don’t expect either to participate in the actual drills but be available for interviews with MLB Network and meet with team officials.
I still think this will be a coin flip. I’m guessing (key word) that Chris Getz sticks with his gut in staying with Cholowsky.
2) Tampa Bay Rays select Grady Emerson, SS, Fort Worth Christian (TX)
I believe the Tampa Bay Rays will either take Emerson or Vahn Lackey.
3) Minnesota Twins select Vahn Lackey, C, Georgia Tech
No changes for the Twins since the last mock draft, but the chances that Cholowsky falls to them continues to rise.
| Pick | Team | Player | Pos. | School |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | San Francisco Giants | Jackson Flora | RHP | UC Santa Barbara |
| 5 | Pittsburgh Pirates | Jacob Lombard | SS | Gulliver Prep (FL) |
| 6 | Kansas City Royals | Drew Burress | OF | Georgia Tech |
| 7 | Baltimore Orioles | Justin Lebron | SS | Alabama |
| 8 | Sacramento Athletics | Ace Reese | 3B | Mississippi State |
| 9 | Atlanta Braves | Eric Booth Jr. | OF | Oak Grove (MS) |
| 10 | Colorado Rockies | Chris Hacopian | 2B | Texas A&M |
| 11 | Washington Nationals | Trevor Condon | OF | Etowah (GA) |
| 12 | Los Angeles Angels | Tyler Bell | SS | Kentucky |
| 13 | St. Louis Cardinals | Tegan Kuhns | RHP | Tennessee |
| 14 | Miami Marlins | Gio Rojas | LHP | Stoneman Douglas (FL) |
| 15 | Arizona Diamondbacks | Cole Carlon | LHP | Arizona State |
| 16 | Texas Rangers | Aiden Robbins | OF | Texas |
| 17 | Houston Astros | Daniel Jackson | C | Georgia |
| 18 | Cincinnati Reds | Ryder Helfrick | C | Arkansas |
| 19 | Cleveland Guardians | Liam Peterson | RHP | Florida |
| 20 | Boston Red Sox | Brody Bumila | LHP | Bishop Feehan (MA) |
| 21 | San Diego Padres | Jared Grindlinger | LHP/OF | Huntington Beach (CA) |
| 22 | Detroit Tigers | Taylor Rabe | RHP | Mississippi |
| 23 | Chicago Cubs | Mason Edwards | LHP | Southern California |
| 24 | Seattle Mariners | A.J. Gracia | OF | Virginia |
| 25 | Milwaukee Brewers | Derek Curiel | OF | Louisiana State |
| 26 | Atlanta Braves | Sawyer Strosnider | OF | Texas Christian |
| 27 | New York Mets | Hunter Dietz | LHP | Arkansas |
| 28 | Houston Astros | Logan Hughes | OF | Texas Tech |
| 29 | Cleveland Guardians | Caden Sorrell | OF | Texas A&M |
| 30 | Kansas City Royals | Cade Townsend | RHP | Mississippi |
| 31 | Arizona Diamondbacks | Tyler Spangler | SS | De La Salle (CA) |
| 32 | St. Louis Cardinals | Zion Rose | OF | Louisville |
| 33 | Tampa Bay Rays | Logan Reddemann | RHP | UCLA |
| 34 | Pittsburgh Pirates | Landon Thome | 2B/3B | Nazareth Academy (IL) |
| 35 | New York Yankees | Aiden Ruiz | SS | The Stony Brook (NY) |
| 36 | Philadelphia Phillies | Joey Volchko | RHP | Georgia |
| 37 | Colorado Rockies | Cameron Flukey | RHP | Coastal Carolina |
| 38 | Colorado Rockies | Coleman Borthwick | RHP | South Walton (FL) |
| 39 | Toronto Blue Jays | Carson Bolemon | LHP | Southside Christian (SC) |
| 40 | Los Angeles Dodgers | Archer Horn | SS | St. Ignatius (CA) |
41) Chicago White Sox select Jack Radel, RHP, Notre Dame
In this mock, the popular White Sox target at Pick 41 in Landon Thome is off the board to Pittsburgh with the 34th pick. It happens that the Pirates are open to trading that comp pick. Is it possible that Chris Getz aims to acquire that pick to ensure he gets Thome?
In the case that Thome is off the board, I’m not sure if any of the White Sox prep targets merit being taken 41st. Instead, I think a college pitcher could be an option, and right-hander Jack Radel from Notre Dame is the best available on my board.
Radel has a big frame for a pitcher at 6’5” and 250 pounds. He gets good extension on his pitches and continues to increase velocity on his four-seamer through the season. He typically sits in the mid-90s but can reach back to throw 98 mph, with a cutter, slider, curveball, and changeup rounding out his arsenal. In 15 starts, Radel pitched 87⅔ innings with 116 strikeouts to 22 walks and a 3.29 ERA. In three seasons at Notre Dame, Radel pitched 211 innings. Theoretically, Radel could be pushed to 125 innings in the minor leagues next season.
You never want to draft for need, but with how the board shakes out, Radel would be my pick in this situation.
