2024 College Baseball Preview: Pac-12

The Pac-12 will look very different come 2025, as UCLA, USC, Oregon, and Washington are all set to join the Big 10. But before then, the Pac-12 is set to have quite the 2024 campaign. Here’s our preview of the 2024 Pac-12 baseball season.

Arizona

We start off our 2024 Pac-12 baseball preview with the Arizona Wildcats. Head coach Chip Hale lost Chase Davis to the pros after a standout junior season. However, a different-looking roster will have some familiar faces in 2024.

Sophomore infielder Mason White returns for 2024. White had a strong 2023 for Arizona, as he hit .313 with 10 home runs and 35 extra-base hits for the Wildcats last spring.

Arizona State

Arizona State could not get coveted commit Ralphy Velazquez to Tempe after the catcher was drafted by the Guardians in the first round last July. Head coach Willie Bloomquist also lost Luke Keaschall, after a .353 campaign last spring for ASU, and Ross Dunn to the pros.

As for who is back, Nu’u Contrades and Nick McLain are two names to watch. Contrades hit .309 last spring as a freshman, while McLain did well both at ASU and the Cape last spring.

California

There are a few Pac-12 players who have a chance to go in the first round of the 2024 MLB Draft this summer. California catcher Caleb Lomavita is one of those players. Lomavita put up impressive results in his 2023 year, one that saw the 21-year-old hit 19 combined home runs between the Bears and the Cape Cod League.

Joining Lomavita again in 2024 will be outfielder Rodney Green Jr. and infielder Carson Crawford, both of whom had double-digit home runs for the Bears.

Oregon

Sabin Ceballos was the Ducks’ best hitter in 2023, in a season that he parlayed into a third-round selection by the Braves last July. Without Ceballos, the Ducks do still have infielder Drew Smith. Smith hit .365 over 28 games last spring and broke Spencer Steer‘s record for the longest hitting streak (20) to begin his career with Oregon. Slugger Jacob Walsh is also back for 2024.

One of the new faces in Eugene this spring is Cole Stokes. Stokes was rated as the 67th-best high school player in the Class of 2023 per Perfect Game.

Oregon State

Five years ago, Adley Rutschman was the first overall pick in the MLB Draft. This year, Oregon State infielder Travis Bazzana has the chance to follow in Rutschman’s footsteps. Bazzana was arguably one of the best bats last year in the NCAA and followed his strong 2023 with a .375 average in the Cape Cod League.

Bazzana isn’t the only big bat in the Beavers lineup, as he’ll be joined yet again by Mason Guerra and Gavin Turley. The duo of Guerra and Turley belted 26 combined home runs in 2023. Oregon State was rated as a top-10 team by multiple outlets heading into the spring. And on the pitching side of things, 2023 Arizona strikeout leader Aiden May joins the Beavers for 2024.

Stanford

After an incredible 2023 that saw Stanford make it to the College World Series, the Cardinal will look different in 2024. Lefty Quinn Mathews and infielder Tommy Troy are in the pros, while Braden Montgomery transferred to Texas A&M after two standout seasons at Stanford. Still, the Cardinal were ranked in the top 25 by Perfect Game and should be a threat in Pac-12 yet again.

Catcher Malcolm Moore will have plenty of eyes on him, as the 20-year-old is an early favorite to go in the first round in the 2024 MLB Draft. Matt Scott and Nick Dugan are among the returning pitchers.

UCLA

We continue our 2024 Pac-12 baseball preview with the Bruins. UCLA has been a power in the college baseball landscape for a long time and that should hold again in 2024. The Bruins were rated #18 by Perfect Game‘s preseason rankings and UCLA might have arguably one of the best up-the-middle combos in the game right now.

Duce Gourson and Cody Schrier are both back for their junior years. The duo could be potential Day 1 picks this coming July. They’ll be joined by freshmen Roch Cholowsky and Roman Martin, infielders rated in the top 25 of the Class of 2023 per Perfect Game. Head coach John Savage will also see Jack Holman, who led the Bruins in home runs (13) last year, return for 2024.

USC

There are some intriguing names on USC’s roster for 2024, many of whom are likely familiar with Trojans fans. One of those names is infielder Bryce Grudzielanek. The son of former Major League Mark Grudzielanek, Bryce hit .302 for the Trojans as a redshirt freshman last spring.

Pitchers Caden Aoki and Tyler Stromsborg, two of USC’s starters last season, return for 2024.

Utah

Utah lost Cam Day to the pros but not TJ Clarkson. The redshirt senior and 2019 Reds draft pick, who led the Utes in home runs (14) last spring, is back for 2024.

The same can be said for Bryson Van Sickle. Van Sickle led Utah in innings pitched (67.2) and strikeouts (68) last spring.

Washington

The Huskies’ pitching staff will look different in 2024, as 2023 innings leader Stu Flesland III is now a member of the Rockies organization. However, Washington will have two key bats back for 2024.

Infielder Cam Clayton is back for his junior season after he hit .325 with 11 home runs and 32 extra-base hits last year. Outfielder AJ Guerrero, who finished second on the team in hits (76) last spring, is also back for his junior year,

Washington State

We finish our 2024 Pac-12 baseball preview with Washington State. Washington State took a hit in the summer when infielder Elijah Hainline, who led WSU in home runs (12) last spring, transferred to Pac-12 rival Oregon State. First baseman Sam Brown is also gone, as he was drafted last July by the Angels in the 12th round.

There are some new faces and one of those is infielder Trey Cruz. Cruz hit .358 with Harford Community College last year as a sophomore. Grant Taylor, one of WSU’s primary starters last spring, is back for 2024.