The Big 10 received quite the overhaul last July. Oregon, UCLA, USC, and Washington joined the Big 10, turning the conference into an even bigger football powerhouse than it was in the past. The addition of those four schools now means 17 schools will compete in the Big 10 baseball schedule, spanning from New Jersey to California. Which, could make the conference significantly more competitive. Here’s our 2025 Big 10 college baseball preview.
Illinois
We’ll start with Illinois, the school that finished first in the Big 10 regular season standings at 18-8. Unfortunately for the Illini, the school went 1-2 both in the Big 10 postseason and NCAA Regionals.
Still, one can’t argue it was a bad season for Illinois, who went 12-12 during Big 10 play back in 2023. However, the Fightning Illini will need to live without arguably their two best players from 2024. Camden Janik went to the Pirates after he hit .356 last year. Staff ace Jack Crowder went in the ninth round to the Orioles, after 80 strikeouts in 2024.
Notable returnees include pitchers Sam Reed and Regan Hall, both of whom logged significant innings last spring.
Indiana
The Indiana Hoosiers will have a lot of eyes on them this season. Indiana finished with the third-best record in the Big 10 last year and made it to the 2024 NCAA Tournament. However, the Hoosiers couldn’t get past the Regional, losing in Knoxville.
The key piece to the Hoosiers for 2025 is outfielder Devin Taylor, a two-year standout at Indiana. Taylor hit .357/.449/.660 (1.109 OPS) with 20 home runs last season, solidfying himself as a likely first-round pick come this July. He won’t be alone with Indiana, as junior Tyler Cerny is also a stout hitter in his own right.
As for the newcomers, Indiana landed standout freshmen Hogan Denny and Jake Hanley.
Iowa
One could argue that Iowa’s 2024 season was a significant disappointment. The Buckeyes flirted as a top-25 school heading into 2024, thanks to an intimidating duo of Brody Brecht and Marcus Morgan. Granted, both had their command issues and in the case of Morgan, that hurt him in the MLB Draft.
Both are gone for 2025. However, the Buckeyes did retain Cade Obermueller, who opted not to sign with Texas last July. Obermueller, a 19th-round pick, struck out 73 over 59.2 IP.
Reese Moore and Gable Mitchell headline the returning bats.
Maryland
Maryland’s first year without Rob Vaughn was a mixed bag. The Terrapins played very well out-of-conference, hence why Maryland finished with a 34-22 record. However, the school went 10-14 in the Big 10, third-worst in the conference.
The Hacopians were the stars of the 2024 Maryland team. Eddie Hacopian hit .377 as a junior, while Chris Hacopian hit .323 as a freshman. The two are back, as is another good sophomore in Brayden Martin.
The rebuild effort in College Park got help in the summer, thanks to freshman recruits Jake Yeager and Christopher Cespedes.
Michigan
Michigan remains a competitive school, despite the fact the Wolverines have yet to come close to their heights of 2019-20. The Wolverines finished 2024 with a 14-10 record, tied with Iowa for the fourth-best mark.
Unfortunately, as is the case nowadays, it’s fair to expect losses. Collin Priest, a highly-coveted freshman from 2023-24, hit 11 home runs and a 1.023 OPS as a freshman. Priest transferred out of Ann Arbor, joining Clemson and ex-Michigan coach Erik Babich.
Michigan did pick up another big-time freshman recruit, in Tate Carey. Eyes will also be firmly on Mitch Voit, who played well as both a hitter and pitcher last season.
Michigan State
The Spartans went 11-13 in the Big 10 last spring, despite what were great seasons from fifth-year players Jack Frank and Dillon Kark. Frank hit .383 for Michigan State in 2024, while Kark batted .324.
Michigan State’s 2025 roster includes one of the best pitchers in the conference, left-hander Joseph Dzierwa. The former Big 10 All-Freshman in 2023 followed a strong first year by striking out 91 over 84 frames last season. Dzierwa pitched well briefly in the Cape, as he conceded no earned runs over 10 innings.
Ryan McKay and Nick Williams are among notable returning hitters.
Minnesota
It’s a new era for Minnesota baseball, as Ty McDevitt officially replaced the retiring John Anderson after the 2024 season. McDevitt will look to get the new era off to a good start, one year after Minnesota went 11-13 in Big 10 action.
McDevitt brought back forrmer Dallas Baptist outfielder Josh Fitzgerald, the redshirt senior who hit .360 for the Golden Gophers last season. Fitzgerald is part of an experienced group, one that includes former Vandy catcher Sam Hunt and infielder Jake Perry. Perry led the Golden Gophers in hits last year.
Minnesota’s 2025 roster is light on freshmen, with seven. However, the Golden Gophers landed elite Minnesota high schooler, outfielder Jake Quinn.
Nebraska
Just one Big 10 school – Oregon — made the USA Today Top 25 to begin 2025. Nebraska came close, as the Cornhuskers fell 10 points shy of cracking the list. However, don’t sleep on Nebraska, a school that’s been a feisty group over the years.
Nebraska did lose significant talent over the summer, including home run leader Josh Caron (Brewers) and Brett Sears (Braves). Sears was sensational in 2024, as the 24-year-old righty struck out 101 over 104 to get himself over the line during what was an unspectacular college career.
Sears, the former staff ace, will be succeeded by junior pitcher Mason McConnaughey. McConnaughey, a Golden Spikes Watch List player, struck out 91 over 73 frames. Rhett Stokes and Case Sanderson, two of Nebraska’s best hitters from 2024, are also back. Those three will be key, should Nebraska want to repeat as conference champs.
Northwestern
The Northwestern Huskies finished dead-last in the Big 10 last season. Northwestern went 4-20 in the Big 10, two games worse than Rutgers. It wasn’t progress from 2023; in face. the Huskies finished with the same in-conference record compared to the year earlier.
It likely won’t be great for Northwestern in 2025, either. However, watch for sophonore pitcher Garrett Shearer and senior bat Bennett Markinson. Markinson hit .337 for the Wildcats last season, while Shearer struck out 53 over 55 as a freshman in 2024.
Ohio State
The big news out of Ohio State this year is that the Buckeyes have a new manager. Justin Haire, who helped built Campbell into a strong baseball school, left the Camels to head to Columbus. Haire joins a Buckeyes team that finished eighth in the Big 10 last year.
Ohio State lost a big one in the summer, as Landon Beidelschies went to Arkansas. Beidelschies, the Buckeyes’ ace from 2024, struck out 91 over 84 frames last season. The Buckeyes return notable bats including Matthew Graveline and Tyler Pettorini.
As for the newcomers, tall right-hander Simon Bargo, recruited by Haire with Campbell, followed him to Columbus. Bargo had control issues but struck out 23 over 25 frames as a freshman.
Oregon
It was a “Super” year for the Oregon Ducks in 2024. Oregon made it to the Super Regionals last year in what was a strong season that was ended by Texas A&M. Pitching was a key reason why Oregon got that far, as the Ducks conceded only five runs in the Regionals.
Oregon, the top-rated Big 10 team in the preseason coaches’ poll, has strong pitching again in 2025. Junior starter Grayson Grinsell headlines the team, as Grinsell struck out a team-high 99 last season over 79 frames. He’ll be joined by sophomore pitchers Collin Clarke and Toby Twist, plus infielder Maddox Molony.
The Ducks also had a good recruiting class, landing freshmen Burke-Lee Mabeus, Coen Niclai, Will Sanford, and Matt Champion. Mabeus, a catcher, ranked #159 on MLB.com‘s top 2024 MLB Draft prospect list.
Penn State
Penn State had a decent season in Mike Gambino’s initial run through the Big 10. The school finished seventh in the conference, thanks in large part to exceptional hitting from Charleston transfer J.T. Marr, plus former St. John’s recruit Bryce Molinaro. Marr hit .416 for Penn State last season.
Molinaro is one of several returners, alongside pitchers Mason Butash and Anthony Steele.
The Nittany Lions have some new faces, including LSU transfer Paxton Kling. Kling was a top high school recruit three years ago out of the Keystone State and showed flashes with the Tigers. However, Kling only hit .222 last season with LSU, months after a tough 2023 in the Cape.
Purdue
The Purdue Boilermakers had a good run in the Big 10 last year, finishing sixth in the regular standings. Much of that was thanks to two of their big bats from 2024, co-home run leaders Connor Caskenette and Luke Gaffney. However, neither will be back. Caskenette went pro after being selected by Miami last July, while Gaffney transferred to Clemson.
Purdue has just four freshman on their roster, one comprised heavily of transfers. Some of those names include former NJIT outfielder Albert Choi, who hit .281 last year as a senior, and former Wright State pitcher Chris Gallagher.
Rutgers
It was a chaotic 2024 campaign for Rutgers, one that saw significant problems after losing Ryan Lasko and Drew Conover, as well as Wyatt Parliament to VaTech. Rutgers finished 6-18 during Big 10 play and 28-25 overall, tough given the Scarlet Knights had a strong team on paper.
Now, the rebuild commences. Joshua Kuroda-Grauer is gone, as are Tony Santa Maria and Justin Sinibaldi. Christian Coppola, who excelled as a freshman two years ago, transferred to Arizona.
Former William & Mary head coach Mike McRae will look to settle things down as new pitching coach. Rutgers has an intriguing arm in Zack Konstantinovsky, who struck out 37 as a freshman. The Scarlet Knights do have some hitters, headlined by junior Trevor Cohen.
UCLA
The UCLA Bruins have long been a power baseball school but tha wasn’t the case in 2024. UCLA actually opened up last season ranked 24th in the coaches poll. However, the Bruins went 19-33 overall and 9-21 in the Pac-12, in what was a lost year.
There was some good news, however. UCLA’s top recruits from 2024, Roch Cholowsky and Roman Martin, hit over .300 last season, with the former cementing himself as a potential 2026 first-round pick. Notable returners aside from those two include Dean West and Cody Delvecchio. Cody Schrier, who hit just .242 last season, opted to sign with Miami, rather than take a shot to rebound in 2025.
UCLA’s 2024-25 freshman class wasn’t as strong, compared to 2023-24. However, the Bruins did land Wylan Moss, Logan de Groot, and Colten Bott.
USC
The Trojans nearly pulled off the improbable in 2024, as USC came one game away from clinching a NCAA Tournament birth despite a a 31-28 record. USC did well in the Pac-12, however, and rolled in the postseason before losing by one run to Arizona in the final.
USC may not be the best team on paper heading into 2025. But, the Trojans have interesting names to watch. One is Caden Aoki, the staff ace who struck out 50 over 53 last season and a BB/9 less than 2.0. Brayden Dowd and Kevin Takeuchi, both of whom hit well as freshmen, are back in 2025, as well.
The Trojans also landed several players in Perfect Game‘s top-300, including Matthew Priest, Josh Hanson, Maximo Martinez, Ryder Dykstra, and Andrew Johnson.
Washington
We’ll finish with the Washington Huskies, a good baseball school that had a down 2024 campaign. Washington went 19-31-1 overall, with a 10-20 record in the Pac-12. Unfortunately for the Huskies, things got worse in the summer when their standout sophomore left the school.
Infielder Aiva Arquette left after leading Washington in hits and total bases last season. Arquette joined Oregon State. Luckily for the Huskies, outfielder A.J. Guerrero, the team’s 2024 home run leader, is back for his senior season.
Notable newcomers to Washington include 12 freshman, one of whom is former Oregon State recruit Noah Ferguson, and ex-UCLA outfielder Malakhi Knight.