With one week to go until the start of the 2026 Division I baseball season, USA Baseball unveiled its 2026 Golden Spikes preseason watch list. The Golden Spikes is awarded to the best amateur baseball player in the country, and many of the top college players are featured on it. Among them are Grady Emerson & Roch Cholowsky.
The list
Here’s the list of players who were named to the watch list by USA Baseball:
| Name | Class | Position | School | Conference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jarren Advincula | JR | INF | Georgia Tech | ACC |
| Brady Ballinger | JR | INF | Kansas | Big 12 |
| Trey Beard | JR | LHP | Florida State | ACC |
| Eric Becker | JR | INF | Virginia | ACC |
| Tyler Bell | SO | INF | Kentucky | SEC |
| Carson Bolemon | SR | LHP/INF | Southside Christian (HS) | N/A |
| Coleman Borthwick | SR | RHP/INF | South Walton (HS) | N/A |
| Drew Burress | JR | OF | Georgia Tech | ACC |
| Roch Cholowsky | JR | INF | UCLA | Big Ten |
| Derek Curiel | SO | OF | LSU | SEC |
| Daniel Cuvet | JR | INF | Miami | ACC |
| Jason DeCaro | JR | RHP | North Carolina | ACC |
| Evan Dempsey | JR | RHP/OF | FGCU | ASUN |
| Hunter Elliott | R-JR | LHP | Ole Miss | SEC |
| Grady Emerson | SR | INF | Fort Worth Christian (HS) | N/A |
| Casan Evans | SO | RHP | LSU | SEC |
| Harrison Feinberg | R-SR | OF | Northeastern | CAA |
| Jackson Flora | JR | RHP | UC Santa Barbara | Big West |
| Cameron Flukey | JR | RHP | Coastal Carolina | Sun Belt |
| Henry Ford | JR | INF/OF | Tennessee | SEC |
| Gabe Gaeckle | JR | RHP | Arkansas | SEC |
| Gavin Gallaher | JR | INF | North Carolina | ACC |
| AJ Gracia | JR | OF | Virginia | ACC |
| Chris Hacopian | JR | INF | Texas A&M | SEC |
| Jake Hanley | SO | INF | Indiana | Big Ten |
| Ryder Helfrick | JR | C | Arkansas | SEC |
| Aidan King | SO | RHP | Florida | SEC |
| Ethan Kleinschmit | JR | LHP | Oregon State | Pac |
| Aidan Knaak | JR | RHP | Clemson | ACC |
| Vahn Lackey | JR | C/INF | Georgia Tech | ACC |
| Tommy LaPour | JR | RHP | TCU | Big 12 |
| Justin Lebron | JR | INF | Alabama | SEC |
| Mulivai Levu | JR | INF | UCLA | Big Ten |
| Kade Lewis | JR | INF | Wake Forest | ACC |
| Jacob Lombard | SR | INF | Gulliver Schools (HS) | N/A |
| Maddox Molony | JR | INF | Oregon | Big Ten |
| Lucas Moore | JR | OF | Louisville | ACC |
| Blake Morningstar | JR | RHP | Wake Forest | ACC |
| Ethan Norby | JR | LHP | East Carolina | American |
| Jack Ohman | SO | RHP | Yale | Ivy League |
| Ricky Ojeda | JR | LHP | UC Irvine | Big West |
| Liam Peterson | JR | RHP | Florida | SEC |
| Tony Pluta | SR | RHP | Arizona | Big 12 |
| Ace Reese | JR | INF | Mississippi State | SEC |
| Chris Rembert | SO | INF/OF | Auburn | SEC |
| Gio Rojas | SR | LHP/UTL | Stoneman Douglas (HS) | N/A |
| Zion Rose | JR | OF | Louisville | ACC |
| Sawyer Solitaria | SO | UTL | Kent State | MAC |
| Caden Sorrell | JR | OF | Texas A&M | SEC |
| Sawyer Strosnider | SO | OF | TCU | Big 12 |
| Carson Tinney | JR | C | Texas | SEC |
| Dylan Volantis | SO | LHP | Texas | SEC |
| Mackenzie Wainwright | JR | OF | Lenoir-Rhyne | SAC |
| Dax Whitney | SO | RHP | Oregon State | Pac-12 |
| Andrew Williamson | JR | OF | UCF | Big 12 |
Notes
It’s a loaded list, filled with potential pro talent.
The headline is UCLA shortstop Roch Cholowsky, one of the favorites to go first overall in the 2026 MLB Draft. Cholowsky had a fantastic 2025 with UCLA, as he finished in the top 30 of the NCAA Division I in hits and tied for fifth in home runs (23).
He’s not the only UCLA player on the list. Mulivai Levu is also on the preseason watch list.
The SEC teams bring several names, as well. LSU, which comes into 2026 as the top-ranked team, has Derek Curiel & Casan Evans. Caden Sorrell & Maryland recruit Chris Hacopian represent Texas A&M. Gabe Gaeckle and Ryder Helfrick from Arkansas are also featured by USA Baseball.
As for the pitchers, Dax Whitney, Ethan Kleinschmit, Ethan Norby, Trey Beard, and Cameron Flukey are on it. All five were in the top 20 of Division I last season in strikeouts, with Whitney (120 K) leading the charge.
Several players were on past lists from 2025. Justin Lebron and Zion Rose were on the 2025 Golden Spikes preseason list. Burress and Cholowsky were on several lists, including the midseason one.
The list also includes several high schoolers, which is not peculiar. Among the high school players are Grady Emerson, Gio Rojas, and Jacob Lombard. All three are expected to be first-round picks this coming July.
Check out more of our college baseball coverage.