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To steal a line from Austin Powers 2, the SEC is back … but in many ways, it never left. SEC teams now make up not only the past 5 College World Series champions, but now all 8 of the past 4 years’ finalists. A quick glance at the preseason polls suggests that 2025 could well be more of the same.
For those seeking a refresher or even those who don’t eat, drink, and sleep all things SEC, here are 20 names to know to get everybody ready for Friday’s first pitches of 2025.
20 SEC baseball names to know
The SEC is loaded again with CWS contenders and MLB Draft prospects. Here are 20 names to know ahead of Opening Day.
1. Michael Earley, Texas A&M coach
There’s nothing like having the clear consensus No.1 preseason team… and being a brand new head coach. A hitting coach at Arizona State and then Texas A&M, Earley had whirlwind few days at the end of June 2024. He was set to follow former A&M boss Jim Schlossnagle to Austin, but then reconsidered and became Schlossnagle’s successor with the Aggies. Earley then locked down the potential transfer portal trail of Aggies to Austin and assured himself the nation’s No. 1 team.
A year ago, the Aggies reached the CWS finals, but with returning stars like Jace LaViolette and Gavin Grahovac as well as mound ace Ryan Prager joining a standout transfer class, Earley is expected to do even more in 2025.
2. Jace LaViolette, Texas A&M outfielder
Speaking of the top Aggie, the standout outfielder returned to A&M off a season that saw him post a .305 average, 29 homers and 78 RBIs. The A&M lineup has plenty of star power, but keeping LaViolette from following Schlossnagle to Texas probably locked up the preseason No. 1 ranking for the Aggies.
3. Derek Curiel, LSU freshman outfielder
LSU might slide under the radar due to the million-watt nature of A&M’s team. But a freshman to watch is outfielder Derek Curiel. A California outfield prospect, Curiel has a sweet lefty swing, a disciplined approach, the ability to hit to all fields, and athletic tools that made MLB scouts drool — until he withdrew his name from the 2024 MLB Draft to get a head start at LSU. Many think he’s the No. 1 freshman in the country. He’s a guy to watch from Day 1.
4. Tony Vitello, Tennessee coach
Vitello prepares to open his 8th season in Knoxville in a new position: the hunted rather than the hunter. For all his talk about upping the program at Tennessee, 2024 was the season that saw Vitello cash in on those plans. But now, he has a team that was stripped of a ton of talent. Not to feel too bad — returnee Hunter Ensley is an impact player and he’s joined by top transfers Andrew Fischer (Ole Miss) and Gavin Killen (Louisville). If the pitching holds up, defending national champion UT will be right back in the mix.
5. Liam Doyle, Tennessee pitcher
Doyle is a lefty transfer from Ole Miss to UT who will be key to that pitching staff. He was just 3-4 with a 5.73 ERA a year ago, but Vitello can’t wait to work with a guy who had 84 strikeouts in 55 innings. He could be a rags to riches story in 2025.
6. Dave Van Horn, Arkansas coach
Twenty-four seasons at Fayetteville have yielded everything except a CWS crown for Van Horn. But his 2025 pitching staff suggests that it could be the season to change that situation. Adding ECU’s Zach Root and Ohio State’s Landon Beidelschies just made Arkansas’ mound core even more unhittable. Can they find the hitting?
7. Brent Iredale, Arkansas third baseman
Iredale could be the Arkansas hitting standout who makes the difference. He’s a JUCO guy who hails from Australia. He hit over .400 in each JUCO season with plenty of power and speed. The SEC will be different, but there’s reason for hope that Iredale will change the season for the Hogs.
8. Tre Phelps, Georgia utility man
Georgia’s uptick under Wes Johnson will continue with Phelps, a do-everything utility player and likely star. His .353/.441/.699 line as a freshman All-American last season suggests an upwardly mobile hitter. He hit 12 home runs and only struck out 15 times. The power game makes him, if not a successor to Charlie Condon, at least part of the puzzle to replace his production.
9. Colby Shelton, Florida shortstop
If Florida is going to make it back to Omaha, Shelton will be key. After a brilliant freshman season at Alabama in 2023 (.301, 25 HRs, 51 HRs), Shelton struggled with contact in 2024. His average dropped to .254, but he still slugged 20 homers. That means Shelton also has a chance to join the 20-20-20 HR club. More contact and more longballs will help a Florida team that no longer has Jac Caglianone to erase deficits.
10. JD Thompson, Vanderbilt pitcher
Vanderbilt always has plenty of pitching talent, and Thompson looks like the next guy in that line. He was 5-1 a year ago, with 74 strikeouts in 52 innings and a steady 4.15 ERA. Vandy’s still short of power, but long on athleticism and pitching talent. Thompson could be a Friday series-shifter for the Commodores.
11. Jim Schlossnagle, Texas coach
The Longhorns certainly wanted to get serious and swiping an in-state legend conveyed that seriousness. Texas is probably a year away, but it’ll be fascinating to see the first time UT and A&M meet (their 3-game series on April 25-27 in Austin is the most anticipated series of the season).
12. Paul Mainieri, South Carolina coach
Similarly, another team that clearly got serious was South Carolina, with the hiring of Paul Mainieri, who had retired from LSU after the 2021 season. The veteran is 67, but would love to send a few messages about his not being quite past his prime. He has some veteran returnees who could key that narrative, including one of the SEC’s top power bats …
13. Ethan Petry, South Carolina outfielder
Fortunately for Mainieri, aside from Jace LaViolette, the biggest returning SEC slugger has to be Petry, who has been lights out at South Carolina. After a .376 mark and 23 homers in an astonishing freshman year in 2023, Petry seemed almost human at .306 with 21 homers. Don’t be fooled; he’ll be back to 2023 form this fall, if not even better as he makes a run at college baseball’s exclusive 20-20-20 home run club.
14. Ike Irish, Auburn catcher
The Auburn catcher is one of the best pure hitters in the league. He followed a .361 season from 2023 by dipping to .319, but also upping his homers from 6 to 14 and cutting his strikeouts to just 29 in 185 at-bats. Auburn’s transfer portal haul might make more headlines, but the preseason first-team All-SEC catcher is the backbone of the team. He’s also the 2nd highest-rated catcher in college baseball, viewed as a first-round prospect in this summer’s MLB Draft.
15. Nick Mingione, Kentucky coach
Mingione, who took Kentucky to its first College World Series (the final SEC team to make such a trip) may have made a monster. Like Houdini working out of underwater handcuffs, he’s proven he can do it. But unless his transfer-heavy approach works similar magic, it’s going to be a tough trick to repeat in 2025. Coaches picked the Cats to finish 10th in the loaded SEC.
16. Kyson Witherspoon, Oklahoma pitcher
This Oklahoma ace is certainly worth watching. MLB.com ranked him the No. 26 overall prospect for the 2025 MLB Draft. A season ago, the JUCO product went 8-2 for the Sooners, holding opposing hitters to a .222 mark and striking out 86 in 76 innings of work. He’s a power pitcher with a mid-90s fastball that occasionally climbs higher. He’ll need similar production to keep OU relevant in the SEC. His twin brother, Malachi, also pitches for the Sooners.
17. Justin Lebron, Alabama shortstop
A season ago, Lebron was a top SEC freshman and Rob Vaughn kept him with the Tide. Strength up the middle is key, and few shortstops can match Lebron’s .338 average, 12 homers, and 37 RBIs of a season ago. Lebron was a near-lock as a first-team preseason All-SEC pick.
18. Mike Bianco, Ole Miss coach
In 2022, Bianco’s Rebels took the last spot in the NCAA Tournament and won the College World Series. But the Rebels were mauled in the transfer portal and plummeted in 2023, then missed a .500 mark again a year ago. Bianco has been at Ole Miss since 2001, but a 3rd straight losing season will definitely make his seat uncomfortably warm. SEC coaches aren’t optimistic, either; the Rebels were picked to finish 15th this season.
19. Hunter Hines, Mississippi State first baseman
Mississippi State’s lineup will have some new names in 2025, but one familiar face will be Hines. In 3 seasons in Starkville, the veteran first baseman has 54 home runs and 169 RBIs. His batting average has declined each season and his strikeouts have increased, but Hines could have a brilliant senior season ahead. He and LSU’s Jared Jones shared first-team preseason All-SEC honors.
20. Ryan Prager, Texas A&M pitcher
It started where it ends with the Aggies. Prager is one of the SEC’s best, most proven arms. Coaches named him to the preseason All-SEC first-team. A 3rd-round MLB Draft pick last summer, he returned to A&M where he was 9-1 with a 2.95 mark a season ago. The smooth lefty fanned 124 hitters in 97 2/3 innings and held opposing bats to a .226 mark. The slugging stars will get the headlines, but Prager will be A&M’s key to a long postseason run.
Joe Cox is a columnist for Saturday Down South. He has also written or assisted in writing five books, and his most recent, Almost Perfect (a study of baseball pitchers’ near-miss attempts at perfect games), is available on Amazon or at many local bookstores.
