Cameron Johnson, Drew Burress & More College Baseball Data Standouts From Week 2

After an exciting week one of college baseball action, things hardly slowed down in the Division I slate in week two.

There were hitting and pitching performances of note across the Power Four and top mid-major conferences, including a premier matchup of top 10 teams involving lots of top talent that went down on the West Coast between No. 1 UCLA and No. 8 TCU.

As always, our focus goes beyond the box score and examines the underlying performances of hitters and pitchers using advanced Statcast data. Baseball America subscribers can read my takeaways from week two of the 2026 college baseball season below.

On The Mound

After a standout performance in week one by Oklahoma lefty Cameron Johnson, all eyes were on his start against Coppin State on Friday. The ingredients have always been there with Johnson, so it’s simply a matter of showing the ability to execute consistently.

While Johnson’s command is still shaky, he dominated the Eagles for five innings, striking out seven and allowing one run on three hits and no walks. Johnson threw 83 pitches, 73 of which were sinkers sitting 94-95 mph and touching 97 with heavy armside run. Johnson threw eight changeups and two breaking balls, a curveball and a sweeper. The sinker looks to be at least an above-average offering, and the development of his secondaries will be something to monitor. 

Staying on the Oklahoma theme and updating a potential breakout candidate from last week, LJ Mercurius delivered another strong performance in week two. He went five scoreless, allowing one hit and three walks while striking out seven against Coppin State. Mercurius’ velocity was down quite a bit in week two, as he sat 92-93 mph and touched 96 a week after he sat 95 mph and got up to 98. The plus ride and cut shape were intact, however, as was a low-to-mid-80s changeup that was once again his best bat-missing pitch. Mercurius’ velocity will be something to note in week three and beyond.

Last week, we discussed Arkansas pitcher Gabe Gaeckle. This week, we’ll discuss his rotation-mate and the Razorbacks’ Saturday starter Hunter Dietz.

A draft-eligible, 6-foot-6 redshirt sophomore, Dietz pitched just 1.2 innings over his first two seasons with Arkansas. So far this year, he has already made two starts. Dietz struggled in his first start against TCU but looked better in his second outing against Xavier, going four innings and allowing two runs on five hits and a walk while striking out nine. Coming off two lost seasons, it’s not surprising to see Dietz struggle with location. The stuff, however, is loud. Dietz averages 95-96 mph with his four-seam fastball and gets up to 98 from a nearly 6-foot-8 release. He also mixes in a cutter at 86-90 mph that he throws just as often as his fastball. He threw nine curveballs in his start Saturday, sitting 79-81 mph with nearly 19 inches of drop on average and spin rates in the 2,700-2,800 rpm range. There are interesting elements here, but how Dietz progresses over the next few months will determine his draft stock. 

A 2026 draft-eligible pitcher in the ACC gaining serious helium over the opening weeks of the season is NC State righthander Jacob Dudan. On Saturday, Dudan set a career high in strikeouts against Princeton with 11. He tossed seven scoreless innings, allowing three hits with no walks. Dudan has yet to allow a run over his first 12 innings to begin 2026 and has 13 strikeouts to no walks.

Dudan is more than just performance, as he has legitimate professional-quality stuff. He has three pitches in a two-seam fastball, slider and an infrequently-used changeup. His two-seam fastball sits 94-96 mph, touching 97 with 17-18 inches of armside run on average from a 5-foot-4 release height that creates a flatter angle than is typical of a sinker. Dudan’s primary secondary is a slider averaging 86-88 mph with cutter-like movement and spin rates in the 2,500-2,600 rpm range. He’s only thrown three changeups this season, so developing a third pitch will be a major part of any professional team’s work with Dudan. 

A mid-major name to keep an eye out for is Xavier righthander Ryan Piech, who redshirted his freshman season after he had Tommy John surgery and returned to the mound in 2025. Piech made 14 starts for the Musketeers and earned all-Big East second-team honors last year. After a scoreless start in Piech’s first appearance of the season against ECU last week, the righthander struck out nine over four innings against Arkansas, allowing three earned runs on two hits and two walks.

Piech’s standout skill is his ability to ride his fastball, which averaged over 20 inches of induced vertical break in his start on Friday and sat 92-94 mph while getting up to 95. He also mixed in a mid-70s curveball with downer shape and a mid-80s slurvy gyro ball slider. Piech’s secondaries are pedestrian, but he shows command for both breaking ball shapes while leading with a high-ride, high-release and high-spin-efficiency fastball. 

I’d be remiss to not at least touch on Oregon State sophomore Dax Whitney’s masterclass on Friday. Whitney went seven scoreless, allowing two hits and a walk while striking out 17 batters. Carlos Collazo wrote about Whitney earlier today, so I’ll keep it brief and say that I view Whitney as the current top starter in college baseball. In fact, he might have an argument for the top overall college prospect ahead of Roch Cholowsky.

Whitney isn’t draft-eligible until 2027, but he has eye-popping stuff. He sat 97-99 mph on Friday, touching triple digits on a cut-ride four-seam fastball that averages over 20 inches of induced vertical break. He also uses three secondaries: an upper-80s slider with baby sweeper shape, a low-80s, two-plane curveball and an upper-80s changeup with good vertical separation off his fastball. Whitney is a dude, plain and simple.

Another 2027-eligible pitcher turning in a notable performance is Wake Forest sophomore righthander Chris Levonas, who on Saturday against Siena allowed one run on three hits and a walk over five innings while striking out 10.

While not nearly on Whitney’s level, Levonas is a notable name for the 2027 draft who showed turbo stuff over the weekend. He sat 98 mph, touching 100.5 with 19 inches of induced vertical break and 11-12 inches of armside run on average. Levonas generates above-average extension and spin rates on his fastball but will struggle with locations. He pairs his heater with four secondaries: an upper-80s-to-low-90s cutter, a mid-80s slider, a low-80s two-plane curveball and a firm changeup.   

I tuned into Mississippi State’s matchup with Delaware on Saturday to check out Sophomore lefty Tomas Valincius. After spending his freshman season with Virginia, Valincius followed coach Brian O’Connor to Starkville. He went six scoreless innings this weekend, allowing five hits and two walks while striking out seven. Valincius mixed four pitches during the start: a two-seam fastball, slider, curveball and changeup. The two-seamer and slider saw a majority of the work, with the former sitting 93-95 mph and touching 97 with heavy armside run from a funky angle. Valincius’ two-seamer got no whiffs but did generate ground balls in abundance. Instead, it was his mid-to-high-80s cut-slider that carried the load when it came to missing bats. He’ll need to find a third pitch, but Valincius is an interesting 2027-draft eligible name to follow. 

Southern California has a pair of 2026-eligible starters generating buzz in the early going in lefty Mason Edwards and righthander Grant Govel. Both pitched the Trojans to wins this weekend,with Edwards tossing six hitless innings on Friday and striking out 11. Govel tossed six scoreless on Saturday, striking out 11, too.

Edwards is one of the top college lefthanders eligible for the draft in 2026, while Govel is an undersized righthander with good angles and a nasty changeup. Edwards mixed three pitches this weekend in a low-90s, four-seam fastball with plus ride, a curveball at 78-80 mph and a low-80s changeup. Govel’s mix consists of a high-ride four-seam fastball in the low 90s, an upper-80s cutter, an upper-70s curveball and his signature changeup. 

Hitters Catching Barrels

Leading the way this weekend is Cal catcher Hideki Prather, who went 6-for-13 with three doubles, two home runs and eight barrels to lead Division I in week two. Prather spent two seasons at Clemson before transferring to Cal for his junior season. All eight of Prather’s hard-hit balls registered as barrels, as he put four balls into play at 100-plus mph with a max exit velocity of 102.3 mph.

Arkansas second baseman Camden Kozeal had a huge weekend, hitting for the cycle on Saturday and collecting seven hits in 13 at-bats. Kozeal caught six barrels to go with nine hard-hit batted-ball events and six balls in play at 104-plus mph, including a max exit velocity of 109.8 mph. Kozeal ranks 120 on the 2026 draft rankings and could climb with continued strong power performances.   

Georgia Tech center fielder Drew Burress ranks seventh on our most recent 2026 draft board and over the first two weeks of the college season, it’s easy to see why. Burress went 6-for-17 this weekend with four extra-base hits, 15 total bases and four walks to no strikeouts. His under-the-hood performance was even better, as he caught five barrels, had 14 hard-hit balls in play and seven BBE at 100-plus mph with a max exit velocity of 110.2 mph. Burress has an impressive blend of tools, plate skills and blossoming power. He’ll remain a major cog in Georgia Tech’s potent offense. 

Cincinnati catcher Jack Natili is fresh off an all-star summer in the Cape Cod League and is carrying that momentum early in his 2026 campaign. Over the weekend, he went 6-for-12 with a home run, catching five barrels, including two against lefthanded pitching. He had eight hard-hit balls in play, with five above 100 mph and a max exit velocity of 110.1 mph. Natili is a premier power prospect, but the questions around his hit tool and ability to stick behind the plate will weigh him down a little on draft day.

Daniel Cuvet, the Miami slugger who ranks 76th for 2026, has been hot to open the season, with five home runs over the first nine games of the season. This past weekend, he went 5-for-11 with three home runs and five walks to two strikeouts. He caught five barrels on five hard-hit balls in play. He had three batted-ball events at 102.5 mph or higher and a max EV of 107.8 mph on his home run Sunday. Cuvet is a bat-first prospect with a power-over-hit profile and questions about his supporting tools.

Few hitters had a bigger weekend than Virginia outfielder AJ Gracia, who went 6-for-12 with four home runs and three walks to two strikeouts. Gracia kicked off the weekend with a bang, hitting three home runs on Friday as Virginia destroyed Monmouth 21-8. He caught four barrels on the weekend with six hard-hit balls in play, four of which registered at 101 mph or higher. He posted a max EV of 105. Gracia ranks 17th on our most recent 2026 draft rankings and is one of the more talented hitters in the draft this summer.

This year’s college catching class is deep at the top with three prospects ranking inside the top 50. Arkansas’ Ryder Helfrick might be the first to hear his name called when all is said and done. Helfrick went 4-for-12 this weekend with a double and two home runs. He caught four barrels, had nine hard-hit balls in play and eight BBE at 100 mph or higher. His max exit velocity for the weekend came on an 111.5 mph lineout in the bottom of the ninth on Saturday. Helfrick is showing serious power at the plate and is a prime part of the Razorbacks’ potent lineup.

After winning ASUN freshman of the year in 2024, Kyle Jones looked like a breakout bat after transferring to Florida prior to 2025. Unfortunately, a shoulder injury forced him to miss most of 2025, but he’s returned with a vengeance to begin 2026. Over the first eight games, Jones has gone 16-for-32 with six doubles, a home run and three walks to three strikeouts. He’s tied for sixth in the nation with 10 barrels and eight balls in play at 100 mph or higher. Jones caught four barrels this weekend, going 7-for-11 with two walks and no strikeouts. Jones ranks 86th on our most recent 2026 draft board and could be hitting his way up the list with a healthy campaign. 

Two of the top 2026 draft prospects had huge weekends in No. 1 prospect Roch Cholowsky of UCLA and No. 5 prospect Justin Lebron of Alabama. They had nearly identical weekends, each hitting .333/.467/1.083 with three home runs. The difference is Lebron had three Ks and three BB while Roch had a walk, two Ks and two HBP.  Under the hood, Lebron had two barrels, six hard-hit balls with five balls in play at 101 mph or higher and a max EV of 108.5. Cholowsky had three barrels, four hard-hit balls in play, three at 102 mph or higher and a max EV of 107.8 mph on his second home run on Friday night. Cholowsky is the clear top college positional prospect in this year’s draft, while Lebron is an intriguing prospect with tools to dream on but some serious hit tool concerns. 

Here are four other names with exceptional weekends who ranked among the D-I barrel leaders:

• UAB outfielder Kevin Hall Jr. went 6-for-12 this weekend against Cincinnati with five barrels. Hall is 2026-eligible.

• Saint Mary’s sophomore first baseman Makoa Sniffen went 5-for-11 with three home runs and seven barrels. Sniffen is 2027-eligible.

• Texas Tech junior outfielder Logan Hughes went 7-for-14 this weekend with two doubles, two home runs and six barrels.

• Virginia junior first baseman Sam Harris went 6-for-13 with four extra-base hits and five barrels. 

Freshman Five  

We highlight five freshmen who made noise this weekend with good performances and strong metrics.

Linkin Garcia, SS, Texas Tech

One of the loudest performers among the freshman class is Garcia, who over his first eight collegiate games is 11-for-32 with seven extra-base hits, 13 RBIs and six walks to six strikeouts. Garcia caught six barrels this weekend with seven balls in play at 100 mph or higher and a max EV of 110.1 mph. He is tied for second in D-I with 11 barrels over the first two weeks of the season. 

Cash Strayer, OF, Florida

Strayer is another fabulous freshman making national headlines with top-level performances to begin the season. Over the weekend, Strayer went 4-for-11 with only two barrels, but he still has 10 barrels on the season, which is tied for sixth in D-I with five other players. Strayer is 11-for-21 with 21 total bases over his first seven games. 

Dylan Dubovik, OF/RHP, Miami

A highly touted two-way talent that landed at Miami, we have yet to see Dubovik pitch, but we’ve certainly seen what he can do with a bat in the early going. Over his first six games, Dubovik is 11-for-13 with three doubles, three home runs and no strikeouts. This weekend, he caught six barrels, as he went a gaudy 9-for-11 with three home runs, including two against lefthanded pitching. Dubovik had nine hard-hit balls in play this weekend, including seven balls in play at 102-plus mph and a max EV of 108.3 mph.

Ethan Ball, SS, Virginia Tech

Ball ranked as a Top 300 prospect in the 2025 draft out of high school, and he ended up on campus at Virginia Tech and has been a star to begin his collegiate career. Over his first seven games, Ball is 11-for-29 with a double and two home runs. He’s been a little whiff-happy with 11 strikeouts and three walks. He has caught five barrels in the early going, with six balls in play at 101.5 mph or above and a max EV of 107 mph.

Aiden Aguayo, 2B, UCLA

Roch Cholowsky isn’t the only infielder making noise on the UCLA roster this spring. Aguayo, a freshman infielder who could be the heir to Cholowsky at shortstop for the Bruins, went 6-for-14 this weekend against TCU. Aguayo didn’t hit any home runs, but he did catch five barrels against TCU with eight hard-hit balls in play and four above 100 mph. Aguayo is a name to watch in the coming years.