The national spotlight will not shine on college baseball like college football or college basketball. Therefore, for many baseball fans, their first opportunity-well, the first opportunity they will seize-to watch the future star of their favorite team is every year in Nebraska The University World Series in Omaha, California.

This dynamic has undergone some changes in the 2021 season. The Major League Baseball draft became part of the July All-Star celebration for the first time, moving back from its normal position in early June. Therefore, instead of watching the players that your favorite team has just drafted, let the fans watch the players that their team might draft in a few weeks. CWS starts on June 19; the MLB draft will start in Denver on July 11, as will the first round and competitive balance A round.

more: University World Series format, explained

Rounds 2 to 10 (and competitive balance round B) will be held on July 12, and rounds 11 to 20 will be held on July 13, the day of the All-Star Game.

Let’s take a look at the prospects of the primaries among the eight teams playing in Omaha, which is derived from the U.S. Baseball Association’s ranking of the top 500 draft prospects. Below are 10 players from the top 100 on this list.

Jack Wright, Vanderbilt

position: RHP
U.S. Baseball Draft Prospect Ranking: 3
need to know: Once upon a time, Jack Leiter was primarily known as the son of former major league pitcher and current MLB network analyst Al Leiter. Then, he earned a reputation as one of the top ready-to-throw prospects before the 2019 MLB draft. His promise to Vandy and the demand for bonuses scared off the team until the Yankees defeated him in the 20th round. Obviously, he did not sign. Then together with Wandy, he quickly earned the reputation of being one of the best pitchers in college baseball. Before the sport was shut down due to the pandemic, his self-report rate as a freshman in 15 2/3 innings reached 1.72. In 2021, Wright’s self-blame rate was 2.16, with 156 strikeouts out of 96 innings. Oh, he is the favorite of pitcher ninjas, Very interesting Twitter account This highlights the best pitches in the sport, at most every level.

Kumar Rocker, Vanderbilt

position: RHP
BA Draft Prospect Ranking: 5
need to know: The joystick is a Pitcher Ninja RegularAlso, because this is 2021, this is an article about why you should like to watch potential draft picks perform in the University World Series, which seems important. Like Leiter, with Ninja’s help, appreciation for Rocker’s talents will increase. In the conversation that Rocker entered the 1-1 draft this season, he will perform well again in 2021. In 17 starts, the big right shooter has 155 strikeouts, and only allowed 59 hits in 106 innings.

Tamarden, Texas

position: RHP
BA Draft Prospect Ranking: 12
need to know: In Omaha, nothing can match the dominant pitcher’s performance, and Madden can almost make zero shots on the board like Rocker and Leiter. He had 119 strikeouts in 100 2/3 innings. In the super zone game against South Florida, Madden shot 6 2/3 no scoring frames, 9 strikeouts, and only allowed 3 hits.

Will Bednar, Mississippi

position: RHP
BA Draft Prospect Ranking: 38
need to know: Bedner’s super zone did not start well, but the Bulldogs defeated Notre Dame in a fierce game. This year, his self-report rate is 3.53, he has 113 strikeouts, and has only 20 walks in 74 innings. Fun fact: He is the younger brother of David Bedner, and he is the one who performed well in the pirate bullpen in 2021 (3.38 ERA, 12.0 K/9 in 24 rounds).

Andrew Abbott, Virginia

position: RHP
BA Draft Prospect Ranking: 67
need to know: Abbot’s Virginia team is here because the other Cavaliers’ sloppy start in Abbot’s game against the Dallas Baptist led to a loss and went 1-0 in a three-inning super regional game. The score is behind. But the Cavaliers did it, and you can bet Abbott is ready to make up for it. He had an excellent season, shooting 152 strikeouts in 100 2/3 innings. Oh, Abbott may just be here, because there are only five rounds in the 2020 MLB draft; for any regular-length draft, he will almost certainly be picked high enough to convince him to start his career. These stories are very popular in Omaha.

Luca Tresh, North Carolina

position: C
BA Draft Prospect Ranking: 75
need to know: This is not Jim Valvano’s Wolfpack, but absolutely no one expects NC State to expel Arkansas, the No. 1 team in the United States. Especially after Razorbacks won the opener of the three-game series. But the Wolves shocked the college baseball world, thanks in part to Tresh, who helped his club get into trouble with a 2-of-4 home run in the second game. The strength is obvious-he hit 15 homers this season-but as the season progressed, his average scoring dropped to the current 0.240.

Zack Gelof, Virginia

position: RHP
BA Draft Prospect Ranking: 79
need to know: Powerful, isn’t it fun to watch the University World Series? This is not the same as the sound of the reinforced bat that has been constantly appearing at Rosenblatt Stadium many years ago, but on that stage, the sound of home runs sailing on the outfield fence still has something special. Gelof has 9 this year and 11 stolen bases.

Brandon Baker, Stanford University

position: RHP
BA Draft Prospect Ranking: 81
need to know: Since his freshman season, Baker has been a reliable part of Stanford’s rotation, with annual self-reported points of 2.43, 3.63, 2.82 and 2.96. In his senior season, his strikeouts soared. He scored 128 points in 100 1/3 innings. In the super zone game against Texas Tech University, he scored 13 points in 7 1/3 innings, and the Cardinals won 15-3.

Jose Torres, North Carolina

position: SS
BA Draft Prospect Ranking: 92
need to know: Want to talk about drama? Torres hit a solo home run in the ninth inning of the tie in the winner-takes-all game with Arkansas, the number one super region, and won a place in the University World Series. This is his third home run in the series. Wow. Fans of Wolfpack want more of the same thing in Omaha.

Isaiah Thomas, Vanderbilt

position: of
BA Draft Prospect Ranking: 195
need to know: The numbers are impressive: 0.330 average, 13 home runs, 12 stolen bases (12 chances). In the regional deciding game against Georgia Institute of Technology, the game lasted 11 innings. Thomas made 3 of 5 shots, home runs, doubles and 5 RBIs. That home run? The 11th Grand Slam. It’s kind of important, eh?