There is certainly no shortage of alums of the New Balance Baseball Future Stars Series playing college baseball, including many who are regularly in the conversation for the upcoming 2024 MLB Draft. For some, however, they’re near the very beginning of that chat, including 2020 Main Event star Braden Montgomery, who we’ll lead our weekly look at college alumni off with this week.
Braden Montgomery, OF — Texas A&M
Honestly, we could include him every week. A Stanford transfer, Montgomery has a chance to be one of the most successful alums in the history of the FSS…and that’s saying something. The SEC Player of the Week in early April and Golden Spikes Award midseason watch list standout, Montgomery continues just an absurd run in his junior year. He has five hits in his last eight AB’s, including a win over Georgia on April 27 in which he reached base five times.
Mac Guscette, C — Alabama
The senior catcher, who came through International Week back in 2018, has been on fire of late. He leads all SEC catchers with 11 runners caught stealing, and is fresh off a huge weekend against Texas A&M in which he hit .729 with a double, two grand slams, 11 RBI, three runs and one walk. The Florida transfer kept that going with another big weekend against Ole Miss, going 7-for-9 at the plate.
Kurtis Byrne, C — TCU
The redshirt senior continues to put the finishing touches on a stellar collegiate career, one that should see him draw significant pro interest. The six-foot, 220-pounder has three multi-hit games in the last ten days alone, including a 2-for-5 showing in a win at Texas on April 19.
Luke Hill, INF — Ole Miss
A coveted transfer from Arizona State, Hill is another Main Event star making waves in college ball. The business major has hits in seven straight, including a big series against ‘Bama in which he went 5-for-11 at the plate over three games with two doubles and an RBI.
Shamaar McDuffie, INF — Kennesaw State University
McDuffie had a big run through the Underclass events in 2022, including the Underclass Elite in Frisco. The Georgia Premier Academy standout has since gone on to star at KSU, where he’s started and played in all 41 games as a true freshman. He’s drawn 29 walks compared to just 24 strikeouts, and driven in 18 runs this far this season.
