When the 2021 College World Series gets underway on Saturday, there should be plenty of names on the rosters of the eight programs who advanced to Omaha that are familiar to those who follow the New Balance Baseball Future Stars Series powered by Program 15.
Bracket 1
Vanderbilt
T.J. McKenzie
Troy LaNeve
Thomas Schultz
Jack O’Dowd
McKenzie, LaNeve (pictured) and Schultz were all part of a loaded US Elite team at the 2018 National Tournament that ended up winning the event. A fourth player, Nic Kent, is currently playing for Virginia…but we’ll get to that in a bit. All four also participated at International Week for the National Team as well.
LaNeve has delivered some big moments in his sophomore season, one in which he’s hit .319 with six homers, while Schultz has built off of a nice freshman year. McKenzie and O’Dowd were both used sparingly, but should see bigger roles going forward.
Arizona
Ryan Holgate
Riley Cooper
Holgate and Cooper both participated in the National Tournament.
Stanford
Brock Jones
Tommy Troy
Both Jones and Troy (pictured) played for the National Team at International Week, with Jones also suiting up for NorCal in the National Tournament.
NC State
Bryce Behmer
Jose Torres
Behmer (pictured) was another member of the National Team at International Week, while Torres emerged as one of the top prospects for US Elite at the 2018 National Tournament.
Bracket 2
Texas
Silas Ardoin
Pete Hansen
Jared Southard
Ardoin (pictured), Hansen and Southard all have extensive experience with the Future Stars Series; Ardoin starred on Team Louisiana before earning an invitation to International Week, Hansen wowed scouts with NorCal at the National Tournament, while Southard did the same in his outing at International Week.
Ardoin appeared in a whopping 55 games this year and was a force behind the plate; he also drove in 31 runs and drew 42 walks this season.
Tennessee
Drew Gilbert first got on the Future Stars Series map with a big showing for the Minnesota Blizzard back in 2017, and subsequently earned a invitation to International Week a year later.
Mississippi State
Davis Meche
Dylan Carmouche
Meche (pictured) stood out in a big way with the Louisiana Knights at the 2019 National Tournament, while Carmouche was a attendee of an FSS combine.
Virginia
Nic Kent
As promised, Kent was part of that loaded US Elite team, and has also emerged as a Top 500 prospect in the upcoming 2021 MLB Draft as well.
