Division I college baseball action returns in less than a month, and Baseball America is looking ahead with a preview of the 2025 campaign.
Here are our preseason projections for national Player of the Year, Pitcher of the Year and Freshman of the Year, as well as those same awards at the Power 4 conference level:
Player of the Year: Jace LaViolette (Texas A&M)
Michael Earley said one of his first priorities upon being named head coach at Texas A&M over the summer was to ensure that outfielder LaViolette would spend his junior season in College Station. It was a task that he quickly accomplished.
Why the rush?
“Because that kid’s special,” Earley told Baseball America. “I have not seen a player in college baseball—me personally, I’m sure other people have arguments for other players—who is that big, that strong, the fast, has a plus arm. I go back to his speed. I’m not sure people know just how fast he is. He’s the fastest guy on this team and maybe the fastest player I’ve ever coached. He stole 18 or 19 (bases) his freshman year, and he didn’t steal a ton last year just because we were trying to keep him healthy. But, the point is, he’s a real five-tool player.”
LaViolette slashed .305/.449/.726 with 29 home runs, 78 RBI and 64 walks against 81 strikeouts en route to BA First-Team All-American status as a sophomore last year. He enters 2025 as our preseason pick for Player of the Year and stands a great chance to be the first player off the board in this year’s draft.
Pitcher of the Year: Jamie Arnold (Florida State)
Florida State’s run to the College World Series in 2024 was accomplished in large part due to its offensive firepower, with back-to-back first-round picks James Tibbs and Cam Smith in the heart of the batting order.
This year, however, the Seminoles are expected to lean more heavily on their mound presence to return Omaha, something they feel well-positioned to do with Arnold at the forefront of the effort.
The lefthanded Arnold was dominant as a sophomore, pitching his way to a 2.98 ERA with 159 strikeouts against just 26 walks in 105.2 innings. He returns this season with an improved changeup, according to head coach Link Jarrett, who said his ace is a rare luxury.
“He gives your team a chance to settle and calibrate what’s going on as the weekend starts, and that’s big,” Jarrett said. “If you’re not in that…