The college baseball season begins on Feb. 14. One multi-team event that is a part of the opening weekend action is the Shriners Children’s College Showdown. This set of nine games this weekend will be at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas.
To get college baseball fans ready, here are five players to watch in this event.
Cam Cannarella is possibly the best player in Arlington this weekend. A bonafide candidate for the 2025 Golden Spikes Award, he is Clemson’s best player within their lineup.
Last season, Cannarella finished with a .337 batting average, a .417 on-base percentage, and 60 RBI.
The biggest step up in his game last season was the power hitting; he reached double figures in home runs with 11.
D1 Baseball has him as the ACC’s second-ranked 2025 MLB Draft prospect. He was also named a preseason All-American by several news outlets.
Cannarella will be arguably the top player to watch this weekend at Globe Life Field. MLB scouts love his pure hitting ability, which Texas fans will see for the first time this season.
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Cam Cannarella's historic home run and catch in @ClemsonBaseball's Super Regional against Florida. pic.twitter.com/Zc0uIUzBj8
— Monty Taylor (@Monty2740) January 29, 2025
The Longhorns will provide the Arlington crowd with the reigning Big 12 Player of the Year.
Max Belyeu comes into the 2025 season as a second-team All-American, according to Baseball America. On top of that, he batted .329 and had an on-base percentage of .423 a season ago in 2024. He also had a lot of power a season ago with 18 home runs.
Belyeu is a talented hitter looking to take the country by storm as Texas joins the SEC.
Belyeu has a chance to be a premier hitter in the Longhorns’ new conference, and the Shriners Children’s College Showdown is the first opportunity college baseball fans will get to see that.
I FUCKING LOVE YOU MAX BELYEU, THE GOOD NEWS IS WE'RE ALWAYS ONE SWING AWAY.
TEXAS TIES IT pic.twitter.com/QaHreAIeO6
— Nash (@NashTalksTexas) May 22, 2024
One of the top freshmen from the 2024 season will make his sophomore debut for the Louisville Cardinals in Globe Life Field.
Zion Rose was a consensus freshman All-American by lots of news outlets. This was due to the immense talent he showed off, mainly as a designated hitter.
In 166 at-bats, he had a .380 average and a .455 on-base percentage. He was also a good steal threat with 10 stolen bases last season.
Rose has the potential to have a breakout and standout sophomore season. The first look fans will get out of Louisville’s talented hitter will be in Arlington for the Shriners Children’s College Showdown.
Throwback to @LouisvilleBSB OF/C Zion Rose (@zionrosebball4) launching a HR facing Chase Burns last season. pic.twitter.com/SC5seCz7Px
— Prospect Dugout (@prospectdugout) January 10, 2025
It has been quite the career for Nolan Schubart in Stillwater, Okla. In 2024, he had a .370 average and an astonishing .513 on-base percentage.
He also hit 23 home runs last year, showing how big of a power threat he is.
Despite missing some time last season due to injury, Schubart improved in many of his offensive abilities. The 2025 season should be kind to him, as he is set to possibly be Oklahoma State’s best hitter.
He is also used to the Globe Life Field environment. Last season, the Cowboys won the Big 12 Tournament in the ballpark, and Schubart was named to the All-Tournament team.
OF Nolan Schubart (@OSUBaseball) has some of the most impressive raw power of any college hitter in this year's Draft class. Burst onto the scene as a true Freshman and hit .338/.451/.667 with 20 2B, 17 HRs and 74 RBIs. Schubart followed with an excellent Sophomore campaign to… pic.twitter.com/5DhQmaCWmb
— Peter Flaherty III (@PeterGFlaherty) December 30, 2024
Fans in Arlington will also have the chance to witness Arizona’s top 10 2025 MLB Draft prospect, Brendan Summerhill.
The Wildcats’ outfielder has received plenty of preseason praise, including All-American nominations and being put on some Golden Spikes Award watchlists.
He had a big-time breakout sophomore campaign in 2024 with a .324 batting average and a near .400 on-base percentage. His home run hitting also took a jump from his 2023 freshman season.
Summerhill is the leader within this Arizona team after improving himself big-time in year two in Tuscon. He is yet another big-time bat to keep an eye on in Arlington this weekend.
Heck of a swing by Brendan Summerhill who hammers a walk-off, 2-run double off the wall in RCF to lift Arizona to the regular season Pac-12 title! pic.twitter.com/9FpHMDDfXf
— Peter Flaherty III (@PeterGFlaherty) May 19, 2024
Three Other Players to Watch in the Shriners Children’s College Showdown
WBN NCAA: https://worldbaseball.com/league/ncaa/
