World Baseball Network is picking Mississippi State pitcher Jack Bauer to win the 2026 National Freshman of the Year award.
According to D1 Baseball, he is the number one incoming freshman who made it to campus.
Bauer in the 2025 High School Rankings
According to Perfect Game, Bauer was ranked as a top 25 prospect nationally in the 2025 high school class. MLB.com had him ranked 44th overall on their list of the top 250 2025 MLB Draft prospects.
Bauer played high school baseball for Lincoln Way East out of Frankfort, Ill. He was the second-ranked prospect out of the state of Illinois.
He is also the second-highest ranked player in Mississippi State’s 11th ranked 2025 recruiting class.
WBN’s Preseason Freshman of the Year has Crazy Velocity
Bauer has an elite fastball at the very early stages of his collegiate career. In his senior year of high school, he reached 100 miles per hour and even topped out at 103 miles per hour.
Early on, the freshman southpaw shows signs of elite speed on the mound and can create problems in 2026 for Mississippi State’s opponents.
Head Coach Brian O’Connor’s Thoughts on Bauer
After a fall exhibition game against the Florida State Seminoles on October 18, Mississippi State head coach Brian O’Connor gave his thoughts on the freshman standout.
“He is an incredibly talented young man,” O’Connor stated. “The thing that impresses me is he looks like he’s just playing catch. There’s not a lot of effort.”
Up Next for Mississippi State
The Mississippi State Bulldogs will begin the 2026 college baseball season with a weekend series from February 13-15.
They will host the Hofstra Pride at Dudy Noble Field in Starkville for a three-game series.
NCAA News: https://worldbaseball.com/league/ncaa/
PHOTO: Via Jack Bauer on X (@J2ckB4uer)
