On Saturday, May 30, the UC Santa Barbara Gauchos dominated the Holy Cross Crusaders 15-1 to stay alive in the Austin regional and in the 2026 NCAA Tournament.
Star pitcher Jackson Flora made his first appearance on the mound of the 2026 NCAA Tournament against the Crusaders. He had a record-breaking day.
In 7 2/3 innings of work, the UC Santa Barbara right-handed pitcher had nine strikeouts while allowing just two hits, two walks, and one earned run.
Flora is now up to 133 strikeouts this season, which makes him the record holder at UC Santa Barbara for the most strikeouts in a single season. The record was previously held by Rodney Boone, who had 128 during the 2021 college baseball season.
Flora talked about his start against Holy Cross in the NCAA Tournament in a press release from UC Santa Barbara athletics.
“I’m just glad my team got me this far into the season,” said Flora. “I was glad to go out and help them win today. Strikeouts are a really fun part of the game, but it all starts with the process, going and getting strikes early and then finishing hitters and executing pitches, but that was pretty sweet.”
Flora and his 2026 season, 2026 MLB Draft Stock, and UCSB’s Pitching Pipeline
In 2026, Flora has stamped his name as the best pitcher in all of college baseball. He has a 1.06 ERA this season and 133 strikeouts in 102 innings of work. After the win against Holy Cross, Flora’s record this season improved to 12-0.
Flora is a big-time prospect for the 2026 MLB Draft in Philadelphia, according to MLB Pipeline. He is the fifth-best overall prospect in the draft and the best overall pitching prospect as well.
UC Santa Barbara could have back-to-back years with pitchers selected in the top five of the MLB Draft.
In the 2025 MLB Draft, the Los Angeles Angels selected UC Santa Barbara right-handed pitcher Tyler Bremner second overall.
Up next for UC Santa Barbara
The UC Santa Barbara Gauchos will play the loser of the Tarleton State and Texas game on Sunday, May 31. That will be another elimination game in the Austin regional, and the first pitch at Disch-Falk Field is at 1 p.m. ET.
WBN NCAA: https://worldbaseball.com/league/ncaa/
PHOTO: Via Jackson Flora on Instagram (@jacksonflora_)
