5 SEC College Baseball Players Raising Their Stock This Season
SportsGrid Contributor Just Baseball
Host · Writer
After four weeks of non-conference action, SEC play got off to a scorching-hot start over the weekend. Each of the eight series was competitive and shined a light on what makes the conference so special.
Friday night was a perfect representation of that. Five one-run games, two walk-off home runs, two extra-inning clashes, dugout hijinks, an idiotic ejection and a lengthy lighting — no, not lightning — delay made for a beautifully chaotic few hours of fun.
It’s still too early to issue a proclamation naming contenders and pretenders, so we’ll save the hot takes and discuss the state of the league once we get a little closer to Easter. Let’s instead shine a light on some players who have thoroughly exceeded expectations through five weekends.
There’s no shortage of names to choose from, so we’re ignoring new transfers and instead looking at players who are at least in their second year at their program. These are players who are blossoming into stardom after playing a smaller role in 2025.
Accompanied by insight from Just Baseball amateur scouting director Tyler Jennings, here’s a look at five SEC players who have bolstered their stock in a big way early on this season.
Georgia C Daniel Jackson
Stats (21 G): .415/.490/.976, 34 H (2 2B, 1 3B, 14 HR), 36 RBI, 10 BB, 13 K, 11 SB, 19 A
Upon first glance, it may seem like Daniel Jackson is just Georgia’s new marquee slugger that’s chewed up mid-major pitching, inflating his numbers that’ll surely drop once the Bulldogs get into the meat of their conference schedule.
At 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds, Jackson carries an imposing figure in the box. The junior is as strong as he looks, and his nation-leading 14 home runs in 21 games back that up. There’s nothing sneaky about his power, but his surprising athleticism is what sets him apart from other mashing backstops.
Georgia has 22 stolen bases this season. Jackson has 11 of them and is the only Bulldog that has more than two. After quietly swiping 12 bags last season, he’s on pace to blow that total out of the water.
Behind the dish, he’s allowed 14 stolen bases in 23 attempts and now has 19 total assists. Jackson made 12 starts at catcher as a sophomore, but also played plenty of corner outfield and had two starts at first base. This season, he’s started all 21 games, catching in 18 of them.
But in the end, it’s the bat that’s really driven up Jackson’s stock. He hit .240 in his first season after transferring in from Wofford last year. While he had 14 home runs in 148 plate appearances, he also had just three other extra-base hits and struck out 30 percent of the time.
My goodness! Georgia’s Daniel Jackson goes 452 ft over the batters eye.
pic.twitter.com/tbNf9PnCX9— The College Baseball Show (@CollegeBSBShow) March 8, 2026
Now an SEC Player of the Year contender, Jackson has 34 hits, 36 RBI and a wicked 1.466 OPS. Georgia opened conference play with a series win over Tennessee and Jackson had five hits and three RBI. He helped spark a late rally in Sunday’s rubber game, lining a single into center that scored two runs.
“He’s learning how to slow the game down a little more now,” UGA head coach Wes Johnson told reporters after Jackson hit two homers and drove in six runs in a Feb. 27 win over Oakland. “He could get a little antsy at times at the plate, trying to do too much. I think what you’re seeing is him mature as a hitter.”
Jackson will continue to be tested in SEC action, but he has all the makings of an All-American through five weeks.
Scouting Report
Jennings: “Everything about Jackson’s offensive profile has changed. The bat-to-ball skills and exit velocities have taken a huge jump forward, with peak EVs over 112 MPH and an 18% whiff rate (30% in 2025). He’s improved the passivity, and he’s handling spin much better, as well. He looks like the player he was at Wofford, but amplified to another level.
“I want to see this hold up in SEC play, but everything screams Day 1 selection. Figuring out where he fits in the next board update will be fun.”
LSU OF Jake Brown
Stats (20 G): .419/.495/.884, 36 H (7 2B, 17 HR), 37 RBI, 12 BB, 13 K, 5 SB
Jake Brown has stood tall in an LSU lineup that has failed to consistently produce so far this season. If not for the junior out of Sulphur, La., the Tigers would be pillar-less at the plate.
Entering the season, the outfield trio of Brown, Derek Curiel and Chris Stanfield appeared daunting. It was Curiel that was tabbed Just Baseball Preseason SEC Player of the Year, and vibes around Stanfield were high after he excelled in SEC play last season. Brown was certainly playing bass.
Fast forward 21 games: Stanfield has hardly played due to injury, and while Curiel has been rock-solid, he hasn’t played at the All-American level most expected just yet. It’s been Brown that’s led the way.
Not only has Brown produced, he’s produced in the clutch. He drove in runs in nine of the first 10 games of the season and now has nine multi-RBI games after driving in six in LSU’s win at Vanderbilt on Sunday. Incredibly, that’s Brown’s third six-RBI game of the year.
Brown didn’t exactly have a down sophomore campaign last year, to be clear. He hit .320 and drove in 48 runs across 64 games as the Tigers claimed the 2025 College World Series. It was a great jump compared to his freshman season. What he’s done so far in 2026 is on another level, however.
He’s now up to 11 home runs, three more than he hit all of last season. That includes three multi-homer games. The power has increased, and so has the walk rate. He’s also struck out just 13 times and even leads LSU with five stolen bases.
Jay Johnson’s team hasn’t shown the best body language amidst its recent 3-6 skid. Brown has been the calming presence and looks like a leader. He’s playing like one, too.
Scouting Report
Jennings: “The power production increase is certainly massive for Brown’s profile, and his peak exit velocities have trended closer to 110 MPH. He’s improved the bat-to-ball skills against secondary offerings, as well. He’s always crushed right-handed pitching, but he’s upped the damage this season. It’s a welcome sight, though I would like to see more improvements against southpaws. Left-handed spin gave him fits a year ago, and it still lingers this spring, though it is early.
“Despite my concerns, Brown has trended much closer to the top of the board, and it’s hard to envision him still on the board past pick 50.”
Vanderbilt OF Braden Holcomb
Stats (21 G): .338/.427/.800, 27 H (4 2B, 11 HR), 33 RBI, 14 BB, 21 K
If you had Vanderbilt hitting the second-most home runs in the nation through the first five weekends of the season on your bingo card…I don’t believe you.
Despite the immense uptick in power, the Commodores are 13-8 and remain hard to read with SEC play now underway. It’s been easy to see the rise of junior center fielder Braden Holcomb, though.
It starts with the long ball. He’s shown light-tower power to all fields and now has 11 homers in 21 games. He hit nine in 50 games last season. It’s not a surprise to see him demolish baseballs on a regular basis, but his improved ability to get on base adds another layer to his game and makes the extra-base hits come far easier.
116 EV
461 FTLOL Braden Holcomb got all of this one.pic.twitter.com/3jBwbFcLCN
— The College Baseball Show (@CollegeBSBShow) March 1, 2026
The on-base percentage is now at .427. It’ll be hard to sustain as the competition remains stiff the rest of the way, but his .378 OBP from last year is out of sight.
Holcomb struck out 27 percent of the time a year ago after doing so over 36 percent of the time as a freshman. His strikeout rate was under 20 percent entering last weekend, though he did go down on strikes six times against LSU, which is certainly something to keep an eye on as SEC play progresses.
The 6-foot-5, 245-pounder will easily surpass all of his totals from 2025 barring injury. That includes free passes, as his walk rate is now above 15 percent. This is a player that continues to show improvement that’s easy to see with the eye and not just metrics.
Holcomb has turned into one of the better center fielders in the SEC, and his bat is booming with a promising blend of pop and patience. Looming in the middle of the order while playing a premier position, Holcomb continues to play his way onto the college baseball national radar.
Scouting Report
Jennings: “Holcomb has always been a slugger, though the power production hasn’t quite matched the frame. That’s because of the bloated whiff rates as an underclassman, but they’ve improved year-to-year, and it’s now at a point where he can get into the power. Whiffs will always be present, but having plus power alleviates those concerns. He’s a bit more mobile in center than I anticipated, as well, though I anticipate a move to right field in due time.
“Like Jackson, he’ll need to keep this pace up, but I feel more comfortable about his profile somewhere in the early rounds of Day 2 than I did this time last year.”
Kentucky 2B Ethan Hindle
Stats (20 G): .297/.402/.716, 22 H (9 2B, 2 3B, 6 HR), 25 RBI, 11 B, 19 K, 7 SB
One of Kentucky’s biggest strengths on paper entering the 2026 season was the returning middle infield duo of shortstop Tyler Bell and second baseman Luke Lawrence. On opening day, Bell, the superstar sophomore and sure-fire first-round draft pick, suffered a shoulder injury that sidelined him for nearly a month.
As a result, Lawrence shifted to short. That opened the door for Ethan Hindle to get everyday reps at second. What a start it’s been for the junior.
Starting in all 20 games, Hindle leads the Bat Cats in doubles, home runs and RBI. He’s putting the ball in the air at an incredible rate, and the power — which once again isn’t a strong suit for UK as a team — has been a welcome surprise.
It was easy to write off a great start to non-conference play, given the competition. But he’s just continued to hit. He opened his SEC account with a home run to dead center — something we don’t see all that often at Kentucky Proud Park — in Friday’s win over Alabama.
Ethan Hindle continues to provide a major jolt to the UK offense. XBH machine. Grown-man strength on this homer to dead center.
Cats respond after Justin Lebron went deep in T1.
— Hunter Shelton (@HunterShelton_) March 13, 2026
When you lose a player like Bell, the pressure can ramp up on someone in Hindle’s position. He was always going to play a sizable role for UK and even started at DH on opening day, but the spotlight can get bright when trying to make up for the production that you miss without an All-American in the lineup.
This all comes after Hindle played just 25 games last season due to a foot injury. He hit just .224 and struck out in nearly a quarter of his plate appearances, so there was already a challenge for the Delafield, Wisc. native to bounce back and stay on the field.
Head coach Nick Mingione has now penciled Hindle in the three hole the last seven games. Not only has he produced at the plate, he’s also played terrific defense, has yet to make an error and has seven stolen bases.
Bell returned to action on March 6 but has yet to play defense. Whenever he does return to short, someone has to move. Hindle may get bumped from his post, but right now, it’d be foolish to disturb his groove.
Scouting Report
Jennings: “It’s hard to hate the kind of player that pulls the ball in the air consistently, and what Hindle is doing right now is exceptional. It’s leaking to the other side of the field, as well. Yes, there’s still quite a bit of swing-and-miss, but he’s no longer passive, and it’s translating into success. Is it enough to get him drafted? I have no clue. A 51% flyball rate is not sustainable, and the whiff rate hovers around 30%.
“That said, it’s a significant improvement from a year ago. I’m slapping a ‘follow’ label on him and watching intently to see how his season evolves.”
Missouri OF/1B Tyler Macon
Stats (19 G): .417/.516/.569, 30 H (7 2B, 2 3B), 25 RBI, 14 BB, 14 K, 6 SB
Tyler Macon made the two-hour trek from Kirkwood, Mo. to Columbia as a touted in-state recruit, but immediate production as a freshman was not in the cards. He redshirted in 2024, then got his feet wet last season.
Playing in 37 games and making 27 starts, Macon showed flashes while playing for a Mizzou team that was drowning from the beginning of the season. He had 25 hits, but drove in just five runs and struck out 25 percent of the time.
So, entering his redshirt sophomore campaign this spring, it was reasonable to expect another jump. He’s instead leaped into the spotlight as a hit-machine who’s got some thinking there could be a little more success for the Tigers in 2026.
It started off as a big day at the plate on opening weekend vs. Mount St. Mary’s. Macon went 6-for-6 with two doubles and drove in a whopping eight runs. He also walked twice and scored four times. That turned out to be game two of a 14-game hitting streak.
Macon racked up 30 hits — five more than he had all of last season — during the streak, including seven doubles and two triples. Say what you will about the competition, but we’ve seen countless players on countless teams fail to put up those same gaudy numbers against a similar schedule.
To understand how scorching hot Macon was, understand that he just went 0-for-9 against Auburn over the weekend and is still hitting .417 with a .516 OBP. It remains to be seen if he’ll come to a screeching halt in SEC play, but what he’s produced in the leadoff spot to this point is too good to ignore.
He’s also a speedy — six steals this season — and versatile defender, playing an interesting combo of positions. Macon has now made 10 starts at first base and another eight in center field. He was a shortstop prospect coming out of high school.
Mizzou was swept by Auburn to open SEC play, but it was competitive for around 25 innings against a top-five team. It has the look of a feisty group that’ll frustrate opponents and win more than three conference games this season. Macon will be at the forefront of the Tigers’ push.
Scouting Report
Jennings: “I like the approach changes that Macon has made this spring. He’s toned down the overall aggression, especially against spin. This is allowing him to focus more on his strengths, including his ability to lace the fastball. Power will never be a part of his game, but it’s nice to see the uptick in extra-base hits this spring. Add in the speed, and you’re looking at a definitive top-of-the-order bat in some capacity.
“This is a profile I have to dig into more, but what he’s shown to date has piqued my interest. Like Hindle, I’m slapping a ‘follow’ label on him without a doubt.”
Just Baseball’s Peyton Sower also has weekly in-depth looks at top performances and stock-risers throughout the nation.
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