Top 5 pitchers to watch out for in the upcoming college world series ft. Hagen Smith

The College World Series is chock full of offense... until it isn't. While metal bats and stronger, wiser hitters can make scoreboards look like pinball games, the top pitchers hold the answer.

There are some expert pitchers who are one-game slump-busters, simply because they can't be hit. While Arkansas's Hagen Smith leads the line, here's a list of five pitching aces who could lead their teams to the title.

Top 5 pitchers to watch out for in the College World Series

Florida's Jac Caglianone is both a top pitcher and one of the most dangerous hitters in college baseball.

5. Jac Caglianone, Florida

Caglianone probably isn't one of the top five pitchers in college baseball. But he is a really good pitcher and gets the benefit of his own bat (26 home runs) in the lineup.

As Florida's top starter, Caglianone is 5-0 with a 4.10 ERA on the season. He has 58 strikeouts in 48 1/3 innings. The opposing batters are hitting .215 and have managed just four homers off Caglianone.

4. Ryan Prager, Texas A&M

A tough lefty, Prager has been the Aggies' ace this year. He's 8-0 with a 2.59 ERA. He's fanned 80 batters in 59 innings and held opponents to a .205 batting average.

Prager also has excellent control, having talked just nine batters on the season. In his first four starts of 2024, Prager went 23 2/3 scoreless innings with 40 strikeouts.

3. Ryan Johnson, Dallas Baptist

The lanky right-hander has gone 7-2 this year with a 1.93 ERA. Johnson has whiffed 118 batters in 79 1/3 innings. In his 11 starts, Johnson has not failed to work into the sixth inning, has two complete games, and has pitched seven or more innings eight times.

Johnson's stuff gets some substantial swing-and-miss energy. He has a pair of 15 strikeout games this year and has reached a dozen strikeouts in five of his 11 starts. He's a force, and his ability to throw large numbers of pitches bodes well for postseason play. Johnson could almost single-handedly pitch DBU into the College World Series.

2. Chase Burns, Wake Forest

Burns was Tennessee's ace before Wake Forest grabbed him as a transfer. The right-hander has gone 8-1 this season with a 3.26 ERA. In 69 innings of work, Burns has struck out 127 batters. Burns has had double-digit strikeout totals eight times this year, including 15 against Virginia Tech.

The 6-foot-3 ace has both the experience and the electric stuff to be a College World Series standout. Burns has held opposing hitters to a meager .180 batting average. He has been everything that Wake Forest hoped for, and in postseason play, he can be everything opponents fear.

1. Hagen Smith, Arkansas

Smith has arguably been the best pitcher in baseball in 2024. He's 23-4 in his college career. This year, he's 8-0 with a 1.35 ERA. In 60 innings pitched, Smith has allowed just 26 hits and has struck out 111.

Opposing batters are hitting .130 against him, and the dominant lefty shows no signs of slowing down. He's a one-man College World Series momentum shifter at work.

In his second start of the season, Smith had an all-time performance against nationally ranked Oregon State. In six innings, he allowed three hits and no runs, while striking out 17 Beavers batters. Yes, of the 18 outs Smith obtained, 17 were by strikeout, making it an otherworldly performance.

Which pitching aces will lead their teams to the College World Series? Let us hear your thoughts below in our comments section!