College Baseball Regional 2021: Dates, Schedule, Bracket and Players to Watch

Vanderbilt pitchers Kumar Rocker and Jack Leiter generated buzz before the college baseball season began because of how dominant they could be as a one-two punch. 

The two potential top-10 picks in the 2021 MLB draft are expected to be vital to Vanderbilt's success in the NCAA baseball tournament that begins on Friday. The Commodores are the No. 2 overall seed in a bracket that is top-heavy with SEC programs. 

With Louisville and Henry Davis not among the field of 64 teams, Rocker and Leiter are the best draft prospects competing for a national championship and may end up as the top performing top prospects on the road to Omaha. 

While Rocker and Leiter are the top college players to watch, they are far from the only ones who could make an impact in the major leagues in the coming years. 

UCLA shortstop Matt McLain is the highest rated college hitter in the latest MLB.com prospect rankings. For the Bruins to advance out of the regional round, the 21-year-old and his teammates need to get the best of the Texas Tech and North Carolina pitching staffs. 

NCAA Baseball Tournament Bracket

Players to Watch

Kumar Rocker and Jack Leiter, P, Vanderbilt

Rocker was the breakout star of the 2019 NCAA tournament that was won by Vanderbilt. 

Leiter has an opportunity to make a similar impact on the 2021 competition after he missed out on a shot as a freshman when the college baseball season was canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic. 

Rocker and Leiter are first and second on the team in wins and ERA, and they each have 135 strikeouts this season. 

The pair of dominant hurlers should be Vanderbilt's first two starters during regional and super regional weekends in order for the team to avoid any potential upset bids. 

In 2019, the Commodores swept through their regional and took down Duke in the super regional after an uncharacteristic Game 1 loss in which they allowed 18 runs. 

Leiter comes into the tournament two spots above Rocker at No. 3 in the MLB.com prospect rankings. The Athletic's Keith Law has Rocker going fourth and Leiter sixth in his first mock draft. 

The pair do not have to do much more to impress MLB scouts, so the pressure of improving their respective draft stocks won't be uppermost in their minds. 

However, they will still be under a ton of pressure to carry Vanderbilt to the College World Series. It has made four appearances in Omaha since 2011.

Matt McLain, SS, UCLA

McLain is the No. 12 overall prospect and fourth-best college hitter in the 2021 draft class, per MLB.com.

Louisville's Davis, Sam Houston State's Colton Cowser and Boston College's Sal Frelick did not have their teams qualify for the field of 64. 

The UCLA shortstop enters the NCAA tournament with career highs in a handful of offensive stat categories, including home runs, on-base percentage and stolen bases. He achieved those totals despite missing some time with a broken hand and only returned to the diamond recently. 

McLain opens the NCAA tournament with a difficult matchup against North Carolina, and he could see No. 8 seed Texas Tech in his second game. 

The Red Raiders could be susceptible to an upset since their best pitcher has a 3.48 ERA and they are coming off two losses at the Big 12 tournament. 

McLain might be able to get after the UNC pitching staff, too, after the Tar Heels gave up 25 runs in their last three defeats. 

Since he is a few spots below some of the other college hitters on the prospect list, he could improve his draft position by some positions with a strong showing in the Lubbock regional and beyond.

Statistics obtained from D1Baseball.com.