How the top players in the MLB playoffs fared in college

The 2025 MLB Playoffs have been an exciting one as the race for the pennant rolls on.

As much as the players have made names for themselves in the show, they all took different paths to get there.

Some went the high school route, some went to junior college and some made it through the SEC gauntlet.

From Trey Yesavage at East Carolina to Aaron Judge at Fresno State, here’s how the stars of the MLB Playoffs did in college baseball.

Cal Raleigh: Florida State (2016-2018)

In the running for the AL MVP alongside Aaron Judge is catcher Cal Raleigh, who racked up accolades on accolades in Tallahassee.

Raleigh was a 2016 freshman All-American for Louisville Slugger, Baseball America, NCBWA and Perfect Game after boasting a .511 slugging percentage with ten home runs.

He led the Seminoles to an appearance in the Gainesville Super Regional that year, where the team lost to Florida in three games to be eliminated.

In 2018, Raleigh went 5-for-15 with a home run and five runs batted in during the ACC Championship tournament, earning him ACC Championship Team honors as the Seminoles clinched the conference auto-bid.

Tarik Skubal: Seattle University (2015-2018)

The Tigers’ ace has been dealing way before he made his presence known in their rotation.

Skubal started his 2018 campaign as the Redhawks’ Friday starter, and in the season overall, he blew his career-high strikeout total out of the water with 106 in 80 innings.

In his first two seasons, Seattle University earned the top seed of the WAC Tournament, though they did not end up winning the auto-bid either time.

Skubal dealt with Tommy John surgery during the 2017 season, causing him to redshirt. His struggles in limited postseason action as a Redhawk have not hindered him since.

Trey Yesavage: East Carolina (2022-2024)

Yesavage is no stranger to throwing 11 strikeouts in a big game. He did so against the Yankees in the Blue Jays’ 13-7 win over the Yankees on Sunday, but he set down that same number of batters in a 2-1 loss to North Carolina on February 23, 2024.

He showed up again in a crucial elimination game against Wake Forest, pitching 7.1 innings of one-run ball in a 7-6 win in the 2024 Greenville Regional.

Yesavage picked up 17 accolades throughout the 2024 season, most notably being a semifinalist for the Dick Howser Trophy and the Golden Spikes Award.

He transitioned from a primary reliever role in 2022 to the top of the Pirates’ rotation, posting a 2.29 earned run average and an 18-2 record in his final two seasons.

Kyle Schwarber: Indiana (2012-2014)

Before the heavy-hitting designated hitter put on the red and white in the city of Brotherly Love, Schwarber wore those colors well in Bloomington.

He exploded in his sophomore season, knocking 18 home runs and hitting two of them in the lone multi-home run game of his career against Nebraska.

Despite being a designated hitter in the show, Schwarber played the majority of his collegiate games as a catcher, doing so in 89 of his 180.

Schwarber capped off his Hoosier career as a Johnny Bench Award finalist and was named a First-Team All-American by Baseball America and Perfect Game.

Nico Hoerner: Stanford (2016-2018)

Hoerner took the blame after a blunder in the Cubs’ loss to the Brewers on Saturday, but in Palo Alto, he was solid in the middle infield.

His speed played a major role in getting him noticed by scouts, tacking on 15 stolen bases to his ledger in 2018.

The Cardinal hosted their own regional in 2018 but were bounced out in the regional final by Cal State Fullerton.

Hoerner went 5-for-17 during the 2018 Stanford Regional and was a finalist for the Brooks Wallace Award.

Sal Frelick: Boston College (2019-2021)

The Brewers’ right fielder has made an impact during his first three years in The Show, but before he did so, he excelled during his limited time in Beantown.

Frelick had lightning speed on the base path with 38 stolen bases in 102 games in his career.

He had games with multiple stolen bases against Charleston Southern and Virginia, both with two.

In 2019, Frelick was named a Division One Baseball Freshman All-American after boasting a .367 batting average in 150 at-bats.

Bryan Portney is a second-year student majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, email bep5295@psu.edu.