Two 2025 Top 100 Draft prospects among Desert Invitational standouts

Early-season college baseball tournaments and Arizona go together as well as baseball and sunshine. It¡¯s hard to know just quite what you¡¯ll get so early in the year, but the 2025 MLB Desert Invitational field brought the offense and scintillating performances to Spring Training ballparks just as the professionals they aspire to emulate begin to ramp up for their own seasons just steps away.

The one game that took place away from the pro environs drew a record-setting crowd of 5,294 on campus at Grand Canyon University. The famously wide-ranging Nebraska fan base packed in for February baseball. And we won't soon forget Vandy¡¯s unique way of staying loose in between innings.

While the sun has officially set on the Desert Invitational (Nebraska is sticking around to play Grand Canyon on Monday as a way of maximizing the warm temps), let¡¯s take a look back at some of the standout performers from the weekend that was:

J.D. Thompson, LHP, Vanderbilt (No. 65 Draft prospect)
The premier pitching performance of the weekend belonged to Vandy¡¯s Friday night starter, who showcased his pro-ready pitch repertoire as well as his stoic demeanor in front of a raucous Grand Canyon crowd.

¡°That first batter in that first inning, my heart rate has never been so high if I¡¯m being honest,¡± Thompson said on MLB Network. ¡°Getting past the first batter, it¡¯s kind of just a stress relief. It¡¯s go-time after that.¡±

Thompson scattered three singles across 4 2/3 scoreless frames and effectively used his 91-93 mph fastball on both sides of the plate. The junior gets tremendous induced vertical break on the offering, making its velocity play up even more. After compiling 18 strikeouts in 14 innings with a 1.93 ERA in the Cape Cod League this summer, the former Texas prep standout ranks as the third-best collegiate southpaw in the 2025 Draft class.

RJ Austin, OF, Vanderbilt (No. 79)
If there was a knock against Austin¡¯s game coming into 2025, it was his usable power, which he tapped into only sparingly during his sophomore campaign. After lacing a rocket double on his first pitch of the season en route to a three-hit performance Friday, he clobbered a leadoff homer 434 feet just to the right of straightaway center field at 111.8 mph on Saturday. For a curtain call, he delivered another multihit, multirun performance out of the leadoff spot for the Commodores, while showcasing his highest-ranked tool -- his wheels -- by swiping a bag in Sunday's comeback win.

Gabe Swansen, OF, Nebraska
The senior was largely held in check during both Friday¡¯s opener and Sunday¡¯s finale but his performance Saturday quickly became the stuff of legend as he accounted for all six of the Huskers¡¯ RBIs in a victory over Vandy. Dating back to last season, Swansen has now homered in eight of his last 11 games, including a tape-measure shot that made the difference on an emotional night in front of Big Red faithful at Salt River Fields at Talking Stick.

Aiden Robbins, OF, Seton Hall
While the Pirates are tasked with replacing nine of their top 10 hits leaders from the 2024 campaign, they got back Robbins and he got off to a torrid start to his sophomore campaign. The ¡®26 Draft-eligible right-handed hitter collected an Invitational-high 10 hits, racking up at least three knocks in each outing.

¡°I¡¯m very confident in my playing ability,¡± Robbins said on MLB Network, ¡°and everybody [in this dugout] hypes me up and backs me up. I like swinging it.¡±

Connor Mattison, RHP, Grand Canyon
Less than a year ago, Mattison threw GCU¡¯s first nine-inning solo no-hitter since 1982. That premium stuff was on display again in the club¡¯s 2025 season opener, as he consistently utilized his plus changeup (47 percent whiff rate in ¡®24) en route to six strikeouts over five scoreless frames against nationally ranked Vanderbilt.

Chase Call, OF, UC Irvine
One of 10 MLB Develops participants at this year¡¯s Desert Invitational, Call was a vital cog in ensuring the Anteaters departed Arizona with a pair of victories. The senior right-handed hitter logged three consecutive two-hit performances, racking up seven RBIs in the process. (The bright pink bat was a personal favorite as well.)

Cody Bowker, RHP, Vanderbilt
The 2022 Maine Gatorade Player of the Year was nails in his first start for the Commodores after transferring following a two-year stint with Georgetown. No stranger to the Desert Invitational (having pitched at the ¡®24 iteration while with the Hoyas), the 6-foot-1 hurler got nine swings-and-misses across four scoreless frames with six strikeouts against UC Irvine on Sunday.

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Josh McAlister, INF, New Mexico
The lone player to notch multiple homers during the Desert Invitational, McAlister went about it a bit unconventionally. After slugging a solo homer Friday vs. Austin Peay, the senior slashed a looping 108.5 mph line drive Sunday vs. Seton Hall that zagged under the center fielder¡¯s glove. From there, he utilized a 28.7 ft/sec sprint speed to scoot around the bases for an inside-the-park homer. He finished the weekend having reached base in six of his 10 plate appearances.

John Bay, OF, Austin Peay
After a gargantuan junior year, Bay showed his power exploits were far from a one-off with a launch-oriented approach in the desert. He connected with authority on a 428-foot homer Saturday afternoon that registered 113.1 mph off the bat. The Oklahoma State transfer carries an OPS north of 1.000 into the club¡¯s one-off non-conference showdown with Arizona State on Monday, while ending his Desert Invitational spin with a slick grab.

(A special shoutout to Austin Peay senior outfielder -- and Clarksville, Tenn. native -- Nathan Barksdale, who didn¡¯t play until Sunday -- when he promptly went 4-for-4 with four RBIs and finished a double shy of the cycle.)