As college baseball continues to evolve as a sport, strong arms on pitchers are a premium, and they are throwing faster and faster. With the 2025 MLB Draft three months away, major league teams will be looking to the college ranks to find their next young arm.
Strongest Arms in College Baseball: Ranking the Fast Right-Handed Pitches
Here are some of the players with the highest velocities in the first nine weeks of the college baseball season. All players listed are right-handed and speeds come from D1baseball.com.
1. FR Carson Wiggins, Arkansas: 102
2. JR Tanner Franklin, Tennessee: 101.7
3. JR Nate Snead, Tennessee: 101
T-4. JR Brian Curley, Georgia: 100
T-4. JR Chase Shores, LSU: 100
T-4. JR Christian Fouch, Arkansas: 100
T-4. SO Jackson Flora, UC Santa Barbara: 100
T-4. JR Jacob Myers, LSU: 100
T-4. JR Jordan Stephens, Georgia: 100
T-4. JR Marcus Phillips, Tennessee: 100
T-4. JR Matthew Hoskins, Georgia: 100
T-4. JR Ryan Osinski, Virginia: 100
Georgia and Tennessee pitchers make up half of the top twelve fastest pitches so far this season. And with the exception of Flora and Osinski, the ten remaining pitchers are on SEC teams.
FR Carson Wiggins, Arkansas
The youngest pitcher on the list surprisingly has the fastest pitch of the season, a whopping 102 mph fastball. A Roland, Oklahoma native, Wiggins has come out of the bullpen and pitched well for the Razorbacks. In just 12 innings of work, Wiggins has struck out 17 batters while only giving up three earned runs and four base hits.
This past week, against Arkansas State and no. 7 Georgia, Wiggins threw three scoreless innings in total, punching out five batters and only giving up one unearned run. It was that week when the freshman threw his 102-mph heater that topped the most recent fastest-pitch list.
JR Tanner Franklin, Tennessee
The fastest thrower of the three Volunteers on the list, Franklin threw his 101.7-mph laser during the third week of the season against then-no. 16 Oklahoma State. He was average in that outing, allowing two runs on three hits and a walk while striking out five over three full innings. Fortunately for him, Tennessee won that game 5-2.
The Kennesaw State transfer has pitched to a 4.09 ERA in 22 innings this season, but his 34-5 K/BB ratio is impressive.
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Franklin’s last start saw him twirl three scoreless innings in what was ultimately a loss against no. 6 Ole Miss. On Tennessee’s hard-throwing staff, Franklin throws the hardest.
SO Jackson Flora, UC Santa Barbara
The only non-power conference pitcher on the list, Flora zipped his 100-mph heater during the season’s second week against San Diego State. The Pleasanton-born starter pitched six shutout innings in the Gaucho’s 7-5 win over the Aztecs, only giving up two hits, two walks and striking out six.
A patch of rough starts in March spiked Flora’s ERA to 6.35, but he settled down in April, allowing just two earned runs in his last three starts, lowering his ERA to 4.10. With 52 strikeouts and only 12 walks in 48.1 innings of work, Flora has the arm to succeed past his sophomore season, proven by his inclusion on this list.
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