Breaking down the nation's top shortstop debate: Roch Chowlowsky, Justin Lebron and more

Shortstop is one of the deepest, most talented positions in all of college baseball in 2026. Captains of the infield have flooded the sport with consistent head-turning performances and stat lines coming out of the woodwork and wazoo. 

The biggest name to know is top-ranked UCLA’s shortstop Roch Cholowsky, deemed the best player in the country after an incredible 2025 season that stocked his trophy case with hardware and led the Bruins to their first Men’s College World Series appearance in over a decade. 

Cholowsky was a First Team All-American for multiple outlets, an impressive feat for a non-draft eligible player. Yet, the even crazier part was that he wasn’t the only non-draft eligible shortstop to make the coveted list. Alabama’s Justin Lebron made it as well, named a Second Team All-American for ABCA/Rawlings and the third team for NCBWA and Perfect Game.

Let's take a look at the top shortstop in the nation discourse surrounding Cholowsky, Lebron and others, diving into their 2026 seasons, top performances and more. 

Roch Cholowsky — UCLA

Outlook

If college baseball had a video game, Cholowsky would be plastered on the front cover. 

There aren’t many single seasons that compare to Chowlowsky in 2025, cementing himself as the top prospect for the 2027 MLB Draft. He hit .353 with 74 RBIs and 23 home runs, the most by any shortstop, and stunted a .978 fielding percentage. Here are a few of his accolades from last year.

• ABCA/Rawlings Player of the Year 
• D1Baseball Player of the Year
• Baseball America Player of the Year
• Perfect Game Player of the Year
• NCBWA District 9 Player of the Year
• Big Ten Player of the Year
• Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year
• Brooks Wallace Award Winner 
• ABCA/Rawlings Gold Glove 

And he’s already off to a strong start in 2026, batting .347 and mashing 10 homers, the most by a shortstop and a few coming in big spots, and 27 RBIs — all in 72 at-bats. To give context to his incredible pace, he had 252 at-bats in 2025.

Somehow, Cholowsky’s already-refined toolbox got even sharper in 2026. 

First 2026 conference series: Michigan 

Coincidentally, Cholowsky arguably had his best collegiate series yet to kick off Big Ten play this past weekend, starring in UCLA’s series sweep over Michigan. 

The junior was otherworldly at the plate, hitting .615 (7-11) with a home run, five RBIs and three runs scored. He finished with a pair of three-hit performances, good enough to award him his first-ever Big Ten Player of the Week honor.

He added another home run, four more RBIs and two runs scored in a midweek contest against UC Irvine. 

Year-by-year stats comparison

Against ranked opponents prior to Big Ten play

The Bruins have mowed through their ranked opponent schedule so far, sweeping then-No. 7 TCU and winning the Amegy Bank College Baseball Series Weekend 3, capped off by an extra innings victory over then-No. 4 Mississippi State.

Chowlowsky played a pivotal role in the six contests, hitting .304 (7-23) with four homers — two in one game against the Horned Frogs — and a double. He added a walk and struck out twice. 

His most memorable came against the Bulldogs. Trailing 5-3 and down to their final out, Cholowsky stepped into the batter’s box as UCLA’s last hope. Moments later, it was a tie ball game, sending a two-run blast over the left center wall on the first pitch.

THE MAN FOR THE BIG MOMENT

📺FloSports

— UCLA Baseball (@UCLABaseball)

Play at Men's College World Series

The Chandler, AZ. native didn’t put together his best performance at the plate in Omaha, going 1-12 (.083) across three games at the MCWS. However, he flashed the leather on numerous occasions. 

Roch Cholowsky is the truth. So smooth. Dude would go 1.1 in 2025. He’d have been a Top-3 pick in 2024. He’d have been a Top-6 pick in 2023. A complete ball player and a surefire shortstop.

From this chair, Cholowsky has a sizable lead on the 1.1 conversation in 2026.

— Joe Doyle (@JoeDoyleMiLB)

The biggest web gem came against LSU, ranging deep into the hole and firing a strike to first for an out. 

Justin Lebron — Alabama

Outlook

Lebron is another no-doubter on the list of top college prospects for the 2027 MLB Draft. He's one of the best athletes in the country and secured All-American honors last season after a strong campaign, batting .316 with 18 home runs and 72 RBIs, and a .963 fielding percentage. His 31 homers across his first two seasons for Alabama were just one less than Cholowsky. Take a look at his awards from 2025.

• ABCA/Rawlings Second Team All-American
• NCBWA Third Team All-American
• Perfect Game Third Team All-American
• SEC All-Defensive Team

The junior’s hitting tool was already impressive entering 2026, and similar to Cholowsky, he’s only gotten better to cement himself as one of, if not the top, SEC shortstop. He’s grown into one of the best base stealers in the country with 20 stolen bags after 27 combined in 2024 and 2025, and he’s also slimmed down his strikeout rate. He’s currently hitting .313 with nine homers.  

Lebron jumped out to a scorching hot start in 2025, batting .380 entering conference play, but slowed down as the season continued. He’s already shown signs of progress, but it will be interesting to see how his play pans out.

First 2026 conference series: Kentucky 

The Miramar, FL. native made as big of an entrance to SEC play as possible, crushing a home run to left center in the first inning of the Crimson Tide’s season opener against Kentucky. 

Lebron’s hot rod cooled down after that, a reflection of Alabama falling 2-1 in the series, going 2-11 (.181) with an RBI and a dose of twos: stolen bases, walks and strikeouts for the rest of the weekend. 

Good start? Would say that's a good start. I

— Alabama Baseball (@AlabamaBSB)

Year-by-year stats comparison

Fielding percentage note: 2024 — .951, 2025 — .963, 2026 — .922

Against ranked opponents prior to SEC play

The Crimson Tide haven’t played many ranked opponents outside of the Wildcats, beating then-No. 19 Oregon State in the Frisco College Baseball Classic and falling 14-4 to then-No. 12 Southern Miss.

Lebron went 3-7 with an RBI and a stolen base between the two matchups. Most of the production came against the Beavers, leading the team in hits (three) and roping an RBI double.

Other names to know

Brendan Lawson — Florida

Lawson has taken a major leap in his sophomore season, which says a lot after hitting .317 and being named a Baseball America First Team Freshman All-American.

The 6-foot-3 left-handed slugger is batting .409 alongside 10 home runs and 29 RBIs over 66 at-bats. He held the third-best batting average in the SEC entering the week and is tied for the most homers amongst shortstops. He’s already secured SEC Player of the Week honors earlier this month.

Lawson isn’t draft eligible and is already one of the top players at the position, making his upside even more exciting to think about. 

the MOOSE is LOOSE 🫎

🎥 SECN+

— Florida Gators Baseball (@GatorsBB)

Tyler Bell — Kentucky

D1Baseball named Cholowsky and Lebron to its First and Second Preseason All-Americans teams, respectively. 

The Third Team? Bell.

The sophomore missed most of non-conference play due to a left shoulder injury suffered on Opening Day, but returned a few weeks ago and has performed up to expectations. He’s hitting .474 in the six games with two doubles and seven RBIs.

Bell has still been in and out of the lineup to nurse his non-throwing shoulder, but if he does get back to full health, keep an eye on D1Baseball and Perfect Game’s Third-Team All-American. 

Carson Kerce — Georgia Tech

Georgia Tech has arguably the most loaded lineup in the country, let alone the ACC, with the strongest batting average at .381. With such a head-turning number, it’s impossible to credit one player with leading the charge, but Carson Kerce has played a major role.

The junior etched career marks in every offensive category last season, and is on pace to do it again, batting .412 and hammering a nation-best of 13 doubles. 

He’s batting at the bottom of the Yellow Jackets' lineup, proving how deep their team truly is. 

Catching barrels has been Kerce’s middle name so far with the pace that he’s at. With ACC play underway, it will be intriguing to see how his game and the attention he garners evolve.

Eric Becker — Virginia

The Cavaliers have been the biggest riser in D1Baseball’s rankings throughout the season, going from unranked to currently No. 8 in the latest poll with a 16-4 record.

The top of the order features one of the most consistent bats and fielders in the country, with Eric Becker. He hit .362 and .368 in 2024 and 2025, respectively, with a .925 fielding percentage across both years. He led Virginia in batting average (.368), slugging percentage (.617), runs scored (54), RBIs (52), doubles (21) and multi-RBI games (13) in 2025.

Becker is batting .325 and is tied for third-most doubles in the country (nine), but hasn’t garnered as many accolades as his peers listed. Still, he’s produced at a high level for UVA and will be a name to watch.

Dee Kennedy — Kansas State

Kennedy is another name that raced out to a scorching hot start in 2026 and hasn’t cooled off yet. After hitting .279 in 2025, the sophomore is batting .403 with nine home runs, 35 RBIs, 12 stolen bases and 31 runs. He’s produced four multi-hit games and five multi-RBI contests.

Transferring from Texas after 2024, there's no shortstop in the Big 12 putting together a better campaign than him currently — and the world is taking notice. He was previously named Big 12 Player of the Week and NCBWA Dick Howser Co-Hitter of the Week.

Shortstop Dee Kennedy drills a grand slam for in the MLB Desert Invitational:

105.6 mph
413 ft

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— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline)