Perfect Game unveiled its list of the Top 500 freshmen entering college baseball two weeks ago, with Alabama having three players ranked in the Top 50. That total ties the Crimson Tide for the second-most on the list nationally. Here’s a closer look at the trio of incoming freshmen who cracked the Top 50.
Caleb Barnett
Coming in at No. 10 on Perfect Game’s Top 500 freshmen is Caleb Barnett. Barnett is an Alabama native who attended high school at Mountain Brook in Birmingham.
Barnett is a third baseman and also a RHP, ranked as the No. 1 3B and the No. 2 overall player in the state of Alabama according to Perfect Game.
His fastball topped out at 91 mph at a Perfect Game event which put him into the 98th percentile of his class. His exit velocity clocks in at 101 mph.
Perfect Game graded Barnett as a 10, meaning it believed him to be a “potential very high draft pick and/or Elite level college prospect.”
In Barnett’s senior season he had a .521 batting average while hitting five home runs and batting in 28 runs. In the Perfect Game 2025 tournament Barnett pitched 8.2 innings, allowing seven hits and had a 1.62 ERA.
Mountain Brook baseball head coach Lee Gann called Barnett “a great kid, a great kid to coach, a hard worker and dynamic player.”
“He’s agile and has great feet at third base. Defensively, he starts every day, and he hits in the middle of the lineup and does a fantastic job,” Gann said.
Barnett was selected by the Chicago Cubs in the 19th round of the 2025 MLB draft but chose to stay with Alabama.
Eric Hines
Slotted at No. 16 in Perfect Game’s rankings is Eric Hines. He is also an Alabama native who attended American Christian Academy in Tuscaloosa. Hines plays outfield with a secondary position of 3B. Perfect Game ranked him as the No. 1 OF and the No. 3 overall player in Alabama.
At Perfect Game national batting practice, Hines clocked in with an exit velocity of 114 mph and earned PG All-American honors. He was also graded a 10 by Perfect Game.
During his senior year, Hines posted a .438 batting average, had an on base percentage of .554, stole 25 bases and hit a state-leading 20 home runs en route to winning Gatorade Player of the Year for the state of Alabama.
“You watch Eric Hines hit a baseball; not many guys can do what he does,” head coach Rob Vaughn said. “Not many make Justin [LeBron] ‘ooh and awe’ behind the plate, and Eric does.”
Myles Upchurch
The last of the Crimson Tide’s Top 50 freshmen is Myles Upchurch, who earned No. 42 in Perfect Game’s rankings.
Upchurch attended St. Albans School in Odenton, Maryland. He is mainly a RHP with a secondary position of first baseman, but is also listed as a 3B, OF and shortstop by Perfect Game. Upchurch was ranked as the No. 1 RHP and No. 2 overall player in Maryland.
Upchurch’s fastball clocks in at a top speed of 96 mph, which is in the 99th percentile for his graduating class. Upchurch also earned a rating of 10 by Perfect Game as well as preseason All-American honors.
In his senior season, Upchurch had a batting average of .301, along with 28 RBIs. He also pitched 29.2 innings and totaled 44 strikeouts.
Upchurch was selected by the Cincinnati Reds in the 19th round of the 2025 MLB draft but chose to sign with the Crimson Tide.
