Eric Nachtsheim

IMPROVEMENT AREAS

• Evaluate sustained performance with level and age context
• Review role fit, health, roster status, and organization need

SCOUT REPORT

After going undrafted as a Nevada high schooler and then in two seasons at Mesa (Ariz.) CC and his first at McNeese State, Nachtsheim has emerged as one of the best college senior prospects in 2026. Though the Cowboys bounced him between closing and starting depending on team need this spring, he set a school record with 129 strikeouts in 93 innings and led NCAA Division I with 98 K's via the heater. McNeese State's best pitching prospect since 2005 first-rounder Jacob Marceaux, Nachtsheim finished the season by allowing just eight runs in five starts. Nachtsheim's fastball parks at 92-94 mph and peaks at 97 while featuring some of the best carry in the Draft, as well as some natural cutting action. He throws his heater three-quarters of the time, utilizing a lackluster low-80s slider as his main secondary option. His fading low-80s changeup works as a chase pitch, but he has trouble landing it in the zone and it often gets hammered when he does. Scouts don't love Nachtsheim's less-than-smooth delivery and arm action, though they don't prevent him from filling the strike zone. He does create quality extension that adds to the deception with his fastball. While he'll likely get the chance to show what he can do as a starter in pro ball, his long-term future almost certainly is as a reliever.