High school baseball has always been big in Arizona, with so many players leaving their mark in College World Series history.

That includes players such as Coronado pitcher Kendall Carter, who led Arizona State to its last national title in 1981.

Among the eight teams in this year's College World Series, there are 21 players who came from Arizona high schools, including 14 on the Arizona Wildcats' roster alone. According to MaxPreps.com, Arizona has the third-highest number of former Arizona high school players in the 2025 CWS.

Here, The Republic ranks the top five former Arizona high school baseball standouts that could make the biggest impact in the CWS, which begins June 13 in Omaha.

1. Roch Cholowsky, UCLA, SS, Chandler Hamilton

Cholowsky was The Arizona Republic's Player of the Year two seasons ago, when he led the Huskies to a second straight 6A state championship, after hitting .466 with 11 home runs, 35 RBI and 45 runs scored. He had 48 hits and a .970 slugging percentage. He let Major League Baseball teams know that he was intent on going to UCLA, and it's worked out well for the shortstop, who was recently named the 2025 Perfect Game College Player of the Year. The hardware keeps pouring in. He was the Big Ten POY, Defensive POY, District 9 POY, and is a finalist for the Brooks Wallace Award and the Dick Howser Trophy. With Cholowsky hitting .367 with 23 home runs and 73 RBI, the Bruins are in the CWS for the first time since 2013 with a 47-17 record. They open against Murray State on June 14.

2. Gavin Turley, Oregon State, OF, Hamilton

The junior helped Hamilton win the first of back-to-back state titles in 2022, before being taken by the Diamondbacks in the 19th round of the MLB Draft. He had told The Republic before the draft that he would honor his commitment to Oregon State, if he wasn't chosen on the first day of the draft. It has worked out well for Turley, whose MLB draft stock surely has risen, helping the Beavers get to Omaha, hitting 19 home runs, four in the postseason. He leads the team with 66 RBIs and is hitting .346 with 12 doubles, while drawing 50 walks.

Hamilton coach Mike Woods isn't surprised to see Cholowsky and Turley lead their respective teams to the CWS.

"They both were and are blue-chip talents," Woods said. "I'm not surprised due to their makeups. They are great teammates, which means they are winners. They make others better."

3. Mason White, Arizona, SS, Tucson Salpointe Catholic

He crushed it his senior year at Salpointe in 2022, when he hit eight home runs, drove in 35 runs and hit .453. White turned that into a stellar career so far with the Wildcats that has culminated with him being named the Eugene NCAA Regional Most Valuable Player, after he was the Big 12 Championship MVP. He was named a second-team All-American by Perfect Game. Growing up rooting for UA baseball, this is a dream come true for White, who is hitting .332 with 19 homers and 72 RBIs. The Wildcats (44-19) open the CWS on June 13 against Coastal Carolina, which crushed the Wildcats' hearts in 2016 in the CWS championship series.

4. Smith Bailey, Arizona, RHP, Glendale Mountain Ridge

He's only a freshman, but coach Chip Hale isn't afraid to run him out there in pressure situations. He was called on to pitch in Eugene for that regional championship, then got the ball against North Carolina in the Super Regional, helping send the Wildcats to Omaha. He is 3-3 with a 4.01 ERA in 17 starts this season. But he's been most impressive in his last four starts. He gave up three hits and one run in six innings against Houston on May 17; four hits and one run in 5⅓ innings against TCU; no runs on four hits in six innings against Cal Poly; and three runs on five hits in six innings in the Super Regional championship win over North Carolina.

5. James DeCremer, Oregon State, RHP, Phoenix Brophy Prep

A 2023 Brophy grad, DeCremer was clutch for the No. 8 Beavers in a 6-0 win over USC in the NCAA Corvallis Regional final that advanced them to the Super Regional at Florida State. The redshirt freshman pitched a career-high five innings, giving up two hits and striking out six. DeCremer got the ball in the Super Regional final against Florida State, getting strong offensive support in a 14-10 win that stamped the Beavers' ticket to Omaha. The Beavers (47-14-1) open the CWS on June 13 against Louisville with DeCremer ready to get the ball at any time. DeCremer is 3-0 with a 5.34 ERA in 14 appearances. DeCremer is one of the best feel-good stories in the CWS. He never thought he'd pitch again after undergoing back surgery in November 2023. It was a long, grueling rehab process to get back on the field.