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College | Story | 2/10/2026

Conference Preview: MAC

Jheremy Brown

2026 College Preview Index | Preseason Top 25 | Preseason Collegiate All-Americans

For all of Perfect Game's conference previews as part of the 2026 college baseball preview content, the 2025 records and all-conference teams are available for free. The conference top prospects and individual team breakdowns can be viewed with a subscription.

2025 Records

Teams are listed in alphabetical order*

School	W	L	W	L
Akron	20	34	9	21
Ball State	36	22	21	9
Bowling Green	33	22	19	11
Central Michigan	20	35	11	19
Eastern Michigan	21	30	12	18
Kent State	38	18	23	7
Massachusetts*	14	34	7	23
Miami	35	23	23	7
Northern Illinois	21	33	9	21
Ohio	14	37	9	21
Toledo	32	29	17	13
Western Michigan	19	32	12	18

*record in the A-10

Preseason All-Conference Team

Pos.	Name	School	Stats/Notes
C	Brody Williams	Kent State	.341-7-53; .457 OBP w/ zone awareness, leader on both sides, power in the stick
1B	Evan Appelwick	Miami	.322-21-74; feared middle of order bat, Preseason Player of Year in MAC
MIF	Luke Matthews	Kent State	.354-1-30; solid bat-to-ball skills to all fields, veteran leader, 2nd Team All-MAC in '25
MIF	Charlie Scholvin	Toledo	.305-5-31; added 11 doubles & led country in HBP; slick defender in dirt
3B	Ty Stecko	Eastern Michigan	.325-11-37; 1.015 OPS, offensive juggernaut w/ barrel skill & power, middle of order threat
IF	Easton Admundson	Akron	.329-34-93; absurd numbers at Metro State, plus juice to all fields w/ advanced hit tool
OF	Sawyer Solitaria	Kent State	.308-8-62; MAC Fresh. of Year in '25 & on Golden Spikes Watch List
OF	Tanner Mally	Western Michigan	.356-0-20; solid bat-to-ball skills w/ plus speed, .444 OBP & scored 50 runs, top of order bat
OF	Micah Rienstra-Kiracofe	Kent State	.290-2-37; 25 bags & speed plays on both sides, very athletic w/ lots of twitch
DH	TJ Takats	Bowling Green	.267-5-17; nice collection of overall tools, left-handed stick who makes things happen in all facets
UT	Gavin Baldwin	Northern Illinois	.322-15-57; middle of order threat, power plays to all fields w/ sound approach at plate
SP	Carter Cox	Northern Illinois	49.2 IP, 60:29 K:BB; jumping to Friday nights, low-90s w/ deception from left side
SP	Keegan Johnson	Ball State	70.2 IP, 75:39 K:BB; left-handed draft prospect, low-90s, 3 pitches for strikes
SP	Brady Sasse	Toledo	56.1 IP, 43:15 K:BB; MAC Fresh. Pitcher of Year, into low-90s w/ command and solid pitchability
SP	Jacob Turner	Bowling Green	58.2 IP, 51:31 K:BB; big fastball that gets into upper-90s from the right side
RP	Carson Byers	Miami	76 IP, 72:24 K:BB; go-to option out of the 'pen in '25, fills the zone & misses bats

Player of the Year: Evan Appelwick, 1B, Miami
Pitcher of the Year: Keegan Johnson, LHP, Ball State
Freshman of the Year: Liam Arsich, OF, Toledo

2026 MLB Draft Prospects

1. Keegan Johnson, LHP, Ball State
2. Ryan Hughes, RHP, Toledo
3. Easton Tumis, RHP, Kent State
4. Jacob Tabor, LHP, Toledo
5. TJ Takats, OF, Bowling Green
6. Tanner Mally, OF, Western Michigan
7. Sam Carlisle, RHP, Western Michigan
8. Jacob Turner, RHP, Bowling Green
9. Nathan Leininger, RHP, Toledo
10. Jake Brown, RHP, Central Michigan
11. Carson Byers, LHP, Miami
12. Easton Admundson, 1B, Akron
13. Charlie Scholvin, SS, Toledo
14. Brody Williams, C, Kent State
15. Evan Appelwick, 1B, Miami

2027 MLB Draft Prospects

1. Micah Rienstra-Kiracofe, OF, Kent State
2. Sawyer Solitaria, OF, Kent State
3. Brady Sasse, RHP, Toledo
4. Brendan Garza, RHP, Ball State
5. Carter Cox, LHP, Northern Illinois

2028 MLB Draft Prospects

1. Liam Arsich, OF, Toledo
2. Mason Pilarski, SS/RHP, Western Michigan
3. Carter Beck, LHP, Akron

Akron
Head coach Bryan Faulds enters year three with the Zips and they bring in some very intriguing names heading into 2026. Easton Admundson is the big name addition to the middle of the lineup as he comes from Division II Metro State where he hit 34 home runs last season. Blake Bowen will also be in the middle of the lineup as he’s got good bat to ball skills, a mature approach, and will be fully healthy following some injuries in 2025. Kelton Phillips will man centerfield and fits the classic speedy leadoff profile that teams covet. Matt Brown transferred in and he will get the ball on Friday nights for the Zips. Samuel Guadamuz will be an important piece on the mound too and look for true freshman Carter Beck to have a sizable role, it sounds like he will crack the rotation right away. There are a lot of new faces on the 2026 roster but it offers the Zips upside, and that upside will carry them throughout the season.

Ball State
Ball State always finds a way to compete and is a perennial contender in the MAC. Coach Maloney and his staff are looking to make some noise once again. They have returners Keegan Johnson and Brendan Garza looking to make waves in the rotation, with Keegan Johnson being a potential Pitcher of the Year favorite. Newcomers Jeremy Jones (CSU-Bakersfield) and Brady Strawmyer (Rose-Hulman) are also expected to be in the mix to start in 2026. JuCo transfer Zander Bretza is poised for a big role out of the bullpen in a high-leverage type spot. While returning arms, John Chambers and Zach Leduc will also play key relief roles for the Cardinals in 2026. They also have reliable returning experience on the mound in Owen Quinn and Connor Hutchinson to rely upon as well. Offensively, they’ve reloaded once again, surrounding their returning crop of talent with some new faces. Max Kalk returns behind the dish. Up the middle, Ball State returns speedster Gavin Balius and Brett Griffiths. The Cardinals staff is really excited about Griffiths after a big transformation from summer through the fall, and they’re expecting big things from him. On the corners in the infield, it's two newcomers in Jacob Gillis (Bossier Parish CC) at first and grad transfer Ryan Muizelaar at third. In the outfield, they’ve got John Colligan in center, with two transfers in Kenskey Thomas (Georgia Highlands) and Charlie Keller (Jacksonville State) in the corners. The Cardinals are once again in a position to compete in 2026.

Bowling Green
Coach Hallock and the BGSU squad have put together a few solid years of performance and are looking to run it back and make noise in the MAC in 2026. They’re led on the mound by returning frontline arms Jacob Turner and Carrson Sova. Nate Kress & Titus Lotz return and could be in the mix to start, while transfers Ethan Stade (Minnesota State) and Andrew Heffernan (Merrimack) are also in that mix. Out of the bullpen, it's likely to be Kade Arn and Ty Roder in late-inning spots. Offensively, they have some returning bats who are slated to pick up where they’ve left off, including some big names like TJ Takats & Zach Horky in the outfield, and Brady Birchmeier and Sam Seidel on the infield. They’ve also got Ohio U transfer Pauly Mancino, who factors into the mix offensively, as well. They’ve got some transfers who are expected to factor into the mix as well, such as Vinny Salvione (Portland), Lance Vickers (Allen CC), and Anthony Mitta (Mount Olive). Don’t count out some of their underclass talent getting some big-time at-bats, like Griffin Scheiderer, Chase Chopin, Carter Mottice, and Brayden Curlis. The Falcons are poised for another competitive year in the MAC.

Central Michigan
Head Coach Jake Sabol is settling into his third season at the helm and the Chippewas look to be an offensive force in 2026. Brady Krzciok missed time in 2025 but is fully healthy heading into the season and is an important senior piece to the lineup. Newcomer Harrison Bowman (Troy) has big tools and the upside to be a draft selection if everything clicks. Cole Prout led the team in home runs last season and will return to roam the outfield while shortstop Cayden Smith has good bat to ball skills and two-way ability as he’ll see innings on the mound during weekend series’. Hayden Bailey has weekend starting experience and he’ll likely lead the Chippewas on Friday nights. The aforementioned Smith has been up to 93 mph and fits somewhere in the mix as does Jared Hanson who is a steady strikethrower who can turn over a lineup multiple times. There are intriguing pieces here and if there is consistency on the mound this is a team that could contend in the conference.

Eastern Michigan
Eastern Michigan is under new leadership as Trevor Beerman is serving as the interim head coach in Ypsilanti, but the Eagles are looking for more progress as they’ve improved over each of the last two seasons. The offense is led by some returning faces with Bruce Jellison and Ty Stecko on the dirt, and Nick Weaver behind the plate. They’re also expecting Nathan Borchardt (King) and Kevin Krill to factor into the catching duties. In the outfield, it's John Hale, Drew Jones, and Devan Zirwas who return for the Eagles. They’re also expecting true freshman Demir Heidelberg to get some looks this spring. At shortstop, they’ve got Kansas transfer TJ Williams and returner Connor Walsh in the mix. Leewood Molessa will add to the offense as well as a transfer from UMBC. Transfers Tristan Crane & Ben Schecterman will also be new faces in the lineup at times this spring. On the mound, they’ll look to a few familiar faces in Michael Pfieffer & Ethan Davis. They’ll have a few newcomers in Landon Mueller (Omaha) & John Carmichael (McLennan), who factor into the rotation. They’ll turn to returners Nick Keane & Emmett Gillies out of the bullpen. Newcomer Brian Henson is in the mix as well for leverage relief spots with the Eagles in 2026.

Kent State
Head coach Jeff Duncan enters his thirteenth season as the top dog at Kent State and Duncan is coming off a contract extension and is already the Golden Flash’s all time winningest head coach. This is a roster that should be favored to win the MAC yet again in 2026 as there is some serious star power on the roster. Sawyer Solitaria was the MAC Freshman of the Year in 2025 and was already named to the Golden Spikes Watchlist ahead of the 2026 campaign. He’s got really solid tools and makes for a very good one-two punch with fellow outfielder Micah Rienstra-Kiracofe. The latter is a really excellent runner and athlete who went 25 for 28 on stolen bases in 2025. Luke Matthews was a second team All-MAC member last year and stands out for his bat-to-ball and reliable skill set while Brody Williams will also play a significant role. There are some question marks on the mound as the Golden Flashes will need returnees to step up but keep an eye on Easton Tumis, a transfer from Texas who was stellar this fall. The lineup is really deep, however, and this looks yet again like a team that could be the Field of 64 representative from the MAC.

Miami
Head coach Brian Smiley is entering his third season as the Redhawk’s leader and there is star power on both sides of the ball for Miami. It starts with our projected MAC Player of the Year Evan Appelwick, who was a 1st Team All-MAC selection a year ago. Appelwick slugged 21 home runs a year prior and is one of the most experienced hitters in the conference. Ryan Novak is another returnee to keep an eye on with this offense as he hit close to .300 a season ago. Carson Byers returns on the mound and he’s one of the most experienced in the conference. Byers was the ultimate go-to arm last year, pitching to a 2.61 ERA in 76 innings with 72 strikeouts and six saves. Clayton Burke is also back as he provides rotation experience and will be looking to lower his ERA from last season. The Redhawks are a team that is going to compete at the top of the conference, and were named favorites according to the preseason coaches poll, and they have a veteran club capable of winning the conference.

Northern Illinois
If we’re going to talk about the NIU offense, the conversation needs to begin with first baseman Gavin Baldwin, a veteran presence who returns on the heels of a 15 dinger season in which he hit .322, though he’s far from the only noteworthy stick. Leadoff man Charlie Parcell checks all the boxes you need at the top of the order, showing keen bat-to-ball skills, sneaky speed, and a zone awareness in which he’ll rarely expand. While they are amongst the returners, there are plenty of new faces expected to make an impact, whether it be Caden Robertson, Ivan Dahlberg, Cole Bradley or Vinny Spotofora to name a few. Sophomore left-hander Carter Cox excelled as a freshman and is ready to take the next step, building off a 2025 where he punched out 60 in 49.2 innings thanks to deception and a heater that’ll peak in the low-90s. Danny Cihocki looks to move from the ‘pen to the rotation while Max Vaisvila will be looked upon to to take the next step with Blake Gaskey, an Ohio transfer, rounding out the rotation. The experience continues into the bullpen which’ll be anchored by closer Nick Bassi, though there’s plenty of support cast to bridge the gap.

Ohio
The 2026 campaign marks the first at the helm for Head Coach Andrew See and he’ll look to reshape his club, building upon last year though there are some key pieces he’ll need to replace on the offensive side of things. Redshirt-Junior infield Cam Bryant is one of the more seasoned sticks and performers from last year’s club, hitting .303 with a couple of bombs while showing a handle for the strike zone. There are plenty of new faces who performed at the DI level last year, from Reese Harmon and Tyler Stack to Cameron Boyd and Will Henson, who will slide right into the thick of things and look to immediately help in 2026. On the bump both Hunter Winston and Dillon Masters, a pair of left-handers, return as the only arms off of last year’s staff to rack up more than 30 innings, but like the offense, they welcome in some new faces to immediately log prime innings as the roster is plenty deep in arms. Another arm who could take the next step after a strong 2025 is junior right-hander Ethan Stewart who was simply fantastic, pitching to a 1.80 over 16 appearances (20 innings), proving he could stay away from barrels as he worked around the zone and finished with a .217 batting average against.

Toledo
The Rockets will have some new faces throughout the lineup this year, finding key pieces from around the country, but they will be led by shortstop Charlie Schlovin, a dynamic performer on both sides of the ball who’ll be the leader of the team heading into 2026. Coming off a year in which he hit .305-5-31, Schlovin led the country in HBP and added in 11 doubles while anchoring the defense in the dirt. Troy Sudbrook is another familiar face who will once again be counted on by the coaching staff to drive in runs, as both he and Luke Walton return with a combined 16 home runs in 2025, meaning they’ll be pivotal to the offense once again. Both Jacob Payne and Alex McCranie enter from the JUCO ranks and should make an impact right away while true freshman Liam Arsich has the skillset to be one of the top first years in the country. The reigning MAC Freshman Pitcher of the Year, right-hander Brady Sasse, will lead the staff this year with a low-90s heater, advanced pitchability, and experience in the conference that he’ll only continue to build upon. Both Nate Leininger and Ryan Hughes are jumping from the bullpen to starting rotation but bring the type of arsenal that should make for an easy transition, highlighted by mid-90 heaters, showing next level upside while bringing plenty of experience with them.

UMass
The Minutemen will be under the direction of Co-Head Coaches this year as both Brandon Shileikis and Max Weir will be at the helm, looking to improve upon the 11-win 2025 campaign. If the offense is going to get going, it’ll have to be led by grad Jack Beverly, a veteran presence in the UMass lineup who is coming off a .265/.403/.879 slash, leading all returners in doubles (11), home runs (8) and RBI (39). Beverly isn’t alone on the offense however as Anthony Tirado finished just under the .300 mark but brings an important speed component to the lineup with a team best 17 bags in 2025. Braden Sullivan and Marc Willi both bring additional power to the club and it’s an offense that as a whole, features plenty of veteran pieces. Out on the mound the club will have some big innings to make up from last year’s club as Jack Levine’s 35.1 frames are most amongst returners. That said, they have some veteran pieces on the club who should fill innings and bring in a blend of new faces via the portal and freshman class who should be able to provide depth.

Western Michigan
Western Michigan looks to build on a 19 win season from a year ago and will do so on the backs of some experienced bats who return to the lineup. Tanner Mally will be instrumental to the offense once again, returning with the top 2025 average of .356, but also an OBP of .444, meaning his plus speed will be able to impact any game. Michael Maloney will be one of the bats in charge of bringing Mally around to score, joined by Avery Thielman, who’ll serve as the team’s clean up hitter in 2026. Watch for true freshman Mason Pilarski, a standout in the dirt who might also see some time on the mound at the back end of games. Speaking of the mound, senior Ty McKinstry will be pivotal for the Broncos, both from a performance standpoint, as well as a veteran leadership role. Returning 14 starts in 2025, McKinstry shows a complete arsenal and refined command to take the ball deep into games. Sam Carlisle will follow in the rotation and he brings the biggest heater on the team out to the bump, running it up to 96 mph this fall and appears healthy from the onset. Arms like Ricky Kidd, Zach Vrieseng, Adam Lehman and Turner Doran should all be able to make their presence felt in 2026.

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College | Story | 7/24/2026

Cape Cod League Notebook: July 24

Perfect Game Staff

Luke Costello | INF | South Carolina | Bourne Braves Costello brings one of the cleaner offensive operations in the Cape, featuring a simple, direct swing that allows him to consistently get the barrel out front and do damage. He minimizes unnecessary movement, stays on time, and shows the strength to impact the baseball with authority. After a very productive spring hitting .302 with 17 home runs during his sophomore season at Wake Forest, Costello heads to South Carolina as an established middle-of-the-order bat. His combination of present power, offensive consistency, and polished approach should translate well against SEC pitching. A look at Terry Hayes Jr (@OleMissBSB) lived 92-94 on the FB showed a CT at 88-90, SL at 82-84 and a really good CB at 78-81. @ChathamAnglers So./‘26 elig pic.twitter.com/vbsYWF2IcY — PG College Baseball (@PGCollegeBall)...