2026 College Baseball Preview: Big 10

The Hoosiers won’t have three-year standout Devin Taylor around anymore, as Taylor was drafted by the A’s this past July. However, Indiana will have a rather good team heading into 2026, led by Jake Hanley.

Hanley was last year’s Big 10 Freshman of the Year after the Ohio native blasted 14 home runs and led all Big 10 freshmen in total hits.

Tony Neubeck, a grad student, and senior righty Jackson Bergman will lead Indiana’s pitching staff.

Iowa

Iowa’s rotation is yet again in a state of flux. Two years ago, the school lost Brody Brecht to the pros. The Hawkeyes were able to retain Cade Obermuller for one more season but he, too, is now a pro pitcher, as well.

The Hawkeyes’ rotation will include, at least to start, Logan Runde, a grad transfer from FIU, plus returning pitcher Tyler Guerin. Guerin, who will start the team’s opener on February 13, only has 16 collegiate innings with the Hawkeyes to his name.

Senior hitter Caleb Wulf hit .364 last season and will be among the notable hitters to watch, alongside Gable Mitchell.

Maryland

Maryland lost two marquee names to the transfer portal this past summer, as Hollis Porter (TTU) and Chris Hacopian (Texas A&M) are no longer with the Terps. The loss of Hacopian, expected to be one of the top hitters in Division I this season, is an especially stinging one.

Infielder/outfielder Brayden Martin, though, is still with the team.

Martin was one of the best hitters in all of college baseball last season. The Terps also had a strong recruit & transfer class, headlined by ECU transfer Lance Williams.

Michigan

The Wolverines lost Mitch Voit to the pros last year. Voit, who was a steady producer for Michigan between 2023 and 2024, had a standout junior season that pushed him into the first round this past July.

Michigan will bring back Tate Carey, one of the most notable pitchers to watch in the conference this season. Carey won nine games last season and posted a 3.63 ERA for the Wolverines in 2025.

Nebraska

The Nebraska Cornhuskers have been one of the best teams in the Big 10 over the past decade – and that shouldn’t change for 2026.

Ty Horn, whom we covered more in our fall preview, is expected to be the ace for Nebraska in 2026. Horn threw over 85 innings for an injury-depleted Nebraska rotation last season.

There’s also Case Sanderson, the junior who should be in high demand from the pros after this upcoming season.

Oregon

Much like in 2025, the Oregon Ducks should be a force to be dealt with in 2026.

Oregon’s offense is deep, despite the loss of slugger Mason Neville. Maddox Molony is a Golden Spikes preseason watch player, one year after he hit 15 home runs for the school last season. He’ll co-lead an infield with Ryan Cooney, who hit .335 for the Ducks last season.

Burke-Lee Mabeus and transfer Gabe Miranda are among the other notable hitters for the Ducks this year.

UCLA

Entering the 2026 season, there aren’t many teams that scream championship contenders like UCLA.

The Bruins have one of the deepest offenses in all of the NCAA this season. Dean West, Mulivau Levu, and Roch Chowlosky are back, with the latter of whom is expected to be a top-five pick in the 2026 MLB Draft. Texas transfer Will Gasparino, a power-hitting outfielder, will join those three.

As for the pitching staff, Cape standout & transfer Logan Reddemann will co-headline a rotation that’ll also include the returning Michael Barnett.

USC

While the USC Trojans are still a couple of steps away from their eternal rival, last year was still a good year for the program. After all, USC made the tournament for the first time in a long time.

USC brought back some big bats, including Augie Lopez and Jack Basseer. Andrew Lamb and Abrrie Covarrubias are also returnees for 2026.

As for the pitching staff, Mason Edwards will take on a big role in that rotation.

Washington

The Washington Huskies will have 23 new players on the team this year, as the school looks to regain its footing as a college baseball power.

Washington returned Casen Taggart, who hit .325 and was one of the team’s best hitters from last season.

The Rest of the Pack

Here’s a look at the rest of the team in the Big 10:

• Illinois: Illinois will have some pop, thanks to the returning outfielder Collin Jennings. Jennings hit 16 home runs for the Illini last season. He’ll be joined by senior Nick Groves.
• Michigan State: The Spartans had one of the best college pitchers last season in Joseph Dzierwa, who is now a member of the Orioles organization. Senior pitcher Nolan Higgins, who tandemmed with Dzierwa in the rotation last year, is back.
• Minnesota: The Golden Gophers brought back three key members of their team from 2025: Weber Neels, Charlie Sutherland, and pitcher Cole Selvig.
• Northwestern: Pitching will need to carry the Northwestern Huskies this season. Sam Hliboki, who struck out 65 over 82.1 IP last season, is back for 2026.
• Ohio State: The South Carolina to Ohio State pipeline is on, as the Buckeyes have Lee Ellis, who was with OSU last season, and senior Henry Kaczmar on the roster. OSU will look for a significant improvement from the 5-25 Big 10 record from 2025.
• Penn State: Penn State struck gold when Paxton Kling, a Pennsylvania boy, came home from LSU and dominated in the Keystone State. Kling, though, was part of a deep offense that included Jesse Jaconski and Jack Porter, both of whom are back for 2026.
• Purdue: The Boilermakers went 11-19 in Big 10 play last season, despite a 31-23 record overall. Aaron Manias is back after a nine-home run season last year, as is 2025 innings leader Cole Van Assen.
• Rutgers: It’s been a tumultuous past few seasons for the Rutgers Scarlet Knights. Rutgers, despite a lot of pro talent produced over the past few seasons, has been besieged by transfers out. The good news is that Peyton Bonds and Zack Konstantinovsky, two success stories over the past few years, are back.