DALLAS (NCBWA) – As the 168th season of NCAA Division I baseball begins Friday, Feb. 13, the 2026 National Collegiate Baseball Writers Preseason All-America teams (25th annual) reflect the large talent pool for national championship contenders as they strive for places in the 79th NCAA World Series in Omaha, Nebraska, beginning on June 12.
While LSU defends its 2025 DI crown and has some solid returnees (three projected 2026 standouts on the NCBWA preseason teams), there are 39 different programs and 18 Division I conferences represented on these dream teams.
LSU sports 2025 All-Southeastern Conference outfielder Derek Curiel with a .345 batting average, seven homers and 55 RBIs over 68 contests along with second team starting pitcher sophomore Casan Evans with a 5-1 mark and 2.05 ERA last season. Tigers senior relief ace Zac Cowan, on the fourth All-American team, fanned 60 hitters in 52 innings and had a 2.94 earned run average to go along with six saves in the hot-hitting SEC.
The NCBWA first team also features standout pitchers from Coastal Carolina's 2025 NCAA World Series runner-up: starter Cameron Flukey with a 7-2 record and 118 strikeouts in 101-plus innings pitched and reliever Ryan Lynch with the lowest ERA on the pre-All-American squads at 0.56 in 28 appearances with nine saves. CCU teammate relief hurler Dominick Carbone returns for a 1-2 punch out of the bullpen with Lynch, sporting a 6-0 record, six saves and 52 whiffs in 42 innings of work over 28 contests.
2024 World Series semifinalists Arkansas (SEC) and Louisville (ACC) have solid representation with Razorbacks second baseman Camden Kozeal on the first unit with a .333-15-62 major statistical line and the Cardinals first-team outfielder Lucas Moore with a .341-5-49 season performance line as well as 53 stolen bases in 54 attempts to pace all players on the 2026 NCBWA all-star group.
From late-season surprise and World Series entrant Arizona via the Big 12 Conference 2025 NCBWA Stopper of the Year Tony Pluta seeks to become the second (David Berg, UCLA, 2013 and 2015) two-time recipient of that national honor after he posted a 1.46 earned run average in 30 mound stints, a 3-0 record, four saves and 34 strikeouts in 37 innings.
UCLA shortstop and 2025 Dick Howser Trophy presented by The Game Headwear finalist Roch Cholowsky not only is a returning post-2025 first team NCBWA All-America selection, but he also paced the Bruins of the Big Ten to a sixth all-time trip to the CWS with a .353-23-74 performance for some of the top numbers among all pre-2026 honorees.
2025 World Series entry Oregon State places its hopes for another trek to Omaha behind fireballing starter Dax Whitney with 120 strikeouts in 76-plus innings (14.1 punchouts per nine innings), a 6-3 overall mark as the team's No. 1 starter and 17 first-pitch assignments in 65 total tests for the 48-16-1 Beavers.
Some memorable names from previous NCBWA postseason All-America teams from 1996-2025 are numerous Dick Howser Trophy presented by The Game Headwear recipients: RHP Paul Skenes of LSU, 3B Kris Bryant of San Diego, RHP Stephen Strasburg of San Diego State, 1B Mark Teixeira of Georgia Tech, 3B Anthony Rendon of Rice, RHP Mark Prior of USC, SS-2B Rickie Weeks of Southern U., 3B Alex Gordon of Nebraska, LHP David Price of Vanderbilt, catcher Buster Posey of Florida State, catcher Mike Zunino of Florida, OF Andrew Benintendi of Arkansas, 1B-3B Charlie Condon of Georgia and 1B-LHP Brendan McKay of Louisville, among others.
| 2026 NCBWA DIVISION I PRESEASON ALL-AMERICA TEAM | ||||||
| Pos. | First Team | School | Ht. | Wt. | Cl. | Hometown |
| C | Carson Tinney | Texas | 6-4 | 240 | Jr. | Castle Pines, Colo. |
| 1B | Brady Ballinger | Kansas | 6-2 | 225 | Jr. | Las Vegas, Nev. |
| 2B | Camden Kozeal | Arkansas | 5-10 | 205 | Jr. | Omaha, Neb. |
| SS | Roch Cholowsky | UCLA | 6-2 | 202 | Jr. | Chandler, Ariz. |
| 3B | Daniel Cuvet | Miami | 6-3 | 240 | Jr. | Fort Lauderdale, Fla. |
| OF | Drew Burress | Georgia Tech | 5-9 | 185 | Jr. | Houston County, Ga. |
| OF | Derek Curiel | LSU | 6-2 | 192 | So. | West Covina, Calif. |
| OF | Michael DiMartini | Duke | 6-2 | 210 | Jr. | Pittsburgh, Pa. |
| OF | Lucas Moore | Louisville | 6-0 | 180 | Jr. | Cincinnati, Ohio |
| OF | Sawyer Strosnider | TCU | 6-2 | 205 | So. | Brock, Texas |
| DH | Noah Sullivan | Mississippi State | 6-1 | 215 | Gr. | Orlando, Fla. |
| DH | Nico Azpilcueta | Troy | 6-2 | 229 | Sr. | Sherman Oaks, Calif. |
| UT | Evan Dempsey | FGCU | 6-2 | 190 | Jr. | Lithia, Fla. |
| SP | Hunter Elliott | Ole Miss | 6-3 | 215 | Sr. | Tupelo, Miss. |
| SP | Cameron Flukey | Coastal Carolina | 6-6 | 210 | Jr. | Egg Harbor Township, N.J. |
| SP | Aidan Knaak | Clemson | 6-1 | 215 | Jr. | Fort Myers, Fla. |
| SP | Ethan Norby | East Carolina | 5-10 | 195 | Jr. | Kernersville, N.C. |
| RP | Dylan Volantis | Texas | 6-6 | 220 | So. | Thousand Oaks, Calif. |
| RP | Dax Whitney | Oregon State | 6-5 | 218 | So. | Blackfoot, Idaho |
| RP | Tony Pluta | Arizona | 5-9 | 197 | Sr. | Palatine, Ill. |
| RP | Colby Allen | Southern Miss | 6-0 | 195 | Sr. | Louisville, Miss. |
| RP | Cal Higgins | Texas | 6-4 | 240 | Gr. | Kearney, Neb. |
| RP | Mason Patel | Georgia Tech | 6-1 | 208 | Gr. | Knoxville, Tenn. |
| RP | Ricky Ojeda | UC Irvine | 5-11 | 185 | Jr. | Valencia, Calif. |
| RP | Ryan Lynch | Coastal Carolina | 6-4 | 225 | Gr. | Snohomish, Wash. |
| Second Team: C Ryder Helfrick, Arkansas, Jr.; C Vahn Lackey, Georgia Tech, Jr.; 1B Myles Bailey, Florida State, So.; 1B Kade Lewis, Wake Forest, Jr.; 2B Jarren Advincula, Georgia Tech, Jr.; 2B Jimmy Nati, Stanford, Sr.; SS Justin Lebron, Alabama, Jr.; SS Chris Hacopian, Texas A&M, Jr.; 3B Ace Reese, Mississippi State, Jr.; 3B Gavin Gallaher, North Carolina, Jr.; OF Tyler Minick, UConn, Jr.; OF AJ Gracia, Virginia, Jr.; OF Harrison Feinberg, Northeastern, r-Sr.; OF Dean Toigo, Arizona State, Sr.; OF Zion Rose, Louisville, Jr.; DH Johnny Sweeney, USC Upstate, 5th; DH Dominic Hellman, Oregon, Sr.; UT Bryce Calloway, Georgia, Gr.; SP Jack Ohman, Yale, So.; SP Trey Beard, Florida State, Jr.; SP Casan Evans, LSU, So.; SP Tommy LaPour, TCU, Jr.; SP Mason Blasche, Samford, So.; SP Liam Peterson, Florida, Jr.; RP Isaac Yeager, Oregon State, Sr.; RP Brady Frederick, Tennessee, Jr.; RP Dominick Carbone, Coastal Carolina, Jr.; RP Robert Orloski, UTSA, Jr.; RP Chase Meyer, West Virginia, Jr. | ||||||
| Third Team: C Garrett Wright, Tennessee, Jr.; C Jack Natili, Cincinnati, Jr.; 1B Mulivai Levu, UCLA, Jr.; 1B Evan Appelwick, Miami (Ohio), r-Sr.; 2B Chris Rembert, Auburn, So.; SS Eric Becker, Virginia, Jr.; 3B Judd Utermark, Ole Miss, Sr.; 3B Roman Martin, UCLA, Jr.; OF Caden Sorrell, Texas A&M, Jr.; OF Henry Ford, Tennessee, Jr.; OF Logan Hughes, Texas Tech, Jr.; OF Aiden Robbins, Texas, Jr.; OF Chase Brunson, TCU, Jr.; DH Kuhio Aloy, Arkansas, Jr.; DH Nico Azpilcueta, Troy, Sr.; UT Alex Hernandez, Georgia Tech, So.; SP Ethan Kleinshmit, Oregon State, Jr.; SP Jason DeCaro, North Carolina, Jr.; SP Jack Radel, Notre Dame, Jr.; SP Connor Fennell, Vanderbilt, Jr.; SP Blake Morningstar, Wake Forest, Jr.; SP Ryan Marohn, NC State, Jr.; RP Walker McDuffie, North Carolina, So.; RP Cole Carlon, Arizona State, Jr.; RP Kros Sivley, Southern Miss, Sr.; RP Ryan Bilka, Miami, Sr.; RP Alex Lyon, College of Charleston, r-Sr. | ||||||
| Fourth Team: C Matt Quintanar, Texas Tech, Jr.; C Cider Canon, Duke, Jr.; 1B Chayton Krauss, DBU, Sr.; 1B Blake Cavill, Troy, Sr.; 2B Logan Sutter, South Carolina, Sr.; 2B Joe Tiroly, Virginia, Jr.; SS Maddox Molony, Oregon, Jr.; SS Tyler Bell, Kentucky, So.; 3B Tre Phelps, Georgia, Jr.; 3B Ray Velazquez, Austin Peay, r-Jr.; OF Armani Guzman, West Virginia, Jr.; OF Aidan Teel, Mississippi State, r-Jr.; OF Nate Savoie, Clemson, So.; OF Scott Campbell Jr., Kentucky, Sr.; DH Josh Livingston, Texas, Gr.; DH Tague Davis, Louisville; UT Noah Franco, TCU, So.; SP Ben Cleaver, Kentucky, Jr.; SP Eric Segura, Oregon State, Jr.; SP Cooper Katskee, Nebraska, r-Jr.; SP Ernesto Lugo-Canchola, Florida, Gr.; SP Ian Korn, West Virginia, Gr.; SP Aiden Robertson, Virginia Tech, Jr.; SP Ryan Borberg, DBU, Sr.; RP Mason Brassfield, TCU, So.; RP Zac Cowan, LSU, Sr.; RP Lucas Hartman, Virginia, Gr.; RP Ryan Hetzler, Auburn, Jr. | ||||||
Founded in 1962, the NCBWA is dedicated to the advancement of college baseball. Membership is open to writers, broadcasters and publicists of the sport. For more information about the NCBWA, please visit the association's official website www.ncbwa.com. The preseason All-America squads are considered the first step toward the eventual selection of the 2025 Dick Howser Trophy presented by the Game Headwear and voted upon for 28 seasons by members of the NCBWA.
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