DALLAS (NCBWA) – Stanford outfielder Teddy Tokheim and Texas right-hander Sam Cozart have been named the 2026 National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) National Freshman Hitter and Pitcher of the Year recipients, as announced by the organization today.
Tokheim was named to the 2026 All-ACC second team and earned a spot on the ACC All-Freshman team. Spending the bulk of his time between the outfield and designated hitter, he played in 48 games, starting 46 for the Cardinal this season. He led Stanford in batting average (.352), hits (70), doubles (19), home runs (17), slugging percentage (.704), and OPS (1.118). In addition, he finished the year leading the Cardinal with 23 multi-hit games and 15 multi-RBI contests.
He also scored 40 runs and had a .414 on-base percentage.
Tokheim’s Cardinal finished the year with a 28-26 record and a 13-17 mark in the ACC. The Seattle, Washington, native completed the year fifth in the ACC in doubles, eighth in home runs, fifth in slugging percentage and 11th in total bases. He also was sixth in the ACC in hits per game (1.46) and third in home runs per game (0.35).
Among true freshmen in 2026, Tokheim, who was named to the 2026 NCBWA Freshman All-America first team yesterday, finished the year first in extra-base hits (36) and total bases, and tied for the national lead in home runs. He also completed the year third in slugging and OPS. He was fourth in doubles and OPS and 15th in RBIs (44). His 17 home runs were one shy of the Stanford freshman record of 18 set by Braden Montgomery in 2022.
Cozart was selected to the 2026 All-SEC first team and is one of 14 finalists for the 2026 NCBWA Stopper of the Year Award. A 2026 SEC All-Freshman team member, the right-hander has posted a 6-0 record with nine saves and a 1.65 ERA over 49 innings in 22 appearances, 19 of which were in relief. He has struck out 71 and walked 12, for an outstanding 5.9 strikeout-to-walk ratio. In addition, he is averaging 13.04 strikeouts per nine innings and has held opponents to a .132 batting average.
The High Point, North Carolina, native was voted to the 2026 NCBWA Freshman All-American first team yesterday. Cozart has helped the Longhorns post a 45-12 record and advance to the 2026 College World Series for the 39th time in school history. Texas received an at-large bid and the national No. 6 seed, winning the NCAA Austin Regional and Super Regional to advance to Omaha.
Cozart is tied for the national lead for saves by a freshman with nine. The right-hander, who was also tabbed a Baseball America National Freshman of the Year finalist, led all pitchers (min. 25 inn.) in ERA (1.01) and WHIP (0.64), while notching a co-league-best seven saves during the regular season.
With Cozart’s selection, Texas becomes the first program in the 17-year history of the NCBWA Freshman Pitcher of the Year Award to have back-to-back winners of the honor. Last season, Dylan Volantis won the 2025 NCBWA Freshman Pitcher of the Year Award. Texas has had three NCBWA Freshman Pitcher of the Year Award winners in the history of the award, as former Longhorn Corey Knebel was given the award in 2011.
Freshman Hitters of the Year since the award's inaugural season in 2009 have included MLB players Mike Conforto of Oregon State (2012), Alex Bregman of LSU (2013) and Spencer Torkelson of Arizona State, along with Dick Howser Trophy Award winners Seth Beer of Clemson (2016) and Charlie Condon (2023) among others. Freshman Pitchers of the Year have included MLB pitchers Chase Burns of Tennessee (2022), Bailey Ober of the College of Charleston (2014), Carlos Rodon of N.C. State (2012) and Corey Knebel of Texas (2011), among others.
NCBWA voting membership for the Freshman Hitter and Pitcher of the Year includes writers, broadcasters and publicists. Designed to promote and publicize college baseball, it is the sport's only college media-related organization, founded in 1962.
For more information about the NCBWA, visit the association's official Web site, ncbwa.com. For more information about the 2026 NCBWA Freshman All-American team and Hitter and Pitcher of the Year awards, contact Ryan Bomberger.