2026 VCU Rams baseball team

2026 VCU Rams baseball
ConferenceAtlantic 10 Conference
Record8–8 (0–0 A-10)
Head coach
Assistant coaches
  • Andrew Llewellyn (6th season)
  • Campbell Ellis (1st season)
Hitting coachChris O'Neill (2nd season)
Pitching coachJoJo Howie (2nd season)
Home stadiumThe Diamond
2026 Atlantic 10 Conference baseball standings
Conf. Overall
Team W   L   PCT W   L   PCT
VCU ‍‍‍ 3 – 0   1.000 11 – 9   .550
George Mason ‍‍‍ 3 – 0   1.000 9 – 9   .500
Saint Joseph's ‍‍‍ 3 – 0   1.000 8 – 10   .444
Fordham ‍‍‍ 2 – 1   .667 9 – 10   .474
Saint Louis ‍‍‍ 2 – 1   .667 9 – 11   .450
George Washington ‍‍‍ 2 – 1   .667 8 – 11   .421
Dayton ‍‍‍ 1 – 2   .333 13 – 7   .650
Davidson ‍‍‍ 1 – 2   .333 9 – 9   .500
Rhode Island ‍‍‍ 1 – 2   .333 4 – 14   .222
Richmond ‍‍‍ 0 – 3   .000 11 – 10   .524
La Salle ‍‍‍ 0 – 3   .000 9 – 11   .450
St. Bonaventure ‍‍‍ 0 – 3   .000 4 – 14   .222
† – Conference champion
‡ – Tournament champion
y – Invited to the NCAA tournament
As of March 20, 2026[1]
Rankings from D1Baseball

The 2026 VCU Rams baseball team will represent Virginia Commonwealth University during the 2026 NCAA Division I baseball season. The Rams will their home games at The Diamond as a member of the Atlantic 10 Conference. They will be led by second-year head coach Sean Thompson.

This was to be VCU's first season at CarMax Park, but in December 2025, a disagreement between the university and the Richmond Flying Squirrels saw the program remain at The Diamond for the foreseeable future.[2] Originally, the Rams were going to play at the Diamond for February and March home games and then at CarMax Park for April and May home games.

Previous season

Further information: 2025 VCU Rams baseball team

The Rams are coming off a 17–37 (10–20) season, which was Sean Thompson's first season managing the program. They will be looking to return to both the Atlantic 10 Conference baseball tournament and the NCAA Division I baseball tournament. Sean Thompson's entire coaching staff will be returning, along with the addition of Campbell Ellis who will join as the Director of Pitching Development.

Preseason

Preseason Atlantic 10 awards and honors

Preseason awards will be announced in February 2026.

Preseason All-Atlantic 10 Team
Player No. Position Team Class

Coaches poll

The coaches poll was released on February 13, 2026. VCU was selected to finish eighth.[3]

Coaches' Poll
Predicted
finish 		Team Points
1 Rhode Island 136 (5)
2 George Mason 122 (4)
T−3 Saint Joseph's 98 (1)
Saint Louis 98
T−5 Dayton 83 (1)
Richmond 83
7 Davidson 77
8 VCU 71 (1)
9 George Washington 68
10 Fordham 56
11 St. Bonaventure 24
12 La Salle 20

Personnel

Starters

Lineup
Pos. No. Player. Year
C
1B
2B
3B
SS
LF
CF
RF
DH
Weekend pitching rotation
Day No. Player. Year
Friday
Saturday
Sunday

Roster

2026 VCU Rams baseball team
Players Coaches
# Pos. Name B/T Height Weight Year Home town
1 OF Michael Petite R/R 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Jr Melbourne, FL
2 INF Brendan Horne R/R 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Fr Hooksett, NH
3 INF Nate Kirkpatrick R/R 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Jr Surrey, BC
4 INF Cade Tousa L/R 5 ft 11 in (1.8 m) 175 lb (79 kg) Jr Saline, MI
6 INF Nick Flores R/R 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) 185 lb (84 kg) So Royersford, PA
8 UTL Dante DeFranco R/R 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Gr Hillsborough, NC
9 OF Trent Adelman R/R 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Jr Darnestown, MD
10 OF Ethan Acevedo L/L 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Jr Monroe, NY
11 C Teige Lethert L/R 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Gr Woodbury, MN
12 UTL Brody Leyboldt L/L 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Jr Omaha, NE
14 RHP Everett Vaughan R/R 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Gr Moseley, VA
15 RHP Cooper Campbell R/R 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 160 lb (73 kg) So Lynchburg, VA
16 LHP Boyce Read L/L 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 185 lb (84 kg) Fr Rogers, AR
17 INF Rex Smith L/R 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Jr Sarasota, FL
19 RHP Nick Frers R/R 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 225 lb (102 kg) Jr North Vancouver, BC
21 RHP Caleb Clover R/R 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 190 lb (86 kg) Jr Bradenton, FL
22 RHP Chase Nystrom R/R 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Fr Trinity, FL
23 RHP Riley Roarty L/R 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 195 lb (88 kg) So Midlothian, VA
24 INF Alec Warden R/R 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 185 lb (84 kg) RS Fr Pittsburgh, PA
25 RHP Hunter Gotschall R/R 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Jr Peyton, CO
26 RHP Cooper Weygandt R/R 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Jr Beaverton, OR
27 RHP Anthony Roszko R/R 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 230 lb (104 kg) Jr Chesapeake, VA
28 C Graham Hylton R/L 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 195 lb (88 kg) Jr Mustang, OK
29 RHP Coleman Bobb R/R 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 250 lb (113 kg) Jr Benson, UT
31 UTL Quinn Maher L/R 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 220 lb (100 kg) Jr Colorado Springs, CO
32 LHP Dawson Newman R/L 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 190 lb (86 kg) So Great Bridge, VA
33 LHP Bryce Carter L/L 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 235 lb (107 kg) Jr Sanford, FL
35 RHP Patrick Steitz R/R 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 210 lb (95 kg) Sr Peoria, AZ
37 C Jacob Lee R/R 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 205 lb (93 kg) So Chesterfield, VA
38 RHP Fenix DiGiacomo R/R 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 240 lb (109 kg) Gr Spotsylvania, VA
39 RHP Zach Peters R/R 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Sr North Haven, CT
41 RHP Nick Bertrand R/R 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 180 lb (82 kg) Fr Seminole, FL
42 RHP Elias Holbert R/R 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 240 lb (109 kg) RS Sr Sherwood, OR
43 LHP Cade Dressler L/L 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 215 lb (98 kg) Gr Mifflinburg, PA
Head coach

Sean Thompson

Assistant coach(es)

JoJo Howie
Andrew Llewellyn
Chris O'Neill

Legend
  • (C) Team captain
  • (S) Suspended
  • (I) Ineligible
  • Injured
  • Current redshirt

Roster
Last update: January 3, 2026

Coaching staff

2026 VCU Rams baseball coaching staff
Name Position Seasons at
VCU		 Alma mater
Sean Thompson Head coach 3 Virginia Commonwealth University (2018)
JoJo Howie Assistant coach 2 Virginia Commonwealth University (2015)
Andrew Llewellyn Assistant coach 6 Wingate University (2020)
Chris O'Neill Pitching coach 2 King's College (NC) (2012)

Offseason

Departures

Offseason departures
Name No. Pos. Height Weight Year Hometown Notes
Seth Werchan 8 OF 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 205 pounds (93 kg) Graduate Austin, TX Graduated
Cato Kleinman 11 INF 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) 170 pounds (77 kg) Senior Westlake Village, CA Graduated
Casey Kleinman 13 C 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) 170 pounds (77 kg) Senior Westlake Village, CA Graduated
Owen Tappy 16 RHP 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 185 pounds (84 kg) Graduate Charlotte, NC Graduated
Miles Garrett 18 RHP 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) 170 pounds (77 kg) Graduate Stone Mountain, GA Graduated
James McGrady 24 RHP 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) 190 pounds (86 kg) Senior Norfolk, VA Graduated
Will Henson 27 INF 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 185 pounds (84 kg) Senior Chicago, IL Graduated
Carter Richey 28 INF 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) 205 pounds (93 kg) Senior Chandler, AZ Graduated
Max Moore 29 LHP 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 255 pounds (116 kg) Graduate Richmond, VA Graduated
Kannon Kleine 30 C 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) 200 pounds (91 kg) RS Sophomore Galesburg, IL Did not return
Brian Yetter 31 RHP 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 215 pounds (98 kg) Graduate McVeytown, PA Graduated
Drew Ramos 32 RHP 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 210 pounds (95 kg) Graduate Williamsburg, VA Graduated
Broden Palmer 33 RHP 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 225 pounds (102 kg) Sophomore Kennewick, WA Did not return
Jack Goleski 38 LHP 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 195 pounds (88 kg) Senior Mechanicsville, VA Graduated
Danny Estrada 41 OF 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) 185 pounds (84 kg) Senior West Lawn, PA Graduated
Jack Hoeymans 45 RHP 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 215 pounds (98 kg) RS Senior McLean, VA Graduated
Justin Humenay 50 RHP 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 195 pounds (88 kg) Graduate Montreal, QC Graduated
Sean Swenson 55 INF 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 220 pounds (100 kg) Graduate Indianapolis, IN Graduated

Outgoing transfers

Outgoing transfers
Name Number Pos. Height Weight Hometown Year New school Source
Adrian Jimenez 1 INF 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) 175 pounds (79 kg) Lilburn, GA Freshman Charlotte [4]
Nick April-Gath 4 INF 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 170 pounds (77 kg) Valrico, FL Freshman Florida Southwestern [5]
Elijah Coston 10 INF/LHP 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 185 pounds (84 kg) Chester, VA Freshman Florida Southwestern [5]
Will Epstein 12 OF 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 190 pounds (86 kg) Chapel Hill, NC Sophomore Pitt (NC)
Spencer Sullivan 17 OF/1B 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 200 pounds (91 kg) West Linn, OR Junior LSU–Shreveport
Brian Goglia 21 RHP 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 175 pounds (79 kg) Milford, CT Freshman Eastern Connecticut [6]
Colby Motley 22 INF/OF 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 218 pounds (99 kg) Williamsburg, VA Freshman Wallace [7]
Joe Gomez 35 RHP 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) 180 pounds (82 kg) Palmyra, VA RS Freshman Longwood [8]
Brayden McCollough 44 RHP 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 255 pounds (116 kg) Centennial, CO Junior Metro State Denver [9]

2025 MLB draft

Main article: 2025 Major League Baseball draft

No players were selected in the 2025 MLB draft.

Acquisitions

Incoming transfers

Incoming transfers
Name No. Pos. Height Weight Hometown Year Previous school Source
Michael Petite 1 OF 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 200 pounds (91 kg) Melbourne, FL Junior Miami Dade
Cade Tousa 4 INF 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) 175 pounds (79 kg) Saline, MI Junior Iowa Western
Dante DeFranco 8 UTL 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) 180 pounds (82 kg) Hillsborough, NC Graduate Charlotte
Ethan Acevedo 10 OF 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) 180 pounds (82 kg) Monroe, NY Junior Indian Hills
Teige Lethert 11 C 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 220 pounds (100 kg) Woodbury, MN Graduate Milwaukee
Brody Leyboldt 12 OF 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 180 pounds (82 kg) Omaha, NE Junior Iowa Western
Rex Smith 17 INF 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 200 pounds (91 kg) Sarasota, FL Junior SCF–Sarasota
Caleb Clover 21 RHP 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 190 pounds (86 kg) Bradenton, FL Junior Hillsborough
Alec Warden 24 SS 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 185 pounds (84 kg) Pittsburgh, PA RS Freshman Penn State
Hunter Gotschall 25 RHP 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 200 pounds (91 kg) Peyton, CO Junior Salt Lake
Cooper Weygandt 26 RHP 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 200 pounds (91 kg) Beaverton, OR Junior Pierce (WA)
Anthony Roszko 27 RHP 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) 230 pounds (100 kg) Chesapeake, VA Junior Virginia Wesleyan
Graham Hylton 28 C 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 195 pounds (88 kg) Mustang, OK Junior Northern Oklahoma
Coleman Bobb 29 RHP 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 250 pounds (110 kg) Benson, UT Junior Southern Idaho
Quinn Maher 31 UTL 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 220 pounds (100 kg) Colorado Springs, CO Junior Hutchinson
Dawson Newman 32 LHP 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) 190 pounds (86 kg) Great Bridge, VA Sophomore Coastal Carolina
Bryce Carter 33 LHP 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 235 pounds (107 kg) Sanford, FL Junior Eastern Florida State
Patrick Steitz 35 RHP 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m) 210 pounds (95 kg) Peoria, AZ Senior Kansas
Fenix DiGiacomo 38 RHP 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) 240 pounds (110 kg) Spotsylvania, VA Graduate Marshall
Elias Holbert 42 RHP 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) 240 pounds (110 kg) Sherwood, OR RS Senior Coastal Carolina

Incoming recruits

2025 VCU Recruits
Name Number B/T Pos. Height Weight Hometown High School Source
Brendan Horne 2 R/R INF 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) 175 pounds (79 kg) Hooksett, NH Pinkerton
Boyce Read 16 L/L OF/LHP 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 185 pounds (84 kg) Rogers, AR Bentonville
Chase Nystrom 22 R/R OF/RHP 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) 180 pounds (82 kg) Trinity, FL A3 Academy
Nick Bertrand 41 R/R OF/RHP 6 ft 0 in (1.83 m) 180 pounds (82 kg) Seminole, FL Northside Christian (SC)

Game log

2026 VCU Rams baseball game log (8–8)
Regular Season: 8–8 (Home: 7–2; Away: 0–5; Neutral: 1–1)
March: 4–2 (Home: 4–2; Away: 0–0; Neutral: 0–0)
Date TV Opponent Rank Stadium Score Win Loss Save Attendance Overall A-10
March 1 ESPN+ Virginia* The Diamond L 3–5 Paone (1–0) DiGiacomo (0–2) None 1,413 4–7 —
March 3 ESPN+ William & Mary* The Diamond W 9–2 Gotschall (2–1) Calveric (0–1) None 152 5–7 —
March 4 ESPN+ Old Dominion* The Diamond L 10–12 Matela (1–0) Newman (0–1) None 167 5–8 —
March 6 ESPN+ Army* The Diamond W 4–310 Leyboldt (1–0) Penswick (0–3) None 198 6–8 —
March 7 Army* The Diamond W 11–3 Steitz (3–0) Reavy (0–2) Vaughan (1) 651 7–8 —
March 8 Army* The Diamond W 11–3 Holbert (1–0) Ramirez (1–1) None 396 8–8 —
March 13 La Salle CarMax Park
March 14 La Salle The Diamond
March 15 La Salle The Diamond
March 17 at Virginia Tech* English Field
Blacksburg, VA		 —
March 20 at Dayton Woerner Field
Dayton, OH
March 21 at Dayton Woerner Field
March 22 at Dayton Woerner Field
March 24 Norfolk State* The Diamond —
March 27 St. Bonaventure The Diamond
March 28 St. Bonaventure The Diamond
March 29 St. Bonaventure The Diamond
March 31 Longwood* The Diamond —
Postseason: 0–0 (Home: 0–0; Away: 0–0; Neutral: 0–0)
Legend:        = Win        = Loss        = Canceled
Bold =VCU team member
Rankings are based on the team's current ranking in the D1Baseball poll.[10]

Schedule Notes

  1. ^ a b c d Part of a doubleheader.

Rankings

Main article: 2026 NCAA Division I baseball rankings
Ranking movements
Legend: — = Not ranked
Week
PollPre1234567891011121314151617Final
Coaches'[11]——*—          
Baseball America[12]———          
NCBWA†[13]———          
D1Baseball[14]———          
Perfect Game[15]———          

† NCBWA ranks 30 teams in their preseason poll, but only ranks 25 teams weekly during the season.
* A new poll was not released for this week, so for comparison purposes, the previous week's ranking is inserted in this week's slot.

References

  1. ^ "2026 Baseball Standings". atlantic10.com. Atlantic 10 Conference. Retrieved March 20, 2026.
  2. ^ Joachim, Zach (January 14, 2026). "Amid CarMax Park uncertainty, VCU baseball says it will play 2026 season at The Diamond". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Retrieved February 16, 2026.
  3. ^ "Rhode Island Preseason Favorite to Repeat as Atlantic 10 Baseball Champions". atlantic10.com.
  4. ^ "Adrian Jimenez - 2026 Baseball Roster". charlotte49ers.com. University of North Carolina, Charlotte Athletics. Retrieved January 4, 2026.
  5. ^ a b "2026 Florida SouthWestern Baseball Roster". fswbucs.com. Retrieved January 4, 2026.
  6. ^ "Brian Goglia - 2026 - Baseball". gowarriorathletics.com. ECSU Athletics. Retrieved January 4, 2026.
  7. ^ "2025 Baseball Fall Roster - Colby Motley". wallacegovs.com. Wallace Community College Athletics. Retrieved January 4, 2026.
  8. ^ "Joe Gomez - Baseball - Longwood Athletics". longwoodlancers.com. Retrieved January 4, 2026.
  9. ^ "Brayden McCollough - Baseball - MSU Denver Athletics". roadrunnersathletics.com. MSU Denver.
  10. ^ "2026 Baseball Schedule". vcuathletics.com. Retrieved January 4, 2026.
  11. ^ "NCAA Baseball Coaches Poll | USA Today Sports". USA TODAY. Retrieved January 26, 2025.
  12. ^ "College Baseball Top 25 Rankings". www.baseballamerica.com. Retrieved January 26, 2025.
  13. ^ "NCBWA > News > Top 30 Poll". www.sportswriters.net. Retrieved January 26, 2025.
  14. ^ "Rankings Archives • D1Baseball". d1baseball.com. Retrieved January 26, 2025.
  15. ^ "Rankings | Perfect Game USA". perfectgame.org. Retrieved January 26, 2025.
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