The 2026 Orleans Firebirds have several names that sound very similar — or at least their last names, for that matter. Plus, several freshmen from 2026 who hit very well for their respective clubs this past year.
Pitchers
| Name | 2026 Team |
|---|---|
| Luca Alagheband | Harvard |
| D.C. Brown | Rice |
| Matthew Cuccias | Wichita State |
| Andrew Cutler | George Washington |
| Jake Echols | Florida State |
| Casey Euper | Pepperdine |
| Brady Fox | UMBC |
| Chase Frey | Grand Canyon |
| Grant Garman | Hawai’i |
| Jacob Haley | South Alabama |
| Elai Iwanaga | UCLA |
| Evan Jones | Wake Forest |
| Justin LeGuernic | Clemson |
| Brennan Seieber | Vanderbilt |
| Jayden Stroman | Virginia |
| Brayden Toro | Stetson |
The big horse for the Wichita State Shockers is with Orleans. Junior Matthew Cuccias, tied for the most innings thrown for the school this season, struck a team-best 76 batters over 74 innings.
Casey Euper posted a 3.11 ERA over a team-high 75.1 IP for Pepperdine and struck out 67 batters.
And as I’ll document later on, Orleans is filled with “bloodlines” players. One of those figures is Jayden Stroman, the younger brother of Marcus Stroman, who followed Chris Pollard to UVA. He struck out 26 over 22 innings in a bullpen role as a freshman.
He’s one of several ACC pitchers for Orleans. Justin LeGuernic struck out 50 over 40 innings for Clemson this past year, third-most overall and first among relievers. Evan Jones struck out 52 over 38 innings as a freshman for the Demon Deacons.
Catchers
| Name | 2026 Team |
|---|---|
| Ryan MacDougall | Dayton |
| Nate Savoie | Clemson |
| Cade Stricklin | Charlotte |
In what was a down season for the Clemson Tigers, it certainly was bad for Nate Savoie — at least statistically. The sophomore led Clemson in total hits (75) this past season, and his 16 home runs were second-most, behind only Jacob Jarrell.
Junior Ryan MacDougall hit 12 home runs for the Dayton Flyers this season, a school that needed a reset after losing Michael DiMartini and Rylan Lujo to the transfer portal last summer.
Infielders
| Name | 2026 Team |
|---|---|
| Adrian Beltre Jr. | San Diego |
| Dominic Cadiz | UCLA |
| Casey Cumiskey | Southern New Hampshire |
| Rayner Heinrich | Tarleton State |
| Elijah Ickes | Hawai’i |
| Tyler Myatt | Tennessee |
| Armani Raygoza | UTRGV |
| Jeremy Sheffield | Georgetown |
| JD Stein | Wake Forest |
The Orleans roster includes the son of a Hall of Famer (Adrian Beltre) and the son of a former 500-home run hitter (Gary Sheffield). Not too bad, in terms of bloodlines.
Beltre Jr. saw 44 games as a freshman in 2025 and hit .257 during that opening year. However, Beltre Jr. missed almost all of 2026, aside from three games at the beginning of the season. So, the Cape Cod League is a chance for him to make up for lost time. He went 5-11 in limited action.
As for Sheffield, he’s a technical senior but he missed his first two collegiate seasons. This past year, Jeremy hit .321 with four home runs for the Hoyas.
However, the big names are the freshmen who made a considerable impact on marquee schools this season. JD Stein slashed .266/.384/.399 with five home runs for Wake Forest this past season.
Dominic Cadiz was a very notable name who came to UCLA this season. He played 39 games on a stacked Bruins team in 2026 but played well overall. Cadiz hit .256 and had a span in March that saw him pick up four multi-hit contests over a span of two weeks.
Outfielders
| Name | 2026 Team |
|---|---|
| Zach Jackson | Virginia |
| Rex Watson | Coastal Carolina |
Zach Jackson struck out a lot with the Cavaliers this past season; his 69 punchouts were second-most for the Wahoos. However, he showed some pop, as Jackson hit eight home runs for UVA as a sophomore.
Rex Watson led the Coastal Carolina Chanticleers in several offensive categories this season, including home runs (12) and RBI (64).
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