The California Bears missed out on the 2026 NCAA tournament in a season in which the school went 12-18 in ACC play. It was a tough go of things, although there were some positives. Now, the club will move forward with a roster that’ll look different.
The Returnees
Daniel Murillo and Hideki Prather, the latter of whom was drafted by the Twins, are both off the roster. The two were the leading hitters for the Golden Bears, with Prather being the team leader in home runs (14). But the club did retain Jett Kenady, who was a standout freshman for Cal last season.
Kenady slashed .320/.350/.573 with 11 home runs and 29 extra-base hits over 51 contests last season.
He was one of several notable players to return to the program for 2027. San Francisco State transfer Jacob French only played 33 games last season as a junior but was highly productive. French batted .344 with four home runs and 14 extra-base hits.
Carl Schmidt, now in his junior season, had 50 hits last season for California. Schmidt had nine home runs last season, which made him one of four to either hit or surpass that mark in 2026.
Kevin Jeon, Brady Errecart, and Lawson Olmstead are sophomores who saw at least some time in 2026 as freshmen. The former two started just a combined 21 games last season. As for Olmstead, the catcher started 36 and hit six home runs in his first college season.
Moving to the pitching staff, Oliver de la Torre and Gavin Eddy went pro, while Otto Espinoza is no longer on the roster. So, a lot of innings to make up for California this season.
Take Kreis and Trent Roach, back for 2027 as sophomores, both were freshmen last season and mostly saw action out of the bullpen in 2026. Roach started five games for the Bears. Cade Colombara, also a sophomore, tossed 21 innings for the Bears in 2026.
JJ Hollis and Garrett Mackowiak, the latter of whom is the son of former Pirate Rob Mackowiak, are other notable pitchers back for 2027.
The Newcomers
The Bears grabbed one of Oregon State’s regulars in 2026, in now-grad student Jacob Krieg.
Kreig slashed .195/.298/.390 in 2026, as his offensive numbers steadily declined amid the loss of protection in that Oregon State lineup. In 2025, Krieg hit 14 home runs for a club that made it to Omaha.
Smith Chandler, a senior, played 41 games for Long Beach State in 2026. Chandler slashed .254/.354/.359 with three home runs and eight extra-base hits. He walked 19 times and struck out 37 times with the Beach.
California plucked first baseman Kian Sanchez from outside the D1 system. With Stanislaus State, Sanchez slashed .422/.516/.696 with six home runs and 15 extra-base hits last season.
The Bears have 14 new freshmen for 2026.
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