2026 VCU Rams baseball team
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ConferenceAtlantic 10 Conference
Record22–14 (11–4 A-10)
Headcoach
- Sean Thompson (2nd season)
Assistant coaches
- Andrew Llewellyn (6th season)
- Campbell Ellis (1st season)
| 2026 VCU Rams baseball | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Conference | Atlantic 10 Conference |
| Record | 22–14 (11–4 A-10) |
| Head coach |
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| Assistant coaches |
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| Hitting coach | Chris O'Neill (2nd season) |
| Pitching coach | JoJo Howie (2nd season) |
| Home stadium | The Diamond |
| Conf. | Overall | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Team | W | L | T | PCT | W | L | T | PCT | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Saint Joseph's | 19 | – | 2 | – | 0 | .905 | 29 | – | 14 | – | 0 | .674 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Davidson | 14 | – | 7 | – | 0 | .667 | 23 | – | 18 | – | 0 | .561 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Richmond | 12 | – | 9 | – | 0 | .571 | 25 | – | 19 | – | 0 | .568 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| VCU | 12 | – | 9 | – | 0 | .571 | 23 | – | 20 | – | 0 | .535 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Fordham | 12 | – | 9 | – | 0 | .571 | 22 | – | 23 | – | 0 | .489 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Rhode Island | 11 | – | 10 | – | 0 | .524 | 17 | – | 25 | – | 0 | .405 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| George Mason | 10 | – | 11 | – | 0 | .476 | 19 | – | 22 | – | 0 | .463 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Dayton | 9 | – | 12 | – | 0 | .429 | 24 | – | 19 | – | 0 | .558 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| George Washington | 9 | – | 12 | – | 0 | .429 | 17 | – | 25 | – | 0 | .405 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Saint Louis | 8 | – | 13 | – | 0 | .381 | 17 | – | 27 | – | 0 | .386 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| St. Bonaventure | 6 | – | 15 | – | 0 | .286 | 12 | – | 27 | – | 1 | .313 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| La Salle | 4 | – | 17 | – | 0 | .190 | 18 | – | 26 | – | 0 | .409 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| † – Conference champion ‡ – Tournament champion y – Invited to the NCAA tournament As of April 27, 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.
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]
| 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
| Pos. | No. | Player. | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| C | 11 | Teige Lethert | Graduate |
| 1B | 3 | Nate Kirkpatrick | Junior |
| 2B | 24 | Alec Warden | RS Freshman |
| 3B | 6 | Nick Flores | Sophomore |
| SS | 8 | Dante DeFranco | Graduate |
| LF | 10 | Ethan Acevedo | Junior |
| CF | 1 | Michael Petite | Junior |
| RF | 9 | Trent Adelman | Junior |
| DH | 37 | Jacob Lee | Sophomore |
| Day | No. | Player. | Year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Friday | 25 | Hunter Gotschall | Junior |
| Saturday | 35 | Patrick Steitz | RS Senior |
| Sunday | 19 | Nick Frers | Junior |
Roster
| 2026 VCU Rams baseball team | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Players | Coaches | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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JoJo Howie
Roster | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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
| 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
| 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
No players were selected in the 2025 MLB draft.
Acquisitions
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
| 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) |