The standards of The College of Wooster's storied baseball program are firmly ingrained throughout the Fighting Scots' 2026 squad. With increased depth, heightened competition, and a roster fully bought into the program's culture, excitement is building ahead of the season.

"Our players continue to live by the standards of our program," said Aaron Swick, Wooster's head coach. "Since the first day of the fall, I have been impressed with their discipline and work ethic. Right now, we are trying to create training environments that are challenging and allow us to play our best baseball on a regular basis."

"Our roster is bigger, our talent pool is stronger, and the competition level is high," continued Swick. "This fall we emphasized competition by playing a lot of scrimmages to see how the returning players developed and to see how the new players performed in game-like situations. The team has high goals for the year and the commitment and accountability has been tremendous."

Wooster's depth in the lineup provides plenty of versatility and the Scots will look to "create as much offense as possible," per Swick. "There are positions on the field where the depth chart is 1A and 1B and those players are interchangeable. It gives us some versatility to adjust the offensive game plan based on the situation."

The corner infield spots are the backbone of Wooster's offense, as senior All-American Ryan Kramer and All-North Coast Athletic Conference junior Zack Barienbrock project to anchor down first and third base, respectively.

"Ryan has had three excellent seasons," said Swick. "Even with his success he continues to elevate his potential. He had success in the high-caliber Northwoods League over the summer and is a strong voice in the dugout and on the field."

"Zack is a great player, who is productive consistently," continued Swick. "You know what to expect when he steps to the plate. He has gotten stronger and faster and has an even better understanding of his swing."

Rising sophomore Luke Rizzo projects to shift to second base in 2026. He came on strong as a first-year, finishing the year third on the team with a .342 average. Rizzo was at his best down the stretch, sporting a .515 average (17-for-33) with 10 RBI and six runs scored over Wooster's final eight games.

"Luke is a really good athlete who continues to grow as a player," shared Swick. "You could see things click for him the second half of last season and he carried that over into the summer and fall. He brings a lot of offensive potential to second base."

Sophomores Maanav Bhatt and David Guldin round out the returnees among the infielders. They are part of the deep versatility Wooster has this spring, as both can play second base, shortstop, and third base.

"Maanav and David each had big moments for us last year," summed up Swick. "Both had strong offseasons and productive falls. It is nice having multiple plug-and-play options in the infield depending on what direction we need to go."

Catcher is an area Wooster has a sizable leg up, specifically with its ability to control the run game. Base stealers were caught 25 percent of the time last year, and Wooster's skillsets behind the dish help limit opportunities for baserunners.

Senior Colin Leslie is the returning starter, and over a third of would-be base stealers were thrown out when testing the Scots' catcher last year.

"Colin had a fantastic fall," said Swick. "He is steady and provides good energy. Colin understands the strike zone really well and has coupled that with more consistent power at the plate. On defense, he manages the pitching staff exceptionally well and has plus awareness with all of the catching tools."

Behind Leslie are senior Nathaniel Huxtable and sophomore Ben McLean. Huxtable provides plenty of game experience to the Scots' team, while McLean was a valuable asset in the bullpen last spring.

"Hux had some really good games for us last year and continues to grow as a player," shared Swick. "Ben did not get a single at bat but was one of the most valuable players on the team last year because of the things he did in the bullpen."

Outfield is the area to watch this spring as Wooster graduated all three starters from 2025. Swick is "excited about the options," and "loves the competition that is going on out there." With the depth, Swick projects a lot of different people on the field over the course of the season as Wooster manages game situations that call for a more offensive or defensive focus.

Wooster's returnees in the outfield are juniors Tamlin Ferguson and Andrew Kerr and sophomore Aidan Krantz.

"Andrew had a good fall," said Swick. "He is more explosive and has improved his hitting approach. He could play any of the three outfield spots for us at the start. Aidan has gotten stronger and has worked really hard at improving his bat to ball skills. Tamlin is an important glue guy on the team and has done a great job of mentoring the younger outfielders."

Wooster's established front end of the rotation is a big strength of the team in 2026, as the Scots have a "clear understanding of what the starting pitching production may look like," per Swick. The bullpen has some moving parts, and Swick notes "we have lots of different options; we just need to find the right roles for guys as the season gets going."

All-NCAC senior Jack Spring headlines the returnees. He had the second-lowest ERA in the NCAC in 2025. Junior Michael Scarpelli and sophomore Dame Frayne are front-end starters who enjoyed much success last spring.

"Jack is very thoughtful in his pitching preparation," shared Swick. "He understands his stuff and how best to pair pitches together. He had a tremendous 2025 season and carried that over into a successful summer in the Northwoods League.

"Michael is incredibly detail-oriented and has great feel for his strengths," continued Swick. He has pitched in some big roles the last two years, and I feel that experience will make him even better this season. Dame had an excellent first-year season. He started opening day and in the semifinal of the NCAC Tournament. Not many first-year players have that on their resume. He spent a lot of time in the weight room over the summer and fall. His strength gains and maturity have created a higher ceiling."

Junior Constantine Vernadakis and sophomore James MacMillan are top arms for the Scots among the returnees out of the bullpen.

"Constantine got some big outs for us in various situations last year," said Swick. "He has steadily improved each year. James also pitched in some key moments last season. He pitches with confidence, has good energy, and a good feel for pitching. I could see James pitching effectively in a variety of roles this season."

Seniors Devin Anthony, Cooper Baer, and Tahj Orona are other key arms among the returnees. Wooster also returns junior Ben Tarpey, senior Patrick Wiggins, sophomore Alex Eusebio, sophomore Carter O'Neill, and sophomore Max Snyder.

"Devin has had some good starts over his first three years," shared Swick. "When his three-pitch mix is in the strike zone, he is tough to hit. Cooper is the heartbeat of the pitching staff. He is a phenomenal leader and works hard at getting better."

"Tahj has great upside and showed in the fall that he has the capabilities of being a tough matchup," continued Swick. Ben has grown as a pitcher and has the potential to be a short inning reliever. Alex is stronger, more experienced, and has improved his feel for the strike zone and could be poised for a breakout season. Carter's work ethic has allowed him to elevate his potential and could be another option in short relief. Max and Patrick are working their way back from injuries."

Wooster's sustained success is due to a balanced mix of star returnees, returnees who have improved their skills while waiting their turn, plus talented newcomers who have the skill sets to make an immediate impact. That is expected to be the case again this year with the potential of multiple newcomers in the lineup.

First-year infielder Noah Lindberg, a first-team all-state and regional player of the year selection in Georgia, is the projected starter at shortstop. Classmate utility player Owen Sherrill, a high school All-American in Texas, projects to start in the outfield and is a "phenomenal two-way talent," per Swick.

Transfers Koa Siu and Mason Johnson have a chance to be impact guys and first-year transfer Henry Rouch has great potential to impact the pitching staff.

Wooster's first-year class, rounded out by outfielder Alex Babich, outfielder Henry Dinges, infielder Michael Graban, infielder/outfielder Bennett Grossman, catcher Mac Halm, infielder/outfielder Jackson Hausner, outfielder Matt Herlick, pitcher Josh Hillman, outfielder Weston Judd, pitcher Tyler Seils, and pitcher Benjie Sharman.

"This is probably the best group of new players I have added to a team in my coaching career," stated Swick. "Top to bottom, each of them has a chance to be on the field at some point this season. They folded right into what we are building and are the perfect combination of talent, drive, and character."

Wooster's schedule starts with three games in Atlanta, kicked off by a 4 p.m. game against Oglethorpe University on Friday, Feb. 20. Wooster is home for the first time on Saturday, Feb. 28 with an 11 a.m. doubleheader against State University of New York at Oneonta. Wooster plays five games in Texas over spring break and starts NCAC play at Ohio Wesleyan University on Saturday, March 28.

"Our schedule is going to be competitive," said Swick. "We have eight games against teams ranked in the preseason top 25 poll. We built out our schedule to make sure we are prepared for the NCAC. The NCAC is going to be challenging. We will need to play our best baseball every game."