2026 Holy Cross baseball season preview

Coming off one of the greatest seasons in the modern era, the Holy Cross baseball team hits the field for the 2026 season, which opens on Friday, Feb. 13, at 1:00 p.m. against VCU. 

Holy Cross captured the 2025 Patriot League Regular-Season and Tournament Championship, was selected to repeat following a vote of head coaches, coming in first place in the 2026 Patriot League Preseason Poll. The Crusaders will have to replace the production of eight graduating seniors, their entire starting infield, and the departure of 2025 MLB Draft Pick and Patriot League Tournament MVP, Danny Macchiarola.

ALL-LEAGUE RETURNERS

For the second straight season, the Crusaders are headlined by the Patriot League Preseason Player of the Year (Senior right fielder CJ Egrie), the Preseason Pitcher of the Year (Senior right-handed pitcher Jaden Wywoda), a Preseason All-Patriot League selection and 2025 All-Patriot League Second Team selection (junior center fielder Gianni Royer) and a 2025 All-Patriot League Second Team honoree (junior left fielder John LaFleur).

Egrie, the 2025 Patriot League Player of the Year and All-League First Team selection, will lead off for the Crusaders for the second consecutive season. An on-base machine (.413 career OBP) with plus-plus speed (52 career stolen bases), Egrie generates enough bat speed to slug, as evidenced by his 22 extra base hits in 2025. Once he reaches base, Egrie has the green light to run on the basepaths. The team captain and D1Baseball No. 62-ranked Preseason Outfielder needs 12 more steals and 47 more runs (89 career runs scored) to become the program's all-time leader in each category.

Wywoda, who will take the ball on Opening Day, was also the 2025 Patriot League Pitcher of the Year. The senior captain looks to front the weekend pitching staff in 2026. A right-handed low three quarters slot pitcher with plus-plus command, Wywoda’s pitch mix includes a sinker (88-91 MPH), a sweeping slider (76-78 MPH), a changeup (78-80 MPH) and a brand new cutter (83-85 MPH) that he added to his arsenal to neutralize more left-handed hitters (.834 OPS in 2025). The slider is his bread and butter pitch, which dominates right-handed hitters. Opponents hit just around .200 on it last year and it resulted in over 50 of his 79 strikeouts in 2025. A First Team All-Patriot League choice in 2025, Wywoda (141 career strikeouts) needs 59 more strikeouts to become only the third Crusader in program history to reach 200 career punchouts (Owen Carroll, 387 – Nate Koneski, 229). Wywoda ranked 133rd on D1Baseball’s Preseason Top-200 Starting Pitchers List.

A member of the 2025 Patriot League All-Tournament Team, Royer delivered a walk-off RBI double in an 8-7, 10-inning victory on May 19, 2025, to clinch the Patriot League title for the Crusaders. A pure hitter (.292 career average) with an excellent glove in center field, Royer is ready to take the next step during his junior season after leading the team in home runs during fall ball and looks poised to increase his slugging numbers in 2026 (24 XBH in 2025). Royer, who D1Baseball ranked third on their Patriot League 2026 Top MLB Prospects List, has plus-plus speed (24-for-26, 92.3 success rate on steals in 2025). He has the green light to take a bag anytime he is on the basepath. He currently has 41 stolen bases and needs 23 more to become the program's all-time leader in thefts. His 24 steals in 2025 tied for second place on the all-time single-season list (24, Evan Ocello – 2014).

LaFleur is back patrolling left field for the Crusaders in 2026. He brings pop to the lineup, as evidenced by leading the squad in dingers (seven home runs) in 2025. Slated to bat in the three or four hole, LaFleur is a threat to leave the park at any time and is a run producer (48 RBI in 2025, third all-time in a single-season). He has a slightly uphill swing to lift the ball in the air to all parts of the field for extra bases (16 XBH in 2025). LaFleur also has average speed on the bases, stealing six bags in 2025.

THE ROTATION

Pitching will be the strength of the 2026 version of the Crusaders. Wywoda anchors the weekend rotation, which will feature sophomore left-hander Derek Volz, sophomore right-hander Pedro Leon, and junior right-hander Thomas Skrobe.

Volz, a one-time Patriot League Rookie of the Week in 2025, is borderline unhittable as opponents struggled to a .180 batting average against in 2025. His pitch mix from a three-quarters arm slot features a fastball (86-91 MPH) with ride and carry through the strike zone, a slider (76-79 MPH) that is his out pitch, especially against left-handed hitters, and a developing changeup (78-81 MPH). When Volz is in the strike zone, it is extremely difficult to make contact against him. His biggest question mark in 2026 is command, and he looks to lower his 15.8 BB%. Volz will take the ball on Saturday in game one against VCU and ranks third on the D1Baseball 2027 Patriot League Top MLB Prospect List.

The most electric pitcher on the staff and most volatile, Leon stakes claim to a rotation spot in 2026 after being used in high-leverage roles (three saves) during his opening college season. Another tosser with an over the top arm slot, Leon has a power fastball (89-94 MPH) which touched 95 MPH in the summer, a nasty 12-to-6 curveball (78-80 MPH) that has sharp action and generates a ton of swing and misses, a changeup (80-81 MPH) and a newly added cutter (85-87 MPH) to give himself another option to keep hitters off of his fastball. When ahead of hitters, Leon is deadly as he struck out over 40 percent of the batters when he reached a two-strike count. He looks for improved command of his arsenal in 2026. Leon ranks 10th on the D1Baseball 2027 Patriot League Top MLB Prospect List.  

Skrobe also looks to make an impact on weekends for the Crusaders in 2026. He has a small, compact and high three-quarters arm slot, he features a power fastball (88-93 MPH) that spins well so it jumps on hitters, a slider (79-82 MPH) which is his putaway pitch with a high spin rate just south of 3,000 RPM that is hard to pick up and a mid-80s developing changeup (85-86 MPH). Skrobe returned from injury in 2025, will take the mound Saturday in game two at VCU, and will be on a pitch count to begin 2026.  

THE BULLPEN

Like the starters, the bullpen will be an area of strength for Holy Cross in 2026, with the back end being led by one-time Patriot League Rookie of the Week, right-hander Jake Lenahan. Sophomore right-hander Marco Citro, freshman right-hander Henry Harding, and sophomore transfer right-hander Brett Mulligan will also see high-leverage roles for the Crusaders. 

Lenahan, the team's closer and fireman, has a high over the top arm slot which features a fastball (86-90 MPH) with excellent command, a developing curveball (79-81 MPH), and a changeup (78-81 MPH). His changeup is an elite pitch in generating swings and misses, with a 44 percent chase rate and a 41 percent whiff rate in 2025. Lenahan ranks fifth on the D1Baseball 2027 Patriot League Top MLB Prospect List.

Citro, like his classmate Lenahan, has a high over the top arm slot, which helps him generate a deceptive and natural cutter (86-88 MPH). He has improved his slider (74-78 MPH), and it has the chance to be a special pitch based on its spin (2,700 RPM). He added and is still developing a split changeup (80-81 MPH). Citro will close out games, and his pitch mix will be hard for righties to handle in 2026.

The coaching staff is extremely excited about what they have in Harding, and the sky is the limit for him. A 5-9, 165 pound freshman, Harding boasts a three pitch mix of a fastball (87-91 MPH) which gains a ton of ride from a low release making it tough for the opponents to square up, a sweeping slider (78-82 MPH), his signature pitch with a spin rate over 3,000 RPM, and a changeup (77-81 MPH) which if located, is a swing and miss pitch from both sides of the plate. Harding paced the Crusaders in strikeout rate in the fall and so far in the preseason. His role will increase as the season goes on as he adjusts to the speed and pace of collegiate baseball. Harding ranks seventh on the D1Baseball 2026 Patriot League Impact Freshman List.

Mulligan, a transfer from Northeastern, has good stuff. A four pitch pitcher, he features a fastball (88-91 MPH) and a cutter (85-86 MPH) that he pairs with it. A low-80s power curveball (80-81 MPH) is his out pitch, which has a chance to strike out a ton of opposing hitters. He also mixes in a changeup (81-83 MPH). When he is ahead in the count, he has the stuff to punch out batters.

THE INFIELD

Holy Cross needs to replace four starters on the infield in 2026, not including junior catcher Colin Brown. Look for junior first baseman Braden Connors, junior second baseman Alex Sandell, freshman shortstop Owen Stelzer, and a rotation at third base to start the season. 

Connors will round out the top four hitters in the Crusader lineup. The lefty masher posted over an .800 OPS as a true freshman before missing most of 2025 due to injury. Known for his zone awareness, Connors controls the strike zone and is a tough at-bat. He has the potential to leave the yard each at-bat and hopefully will generate monster slugging numbers. He will be the toughest and most consistent hitter in the lineup daily.

Sandell added 15 pounds of muscle from 2025 to 2026, is a steady defender at the keystone, and looks poised for a breakout junior campaign. One of the most consistent hitters in the fall over the last two years, the coaching staff is hoping his consistency carries over to the spring. Sandell, a one-time Patriot League Rookie of the Week, can be a double-digit stolen base threat as long as his violent right-handed swing can get him on base. 

Stelzer, who is 6-2, 195 pounds, is a plus defender at a premium position. A two-time state champion in high school, Stelzer hit .323 with four home runs and 39 RBI for Farragut (Tenn.). Stelzer ranks second on the D1Baseball 2026 Patriot League Impact Freshman List.

Junior Ryan Grundy, sophomore Simon Landry, and freshman Bryan Sornas should all see time at the hot corner in the early going for the Crusaders. 

OTHER IMPACT 'SADERS

Other Crusaders who hope to make an impact in 2026 are catchers, juniors Colin Brown and Van Coughlin, designated hitters, sophomore Nick Andersen and freshman Cayden Van Dolah, and freshman left-handed reliever Brady MacCutcheon.

Brown returns as a pesky bottom-of-the-order hitter over the last few years. He has a short, simple swing, which makes him difficult to strike out. He has solid bat-to-ball skills, and he is looking to add more power production to his game this year. Coughlin, a defensive specialist and a 2024 Patriot League All-Tournament Team selection, has tremendous raw power. He has to work on his plate discipline, but when he makes contact, he is a threat to leave the ballpark at anytime.  

Andersen, a 6-4, 215 pound left-handed bat has elite physical tools. He has plenty of power to generate exit velocities over 100 MPH and is a plus runner on the bases. When he barrels up the ball, it will go a long way most likely for extra bases. Van Dolah, a 6-1 freshman, is one of the most balanced hitters in the program. He has a throwback balanced approach that features a level swing and an ability to spray the ball to all fields. He just hits. 

MacCutcheon stands at 5-10, 180 pounds, and currently has two pitches, a fastball (85-88 MPH) and a slider (68-72 MPH). Throwing from a low three-quarters or sidearm slot, he has impressed the coaching staff in the preseason with improved command. His fastball from his unique armslot has 20 inches of run, which is extremely hard on left-handed hitters. His slider is a traditional sweeping slider in the opposite direction. He is an uncomfortable matchup for hitters.

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