Little League Alumni at the 2026 College World Series: Full List
The 2026 Men’s College World Series gets underway at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Nebraska on June 12. Eight teams compete for the NCAA Division I baseball championship. The first round runs June 12 through 20, when the best-of-three championship series begins between the two bracket winners.
Total
Nearly 100
Alumni
Teams in
8 Teams
Omaha
CWS
June 12, 2026
Starts
Venue
Omaha
Nebraska
Little League International tracked the rosters of all eight teams and found nearly 100 players who started their baseball careers in a local Little League program. That list spans all eight competing programs, from West Virginia to Texas. One player on the list, Blake Cavill of Troy University, pitched for Australia at the 2015 Little League Baseball World Series.

| Event | 2026 Men’s College World Series |
| Venue | Charles Schwab Field, Omaha, NE |
| Start Date | June 12, 2026 |
| Championship | Best-of-3, starts June 20 |
| Little League Alumni | Nearly 100 |
| Teams Competing | 8 NCAA Programs |
The 8 Teams at the 2026 College World Series
All eight programs in Omaha carry Little League alumni on their rosters. West Virginia leads with 18 alumni. The University of Texas follows with 17. Oklahoma and Georgia round out the top four with 13 and 12, respectively.

West Virginia
18
LL Alumni
Texas
17
LL Alumni
Oklahoma
13
LL Alumni
Georgia
12
LL Alumni
Troy
11
LL Alumni
Ole Miss
8
LL Alumni
North Carolina
8
LL Alumni
Alabama
8
LL Alumni
Notable Little League Alumni in Omaha
Among the nearly 100 alumni in Omaha, two names stand out. Blake Cavill is the only player in Omaha with a confirmed Little League World Series appearance. Dylan Volantis of Texas is one of the most talked-about individual players heading into the championship week.

2015 LLBWS Alumni
Blake Cavill
Troy University / Cronulla LL, Sydney, Australia
Pitched for Australia at the 2015 Little League Baseball World Series. Threw 3.2 innings, struck out 10, and allowed just two unearned runs. The only Omaha player with a confirmed LLWS appearance on his resume.
CWS Headliner
Dylan Volantis
University of Texas / Thousand Oaks LL, California
Named one of the biggest individual stars heading into the 2026 College World Series by national college baseball outlets. Started his career at Thousand Oaks Little League in California before reaching the biggest stage in college baseball.
Full Little League Alumni List by Team
Below is the complete list of nearly 100 Little League alumni competing at the 2026 College World Series. Each player is listed with the local Little League in which they grew up playing.
West Virginia University
| Matthew Graveline | Hardscrabble LL, Brookville, OH |
| JJ Glasscock | Central Loudoun National LL, Leesburg, VA |
| Maxwell Molessa | Worthington LL, Parkersburg, WV |
| Bryson Hoff | Winfield, LL, WV |
| Ryan Maggy | Plattsburgh LL, NY |
| Brock Wills | St. Cloud LL, FL |
| Matt Ineich | Commerce LL, MI |
| Ian Korn | York, LL, PA |
| Luke Lyman | Clarke County LL, Berryville, VA |
| Ben Lumsden | Fountain Inn LL, SC |
| JD Costanzo | Ingomar Franklin Park LL, PA |
| Dawson Montesa | Forest Hills, LL, NY |
| Hudson Cavallo | Lagrange LL, NY |
| Carson Estridge | Bull Run LL, Gainesville, VA |
| JT Huether | Fort Myers American LL, FL |
| Weston Smith | Hurricane LL, WV |
| Andrew Middleton | Canton LL, MA |
| Ben McDougal | Bridgeport LL, WV |
Troy University
| Steven Meier | Greater Richland LL, WA |
| Aaron Piasecki | Roosevelt Park Youth Athletics LL, MI |
| Nolan Book | Manheim Central LL, PA |
| Lucas Litteral | Paintsville LL, KY |
| Zach Crotchfelt | Jackson Holbrook, LL, NJ |
| Caden Reeves | Irmo LL, SC |
| Dylan Alonso | Rabun County LL, Clayton, GA |
| Jackson Lucas | Venice, LL, FL |
| Benjamin Stubbs | Vine-Ingle LL, Macon, GA |
| Blake Cavill | Cronulla LL, Sydney, Australia |
| Chase Cartron | Huntsville Eastern LL, AL |
| Nico Azpilcueta | Sherman Oaks Southern LL, CA |
| Dillon Kuehl | Urbandale LL, IA |
University of Mississippi
| Dom Decker | Silver Creek LL, Sellersburg, IN |
| Austin Fawley | East Boynton Beach LL, FL |
| Daniel Pacella | Mundelein LL, IL |
| Tristan Bissetta | Greenville LL, SC |
| Terry Hayes Jr. | Renton LL, WA |
| Blake Ilitch | Grosse Pointe Farms-City LL, MI |
| Evan Farrow | Northwest National LL, Austin, TX |
| Taylor Rabe | Foothills LL and Greenville LL, SC |
University of North Carolina
| Owen Hull | Alexandria Baseball LL, VA |
| Carter French | Bayshore LL, Tampa, FL |
| Matthew Matthijs | Greenville, LL, NC |
| Boston Flannery | New City National LL, NY |
| Riley Leatherman | Hamel LL, MN |
| Erik Paulsen | Massapequa International LL, NY |
| Amos Rich | Mountaineer LL, Waynesville, NC |
| Tim Lawson | Bonita Springs LL, FL |
| Andrew Wallen | Tar Heel LL, Greenville, NC |
University of Georgia
| Michael O’Shaughnessy | Tri Village LL, Delmar, NY |
| Jack Arcamone | Trumbull, LL, CT |
| Rylan Lujo | Coconut Creek LL, FL |
| Matt Scott | Jesse P Sanford Boys and Girls Club LL, Redding, CT |
| Caden Aoki | Huntington Valley LL, Huntington Beach, CA |
| Ty Peeples | Franklin, LL, Lavonia, GA |
| Zach Brown | South Sunrise LL, Orange, CA |
| TL Saxon | Oconee County American LL, GA |
| Dylan Vigue | Leominster, LL, MA |
| Logan Spivey | Spalding County LL, GA |
| Thomas Ellisen | Appleton LL, WI |
| Mason Kosowick | Fossil Creek LL, Fort Worth, TX |
University of Alabama
| Sam Christiansen | Four Peeks LL, Mesa, AZ |
| Evan Taylor | Ocean City Youth Athletic Association LL, NJ |
| Brady Neal | Chaires-Capitola LL, Tallahassee, FL |
| Luke Smyers | Tuckahoe LL, Henrico, VA |
| Owen Sarna | TCFM LL, Tega Cay, SC |
| Evan Steckmesser | Huntsville American LL, AL |
| Ashton Crowther | Greater Holiday LL, FL |
| Connor Lehman | Stewart County LL, TN |
Oklahoma University
| Camden Johnson | Boerne LL, TX |
| Connor Larkin | Dry Creek Baseball LL, Centennial, CO |
| Jaxon Grossman | Maui Upcountry LL, Pukalani, HI |
| LJ Mercurius | Spring Valley LL and Peccole LL, Las Vegas, NV |
| Xander Mercurius | Peccole LL, Las Vegas, NV |
| Mason Bixby | McAllister Park LL, San Antonio, TX |
| Drew Rerick | Fargo LL, ND |
| Jaden Barfield | Pearland West LL, TX |
| Isaac Williams | Fleming Island LL, FL |
| Jason Bodin | Bridge City, LL, TX |
| Gunnar Dillard | Wall LL, San Angelo, TX |
| Reid Hensley | Lufkin, LL, TX |
| Nate Smithberg | Jefferson County LL, IA |
University of Texas
| Andrew Ermis | McAllister Park LL, San Antonio, TX |
| Jonah Williams | Galveston LL, TX |
| Kade Bing | West League Booster Club LL, West, TX |
| Ruger Riojas | Wimberly, LL, TX |
| Presley Courville | South Lake Charles LL, LA |
| Cal Higgins | Kearney, LL, NE |
| Casey Borba | Eastvale, LL, CA |
| Connor McCreery | Williston Park LL, NY |
| Callum Early | Huguenot LL, Midlothian, VA |
| Max Grubbs | Arlington Southwest LL, TX |
| Cody Howard | Orwell American LL, Spring, TX |
| Ethan Walker | Dulles National LL, Ashburn, VA |
| Hudson Hamilton | Orwall American LL, Spring, TX |
| Luke Harrison | Bayside Area LL, Seabrook, TX |
| Brody Walls | North Texas LL, Carrollton, TX |
| Brett Crossland | Ahwatukee American LL, Phoenix, AZ |
| Dylan Volantis | Thousand Oaks LL, CA |
The Little League to College Baseball Pipeline
The presence of nearly 100 Little League alumni at the 2026 College World Series is not a coincidence. Little League is the foundation of baseball development in the United States and several other countries. Players who compete at the local level carry the fundamental skills that college coaches recruit at the highest level.
What This List Tells Us
The Little League program runs across more than 80 countries and involves over two million players every summer. The path from a local league to Omaha is long, but this list confirms it is a real one for hundreds of players every generation.
How to Watch the 2026 College World Series
| Venue | Charles Schwab Field Omaha |
| First Game | June 12, 2026 |
| Championship | Starts June 20 |
| Channels | ESPN, ESPN2, ABC, ESPNU |
The 2026 College World Series airs on ESPN, ESPN2, ABC, ESPNU, the SEC Network, and the ACC Network. The same ESPN platforms that carry the LLWS in August also carry the College World Series in June. See the full TV channel guide for streaming options for ESPN and ESPN2.
Connection to the 2026 Little League World Series
Every player in Omaha was a Little Leaguer once. The kids playing in South Williamsport this August are on the same path that those college players started on years ago. The 2026 Little League World Series runs from August 19 to 30 at Howard J. Lamade Stadium in South Williamsport, Pennsylvania.
Twenty teams compete in Williamsport, all of them regional tournament winners. The games are free to attend. The hill behind the outfield at Lamade Stadium holds 30,000 fans and never requires a ticket. Some of the kids playing in August 2026 may be playing in Omaha themselves by 2030 or 2031.
Conclusion
Nearly 100 players at the 2026 College World Series started their baseball career in a Little League program. West Virginia leads all teams with 18 alumni. Texas has 17. Blake Cavill of Troy University is the only player in Omaha with a confirmed Little League World Series appearance, pitching for Australia in 2015.
The College World Series championship best-of-three begins June 20. The 2026 LLWS follows two months later in August. For the full history of the program these players grew up in, see the complete LLWS history guide.





