Roch Cholowsky Headlines Nation’s Top Shortstops on the 2026 Brooks Wallace Player of the Year Award Watch List

OVERLAND PARK, Kansas – The nation’s best shortstops, led by 2025 Brooks Wallace Award winner Roch Cholowsky of UCLA, are featured on the 2026 watch list for the Brooks Wallace Award, which was released Wednesday by the College Baseball Foundation.

The award honors the nation's top shortstop and will be presented by the College Baseball Foundation later this year. It is named for former Texas Tech shortstop Brooks Wallace, who played for the Red Raiders from 1977 to 1980. Wallace died of leukemia at the age of 27.

The top 100 shortstops in the country were announced Wednesday, led by several players putting up tremendous offensive numbers. But because the award is reflective of more than just offense, there are numerous players putting up solid defensive numbers as well.

“Our staff is excited to get another year started looking for that special player to represent Brooks' Award,“ said Larry Wallace, co-chair of the Brooks Wallace Award. “We will dig deep to find the personal qualities as well as the physical attributes that best exemplify what we look for in the Brooks Wallace Award winner. It's early but this list is already shaping up to be a competitive race with some big numbers from some new guys and some familiar faces on the list as well.”

Cholowsky will be looking to repeat after winning the Brooks Wallace Award for an outstanding 2025 season. Cholowsky, Dee Kennedy Jr. (Kansas State) and Jake Schaffner (North Carolina) have already won Brooks Wallace Award weekly honors in 2026.

Previous winners of the award are Kurt Suzuki, C, Cal State Fullerton, 2004; Alex Gordon, 3B, Nebraska, 2005; Brad Lincoln, SP/DH, Houston, 2006; David Price, SP, Vanderbilt, 2007; Buster Posey, C, Florida State, 2008; Ben Orloff, SS, UC Irvine, 2009; Jedd Gyorko, SS, West Virginia, 2010; Brad Miller, SS, Clemson, 2011; Zach Vincej, SS, Pepperdine, 2012; Alex Bregman, SS, LSU, 2013; Trea Turner, SS, NC State, 2014; Dansby Swanson, SS, Vanderbilt, 2015; Sheldon Neuse, SS, Oklahoma, 2016; Logan Warmoth, SS, North Carolina, 2017; Cadyn Grenier, SS, Oregon State, 2018; Grae Kessinger, SS, Ole Miss, 2019; Cal Conley, SS, Texas Tech, 2021; Brooks Lee, SS, Cal Poly, 2022; Matt Shaw, SS, Maryland 2023; Griff O’Ferrall, SS, Virginia, 2024 and Roch Cholowsky, SS, UCLA 2025.

The Brooks Wallace Award is one of four weekly awards presented by the College Baseball Foundation. The CBF also awards the John Olerud Two-Way Player, National Pitcher and Buster Posey Collegiate Catcher of the Week.

“With the season now in full swing, there are so many deserving candidates for our many awards,” said Chris Snead, CBF Awards Chair. “This is just the beginning of this process that culminates in our Omaha announcements of our recipients.”

For more information on the Brooks Wallace Award or any of the CBF awards, visit the College Baseball Foundation website at www.collegebaseballhall.org.

2026 Brooks Wallace Player of the Year Award Watch List

Name, Classification, School, Conference

· Trent Abel, Junior, Cal State Northridge, Big West

· Alex Alicea, Junior, Louisville, ACC

· AJ Anderson, Junior, Alabama A&M, SWAC

· Clay Badylak, Graduate, Middle Tennessee, CUSA

· Charlie Bates, Sophomore, Stanford, ACC

· Chipper Beck, Senior, Utah Valley, WAC

· Eric Becker, Junior, Virginia, ACC

· Rodric Black, Senior, Stephen F. Austin, Southland

· Chase Bloomer, Senior, SIUE, OVC

· Braylen Blomquist, Sophomore, Wright State, Horizon

· Westin Boyle, Freshman, Purdue, Big Ten

· Kolby Branch, Senior, Georgia, SEC

· Jacob Brooks, Senior, Niagara, MAAC

· Michael Brown, Junior, Hofstra, CAA

· Cam Bryant, RS-Junior, Ohio, Mid-American

· Dawson Bryce, Junior, Charlotte, American

· Dylan Carey, Senior, Nebraska, Big Ten

· Roch Cholowsky, Junior, UCLA, Big Ten

· Andy Cisneros, Senior, Gonzaga, West Coast

· Owen Clyne, Senior George Mason, A-10

· Colton Coates, Junior, Louisiana Tech, CUSA

· Noah Coy, Sophomore, Notre Dame, ACC

· Logan Crock, Sophomore, Butler, BIG EAST

· Dylan Cupp, Junior, Dallas Baptist, CUSA

· Pete Daniel, Junior, Virginia Tech, ACC

· Micah Dean, Sophomore, ULM, SBC

· Nico DeFazio, RS-Junior, Houston Christian, Southland

· Dante DeFranco, Graduate, VCU, A-10

· Chase Diggins, Senior, Omaha, Summit

· Kyle Eddington, Junior, UMBC, America East

· Patrick Engskov, Senior, Arkansas State, SBC

· Henry Ferguson, Sophomore, East Tennessee State, Southern

· Zach Fjelstad, Junior, UC Irvine, Big West

· Gus Gandy, Sophomore, Samford, Southern

· Linkin Garcia, Freshman, Texas Tech, Big 12

· Johnathan Gomez, Sophomore, Farleigh Dickinson, Northeast

· Anthony Grabau, Sophomore, Fordham, A-10

· Jake Hajdu, Sophomore, Elon, CAA

· Kaikea Harrison, Senior, Tulane, American

· Jackson Hays, Freshman, Yale, Ivy League

· Maloy Heaghney, RS-Sophomore, USC Upstate, Big South

· Kai Holm, Graduate Lipscomb, ASUN

· Matt Ineich, Sophomore, West Virginia, Big 12

· Leighton Jenkins, Graduate, North Alabama, ASUN

· Kevin Jones, Graduate, UNCW, CAA

· Titan Kamaka, Senior, Mercer, ASUN

· Camden Karczewski, Graduate, Illinois State, MVC

· Ty Kaunas, Freshman, Maryland, Big Ten

· Brooks Kettering, Junior, Southeast Missouri State, OVC

· Boston Kellner, Freshman, Texas A&M, SEC

· Dee Kennedy Jr., Junior, Kansas State, Big 12

· Carson Kerce, Junior, Georgia Tech, ACC

· Matt Lashley, Junior, East Carolina, American

· Matt Leahy, Junior, Rider, MAAC

· Tyler Lichtenberger, Sophomore, Clemson, ACC

· Jerdy Lopez, Junior, Little Rock, OVC

· Matt Luigs, Freshman, Brown, Ivy League

· Eric Maisonet, Junior, Missouri, SEC

· DeShon Middleton, RS-Freshman, Prairie View A&M, SWAC

· Maddox Molony, Junior, Oregon, Big Ten

· Michael Maloney, Graduate, Western Michigan, MAC

· Diego Melendez, Junior, Jackson State, SWAC

· Steven Milam, Junior, LSU, SEC

· Pedro Moreno, Senior, Eastern Kentucky, ASUN

· PJ Moutzouridis, Junior, Arizona State, Big 12

· Sammy Mummau, RS-Sophomore, Jacksonville, ASUN

· Nate Negre, Sophomore, UCA, ASUN

· Ben Niednagel, Senior, Air Force, MWC

· Ben North, Graduate, Creighton, BIG EAST

· Jake Ogden, Senior, Miami, ACC

· Owen Lee, RS-Sophomore, Tennessee Tech, OVC

· Dawson Park, Sophomore, Texas State, SBC

· Conner Peek, Graduate, Georgetown, BIG EAST

· Elijah Pelayo, RS-Senior, Cal State Bakersfield, Big West

· Aaron Piasecki, Senior, Troy, SBC

· Willie Ponce, Graduate, High Point, Big South

· Adam Puder, RS-Sophomore, Saint Thomas, Summit

· Alejandro Puig, Sophomore, Dartmouth, Ivy League

· Jevin Relaford, Senior, South Florida, American

· Kyle Revere, Graduate, Oakland, Horizon

· Blaze Rodriguez, Freshman, Louisiana, SBC

· Jax Ryan, Junior, Missouri State, CUSA

· Travis Sanders, RS-Junior, Baylor, Big 12

· Sam Saucke, Freshman, Monmouth, CAA

· Jake Schaffner, Junior, North Carolina, ACC

· Kooper Schulte, Senior, Iowa, Big Ten

· Charlie Scholvin, Junior, Toledo, MAC

· Austin Sellers Sophomore, Georgia State, SBC

· Clayton Slack, Senior, Southern Indiana, OVC

· Cayden Smith, Sophomore, Central Michigan, MAC

· Seth Smith, Junior, Southern Miss, SBC

· Jack Spanier, Junior, Minnesota, Big Ten

· A.J. Taylor, Senior, Lamar, Southland

· Anthony Tirado, RS-Sophomore, UMASS, MAC

· Jonathan Trejo, Junior, Texas Southern, SWAC

· Jabin Trosky, RS-Junior, San Diego State, MWC

· Ryker Waite, Sophomore, Vanderbilt, SEC

· Karsen Waslefsky, Senior, New Mexico, MWC

· Jaxon Willits, Junior, Oklahoma, SEC

· Jonathan Xuereb, RS-Junior, Appalachian State, SBC