Five of the Nation’s Best Collegiate Hurlers Named Finalists for the 2026 Pitcher of the Year Award

OVERLAND PARK, Kan. – Five of the nation’s top hurlers have been named finalists for the National Pitcher of the Year it was announced by the College Baseball Foundation on Thursday.

Finalists include Mason Edwards (LHP, USC), Jackson Flora (RHP, UCSB), Aidan King (RHP, Florida), Dylan Volantis (LHP, Texas) and Maxx Yehl (LHP, West Virginia). The distinguished group of pitchers include players from four different conferences.

Four finalists claimed their respective conference pitcher of the year awards: Edwards (USC – BIG TEN), Flora (UCSB – Big West), King (Florida – SEC) and Yehl (West Virginia – Big 12). All five finalists earned first-team all-conference honors.

The 2026 Pitcher of the Year Award will be announced at a press conference scheduled for 1:30 p.m. ET/12:30 p.m. CT on Saturday, June 13, in the media room at Charles Schwab Field, prior to the start of the second day of action at the MCWS.

In addition to the Pitcher of the Year Award, the winners of the Brooks Wallace Award, the Buster Posey Award, presented by Hasty Awards (nation’s top catcher), the John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year Award, the Bobby Bragan National Collegiate Slugger Award, the Wayne Graham Award for Teaching Excellence and the Skip Bertman Coach of the Year Award, presented by Marucci, will also be announced.

“Throughout a long season, these five pitchers have separated themselves by consistently turning in great performances every time they took the baseball," Pitcher of the Year Award chair Brian Melakian said. “There is no doubt that this year’s winner will belong among the distinguished group of pitchers who have been honored with this prestigious award.”

Edwards delivered a breakout season that places him firmly among the nation’s elite. The junior left-hander anchored USC’s staff with an unblemished 8–0 record across 16 starts with a stellar 1.85 ERA and 1.00 WHIP over 92.2 innings pitched. He racked up an impressive 164 strikeouts, averaging a nation-leading 15.93 strikeouts per nine innings, while holding opponents to just a .153 batting average. He allowed only three home runs all season and ranks second nationally in hits allowed per nine innings. Entering the Super Regionals, Edwards owns the No. 2 ERA in the country. The Big Ten Pitcher of the Year posted 29.2 consecutive scoreless innings to open the season and earned four Big Ten Pitcher of the Week honors. His strikeout total ranks fourth all-time in program history.

Flora emerged as one of the most dominant pitchers in collegiate baseball, delivering a historic season for UC Santa Barbara. The right-hander put together an extraordinary campaign, going a perfect 12–0 across 16 starts while posting a remarkable 1.06 ERA and 0.85 WHIP over 102.0 innings pitched with 133 batters while limiting opponents to a mere .155 batting average. The Big West Pitcher of the Year led the nation in ERA, total victories, and hits allowed per nine innings, while ranking third nationally in WHIP. He set a UCSB's single-season Division I ERA record and surpassed the program’s single-season strikeout mark. His 12-win season also tied for second-most victories in a single season in program history.

King delivered a standout season at Florida highlighted by being named the Southeastern Conference Pitcher of the Year. The right-hander became the fourth underclassman in conference history to receive the award. King made all 16 scheduled starts for the Gators, finishing with an 8–2 record, a 3.21 ERA and 1.03 WHIP across 87.0 innings pitched. He compiled a stellar 92-to-19 strikeout-to-walk ratio and held opposing batters to a .218 batting average while allowing four home runs all season. As a true workhorse, King led the team with eight quality starts, including six in SEC play.

As one of the premier arms in college baseball, Volantis delivered a dominant season by compiling a 9–1 record across 14 starts, pairing it with a stellar 1.94 ERA and .94 WHIP over 83.1 innings pitched with 116 strikeouts while holding opposing hitters to a .181 batting average. He ranked third in the SEC in strikeouts. Entering the Super Regionals, he ranks third in the country in ERA and sixth in WHIP. His impact goes beyond a single season as he owns the lowest career ERA in the nation at 1.94 among active pitchers. The All-SEC First Team honoree was named SEC Co-Pitcher of the Week three times.

Yehl, who returned after recovering from Tommy John surgery in 2025, anchored West Virginia’s pitching staff and emerged as one of the top arms in the Big 12. The Big 12 Pitcher of the Year finished with an outstanding 8–2 record across 16 starts, while posting a 2.12 ERA and 1.06 WHIP over 85.0 innings pitched. He struck out 101 batters and limited hitters to a .218 batting average. Yehl ranked sixth in the Big 12 in strikeouts, second in wins, and second in WHIP, highlighting both his effectiveness and consistency. He is the third player in program history to receive the conference's top award.

Jake Knapp of the University of North Carolina was the 2025 National Pitcher of the Year.

The National Pitcher of the Year Award was first awarded in 2009. Previous winners of the award are Stephen Strasburg, RHP, San Diego State, 2009; Alex Wimmers, RHP, Ohio State, 2010; Trevor Bauer, UCLA, RHP, 2011; Mark Appel, RHP, Stanford, 2012; Jonathan Gray, RHP, Oklahoma, 2013; Aaron Nola, RHP, LSU, 2014; Carson Fulmer, RHP, Vanderbilt, 2015; Eric Lauer, LHP, Kent State, 2016; Steven Gingery, LHP, Texas Tech, 2017; Luke Heimlich, LHP, Oregon State, 2018; Ethan Small, LHP, Mississippi State, 2019; Kevin Kopps, RHP, Arkansas, 2021; Cooper

Hjerpe, LHP, Oregon State, 2022; Paul Skenes, RHP, LSU, 2023 ; Hagen Smith, LHP, Arkansas, 2024 and Jake Knapp, RHP, North Carolina, 2025.

For more information on the Pitcher of the Year Award, visit the College Baseball Foundation website at www.collegebaseballhall.org.

2026 NATIONAL PITCHER OF THE YEAR AWARD FINALISTS

Name, Position, Class, School, Hometown, Conference

• Mason Edwards, LHP, Junior, USC, Los Angeles, California, BIG TEN

• Jackson Flora, RHP, Junior, UCSB, Pleasanton, California, Big West

• Aidan King, RHP, Sophomore, Florida, SEC

• Dylan Volantis, LHP, Sophomore, Texas, Thousand Oaks, California, SEC

• Maxx Yehl, LHP, RS-Junior, West Virginia, Portville, N.Y., Big 12