ITHACA, N.Y. — With 11 newcomers and two new assistant coaches joining the Cornell baseball coaching staff, the Big Red will have a new identity for the upcoming 2026 season.

"We're trying to find our way," said Ted Thoren Head Coach Dan Pepicelli. "We have some new faces on the field, but I've been very happy with what they've been able to do. I think it's going to be a team that has a different identity than last year."

That identity will center on both pitching and defense. The Big Red's pitching approach has been revitalized by the addition of pitching coach Kyle Canavally, who arrives to Cornell after serving as the pitching coach at SUNY Brockport, a Division III program in a western suburb of Rochester.

"I really like what he's doing with the pitchers," Pepicelli said of Canavally. "I think we're going to pound the strike zone more. He's doing a great job with them."

Defense has been a hallmark of Pepicelli's teams recently, with the Big Red setting single-season records in each of the last two seasons. Cornell is one of 21 Division I programs that has had a fielding percentage of .975 or better in the last two seasons.

"They're very conscientious about their work. Their work is very intentional," Pepicelli said. "They take a lot of ground balls. They show up in all kinds of weather here and hit ground balls to each other. They're very talented athletically, but on top of that, they put a lot of work in. When you have that combination, I think you usually have something special."

The combination of improved pitching command and elite defense should keep Cornell competitive throughout the season.

"I really like what we're doing on the mound. We're pounding the zone," Pepicelli said. "We've got a really strong defense that we can lean on. If we throw more strikes and our defense is as good as it is, we'll be in every game."

Offensively, the Big Red are evolving from the power-heavy approach of recent seasons toward something more balanced.

"I think offensively, we are a comprehensive offense. We can do a number of things," Pepicelli said. "We can play small ball and we've got some pop. We're going to be more versatile offensively than people realize. Last year, we had older hitters and we could slam the ball out of the yard a little bit, but also had some cold streaks because of that. We changed the makeup of the offense and are trying to go with something a little more comprehensive."

 

PITCHERS
Letterwinners returning (5): John Hegarty, Huxley Holcombe, Sam Keene Carson Mayfield, Josh Shea
Other returners (12): Graham Biben, Max Foster, John Gerfen, Ethan Hamill, Nathaniel Jennewein, Braeden Johnson, Noah Keller, Gus Magill, Ethan McHugh, Tavian Ramos, Will Siwinski, Ethan Van Sice
Newcomers (6): Andrew Houghton, Connor Niemiec, Tony Silva, Alex Stoyer, Michael Tight, Ross Yoshida

Cornell returns one of the deepest pitching staffs in the nation, bringing back 81.8 percent of their innings pitched from last season — the seventh-highest mark in Division I baseball, according to D1Baseball.com. Only Delaware State (94 percent), Evansville (86 percent), Arkansas State (84 percent), Mount St. Mary's (84 percent), Indiana State (83 percent) and Air Force (82 percent) return more.

Over the past two seasons, Cornell has 65 of 72 games started returning (90.2 percent) and more than 72 percent of innings pitched (446 of 618).

"Anytime you have older guys, they've experienced a number of things," Pepicelli said. "We've got a few guys that have been through the wars for us at the Ivy League Tournament two years ago and last year. Anytime there's experience, you can relax yourself on the mound and rely on your talent and your focus to get you through."

Pepicelli believes this could be one of his deepest staffs at Cornell — if the Big Red can stay healthy.

"It seems to be right now, but we'll know the depth of it after the first weekend," he said. "We got to keep people healthy. It's running rampant through baseball right now, the amount of people getting hurt, so that's making the depth look even better. We got to keep those guys healthy and keep them in the strike zone. If we do those two things, I think it's an older pitching staff that could be tough to deal with."

Senior right-hander Carson Mayfield leads the returning starters. After an injury-shortened sophomore season, Mayfield bounced back with a stellar junior campaign, highlighted by pitching five no-hit innings in Cornell's season-opening upset of No. 17 Duke and in his regular-season finale against Princeton. He finished 2-2 with a team-best 4.26 ERA among starters, struck out 56 batters in 61 1/3 innings, and limited opponents to a .191 batting average.

Fellow senior right-hander Ethan Hamill returns from injury after missing all of 2025. In 2024, Hamill logged a team-high 58 1/3 innings with a 5.71 ERA across 12 appearances (nine starts), providing crucial depth to the rotation.

"It's good to have him back," Pepicelli said. "He really solidifies things on the mound. He gives us depth. He's a calm, experienced presence and really important to us. We love it when he's on the mound — we know we're going to be competitive that day."

CATCHERS
Letterwinners returning: None
Other returners (3): Mason Barela, Ryan Dillon, Jackson Marko
Newcomers: None

One of the biggest question marks for the Big Red this season is who will replace the production of catcher Mark Quatrani, who transferred to Notre Dame. During his two years on East Hill, Quatrani slashed .338/.461/.612 with 17 home runs — tied for seventh in program history — and 67 RBI.

Sophomore Mason Barela, who backed up Quatrani last season, has taken over the starting role.

"Mason's done a really nice job," Pepicelli said. "We've intersquadded quite a bit during the fall and in the four weeks leading up to this opening weekend and he's been really good. He's a calming influence with the pitchers. He's got great energy. Mark was first-team All-Ivy catcher two years in a row — I don't know if it's fair to put that on Mason — but in Mason's own, authentic way, he can be really good for us."
 

INFIELDERS
Letterwinners returning (4): Owen Carlson, Kevin Hager, Luke Johnson, TJ Swidorski
Other returners (2): Jayden Shin, Beck Urofsky
Newcomers: None

The Big Red also lost infielder Max Jensen, who was injured in late March and missed the rest of the season and is spending a post-grad season at SEC power Vanderbilt. Jensen slashed .312/.410/.502 in 124 career games with the Big Red with 36 doubles, five triples, 15 home runs and 101 RBI. His presence in the field will be tough to replicate as he committed just 11 errors in 891 fielding chances, good for a .988 fielding percentage.

Cornell is moving senior TJ Swidorski from the left side of the infield to first base to fill Jensen's vacancy.

"TJ was a good shortstop, so we feel really good about the hands and the savvy and the footwork that he's bringing to it," Pepicelli said. "I don't foresee a lot of changes with [the infielders], as long as we stay healthy. They're a really good group, really talented, play hard together. They're fun to watch."

Cornell is expecting juniors Owen Carlson (second base) and Kevin Hager (shortstop) to remain their twin-killing duo up the middle this season. Carlson batted .269 last season with two doubles, one triple and 13 RBI. Hager also had a successful sophomore campaign, slashing .276/.410/.382 with seven doubles, two home runs and 21 RBI. The two combined for just eight errors in 268 fielding chances last season (.970 fielding percentage).

"You always want your strength up the middle," Pepicelli said. "We've got real good athletes, good competitors that communicate very well with each other. I'm excited that we're so strong up the middle."

Carlson has made noticeable strides heading into his junior season.

"Owen came back stronger than he's ever been and I really noticed the difference with him swinging a bat," Pepicelli said.

Junior Luke Johnson appears poised to remain the Big Red's starting third baseman for a second straight season, where he made 21 starts a season ago.

"Assistant coaches John Toppa and McGwire Tuffy have really worked with Luke and I really like his plan right now offensively," Pepicelli said. "He's a little bit of a different player than what we've seen in the first two years. You're going to see a different player. He's got good bat coverage, handles the fastball. He looks good."

Another player to watch is sophomore Jayden Shin, who appeared in one game off the bench last season and has stood out during the preseason.

"He didn't play much last year, but he's had a real good preseason. He's going to get his opportunities here early on to show what he can do," Pepicelli said. "It's a quick season — we play 40 games in a short period of time. Everybody in the lineup has to grab onto their opportunity to make the most of it because we can't wait around for guys to find themselves."

OUTFIELDERS
Letterwinners returning (1): Caden Wildman
Other returners (2): Tyler Beaulieu, Matthew Walters
Newcomers (5): Troy Ashkinos, Aiden Barclay, Caden Callaway, Jake Hower, Trent Lopez

Cornell's new-look outfield will lead Big Red baseball fans to take some time getting used to, with center fielder Jakobi Davis, who spent over three years quarterbacking the Big Red's outfield, and John Quinlan both graduating.

Senior Caden Wildman is moving from right field to center field after batting a career-high .282 with seven doubles, three home runs, 17 RBI and nine stolen bases last season.

"He's such a good athlete and good defender, I don't have any reservations," Pepicelli said. "He played really well this past weekend when we scrimmaged. I feel like he's good there."

The left field competition features multiple options depending on the game situation.

"There's a couple of different options," Pepicelli said. "We've got a freshman, Caden Callaway, who's fast and a good athlete. He's a backup shortstop, but he's a good left fielder, so when we want a little bit of a speed lineup, we can use him. Aiden Barkley is another guy that can split some time out there — he's more of a thumper; a big guy with a very different approach offensively."

In right field, freshman Jake Hower has impressed during the preseason.

"Jake's done a really nice job. He's a really good athlete," Pepicelli said. "We're going to learn because we're going to face somebody with different color uniforms than us and we'll get a better idea of who's what."