Alumni Roundup: Week 13

May 11, 2026


The home stretch of the college season is finally here. Some of the big time programs are wrapping up the regular season, while small school powers are making a postseason run. Our alums at every level are showing out and have earned some hardware for their efforts. Many more accolades are sure to come but congratulations are in order for Division II GLIAC’s Freshman of the Year, Drew Kosteba (Purdue Northwest).

Here are more highlights from the past week:

Hunter Dietz (Arkansas) was razor sharp again in Arkansas’ win over Oklahoma on Friday in Fayetteville. Seven innings of one-run, two-hit ball led Arkansas to another win with Dietz on the bump. Dietz has 108 K’s which still leads the conference, and he holds a slim margin over Valincius who’s in second place with 105. Dietz and the Hogs will square off against Kentucky in the regular season finale beginning Thursday.


Tomas Valincius (Mississippi State) is about to finish up his first regular season in the SEC, but he hopes to have a lengthy postseason run. As the ace of the Bulldogs staff, he’s the right guy to lean on and he likely won’t cool off any time soon. On Thursday against highly-ranked Auburn, Valincius went 6.2 innings with three runs allowed on four hits. He struck out 13 hitters to secure his eighth win on the year. His 105 K’s puts him right behind Dietz for the SEC lead. Valincius has been a workhorse this season and ranks third in the SEC with 75 innings and 13 starts. He gets the ball one last time in the regular season against Texas A&M.


Jimmy Anderson (Heartland) had seven hits in the NJCAA Region 24 tournament, where the Hawks swept the three game tournament. Anderson drove in three and upped his average to .466 – the highest it's been since late March. The Hawks take on Illinois Central College in the Central District Championships beginning Thursday. Teammate and Top Tier alum, Jake Parpet made the most of his Region 24 tournament with a pair of XBH's including a homer. 


Wes Mendes (Florida State) picked up his ninth win on the year with a six-inning, three-run performance at Clemson. He struck out 10 Tigers in the outing putting him over the 100 strikeout threshold. Mendes gets the ball on Thursday in Tallahassee against Miami in the final series of the regular season.


Steven Milam (LSU) had four hits on the week with three being XBH and drove in six runners despite a rough stretch for LSU. Elijah McNeal had four hits of his own with a pair of doubles in a three-win week for UC Davis.


Jack Bauer (Mississippi State) had a strong showing in relief on Thursday evening following up Valincius’ gem. He threw 2.1 innings and struck out a pair to lock up a series opening win against Auburn. His Saturday outing against the Tigers was a bit rocky, allowing a few runs in a brief 19-pitch stint.


Vytas Valincius (Mississippi State) had four hits in two games against Auburn. He drove in a run in the opener.

Lucas Smith (UIC) hit his third homer of the year in a productive week for the UIC outfielder. Smith had three hits and four knocked in, including a two-run shot in the opener.


Cade Kurland (Florida) hit his third homer in a win against Kentucky and added four more hits on the week as Florida won the series against the Wildcats. Gators check in at No. 19 in the D1Baseball.com rankings.


Tommy Townsend (Xavier) had three hits on the week and reached four more times via walk. He drove in a run against his former team, Butler, in Indianapolis.


CJ Deckinga (Michigan State) had a pair of doubles in a five-hit week for the Michigan State freshman. He’s consistently raised his average and heads into the final weekend with a .231 BA. MSU went 2-2 on the week and dropped the weekend series to Ohio State.


Graham Mastros (Illinois State) tallied eight hits in four games for Illinois State last week. He hit three homers and drove in five. Mastros has now hit 13 homers this season which is a career high, topping his previous career high of five.


Drew Kosteba (Purdue Northwest) earned Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) honors as the freshman of the year – the first to win the award in program history. He hit .329 on the year and led the team in a handful of offensive categories. Kosteba also earned Second Team All-GLIAC.

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