Alumni Roundup: Week Nine

April 14, 2026


Now in mid-April, we've got about a month remaining in the regular season. Some of our guys are holding onto conference leads in statistical categories, while others are on ranked squads looking forward to securing high seeds in their conference tournaments.

We'll give you a look at who's hot this week and who to keep an eye on as we get towards the later stages of the 2026 campaign

Here's the ninth edition of the weekly alumni roundup:

Tomas Valincius drew the Friday start for Mississippi State and worked six innings in a no-decision against Tennessee. He allowed three runs on eight hits while striking out six. Valincius holds a 1.53 ERA on the season and is in line to start next weekend as the Bulldogs travel to Columbia to face South Carolina.


Vytas Valincius saw limited action during the week, totaling eight at-bats across games against UAB and Tennessee. He recorded a triple in the midweek win over UAB but went hitless in four at-bats in the series finale. Mississippi State will head to South Carolina next weekend, where Vytas began his collegiate career.


Jack Bauer made an appearance on Friday against Tennessee, tossing one inning. He allowed one run on two hits while striking out two.


Graham Mastros (Illinois State) collected four hits for the Redbirds last week. The team went 2-2 on the week.


Josh Outlaw (Illinois State) extended his hitting streak to seven games and delivered a key moment in Tuesday’s midweek matchup. He lined a walk-off single through the left side to lift Illinois State to a 5-4 comeback win over Saint Louis after the Redbirds trailed 4-2 in the ninth inning.


Brayden Zilis (Illinois State) logged 3.1 innings against Saint Louis, allowing one run on three hits. It marked the freshman’s third appearance of the season and his longest outing to date.


Jaden Correa put together a highly productive week as Morehead State went 2-2. He collected eight hits, recording multi-hit performances in three games. Correa also hit three home runs in the weekend series against SEMO, including two in Sunday’s finale to help secure a win. He is now hitting .333 on the season with 12 home runs, ranking third in the conference, and sits second in RBI with a month remaining in the season.


Jimmy Anderson (Heartland CC) saw his season-long hitting streak come to an end on Tuesday against Rock Valley College but continued to swing a hot bat. He is hitting .451 on the year and turned in another strong week, highlighted by a three-hit performance against Vincennes on Friday. Anderson drove in 10 runs during the week and added his 17th home run of the 2026 campaign.


Hunter Dietz (Arkansas) received a no-decision in his Friday start at Alabama, working six innings while allowing two runs on three hits. He struck out nine as Arkansas went on to win 7-5, the first of three wins in a series sweep. Dietz now leads the SEC with 78 strikeouts, holding a six-strikeout advantage over Tomas Valincius.


Colin Pfeifer (Purdue Northwest) went five scoreless against St. Francis (Ill.) on Saturday in a 6-0 win for PNW. He struck out five and allowed just two hits and a pair of HBP. Pfeifer was the winning pitcher, giving him his first collegiate win.


Lucas Smith (UIC) recorded four hits last week in games against Northwestern and Murray State. He is now hitting .264 on the season as his team prepares for upcoming matchups against Northwestern and Valparaiso.


Cal Schembra (Valparaiso) has cooled off slightly after a strong start to the season. The freshman collected three hits last week and drove in six runs. He is currently hitting .269 on the year.


Zach Kwasny (Ball State) made the start on Sunday against Akron, working 4.1 innings. He allowed two runs on six hits while striking out three, earning a no-decision. Kwasny lowered his season ERA to 5.90 in the outing.

CJ Deckinga (Michigan State) hit a grand slam in the series finale against Michigan to propel the Spartans to a win. He drove in five on the day bringing his season RBI total to 20. Deckinga has five homers to his credit this season. 

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