Baseball 2/3/2026 10:40:00 AM Kyle Jones

Gorloks Baseball Picked As Heavy Favorites In 2026 SLIAC Preseason Poll

ST. LOUIS, Mo. - The St. Louis Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SLIAC) has released the 2026 Baseball Preseason Poll. The Gorloks were picked as the favorites with 64 points that included eight first-place votes.

2025 Season Recap:
Webster enters the 2026 season coming off a 37-9 overall record that included a 17-1 record in conference play and finished #22 in the nation. The Gorloks won both the 2025 SLIAC Regular Season, the SLIAC Baseball Tournament, and hosted the Regional Tournament where their season came to an end.

2026 Roster:
The Gorloks return 24 student-athletes and five All-Conference selections while adding SLIAC All-Conference pitcher Kendall Horton. Webster returns their top three All-Conference pitching arms from last season led by the reigning 2025 SLIAC Pitcher of the Year in Ryan Greifelt. In addition to Greifelt, starting pitchers Carter Hunt (First Team All-Conference) and Elijah Rompala-Matthews (Third Team All-Conference) return for their final year of collegiate baseball. Furthermore, the Gorloks return SLIAC Third Team All-Conference outfielders James Theodore and Ryan Hartz. Lastly, Webster bring back three catches from last year's team which includes Dalton Groves, Nick Wrubluski, and Noah Jensen.

Head Coach Bill Kurich and his staff is excited to welcome five transfers and eight first-years student-athletes to the mix for 2026. The transfers included Colton Eggerding (LHP, Truman State University), Chris Lara (INF, Elgin CC), Jonah Taylor (OF, North Central University), Adam Moser (OF, University of Texas-Tyler), and Kendall Horton (RHP, Fontbonne University).

The first-year class includes four pitchers, two infielders, one catcher and one utility. The incoming pitchers are Logan Manuello (Parker, CO), Tristan Lakis (Lisle, IL), Colt Amburst (Wheaton, IL), and Jack Knapp (Lyons, CO). The two infielders are Talan Hutchings (Brighton, CO) and Braedan Trissell (Denison, TX). The incoming catcher / infielder is Cal Tiner Aurora, CO) and utility is Matthew Lanier (Longmont, CO).

The Gorloks will open the 2026 season on Friday, February 13th with a road visit to the Crusaders of Mary Hardin-Baylor starting at 6:00PM in Belton, Texas.

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Players Mentioned

#17 Carter Hunt: RHP; 6' 0"; Junior; R/R

#36 Noah Jensen: C; 6' 0"; Sophomore; R/R

#25 Elijah Rompala-Matthews: RHP; 6' 6"; Sophomore; R/R

#11 James Theodore: OF; 5' 8"; Freshman

#43 Ryan Greifelt: LHP; 5' 9"; Freshman

#13 Dalton Groves: C; 6' 0"; Senior

#27 Ryan Hartz: OF; 6' 2"; Sophomore

#8 Nick Wrubluski: C; 5' 10"; Senior

#00 Talan Hutchings: INF; 5' 11"; Freshman

#2 Colton Eggerding: LHP; 6' 4"; Graduate Student

Players Mentioned

#17 Carter Hunt
: 6' 0"; Junior; R/R
: RHP

#36 Noah Jensen
: 6' 0"; Sophomore; R/R
: C

#25 Elijah Rompala-Matthews
: 6' 6"; Sophomore; R/R
: RHP

#11 James Theodore
: 5' 8"; Freshman
: OF

#43 Ryan Greifelt
: 5' 9"; Freshman
: LHP

#13 Dalton Groves
: 6' 0"; Senior
: C

#27 Ryan Hartz
: 6' 2"; Sophomore
: OF

#8 Nick Wrubluski
: 5' 10"; Senior
: C

#00 Talan Hutchings
: 5' 11"; Freshman
: INF

#2 Colton Eggerding
: 6' 4"; Graduate Student
: LHP