Troy University Athletics
Troy Baseball 2026 Summer League Roundup
8/25/2026 9:10:00 AM | Baseball
TROY, Ala. — Coming off a historic first-ever trip to the NCAA Men's College World Series, several Troy baseball players kept the momentum going with standout performances in top summer leagues across the nation.
This past summer, 21 Trojans competed against elite collegiate talent nationwide. Stacked with All-Star selections, league awards, and national team experience, the group returns to Troy primed for the 2027 season.
The Trojans delivered a complete team effort this summer, stacking up 186 strikeouts from 11 different arms on the mound while the offense accounted for 151 hits, 137 runs, and 22 home runs.
With the summer season wrapping up, here is a closer look at how the Trojans performed on the diamond over the past few months.
On The Mound
Noah Thigpen - Brewster Whitecaps - Cape Cod League
In 11.2 innings for the Whitecaps during the regular season, Thigpen tossed four scoreless and hitless outings. He only surrendered three hits and owned a dominant 0.77 ERA through five regular season appearances. In his lone postseason performance, the right-handed pitcher went 4.2 innings while striking out seven opposing batters.
Grady Bivens - Cotuit Kettlers - Cape Cod League
Bivens led the Cape Cod League in regular season innings pitched (31.2) across seven starts for the Kettlers. The right-handed pitcher notched 13 punchouts and recorded a 3.41 ERA.
RJ Anglin - Kalamazoo Growlers - Northwoods League
In nine regular season games for the Growlers, Anglin racked up a whopping 39 strikeouts with a 3.77 ERA in 28.2 IP. He recorded three straight games where he tossed eight strikeouts. Anglin capped off his summer by earning an All-Star nod, where he logged a strikeout in 0.2 scoreless innings during the marquee game.
Matteo Pare - Thunder Bay Border Cats - Northwoods League
Pare made eight starts for the Border Cats where the fourth-year pitcher notched 21 strikeouts in 25.1 IP. In an 8-0 victory over the Duluth Huskies, Pare went seven full innings and struck out eight while surrendering one hit.
Noah Marschke - Wisconsin Rapids Rafters - Northwoods League
The Madison College transfer completed his third season playing for the Rafters of the Northwoods League where he appeared in nine contests and 27.1 innings. The lefty pitcher tallied 37 strikeouts and a save while posting a 1.02 WHIP. In his first outing of the summer, Marschke struck out seven of the 11 batters he faced in 3.1 hitless innings.
Sam Neal - Wisconsin Rapids Rafters - Northwoods League
The second Trojan to play for the Rafters this summer appeared in six games and 24 innings. Neal tallied 19 strikeouts and recorded a 3-1 record in his first Northwoods League stint.
Jackson Lucas - Harrisonburg Turks - Valley Baseball League
Lucas had a phenomenal summer for the Turks in the Valley Baseball League. The left-handed dealer went 3-0 with three starts in four appearances across 19.2 innings. The second-year Trojan racked up 16 strikeouts including a six-strikeout debut. He received an All-Star nod while posting a 1.83 ERA and a 0.97 WHIP.
Brady Richardson - Elizabethton River Riders - Appalachian League
In 9.1 innings for the River Riders, Richardson posted 10 strikeouts and an ERA of 3.86. The second-year, two-way player for the Trojans also tacked on 17 walks, 13 runs, 10 hits, with a double, triple, and a home run at the plate this summer.
Position Players
Jimmy Janicki - Team USA
A stellar 2026 campaign resulted in the program's second player to be invited to Team USA's Collegiate National Training Camp (Brooks Bryan, 2024). Unfortunately, Janicki's time in Cary, North Carolina, was cut short due to an injury the third-year catcher suffered in the first scrimmage.
Ty McGraw - Lincoln Potters - Pacific Empire League
McGraw made his presence felt this summer, earning Pacific Empire League (PEL) Player of the Year and All-Star honors. The native of Gardendale, Alabama, exploded for a .366 batting average and a 1.280 OPS with 41 RBIs, 37 hits, 23 walks, 10 homers, and two triples in 101 at-bats. McGraw led the PEL in hits, home runs, RBIs, and total bases.
Payton Knowles - Walla Walla Sweets - West Coast Collegiate League
The incoming standout transfer maintained his First Team All-WCC play for the Sweets' this summer. In 35 games and 132 at-bats, Knowles posted a .295 batting average while adding 39 hits, 32 runs, 31 walks, 28 RBIs, two triples and two homers. He was also named to the WCL All-Star team.
Hudson Reed - Leesburg Lightning - Florida Collegiate League
The Sun Belt Conference's top-ranked recruit heading into 2027 did not slow down any during his summer league stint with the Lightning. In just 19 games and 65 at-bats, Reed batted .262 with 17 hits, 16 RBIs, 14 runs, two homers and a triple. The incoming Trojan capped off his summer by receiving All-Star honors.
Kam Jenkins - Pulaski River Turtles - Appalachian League
Jenkins was stellar for the River Turtles this summer. In the regular season, the incoming first-year player batted .340 with a 1.152 OPS. He tallied 21 RBIs, 19 runs, 16 hits, 13 walks, three homers and a triple. Jenkins topped off his stint in the Appalachian League by hitting for the cycle in the championship game.
Cody Markham - Macon Bacon - Coastal Plain League
In 54 at-bats for the Bacon, Markham slashed a .278/.310/.481 line. The Trojans' third-year outfielder posted 15 hits, 11 runs, 11 RBIs, and three homers during the regular season. In the playoffs, Markham added five hits, four RBIs, three runs, and a pair of doubles.
Rounding Out The Action
JT Long - Greeneville Flyboys - Appalachian League
In 10.2 innings of work, Long posted nine strikeouts and recorded two innings of hitless baseball as the starter against the Team USA Stars' squad during their Collegiate National Team (CNT) Training Camp.
Chase Cartron - Elizabethton River Riders - Appalachian League
The native of Huntsville, Alabama made seven appearances for the River Riders and notched nine strikeouts.
Lucas Litteral - High Point-Thomasville HiToms - Coastal Plain League
Litteral totaled six strikeouts in four innings of action for the HiToms this summer.
Cooper Williams - Bourne Braves - Cape Cod League
The Kennesaw State transfer appeared in 11 games for the Braves and had 34 at-bats where he posted a .235 batting average on eight hits with six runs and a double.
Caden Reeves - Kingsport Axmen - Appalachian League
In 13 games for the Axmen, Reeves batted .200 with 11 runs, eight hits, eight RBIs, a pair of doubles, a triple and a homer in 40 at-bats.
Zaid Diaz - Valley Blue Sox - New England Collegiate Baseball League
Diaz picked up four walks, four runs, two RBIs, and a hit in his limited action for the Valley Blue Sox.
This past summer, 21 Trojans competed against elite collegiate talent nationwide. Stacked with All-Star selections, league awards, and national team experience, the group returns to Troy primed for the 2027 season.
The Trojans delivered a complete team effort this summer, stacking up 186 strikeouts from 11 different arms on the mound while the offense accounted for 151 hits, 137 runs, and 22 home runs.
With the summer season wrapping up, here is a closer look at how the Trojans performed on the diamond over the past few months.
On The Mound
Noah Thigpen - Brewster Whitecaps - Cape Cod League
In 11.2 innings for the Whitecaps during the regular season, Thigpen tossed four scoreless and hitless outings. He only surrendered three hits and owned a dominant 0.77 ERA through five regular season appearances. In his lone postseason performance, the right-handed pitcher went 4.2 innings while striking out seven opposing batters.
Grady Bivens - Cotuit Kettlers - Cape Cod League
Bivens led the Cape Cod League in regular season innings pitched (31.2) across seven starts for the Kettlers. The right-handed pitcher notched 13 punchouts and recorded a 3.41 ERA.
RJ Anglin - Kalamazoo Growlers - Northwoods League
In nine regular season games for the Growlers, Anglin racked up a whopping 39 strikeouts with a 3.77 ERA in 28.2 IP. He recorded three straight games where he tossed eight strikeouts. Anglin capped off his summer by earning an All-Star nod, where he logged a strikeout in 0.2 scoreless innings during the marquee game.
Matteo Pare - Thunder Bay Border Cats - Northwoods League
Pare made eight starts for the Border Cats where the fourth-year pitcher notched 21 strikeouts in 25.1 IP. In an 8-0 victory over the Duluth Huskies, Pare went seven full innings and struck out eight while surrendering one hit.
Noah Marschke - Wisconsin Rapids Rafters - Northwoods League
The Madison College transfer completed his third season playing for the Rafters of the Northwoods League where he appeared in nine contests and 27.1 innings. The lefty pitcher tallied 37 strikeouts and a save while posting a 1.02 WHIP. In his first outing of the summer, Marschke struck out seven of the 11 batters he faced in 3.1 hitless innings.
Sam Neal - Wisconsin Rapids Rafters - Northwoods League
The second Trojan to play for the Rafters this summer appeared in six games and 24 innings. Neal tallied 19 strikeouts and recorded a 3-1 record in his first Northwoods League stint.
Jackson Lucas - Harrisonburg Turks - Valley Baseball League
Lucas had a phenomenal summer for the Turks in the Valley Baseball League. The left-handed dealer went 3-0 with three starts in four appearances across 19.2 innings. The second-year Trojan racked up 16 strikeouts including a six-strikeout debut. He received an All-Star nod while posting a 1.83 ERA and a 0.97 WHIP.
Brady Richardson - Elizabethton River Riders - Appalachian League
In 9.1 innings for the River Riders, Richardson posted 10 strikeouts and an ERA of 3.86. The second-year, two-way player for the Trojans also tacked on 17 walks, 13 runs, 10 hits, with a double, triple, and a home run at the plate this summer.
Position Players
Jimmy Janicki - Team USA
A stellar 2026 campaign resulted in the program's second player to be invited to Team USA's Collegiate National Training Camp (Brooks Bryan, 2024). Unfortunately, Janicki's time in Cary, North Carolina, was cut short due to an injury the third-year catcher suffered in the first scrimmage.
Ty McGraw - Lincoln Potters - Pacific Empire League
McGraw made his presence felt this summer, earning Pacific Empire League (PEL) Player of the Year and All-Star honors. The native of Gardendale, Alabama, exploded for a .366 batting average and a 1.280 OPS with 41 RBIs, 37 hits, 23 walks, 10 homers, and two triples in 101 at-bats. McGraw led the PEL in hits, home runs, RBIs, and total bases.
Payton Knowles - Walla Walla Sweets - West Coast Collegiate League
The incoming standout transfer maintained his First Team All-WCC play for the Sweets' this summer. In 35 games and 132 at-bats, Knowles posted a .295 batting average while adding 39 hits, 32 runs, 31 walks, 28 RBIs, two triples and two homers. He was also named to the WCL All-Star team.
Hudson Reed - Leesburg Lightning - Florida Collegiate League
The Sun Belt Conference's top-ranked recruit heading into 2027 did not slow down any during his summer league stint with the Lightning. In just 19 games and 65 at-bats, Reed batted .262 with 17 hits, 16 RBIs, 14 runs, two homers and a triple. The incoming Trojan capped off his summer by receiving All-Star honors.
Kam Jenkins - Pulaski River Turtles - Appalachian League
Jenkins was stellar for the River Turtles this summer. In the regular season, the incoming first-year player batted .340 with a 1.152 OPS. He tallied 21 RBIs, 19 runs, 16 hits, 13 walks, three homers and a triple. Jenkins topped off his stint in the Appalachian League by hitting for the cycle in the championship game.
Cody Markham - Macon Bacon - Coastal Plain League
In 54 at-bats for the Bacon, Markham slashed a .278/.310/.481 line. The Trojans' third-year outfielder posted 15 hits, 11 runs, 11 RBIs, and three homers during the regular season. In the playoffs, Markham added five hits, four RBIs, three runs, and a pair of doubles.
Rounding Out The Action
JT Long - Greeneville Flyboys - Appalachian League
In 10.2 innings of work, Long posted nine strikeouts and recorded two innings of hitless baseball as the starter against the Team USA Stars' squad during their Collegiate National Team (CNT) Training Camp.
Chase Cartron - Elizabethton River Riders - Appalachian League
The native of Huntsville, Alabama made seven appearances for the River Riders and notched nine strikeouts.
Lucas Litteral - High Point-Thomasville HiToms - Coastal Plain League
Litteral totaled six strikeouts in four innings of action for the HiToms this summer.
Cooper Williams - Bourne Braves - Cape Cod League
The Kennesaw State transfer appeared in 11 games for the Braves and had 34 at-bats where he posted a .235 batting average on eight hits with six runs and a double.
Caden Reeves - Kingsport Axmen - Appalachian League
In 13 games for the Axmen, Reeves batted .200 with 11 runs, eight hits, eight RBIs, a pair of doubles, a triple and a homer in 40 at-bats.
Zaid Diaz - Valley Blue Sox - New England Collegiate Baseball League
Diaz picked up four walks, four runs, two RBIs, and a hit in his limited action for the Valley Blue Sox.
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Tuesday, June 16
Sunday, June 14