The Blue Storm are coming off their most successful season in head coach David Garcia’s tenure, who’s done an excellent job in revitalizing SWIC’s baseball program. They won their end of the GRAC tournament bracket this past season and earned a trip to the District Tournament in McHenry, ending their season with a 44-14 record.

With a bulk load of their arms returning from last year’s championship-caliber club, the Blue Storm look like a worthy contender in the GRAC yet again and should be among the top JUCO clubs in the Midwest throughout the 2026 season.
 

POSITION PLAYERS

It’s going to be a relatively new offense for the Blue Storm, as a large majority of last year’s offense has graduated, including standout C Brendan Brock, who’s now at Oklahoma. There are a few impactful returners coming back, but this lineup is going to have a multitude of fresh faces that will be thrust into everyday roles in 2026.

Look for sophomore 1B Jackson Stanek (Illinois State) to be the driving force behind this offense. The left-handed hitting slugger, committed to the in-state Redbirds, had a massive fall, hitting a home run seemingly each time he stepped up to the plate. He has huge raw power that’ll profile nicely in the heart of this order, returning eight home runs and a .985 OPS in 2025. 

Jackson Stanek

Another power-packed returner is sophomore 1B Colin Ryder (Western Michigan), whose massive 6-foot-7, 255-pound frame is hard to miss. Ryder’s capable of punishing baseballs when he finds the barrel, taking a plenty loud round of BP at our SWIC Scout Day that included a max exit velocity of 105.5 mph and peak batted distance at 405 feet, per TrackMan. A recent Western Michigan commit, Ryder slashed .336/.437/.522 in 113 at-bats last season, totaling 10 extra-base hits and driving in 33 runs. 

Colin Ryder

Sophomore MIF Kolton Wright (SIUE) and sophomore MIF Geo Escandon are both back, giving the Blue Storm a stable, experienced presence on the infield. Wright can bounce around the infield defensively and saw success last year in a brief sample last year, batting .347 in 72 at-bats. Escandon flashed impact potential with the glove this fall, particularly on the left side, with the arm strength to stick there and be an impact throughout his sophomore year. He hit .284 as an everyday regular last season and should be an integral part of this club in 2026. 

Geo Escandon

There’s a few other sophomores that deserve a highlight on this SWIC club. Sophomore C AJ Bertsch swings a strong right-handed barrel and has above-average arm strength from behind the plate. R-Soph OF Wyatt Bugger was on the barrel for extra bases in a few different looks this fall. Sophomore MIF Ryan Colucci is a twitchy, athletic up-the-middle defender that ran a 6.50 60 at our scout day this past fall. Three other sophomores to know are C Connor Roepke, OF Alex Cole, and C AJ Beggs. 

Wyatt Bugger

Turning to the newcomers, one name to become plenty familiar with is freshman OF Filippo Baratta. A double-plus runner (6.31 60), Baratta really looked the part this fall, handling his own against internal and outside competition, with easy feel for the barrel and a true top-of-the-lineup profile. He fits the offensive identity that SWIC is trying to create and is primed for a strong freshman campaign as a member of the Blue Storm. 

Filippo Baratta

R-FR OF Quinn Boyer missed last season with an injury, but is back and expected to be a middle-of-the-order producer for SWIC in 2026. Boyer is a physical 6-foot-2, 205-pound right-handed hitting transfer from Division I Miami of Ohio whose addition will be welcomed to this lineup. Two freshmen, OF Carter Bleakney and CIF Max Oswald are a pair of strong, toolsy, and projectable right-handed hitters that could prove to be consistent producers early on in their collegiate careers. 

Quinn Boyer

PITCHERS

The unquestioned strength of this SWIC club in 2026 will be their pitching staff. Unlike their offense, a large majority of last year’s innings return, and this unit from top to bottom has a chance to be among the strongest in the GRAC. 

We’ll start with RHP Jackson Reeves (Western Carolina), who has the opportunity to slot right into the top spot on this pitching staff. Reeves looks like your prototypical starter, toeing the rubber at 6-foot-5, 200-pounds, and he’ll get the opportunity to throw in a more expanded role this spring. Reeves worked mostly out of the ‘pen last year, punching out 40 over 35 innings of work to a 4.37 ERA. His fastball plays in the upper-80s to low-90s, touching 93 mph, and he throws a hard, tight slider in the upper-70s off it, while also mixing in a low-80s changeup. 

Jackson Reeves

Sophomore RHP Nate Phillips (Illinois-Chicago) led the Blue Storm with 55 ⅔ innings pitched last season and he was nothing short of excellent in a true swing-reliever role. Phillips punched out 56 batters and walked just 15, posting a team-best 2.91 ERA. His fastball’s touched 93 mph in game before, sitting in the upper-80s to low-90s, and he’ll spin a big sweeping upper-70s slider off it. Another top returner is sophomore RHP Max Bryant, who’s still uncommitted and was also stellar in a bulk load as a freshman. Bryant, who made eight starts, had a 3.58 ERA in 50 ⅓ innings, striking out 42. It’s a true backspin, carry four-seam fastball that he ran up to 92 mph this fall, and he spins a tight, sharp upper-70s breaking ball off it, revving it upwards of 3000+ RPM at peak. 

Max Bryant

Two newcomers to this staff that are likely to be immediate impacts are R-FR RHP David Barker and R-FR Michael Barker, who are both committed to Western Kentucky. Both are long, lanky athletes that can pitch in the low-90s with above-average breaking balls and were electric at times in looks this fall. Sophomore RHP Colin LeMarr is another name that could jump into an expanded role this spring out of the ‘pen for SWIC. He’s an upper-80s to low-90s with a big carry fastball and two secondaries; low-80s changeup, mid-70s curveball. 

David Barker

A pair of left-handed sophomore arms of note are Lewis Slade (Illinois-Chicago) and Tyler Weber. Slade makes for one of the more unique looks on the mound in the area, coiling into his backside and creating plenty of deception from a plenty unorthodox delivery. His fastball plays in the low-90s and he throws a true swing-and-miss low-80s splitter when it’s right, as well as an upper-70s slider. Weber is a highly physical 6-foot-5, 220-pound southpaw that has a mid-to-upper-80s fastball and a hard, two-plane upper-70s to low-80s slider that can be a dynamic pairing out of the ‘pen. 

Lewis Slade

The depth of this Blue Storm pitching staff really shows, and it’s what gives them such a high ceiling from a team standpoint. Sophomore RHP Andrew Swanda is a strike-throwing uncommitted arm with a mid/upper-80s sinker and two secondaries that profile nicely off it; low-80s changeup (5.3” VB, 19.6” HB) and upper-70s sweeper (-1.1” VB, -17.6” HB). Sophomore RHP Evan Day has a similar arsenal to Swanda, as he also throws a mid/upper-80s sinker with a sweeping slider and kick change to complete his arsenal. Sophomore RHP Gage Luttrell was up to 92 mph at the SWIC Scout Day this past fall and can also show a power sinker at times with advanced feel for a parachuting low-80s changeup, as well as an upper-70s slider (2500+ RPM). RHP Garrett Polson, a transfer from Mineral Area, pitches in the upper-80s to low-90s, touching 92 mph this fall, and spins a sharp, downer mid-70s breaking ball at upwards of 3000+ RPM. Sophomore RHP Nolan Veto throws a low-to-mid-80s fastball and can land a big, bendy breaking ball for strikes. 

Andrew Swanda

Most of SWIC’s innings this year will be occupied by sophomores, but they do have a pair of freshmen arms to keep an eye on in RHP Brock Fearday and LHP Chase Knebel. Fearday had an impressive high school career, helping lead St. Anthony to the 2A state championship in 2024. He pitched in the upper-80s this fall, bumping into the low-90s on occasion, and has the potential to crack SWIC’s weekend rotation. Like his counterpart, Knebel was also a high school standout, dominating the area on the mound for the last handful of seasons and propelling his Highland club to the 3A state playoffs in 2024. He can flat-out pitch, pounding the strike zone with three pitches, all of which move in a different direction than the other. Left-handed arms that live in the strike zone tend to have success, and Knebel has the ability to give this SWIC club plenty of flexibility in a multitude of different roles.