The college baseball season kicks off on February 13 with the 2026 Shriners Children’s College Showdown being the marquee event.
The three-day invitational tournament will take place at Globe Life Field, the home ballpark of the Texas Rangers in Arlington.
World Baseball Network looks at five players to watch at the opening weekend event.
Logan Hughes, OF, Texas Tech Red Raiders
Logan Hughes is coming off a massive season for Texas Tech in 2025. The junior outfielder had a .327 batting average with 13 doubles, 19 home runs, and 58 RBIs.
Hughes was named first-team All-Big 12 in what was a great sophomore season after transferring to Texas Tech from Stetson.
Heading into 2026, Hughes is a top 55 MLB Draft prospect in the 2026 class according to MLB Pipeline.
Sawyer Strosnider, OF, TCU Horned Frogs
Sawyer Strosnider was one of the best freshmen in all of college baseball last season. The Big 12 Freshman of the Year put on a show with the TCU Horned Frogs.
Strosnider had a .350 batting average with 13 doubles, 11 home runs, 10 stolen bases, and 51 RBIs.
Heading into 2026, he has the potential to be a top ten pick in the 2026 MLB Draft.
Gabe Gaeckle, RHP, Arkansas Razorbacks
Arkansas head coach Dave Van Horn named Gabe Gaeckle the Friday starter for Arkansas heading into the Shriners Children’s College Showdown.
He will start on opening day for the Razorbacks against the Oklahoma State Cowboys.
In 2025, Gaeckle had a 4.42 ERA in 71 1/3 innings of work. He also had 92 strikeouts over that stretch while making nine starts and recording two saves.
Gaeckle is a top 25 2026 MLB Draft prospect according to MLB Pipeline. He was also selected in the 20th round of the 2023 MLB Draft by the Cincinnati Reds.
Connor Fennell, RHP, Vanderbilt Commodores
Vanderbilt head coach Tim Corbin named Connor Fennell the Friday starter for the Commodores this upcoming weekend.
He will start on opening day for Vanderbilt against the TCU Horned Frogs.
In 2025, Fennell had a 2.53 ERA and 84 strikeouts in 53 1/3 innings of work. He had a 6-0 record on the mound and made seven starts for Vanderbilt. He threw a complete game on April 27 against the Ole Miss Rebels in a 13-0 win for Vanderbilt.
Fennell was named a third-team All-American by the National College Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) and is a key pitcher to watch this season in the Southeastern Conference.
Kuhio Aloy, OF, Arkansas Razorbacks
Kuhio Aloy is entering his second season with Arkansas after transferring to Fayetteville from BYU.
In his first season with the Razorbacks, he had a .317 batting average with 15 doubles, 13 home runs, and 70 RBIs.
The NCBWA and American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) named him a second-team All-American.
2026 Shriners Children’s College Showdown Schedule
Here is the full schedule for the 2026 Shriners Children’s College Showdown at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas.
All Times in EST
Friday, February 13
Oklahoma Sooners vs Texas Tech Red Raiders – 12 p.m.
TCU Horned Frogs vs Vanderbilt Commodores – 4 p.m.
Oklahoma State Cowboys vs Arkansas Razorbacks – 8 p.m.
Saturday, February 14
Texas Tech Red Raiders vs Vanderbilt Commodores – 12 p.m.
Oklahoma State Cowboys vs Oklahoma Sooners – 4 p.m.
Arkansas Razorbacks vs TCU Horned Frogs – 8 p.m.
Sunday, February 15
Vanderbilt Commodores vs Oklahoma State Cowboys – 11:30 a.m.
Texas Tech Red Raiders vs Arkansas Razorbacks – 3:30 p.m.
TCU Horned Frogs vs Oklahoma Sooners – 7:30 p.m.
WBN NCAA: https://worldbaseball.com/league/ncaa/
PHOTO: Arkansas batter Kuhio Aloy (25) against Central Arkansas during an NCAA baseball game on Tuesday, March 11, 2025, in Fayetteville, Ark. (AP Photo/Michael Woods)
