The Little Rock Trojans have won six NCAA Tournament games in the past two seasons. Before those two seasons, the Trojans went to the NCAA Tournament just once in their program's history, in 2011.

The Trojans have a core group of veteran players returning to the team in 2027. World Baseball Network looks at two position players and two pitchers who fit that description and will be key in getting Little Rock back to the postseason.

Jerdy Lopez and Nolan Freund will be top players in the lineup, making up the left side of the infield

Jerdy Lopez is returning to Little Rock for his senior season in 2027. The Dominican Republic native and shortstop may be the best player the Trojans have next season.

Last season, Lopez had a .287 batting average with 10 doubles, three triples, and 35 RBIs. He was also a threat on the base paths for Little Rock with 16 stolen bases.

He turned his game up a notch in the 2026 NCAA Tournament. Lopez had two three-hit games and three doubles during the Hattiesburg regional. He also had a two-hit game against Troy in the team's first-ever super regional last season.

Lopez was also a part of the All-Ohio Valley Conference (OVC) Tournament team and the Hattiesburg Regional All-Tournament, making him a bona fide postseason player.

Standing next to Lopez on the left side of the infield, playing third base, will be Nolan Freund. The Kansas native enters his senior season with the Trojans after being one of the top players in the OVC last season.

Freund had a .323 batting average with nine doubles and eight home runs in 2026. He also had 44 RBIs while putting together a .836 OPS.

Much like Lopez, Freund showed he has what it takes to shine during postseason play. The third baseman had a .391 batting average during the OVC Tournament and Hattiesburg Regional.

Tag Andrews and Isaac Evaniew will be two of Little Rock's top pitchers

Two pitchers to watch out for on Little Rock's team next season will be Tag Andrews and Isaac Evaniew.

In 2026, Andrews had a 3.13 ERA in 46 innings of work after transferring to the Trojans from the Arkansas Razorbacks. Andrews also had 46 strikeouts on the mound, and 64% of all of his pitches last season were strikes.

Andrews did a lot of his work out of the bullpen for the Trojans. He had seven saves last season and also picked up five wins on the mound. One of his wins came against Southern Miss during the 2026 NCAA Tournament in the Hattiesburg regional. The very next day, he picked up a save in the regional against the Jacksonville State Gamecocks.

He is a candidate for earning a spot in Little Rock's starting rotation this season as a redshirt sophomore.

Evaniew was also a machine in the 2026 NCAA Tournament. The right-hander had two wins in the Hattiesburg Regional, and both of those wins came in two games against Jacksonville State. This makes him largely responsible for sending Little Rock to the Troy Super Regional.

Evaniew had a 2.53 ERA in 42 2/3 innings of work last season. Over that same stretch, he had 40 strikeouts while picking up five wins and two saves out of the bullpen.

Much like Andrews, Evaniew pitched out of the bullpen for Little Rock after transferring in from the Oregon Ducks. He is also a major candidate to take over a starting pitching role for the Trojans.

A look back at Little Rock's historic 2026 season

The Little Rock Trojans have big-time postseason players returning after making a super regional for the first time in program history.

The team finished with a 39-28 record and a 16-11 record in OVC play. The Trojans also won the OVC Tournament for the second straight season and won their first regional title in the NCAA Tournament at Pete Taylor Park in Hattiesburg.

For more NCAA news: https://worldbaseball.com/news/category/ncaa