OVERLAND PARK, Kan. – Southeast Missouri Baseball's Brooks Kettering was named to the 2026 Brooks Wallace Player of the Year Award Watch List, the College Baseball Hall of Fame announced on Wednesday. 
 
The award honors the nation's top shortstop and will be presented by the College Baseball Foundation later this year. It is named for former Texas Tech shortstop Brooks Wallace, who played for the Red Raiders from 1977 to 1980. Wallace died of leukemia at the age of 27.
 
The top 100 shortstops in the country were announced Wednesday, led by several players putting up tremendous offensive numbers. But because the award is reflective of more than just offense, there are numerous players putting up solid defensive numbers as well.
 
"Our staff is excited to get another year started looking for that special player to represent Brooks' Award," said Larry Wallace, co-chair of the Brooks Wallace Award. "We will dig deep to find the personal qualities as well as the physical attributes that best exemplify what we look for in the Brooks Wallace Award winner. It's early but this list is already shaping up to be a competitive race with some big numbers from some new guys and some familiar faces on the list as well."
 
Cholowsky will be looking to repeat after winning the Brooks Wallace Award for an outstanding 2025 season. Cholowsky, Dee Kennedy Jr. (Kansas State) and Jake Schaffner (North Carolina) have already won Brooks Wallace Award weekly honors in 2026.
 
Previous winners of the award are Kurt Suzuki, C, Cal State Fullerton, 2004; Alex Gordon, 3B, Nebraska, 2005; Brad Lincoln, SP/DH, Houston, 2006; David Price, SP, Vanderbilt, 2007; Buster Posey, C, Florida State, 2008; Ben Orloff, SS, UC Irvine, 2009; Jedd Gyorko, SS, West Virginia, 2010; Brad Miller, SS, Clemson, 2011; Zach Vincej, SS, Pepperdine, 2012; Alex Bregman, SS, LSU, 2013; Trea Turner, SS, NC State, 2014; Dansby Swanson, SS, Vanderbilt, 2015; Sheldon Neuse, SS, Oklahoma, 2016; Logan Warmoth, SS, North Carolina, 2017; Cadyn Grenier, SS, Oregon State, 2018; Grae Kessinger, SS, Ole Miss, 2019; Cal Conley, SS, Texas Tech, 2021; Brooks Lee, SS, Cal Poly, 2022; Matt Shaw, SS, Maryland 2023; Griff O'Ferrall, SS, Virginia, 2024 and Roch Cholowsky, SS, UCLA 2025. 
 
The Brooks Wallace Award is one of four weekly awards presented by the College Baseball Foundation. The CBF also awards the John Olerud Two-Way Player, National Pitcher and Buster Posey Collegiate Catcher of the Week. 
 
"With the season now in full swing, there are so many deserving candidates for our many awards," said Chris Snead, CBF Awards Chair. "This is just the beginning of this process that culminates in our Omaha announcements of our recipients."
 
For more information on the Brooks Wallace Award or any of the CBF awards, visit the College Baseball Foundation website at www.collegebaseballhall.org.
 
2026 Brooks Wallace Player of the Year Award Watch List
Name, Classification, School, Conference
•               Trent Abel, Junior, Cal State Northridge, Big West
•               Alex Alicea, Junior, Louisville, ACC
•               AJ Anderson, Junior, Alabama A&M, SWAC
•               Clay Badylak, Graduate, Middle Tennessee, CUSA
•               Charlie Bates, Sophomore, Stanford, ACC
•               Chipper Beck, Senior, Utah Valley, WAC
•               Eric Becker, Junior, Virginia, ACC
•               Rodric Black, Senior, Stephen F. Austin, Southland
•               Chase Bloomer, Senior, SIUE, OVC
•               Braylen Blomquist, Sophomore, Wright State, Horizon
•               Westin Boyle, Freshman, Purdue, Big 10
•               Kolby Branch, Senior, Georgia, SEC
•               Jacob Brooks, Senior, Niagara, MAAC
•               Michael Brown, Junior, Hofstra, CAA
•               Cam Bryant, RS-Junior, Ohio, Mid-American 
•               Dawson Bryce, Junior, Charlotte, AAC
•               Dylan Carey, Senior, Nebraska, Big Ten
•               Roch Cholowsky, Junior, UCLA, Big Ten
•               Andy Cisneros, Senior, Gonzaga, West Coast 
•               Owen Clyne, Senior George Mason, A10
•               Colton Coates, Junior, Louisiana Tech, CUSA
•               Noah Coy, Sophomore, Notre Dame, ACC
•               Logan Crock, Sophomore, Butler Big East
•               Dylan Cupp, Junior, Dallas Baptist, CUSA
•               Pete Daniel, Junior, Virginia Tech, ACC
•               Micah Dean, Sophomore, ULM, Sun Belt
•               Nico DeFazio, RS-Junior, Houston Christian, Southland
•               Dante DeFranco, Graduate, VCU, A10
•               Chase Diggins, Senior, Omaha, Summit
•               Kyle Eddington, Junior, UMBC, America East
•               Patrick Engskov, Senior, Arkansas State, Sun Belt
•               Henry Ferguson, Sophomore, East Tennessee State, Southern
•               Zach Fjelstad, Junior, UC Irvine, Big West
•               Gus Gandy, Sophomore, Samford, Southern
•               Linkin Garcia, Freshman, Texas Tech, Big 12
•               Johnathan Gomez, Sophomore, Farleigh Dickinson, Northeast
•               Anthony Grabau, Sophomore, Fordham, A10
•               Jake Hajdu, Sophomore, Elon, CAA
•               Kaikea Harrison, Senior, Tulane, AAC
•               Jackson Hays, Freshman, Yale, Ivy League
•               Maloy Heaghney, RS-Sophomore, USC Upstate, Big South
•               Kai Holm, Graduate Lipscomb, Atlantic Sun
•               Leighton Jenkins, Graduate, North Alabama, Sun Belt
•               Will Johnson, Senior, Mercer, Southland
•               Kevin Jones, Graduate, UNCW, CAA
•               Camden Karczewski, Graduate, Illinois State, MVC
•               Ty Kaunas, Freshman, Maryland, Big 10
•               Brooks Kettering, Junior, Southeast Missouri State OVC
•               Boston Kellner, Freshman, Texas A&M, SEC
•               Dee Kennedy Jr., Junior, Kansas State, Big 12
•               Carson Kerce, Junior, Georgia Tech, ACC
•               Brodie Kresser, Graduate, West Virginia, Big 12
•               Matt Lashley, Junior, East Carolina, AAC 
•               Matt Leahy, Junior, Rider, MAAC
•               Tyler Lichtenberger, Sophomore, Clemson, ACC
•               Jerdy Lopez, Junior, Little Rock, OVC
•               Matt Luigs, Freshman, Brown, Ivy League
•               Eric Maisonet, Junior, Missouri, SEC
•               DeShon Middleton, RS-Freshman, Prairie View A&M, SWAC
•               Maddox Molony, Junior, Oregon, Big 10
•               Michael Maloney, Graduate, Western Michigan, MAC 
•               Diego Melendez, Junior, Jackson State, SWAC
•               Steven Milam, Junior, LSU, SEC
•               Pedro Moreno, Senior, Eastern Kentucky, ASUN
•               PJ Moutzouridis, Junior, Arizona State, Big 12
•               Sammy Mummau, RS-Sophomore, Jacksonville, ASUN
•               Nate Negre, Sophomore, UCA, ASUN 
•               Ben Niedangel, Senior, Air Force, MWC
•               Ben North, Graduate, Creighton, BIG EAST
•               Jake Ogden, Senior, Miami, ACC
•               Lee Owen, RS-Sophomore, Tennessee Tech, OVC
•               Dawson Park, Sophomore, Texas State, Sun Belt
•               Conner Peek, Graduate, Georgetown, Big East
•               Elijah Pelayo, RS-Senior, Cal State Bakersfield, Big West
•               Aaron Piasecki, Senior, Troy, Sun Belt
•               Willie Ponce, Graduate, High Point, Big South
•               Adam Puder, RS-Sophomore, Saint Thomas, Summit
•               Alejandro Puig, Sophomore, Dartmouth, Ivy League
•               Jevin Relaford, Senior, South Florida, AAC
•               Kyle Revere, Graduate, Oakland, Horizon
•               Blaze Rodriguez, Freshman, Louisiana, Sun Belt 
•               Jax Ryan, Junior, Missouri State, CUSA
•               Travis Sanders, RS-Junior, Baylor, Big 12
•               Sam Saucke, Freshman, Monmouth, CAA
•               Jake Schaffner, Junior, North Carolina, ACC
•               Kooper Schulte, Senior, Iowa, Big 10
•               Charlie Scholvin, Junior, Toledo, MAC
•               Austin Sellers Sophomore, Georgia State, Sun Belt
•               Clayton Slack, Senior, Southern Indiana, OVC
•               Cayden Smith, Sophomore, Central Michigan, MAC
•               Seth Smith, Junior, Southern Miss, Sun Belt
•               Jack Spanier, Junior, Minnesota, Big 10
•               A.J. Taylor, Senior, Lamar, Southland
•               Anthony Tirado, RS-Sophomore, UMASS, MAC
•               Jonathan Trejo, Junior, Texas Southern, SWAC
•               Jabin Trosky, RS-Junior, San Diego State, MWC
•               Ryker Waite, Sophomore, Vanderbilt, SEC
•               Karsen Waslefsky, Senior, New Mexico, MWC
•               Jaxon Willits, Junior, Oklahoma, SEC
•               Jonathan Xuereb, RS-Junior, Appalachian State, Sun Belt
 
About the College Baseball Foundation
The purpose of the College Baseball Foundation (CBF) is to preserve, elevate, and advance the game; to inspire the next generation; to teach those who love college baseball about its rich history and traditions; to celebrate those who make college baseball special; and to honor those who have come before us, and built the foundation upon which college baseball thrives today. 
 
The College Baseball Foundation is a 501(c)(3) organization. Support for the College Baseball Hall of Fame will help preserve the rich history of the sport for future generations. All donations to the College Baseball Hall of Fame are tax deductible and can be made via this link on the organization's website. 
 
The CBF presents the Brooks Wallace Award (Nation's Most Outstanding Shortstop), the National Pitcher of the Year Award, the John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year Award, the Skip Bertman Coach of the Year Award, the George H.W. Bush Distinguished Alumnus Award, and the Wayne Graham Award for Teaching Excellence.