University of Washington
Seattle U
Dawgs Open Home Slate Against Seattle U On Tuesday
February 23, 2026 | Baseball
The game will be broadcast on Big Ten Plus with live stats available at HuskyStats.com.
DAWG BITES
- Daniel Porras launched his second home run in three games on Sunday. He leads the team in total home runs this season (2)
- Porras also leads the team in batting average (.350) he's collected seven hits in 20 at bats this season
- Jack Wade had his best performance of the season, throwing 2.1 innings and striking out five of the nine batters he faced
- The Huskies feature a team comprised of 13 returners from last year and 23 incomers. Of those new players, 16 are transfers and seven are freshmen.
- Three players were named Big Ten Players to Watch ahead of the 2026 season. Hayden Lewis, Jackson Thomas, and Casen Taggart were each named.
- Three Diamond Dawgs were named to the D1Baseball Preseason Player Rankings. Sam DeCarlo was named a top-50 shortstop, Casen Taggart came in as a top-50 first baseman, and Jackson Thomas was named a top-200 starting pitcher in the nation.
- Washington welcomed four new staff members to Montlake ahead of the 2026 season. Kade Kryzsko joins as an assistant coach, Justin Jacobs is the new recruiting coordinator, Scott Junck serves as the director of baseball operations, and Jake Rook is the director of baseball analytics.
- The Huskies were picked to finish eighth in the Big Ten conference by D1Baseball.
- Sam DeCarlo was named a star power standout by D1Baseball after his impressive .971 fielding percentage over the last three seasons and 57 games started as a shortstop a season ago.
- Colton Bower, Casen Taggart, and Jackson Thomas were listed as glue guys by D1Baseball while Mic Paul and Ethan Swidler were tabbed as top newcomers for the Diamond Dawgs.
SECOND SEASON UNDER SMITH
On July 9, 2024, Eddie Smith was named the 25th head coach of University of Washington baseball, announced by UW Director of Athletics Pat Chun. Smith, a native of Olympia, Washington, comes to Montlake after three seasons at Utah Valley. Smith begins his second season at the helm of the Huskies in 2026.
UP NEXT
The Diamond Dawgs kick off the home slate with a midweek matchup against Seattle U. The Huskies host the Redhawks at Husky Ballpark on Tueday, Feb. 24 with first pitch slated for 5 p.m.
Following the midweek contest, Washington will host San Diego State for a four-game series over the weekend from Friday to Monday.
KENNEY COOKING
Noah Kenney has been the most efficient pitcher for the Huskies this season. Most recently, he made his first start for Washington against LMU on Feb. 20, earning a win while throwing 5.0 innings. Kenney didn't allow a single hit against the Lions while striking out eight batters and walking three.
Kenney currently ranks 49th in the NCAA in hits allowed per nine innings (2.89) and 77th nationally in totalΒ strikeouts (14). Both those marks have him in the top eight in the Big Ten Conference as well.
DANNY DINGERS
Daniel Porras was a consistent force on offense for the Diamond Dawgs in Los Angeles. He launched his first career home run on Friday evening to power the Huskies to their first win of the season. He then tagged his second home run in three games on Sunday. Porras currently leads the team in batting average (.350), OPS (1.117), hits (7), home runs (2), total bases (14), and slugging percentage (.700).
His two home runs currently have him ranked No. 11 in the Big Ten. Porras is also on a four-game hitting streak, the longest on the team.
FIRST WIN OF 2026
The Huskies earned their first win of the season on Friday against the LMU Lions. Washington used a strong pitching performance from Noah Kenney and a balanced offense to secure the 8-3 victory. Noah Kenney had the best start of any Husky pitcher this season, throwing five scoreless and hitless innings with eight strikeouts. Through his two appearances, Kenney has a 0.96 ERA with batters hitting .103 against him.
Daniel Porras hit the third home run of the season for the Huskies while Braeden Terry went 3-4 with a triple.
Washington also earned 10 walks on Friday while allowing just four walks for the Lions.
OPENING WEEKEND
The Diamond Dawgs opened the season at the Puerto Rico Baseball Challenge, facing stiff competition in their four contests in Ponce, Puerto Rico. The Huskies faced two ranked teams in No. 17 NC State and No. 21 Wake Forest before facing Boston College and finally Houston. The Huskies bats came alive against Houston with two home runs, seven total runs and 11 total hits, eight more than their opponent. Washington will look to build on the offensive momentum in Los Angeles.
BOMBS AWAY
The Huskies recorded their first multi-home run game of the season on Monday against Houston. Mic Paul sent out a solo shot to get things started before Ethan Swidler tagged a two-run homer later in the contest. It was Paul's first career home run and the 19th of Swidler's career. Both players recorded multi-hit games on Monday as well.
NEW DAWGS ON THE BLOCK
The first-year Huskies have been impactful on offense so far. The four top Dawgs in batting average are all newcomers (Daniel Porras, Mic Paul, Ethan Swidler, Ty Cowan). 29 of the 47 hits for the Huskies have come frome freshmen players and transfers, a .617 mark.
STREAKY DAWGS
Five Dawgs currently own a four-game or better reached safely streak. Mic Paul leads the team with a five-game streak, dating back to the matchup with Boston College. Braeden Terry, Colton Bower, Daniel Porras, and Ethan Swidler have all reached safely in the last four games.
Ty Cowan has the longest reached base streak of the season at six games, but his streak came to an end on Sunday at LMU.
BRYCE JOHNSON DEBUT START
Bryce Johnson made his first appearance for Washington, starting the game against Houston. It was also his first career start. The sophomore performed well, throwing 5.0 frames, the most of any Husky starter over the opening weekend. He fanned three batters while allowing four hits and two runs.Β
He took the mound again on Saturday at LMU, throwing 4.2 innings with six hits, four runs, two walks, and three strikeouts.
DAWG DEBUTS
17 Diamond Dawgs made their first career appearance over the first two weekends of the season. Position player debuts included Ian Draper, Ty Cowan, Aidan Dougherty, Drew Johnson, Mic Paul, Daniel Porras, Kevin Spear, Ethan Swidler, and Landon Young. Pitching debuts include Carson Boesel,Β Bryce Johnson, Noah Kenney, Hayden Lewis, Liam Lierman, Jay Miller, Jack Wade, and Tyler Walker.
FRESH FACES
Washington features a new-look team in 2026, including 23 newcomers, 16 of whom are transfer players. The Huskies return 13 letterwinners from a season ago, including nine position player starters.
FOUR NEW STAFF MEMBERS
The Huskies welcome four new members to the Diamond Dawg staff. Kade Kryzsko has joined as an assistant coach, Justin Jacobs is the team's new recruiting coordinator, Scott Junck is the Director of Baseball Operations, and Jake Rook is the director of baseball analytics.
THREE DAWGS NAMED CONFERENCE PLAYERS TO WATCH
Hayden Lewis, Casen Taggart, and Jackson Thomas have each been named Big Ten Players to Watch, the conference announced on Wednesday.Β
Hayden Lewis, the newest of the three Huskies, joins Washington after two seasons and 22 appearances with New Mexico State. The senior right-handed pitcher tossed a career-high 28.2 innings last season in seven starts. He struck out 25 batters while allowing a .312 batting average.
Casen Taggart figures to again be a focal part of the Husky offense after leading the the team in batting average (.331), on base percentage (.471), and walks (46). The senior firstbaseman started in 50 games a season ago and had the longest reached-base streak on the team, totaling 31 straight games. His 0.92 walks per game had him ranked No. 33 in the nation, and he also launched six home runs, 11 doubles, and drove in 32 runs.
Jackson Thomas looks to be a key returning pitcher for the Diamond Dawgs after a strong debut on Montlake last season. Thomas threw 71.2 innings last season while making 15 appearances and 13 starts. He became the Huskies' Saturday starter and collected a 5-4 record while holding teams to a .276 average and 48 strikeouts. He tossed a career-best seven frames at Nebraska (March 8), allowing just four hits and two runs. In his 13 starts, Thomas allowed two or less runs on eight occasions.
BIG TEN PRESEASON POLL
Despite Washington's rise from 17th place in last season's poll to a fifth place finish, the Huskies have been left out of this season's Big Ten Preseason Poll. This year, the conference announced the voted top-six finishing programs.
1. Β Β UCLA
2. Β Β Oregon
3. Β Β USC
4. Β Β Nebraska
5. Β Β Indiana
6. Β Β Iowa
PRESEASON PLAYER RANKINGS
Sam DeCarlo, Casen Taggart, and Jackson Thomas were each named in the D1Baseball Preseason Player Rankings.Β
DeCarlo was named a top-50 shortstop, Taggart was tabbed a top-50 first baseman, and Thomas was named a top-200 starting pitcher.
For news, scores, highlights and more,Β download the Go Huskies appΒ on your mobile device. Follow @UW_BaseballΒ onΒ Instagram,Β X,Β Threads, andΒ FacebookΒ and subscribe toΒ UW Athletics on YouTubeΒ for the latest on the Dawgs.
