2026 Season In Reivew
June 12, 2026 | Baseball
BRINGING HOME SOME HARDWARE
Hotchkiss named to ABCA West All-Region Second Team
After one of the most dominant offensive seasons in recent memory, Jackson Hotchkiss was named an ABCA West All-Region selection. He recorded a .339 batting average while scoring 47 runs on 63 hits, all team-high marks. He had the most home runs on the team (20) and paced the Huskies in slugging percentage (.720), the 36th-best mark in the NCAA, and in total bases (134).
Hotchkiss was one of the best hitters in the Big Ten, leading the conference in home runs per game (.43) while ranking in the top 10 in slugging percentage, home runs, hits per game, runs batted in per game, total bases, and runs per game.
Big Ten All-Tournament Team
Mic Paul was named to the Big Ten All-Tournament Team after an impressive three-game stretch in Omaha. The Husky centerfielder recorded three hits, including a go-ahead triple against Ohio State, and five RBIs in the conference tournament. He also contributed 10 putouts and a perfect fielding percentage while roaming the outfield for the Dawgs.
CSC Academic All-District
Five Dawgs were lauded with CSC Academic All-District Honors for their efforts on and off the baseball field. Colton Bower, Tommy Brandenburg, Sam DeCarlo, Jackson Hotchkiss, and Casen Taggart each brought home the award. In addition to earning at least a 3.50 GPA and being of at least sophomore standing at their current institution, student-athletes must compete in 90 percent of the institution's games played or must start in at least 66 percent of the institution's games. For pitchers, a student-athlete must have made at least 17 appearances or pitched 35 innings.
All-Big Ten Awards
Four Huskies earned Big Ten end of season awards as announced by the Big Ten Conference. Jackson Hotchkiss led the charge, taking home All-Big Ten First Team honors, with Colton Bower collecting second team honors, Noah Kenney claiming third team honors, and Tommy Brandenburg earning the sportsmanship award.
MAKING NOISE IN THE CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT
The No. 11 seeded Huskies upset the Ohio State Buckeyes and the Michigan Wolverines to advance to the quarterfinal round of the Big Ten Tournament in Omaha, Nebraska. The two victories were the Huskies' first in the conference tournament as the Huskies qualified for the Big Ten's postseason competition fo the second straight year.
Washington's season ended as the team ultimately fell in the quarterfinal round to No. 14 Oregon.
HUSKIES THUMP NO. 1 UCLA
Washington earned its most impressive victory of the season on Thursday, dismantling No. 1 UCLA 8-0 at Husky Ballpark. The Huskies earned their first win over a No. 1 opponent since defeating No. 1 Oregon State on March 25 in 2018. It's also the Bruins' first road loss of the season, their second conference loss, and just their sixth loss overall.
The Huskies didn't back down when facing the top-ranked team in the nation and turned in a dominant performance on both sides of the ball. Defensively, the Huskies allowed just three hits while earning the shutout. Jackson Thomas diced up the Bruins offense. The senior right-hander claimed his second win of the year while throwing 6.0 innings with just three hits and four walks allowed against two strikeouts.
Offensively, the Dawgs started the scoring in the fourth inning with Colton Bower's first home run of the day. He launched a solo shot to left field, going 368 feet and 107 miles per hour off the bat. It would be the first hit of a busy day for Bower, who finished 3-4 with two home runs, a triple, three runs scored and three RBI.
The Huskies did the bulk of their damage in the fifth inning, hanging a five on the scoreboard. Casen Taggart, Braeden Terry, and Sam DeCarlo each tallied an RBI before Colton Bower did more damage. Washington's designated Hitter blasted his second bomb of the day, this one 394 feet the center to bring the Huskies up to a 6-0 lead. Bower would score the next run for the Huskies as well, coming home on a wild pitch after hitting a triple in the seventh. Braeden Terry closed out the scoring in the eighth, sending home Swidler on a sacrifice fly.
Gunnar Nichols took over for Thomas on the mound in the seventh and was dominant. The senior righthander didn't allow a single hit over his three innings and had just one baserunner. He earned his first save of the season while striking out three batters in the contest.
In total, Washington finished with nine hits, five of which were for extra bases. Bower led the way with three knocks, while Blake Wilson and Braeden Terry each had two.
HOTCHKISS' RED HOT SEASON
Jackson Hotchkiss launched his 20th home run of the season against Michigan in the Big Ten Tournament.
Hotchkiss became just the third player in program history to reach 20 bombs in a single season, joining Zach Clem (20 - 2006), and record holder Chad Boudon (22 - 2003).
Jackson Hotchkiss was on a tear all season long. After missing the month of February due to injury, he made 45 consecutive starts and been the best offensive output for Washington. He tallied a .339 batting average while scoring 47 runs on 63 hits, all team-high marks. He had the most home runs on the team (20) and paced the Huskies in slugging percentage (.720), the 36th-best mark in the NCAA, and in total bases (134).
Hotchkiss was one of the best hitters in the Big Ten, leading the conference in home runs per game (.43) while ranking in the top 10 in slugging percentage, home runs, hits per game, runs batted in per game, total bases, annd runs per game.
FINDING SUCCESS AGAINST FAMILIAR FOES
The Huskies have tallied three ranked wins this season, each against a former Pac-12 foe. The Dawgs knocked off No. 13 Oregon State 18-2, took down No. 13 Oregon 9-5, and most recently handed No. 1 UCLA just their second conference loss of the season in an 8-0 shutout.
LET KENNEY COOK
Noah Kenney was a strong starter all season long. On multiple occasions, he set new career-high marks, most recently setting a new career-high for innings pitched against Michigan State. The junior threw into the ninth frame against the Spartans, finishing with 8.1 innings under his belt just two weeks after setting a career-high mark of 7.0 innings.
During week eight of the season, Kenney was named to the Baseball America National Team of the Week. He diced up Valparaiso, leading the Huskies to a 6-0 shutout win with a career-high 14 strikeouts. It's the second award recognition of the season for the Parker, Colo. native after he was named to the College Baseball Foundation's Pitcher of the Year watch list.
Kenney garnered national attention for his efforts during the season. He collected four wins in his 14 starts and had the most innings pitched (81.2) and strikeouts (90) of any Husky. The right-hander had 15 appearances this year, pitching more than four innings in all but one of his appearances. Among his starts, he's thrown at least five innings in all but three, including at least six innings in six of his last nine games.
SWISS ARMY BRANDENBURG
As both a starter and a reliever, Tommy Brandenburg has been strong option for the Huskies on the bump this season. Brandenburg currently led the team with four saves. He also claimed two wins on the season and led the team in total appearances at 25, 23 of which have been in relief, also leading the team.
His four saves this year ranked eighth in the Big Ten.
CERTIFIED BAG GETTERS
Washington has stolen 71 bags this season, the fourth-most in the Big Ten. Mic Paul led the team, stealing safely on 11 of his 14 attempts while Sam DeCarlo had 10 steals and Blake Wilson had nine. Aidan Dougherty and Jackson Hotchkiss both had seven steals and Landon Young both tallied six. Washington's opponents stole only 44 times and have been thrown out on 18 attempts.
TRIPLE THREAT
The Huskies knocked 20 triples this season, the most in the Big Ten and the sixth-most in the NCAA. Braeden Terry had the most on the team with four, Blake Wilson Colton Bower, and Mic Paul had three, Sam DeCarlo, Casen Taggart, and Landon Young each had two, and Jackson Hotchkiss had one. The Huskies averaged 0.35 triples per game, leading the Big Ten and 13th in the NCAA.
HOME RUN HUSKIES
Washington has brought the boom this season to the tune of 66 homers, the 10th-most in the Big Ten and the 90th-most in the NCAA. Jackson Hotchkiss led the way with 20, Colton Bower has 12, Sam DeCarlo is up to seven, and Daniel Porras has six.
The Huskies have slugged four home runs in a game on three occasions this season, most recently at Minnesota on April 10, the first game of a double header.
DAWG DEBUTS
20 Diamond Dawgs made their first career appearance so far this season. Position player debuts included Ian Draper, Ty Cowan, Aidan Dougherty, Drew Johnson, Mic Paul, Alexander Pearson, Daniel Porras, Nolan Rowe, Kevin Spear, Ethan Swidler, and Landon Young. Pitching debuts include Carson Boesel, Bryce Johnson, Noah Kenney, Hayden Lewis, Liam Lierman, Cooper McBride, Jay Miller, Jack Wade, and Tyler Walker.
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