MONTICELLO, Ark. – The University of Arkansas at Monticello baseball team will open its 2026 campaign on Sunday, February 1, and Monday, February 2, at the 2026 Dugan Invitational in Hot Springs, Arkansas, hosted by Henderson State University.
The Boll Weevils will take on the Missouri Southern Lions at 12:00 p.m., on February 1, and the Bison of Oklahoma Baptist University on Monday, February 2, at 3:0 p.m. at the Majestic Ball Park.
Coming off the heels of a heartbreaking 7-2 loss to Minnesota State University - Mankato in the 2025 NCAA Region 3 - Regionals, the Weevils are hard at work preparing for a fresh start and extraordinary season as they look forward to both the upcoming invitational and 2026 campaign.
PRESEASON NOTES
Opening the 2026 campaign ranked fifth in the GAC Preseason Conference Poll, the Boll Weevils are ready to prove what they are made of with a roster that includes 26 newly signed players, 21 returnees, and three new coaches. Among the new signees for the men in green and white are 14 junior college transfers, two NAIA transfers, three Candidan University transfers, and seven true freshmen.
Joining veteran Head Coach
John Harvey are returning coach Mason Philly and Graduate Assistant
Jackson Imler. The 2026 squad features new Assistant Coaches
Vinnie Rauso,
Jordon Cosma, and former Weevil
Trey Miller.
Below you will find important information regarding live coverage, tickets, games, and social media links to keep up with the games.
2026 DUGAN INVITATIONAL
Game 1: Arkansas-Monticello vs. Missouri Southern
Sunday, Feb. 1 | 12:00 p.m. | Hot Springs, AR (Majestic Park)
Live Stats |
Lions Roster |
Series History
Game 2: Arkansas-Monticello vs. Oklahoma Baptist
Monday, Feb. 2 | 3:00 p.m. | Hot Springs, AR (Majestic Park)
Live Stats |
Bison Roster |
Series History
2026 Arkansas-Monticello Boll Weevils Roster |
GAC Baseball
Social Media | X Accounts:
@UAMsports &
@weevilsbaseball | All scoring information and in-game updates.
LAST MEETING | ALL-TIME SERIES
Missouri Southern - Missouri Southern - The season opener will mark the third time these two squads have faced off on the field. The last time these two teams met was at the 2024 NCAA Regionals in Joplin, Missouri. The Boll Weevils played MSSU twice that weekend, winning game one 7-4, and the final game of regional 11-4, locking in their spot in the 2024 Super Regional in Warrensburg. Game 1: Missouri Southern saw their offense control the majority of the ball game, leading 4-0 after the first six innings. Jacob McDaniel came in to pitch after the final two runs, threw three shutout innings, and allowed only one hit. The Boll Weevils changed the script in the seventh, scoring five runs to shift the momentum to the Boll Weevils.
Roc Hawthorne kicked off the rally, scoring Parker Dorrance on a single up the middle.
Camden Tanner doubled down the right field line to score two, followed by a single up the middle from
Kirk Woolf for the equalizer.
Chase Cripps ripped his first triple of the season to score the go-ahead run, capping off the five-run inning. UAM tacked on a couple of insurance runs in the eighth, with
Kirk Woolf driving in two runs on a double to left field.
Nelson Mercado closed the game to earn his tenth save of the season. The win on the day pushes Arkansas-Monticello to the Regional Championship game, giving the Boll Weevils their 34th win, with Jacob McDaniel securing the win, and
Nelson Mercado with the save. Game 2: Arkansas-Monticello kicked off the slug-fest in the second, scoring six runs on the Lions to take the early lead.
Roc Hawthorne drove in
Cade Cancilla and Parker Dorrance on a single to left field, followed by a two-run double to right from
Kirk Woolf.
Chase Cripps drove in the final two runs on a single up the middle. The Lions bounced back in the fourth, scoring four runs to reach within one of the Weevil advantage. The first was scored on an RBI single to right field and was followed by a three-run bomb over the right field wall. Monticello responded with three runs of their own in the bottom half of the inning.
Chaz Poppy drove in
Camden Tanner on a double to left, followed by a SAC fly from
Chase Cripps that scored
Kirk Woolf.
Cade Cancilla brought Poppy across the plate with a double to left center, pushing the UAM lead to 9-4. The Boll Weevils tacked on two insurance runs in the eighth on a two-run shot over the left field wall from
Kirk Woolf.
Dylan Vail was the winning pitcher of the game two. | The Weevils currently hold a 2-1 overall record against the Lions since their first meeting in February of 2024 at the Duagn Invitational. To date, the Weevils have scored 24 runs off the Lions, averaging 8 runs per game, with the 11-4 win in the regional claiming the largest victory for UAM.
Oklahoma Baptist - This will be the first time the Boll Weevils and Bison have competed against each other before the start of conference season, though it will be the 33rd meeting between both teams. The last time these two teams squared off on the field was in February of 2025, a 1-2 series loss for the Weevils. UAM went 3-6 in game one, followed by a 16-8 win in the second half of the doubleheader. In the final game of the series, the Bison put up a fight with the Weevils but secured a 19-11 win, taking the conference series 2-1 over UAM.| The Weevils and Bison have met on the field 32 times prior to this weekend, with UAM holding an 18-14 record over Oklahoma Baptist. This record dates back to the first meeting on February 26, 2016, a 5-1 win for the Boll Weevils. Since that date, UAM has put up 255 runs on the scoreboard, averaging 7.97 per game against the Bison. The largest victory for the men in green and white came in April of 2019, when the Boll Weevils outmatched the Bison 19 runs to 2.
GAME RECAPS
After the conclusion of each game, Weevil Baseball will have a release posted to uamsports.com, X, and Facebook, which will give a recap of the game. They can be found on the schedule page as a clickable link after the end of each game, or on UAM Sports social media accounts.
| 2026 BOLL WEEVIL BASEBALL ROSTER |
| # |
Name |
Position |
Class |
Hometown |
| 1 |
Alberto Oropeza |
LHP |
Jr. |
Caborca, Sonora, Mexico |
| 2 |
Gabe Kuttenkuler |
INF/1B |
Fr. |
Sheridan, Arkansas |
| 3 |
Tyler Bribiescas |
LHP |
Sr. |
Surprise, Arizona |
| 4 |
Beau Kuttenkuler |
1B |
Sr. |
Sheridan, Arkansas |
| 5 |
Camden Tanner |
OF |
Jr. |
North Little Rock, Arkansas |
| 7 |
Sebastian Hernandez |
C |
Sr. |
Maracay, Venezuela |
| 8 |
Ryan Mesaris |
RHP |
Jr. |
Maumelle, Arkansas |
| 9 |
Gavin Shuttlesworth |
INF |
So. |
Hitchcock, Texas |
| 10 |
Max French |
RHP |
So. |
McGehee, Arkansas |
| 11 |
Jackson Riedling |
UTL |
Jr. |
Franklin, Tennessee |
| 12 |
Drew Floyd |
INF |
Fr. |
League City, Texas |
| 13 |
Eli Marvin |
C |
Sr. |
Ellsinore, Missouri |
| 14 |
Tyler Vincent |
RHP |
Jr. |
Paragould, Arkansas |
| 15 |
Drew Burton |
1B |
Fr. |
Monticello, Arkansas |
| 16 |
Eric Bradicich |
OF |
Jr. |
Russellville, Arkansas |
| 17 |
Ryan Sessions |
1B/OF |
Jr. |
Richardson, Texas |
| 18 |
Justin Dumas |
LHP |
Fr. |
El Dorado, Arkansas |
| 19 |
Jackson Priest |
OF |
Fr. |
Cypress, Texas |
| 20 |
Joshua Tribe |
RHP |
Sr. |
Melbourne, Victoria, Australia |
| 21 |
Dawson Morrill |
LHP |
So. |
Spruce Grove, Alberta, Canada |
| 22 |
Kyle Tolley |
OF |
Sr. |
Jonesboro, Arkansas |
| 23 |
AJ Keely |
INF |
Jr. |
Scottsdale, Arizona |
| 24 |
Darcy Barry |
INF |
Sr. |
Adelaide, Australia |
| 25 |
Vincent Segovia |
LHP |
Sr. |
Whittier, California |
| 26 |
Nathan McManus |
LHP |
Sr. |
Yorba Linda, California |
| 27 |
Nicolas Masciangelo |
OF |
Jr. |
Gilbert, Arizona |
| 28 |
Luke Eaton |
RHP |
Jr. |
Huntsville, Arizona |
| 29 |
John White |
RHP |
Sr. |
Little Rock, Arkansas |
| 30 |
Daniel Lizarraga |
INF |
Sr. |
Ciudad Obregon, Sonora, Mexico |
| 31 |
Jake Skelly |
RHP |
Jr. |
Houston, Texas |
| 32 |
Aiden McGee |
RHP |
Sr. |
West Des Moines, Iowa |
| 33 |
Hunter Heath |
P/INF |
Fr. |
League City, Texas |
| 34 |
Bryce McGuire |
RHP |
Jr. |
Choudrant, Louisiana |
| 35 |
Ian McCracken |
OF |
So. |
Carrollton, Texas |
| 36 |
Braden Campbell |
RHP |
Jr. |
Benton, Arkansas |
| 37 |
Bryce Louis |
RHP |
Sr. |
St. Louis, Missouri |
| 38 |
Elijah Olaybal |
OF |
Jr. |
Langley, British Columbia, Canada |
| 39 |
Dylan Downs |
OF |
Fr. |
Sterlington, Louisiana |
| 41 |
Jude Hawkins |
RHP |
So. |
Eupora, Mississippi |
| 43 |
Christian Hubbard |
RHP |
Fr. |
Denton, Texas |
| 44 |
Mason Lemons |
RHP |
Jr. |
Houston, Texas |
| 45 |
Kaden Flater |
LHP |
Fr. |
College Station, Texas |
| 46 |
RaShad Humphrey |
OF |
Fr. |
Nashville, Tennesse |
| 47 |
Cody Graf |
RHP |
Jr. |
Lloydminster, Alberta, Canada |
| 48 |
Jacques Gawlik |
C |
Fr. |
Houma, Louisiana |
| 50 |
Preston Crow |
RHP |
So. |
Forney, Texas |
| 52 |
Caden Carney |
INF |
Fr. |
Huntington, Texas |
*Players in bold indicate returners from 2025 Season
How to follow the Weevils: For more information on Arkansas-Monticello Men's Baseball, visit
www.uamsports.com and follow the team's social media channels on
X,
Instagram and
Facebook.
#WeevilNation | #WeEvil
