The 2026 Prospect League season is the 17th season of collegiate summer baseball in the Prospect League, a collegiate summer baseball league in the Midwestern United States, since its creation in June 2009. There are 20 Prospect League teams, split evenly between Eastern and Western Conferences. These conferences are then split up between the Northeast, Central, Northwest, and South divisions.
The Cape Catfish entered the season as defending champions, having defeated the Lafayette Aviators, two games to zero, in the league's 2025 championship series.
Season schedule It was announced during the offseason that the city of Kokomo, Indiana would once again have a team in the league after previously being the host city for the Kokomo Jackrabbits from 2014 to 2024. The Jackrabbits were a Prospect League franchise from 2014 to 2018, then a Northwoods League franchise from 2019 to 2024. The Jackrabbits dissolved due to a legal battle between the city of Kokomo and the ownership of the Jackrabbits, Kokomo Baseball LLC, which ultimately ended with a judge ruling in favor of the city of Kokomo. The ruling officially brought an end to the Jackrabbits. Shortly after, the city of Kokomo announced the name of their new team in the Prospect League was the Creek Chubs.
Also, it would later be announced during the offseason that Decatur, Illinois would be granted a team in the league. It will be the first summer baseball team to play in Decatur since the Decatur Commodores, who were a professional Class A minor league affiliate that played in the Midwest League and the Decatur Blues who played in the Central Illinois Collegiate League (CICL), the predecessor to the Prospect League. After months of anticipation, it would be announced that the name of the team would be the Bean Ballers.
The 20 teams in the league are split evenly between two conferences, Eastern and Western. These two conferences are then split up into four divisions: Northeast, Central, Northwest, and South.
The season will be played with a 56-game schedule, which is split between two halves, with the first half ending on June 26 and the second half ending on August 1. The first-half winners in each division will host the second-half winners in a one-game divisional championship round. If the same team wins both halves, the team with the next-best second-half record makes the playoffs.
Regular season standings
First half standings
Eastern Conference
+ Northeast Division Regular Season Standings Pos Team G W L Pct. GB1 x – Lafayette Aviators26179--2 Johnstown Mill Rats2615112.03 Kokomo Creek Chubs2713144.54 Champion City Half Trax2713144.55 y – Chillicothe Paints2712155.5
+ Central Division Regular Season Standings Pos Team G W L Pct. GB1 x – Dubois County Bombers271710--2 Danville Dans2515101.03 Springfield Lucky Horseshoes2511145.04 y – Terre Haute Rex2510156.05 Decatur Bean Ballers249156.5
Western Conference
+ Northwest Division Regular Season Standings Pos Team G W L Pct. GB1 x – Quincy Doggy Paddlers271611--2 Clinton LumberKings2414100.53 Normal CornBelters2615110.54 y – Burlington Bees2511144.05 Illinois Valley Pistol Shrimp258177.0
+ South Division Regular Season Standings Pos Team G W L Pct. GB1 x – Cape Catfish26197--2 Jackson Rockabillys2716113.53 y – O'Fallon Hoots2615114.04 Thrillville Thrillbillies2711168.55 Alton River Dragons2622417.0
Second half standings
Eastern Conference
+ Northeast Division Regular Season Standings Pos Team G W L Pct. GB1 y – Chillicothe Paints291811--2 Kokomo Creek Chubs2815132.53 Champion City Half Trax2814143.54 Johnstown Mill Rats2612144.55 x – Lafayette Aviators2912176.0
+ Central Division Regular Season Standings Pos Team G W L Pct. GB1 y – Terre Haute Rex301812--2 Danville Dans2916131.53 Springfield Lucky Horseshoes2910197.54 x – Dubois County Bombers299208.55 Decatur Bean Ballers299208.5
Western Conference
+ Northwest Division Regular Season Standings Pos Team G W L Pct. GB1 y – Burlington Bees31238--2 Clinton LumberKings261882.53 Normal CornBelters2918114.04 x – Quincy Doggy Paddlers28101811.55 Illinois Valley Pistol Shrimp2972215.0
+ South Division Regular Season Standings Pos Team G W L Pct. GB1 x – Cape Catfish29263--2 y – O'Fallon Hoots2919107.03 Jackson Rockabillys28151310.54 Thrillville Thrillbillies28121613.55 Alton River Dragons2952421.0
Full season standings
Eastern Conference
+ Northeast Division Regular Season Standings Pos Team G W L Pct. GB1 y – Chillicothe Paints563026--2 x – Lafayette Aviators5529260.53 Johnstown Mill Rats5227251.04 Kokomo Creek Chubs5528271.55 Champion City Half Trax5527282.5
+ Central Division Regular Season Standings Pos Team G W L Pct. GB1 Danville Dans543123--2 y – Terre Haute Rex5528273.53 x – Dubois County Bombers5626306.04 Springfield Lucky Horseshoes54213310.05 Decatur Bean Ballers53183512.5
Western Conference
+ Northwest Division Regular Season Standings Pos Team G W L Pct. GB1 Clinton LumberKings503218--2 y – Burlington Bees5634221.03 Normal CornBelters5533221.54 x – Quincy Doggy Paddlers5526298.55 Illinois Valley Pistol Shrimp54153919.0
+ South Division Regular Season Standings Pos Team G W L Pct. GB1 x – Cape Catfish554510--2 y – O'Fallon Hoots55342111.03 Jackson Rockabillys55312414.04 Thrillville Thrillbillies55233222.05 Alton River Dragons5574838.0
x – First Half Winner, clinched playoff spot y – Second Half Winner, clinched playoff spot
Statistical leaders
Hitting Stat Player Team Total HR Wally Diaz Terre Haute Rex 18 AVG Collin Senkpeil Cape Catfish .432 RBIs Nick Bonczkowski O'Fallon Hoots 70 SB Jaylen Ziegler Clinton LumberKings 42
Pitching Stat Player Team Total W Kasey Clark Clinton LumberKings 6 ERA Klayton Wright Thrillville Thrillbillies 4.47 SO Cooper Pumphrey Danville Dans 64 SV Mason Lee, Andrew Theiss, and Dante Onorato O'Fallon Hoots, Clinton LumberKings, and Jackson Rockabillys 5
Awards
All-star selections
Eastern Conference +Hitters PositionPlayerTeam C John DiGregorio Bombers C Lawson Alwan Lucky Horseshoes IF Jackson Snitko Bean Ballers IF Wally Diaz Rex IF Justin Gorski Paints IF Joseph Gutierrez Rex IF Cam Gravelle Paints IF Gavin Smith Aviators IF Ty Marsh Mill Rats IF Gabe Boyd Aviators OF Carter Murphy Rex OF Will Burke Dans OF Brayden Giesler Bombers OF Austin Lafferty Mill Rats OF Bo Caraway Jr. Aviators OF Samuel Meyer Paints DH Hudson Allen Bombers DH Griffin Novacek Lucky Horseshoes
+PitchersPlayerTeam Hunter Richardson Half Trax Nathan Trimble Bean Ballers Talan Meyers Aviators Koen Berry Creek Chubs Sam McArthur Dans Cobe Ross Lucky Horseshoes Drake Hoffa Dans Luke Holbrook Bombers Breyllin Suriel Rex Owen Norris Aviators Nolan Decker Creek Chubs Caleb Boff Half Trax
Western Conference +Hitters PositionPlayerTeam C Nolan McCrossin CornBelters C Brodie Short Doggy Paddlers IF Ethan Wielt River Dragons IF Jackson Stanek CornBelters IF Lucas Krebs Bees IF Nick Griffith Doggy Paddlers IF David Kessler Catfish IF Samuel Paule Hoots IF Gavin Awbrey LumberKings IF Ean Czech Doggy Paddlers OF Hayden Nazarenus Catfish OF Zavier Hatfield Rockabillys OF Tyler Thompson CornBelters OF Nick Bonczkowski Hoots OF Fredrick Ragsdale III Thrillbillies OF Hayden Ralls Thrillbillies DH Brandon Gour River Dragons DH Collin Senkpeil Catfish
+PitchersPlayerTeam Jake Weissenberger Bees Noah Johnson Catfish Dante Onorato Rockabillys Klayton Wright Thrillbillies Jonah Roper CornBelters Keegan Luxem LumberKings Cole Cates Rockabillys Graham Kasey CornBelters Riley Fuller Bees Jake Collier Hoots Max Bryant Pistol Shrimp Drew Politte Hoots
End of year awards Award Player Team Most Valuable Player Pro Prospect of the Year Collin Senkpeil Catfish Pitcher of the Year Relief Pitcher of the Year Breyllin Suriel Rex Manager of the Year Colin Butkiewicz Catfish Social Media of the Year N/A Broadcaster of the Year Ballpark Experience of the Year General Manager of the Year Organization of the Year N/A Staff of the Year N/A
Playoffs
Format The playoffs will begin with four winner-take-all division championships, followed by two winner-take-all conference championships, and will conclude with a best-of-three league championship series. The playoffs are tentatively slated to begin on August 2 and conclude on August 9.
Playoff bracket
See also 2026 Appalachian League season 2026 FCBL season 2026 Major League Baseball season 2026 Northwoods League season 2026 PGCBL season
References