University of Southern Mississippi Athletics
Photo courtesy of USA Baseball
Grayden Harris Named to 2026 USA Baseball Collegiate National Team
7/5/2026 12:00:00 PM | Baseball
CARY, N.C. – USA Baseball today finalized the 28-man roster for the 2026 Collegiate National Team, including Southern Miss left-handed pitcher Grayden Harris (Central, La.), that will compete in the inaugural World Collegiate Baseball Championship at Taichung City Intercontinental Baseball Stadium in Taichung City, Taiwan, from July 11-15. The roster was named after 11 days of workouts, practices, and intrasquad scrimmages across North Carolina and Virginia.
In two starts for the Stripes squad during the pre-Taiwan trip, Harris allowed no runs and no walks with four hits and eight strikeouts over five innings of work.
"After nearly two weeks of an extremely competitive Training Camp, we are excited to finalize the 28-man roster that will represent the United States in the inaugural World Collegiate Baseball Championship," said Eric Campbell, USA Baseball's General Manager of Professional and Collegiate National Teams. "The talent at Training Camp was incredible and made this decision difficult, but we are confident that these 28 players will represent the U.S. well in our quest to win a gold medal."
Overall, 21 schools and five conferences are represented on the 2026 Collegiate National Team roster. Florida leads all schools with three players apiece, the most of all schools, while Auburn, Mississippi State, Oregon, UCLA, and Vanderbilt have two representatives each on the list. The Southeastern Conference (SEC) boasts 16 athletes on the roster to lead all conferences, followed by the Big Ten and Big 12 with six, the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) with two, and the Sun Belt Conference with one.
The World Collegiate Baseball Championship format will feature five days of games, with three days of pool play followed by the semifinals and medal games. The U.S. will open its pool play slate on July 11 against Korea at 12:30 a.m. ET/12:30 p.m. local, face Chinese Taipei on July 12 at 6:30 a.m. ET/6:30 p.m. local, and then play Japan on July 13 at 12:30 a.m. ET/12:30 p.m. local. The semifinals will be played July 14 and the finals, which will consist of gold- and bronze-medal games, will be held July 15.
The 2026 Collegiate National Team will be led by manager Dan Hartleb. He will be joined by Matt Hobbs (pitching coach), Jonathan Hernandez (assistant coach), Tracy Smith (assistant coach), and Tom Walter (assistant coach).
Harris was one of three Golden Eagles, the others were pitchers Camden Clark (Laurel, Miss.) and Camden Sunstrom (Baton Rouge, La.) of the invited to the national team trials. Harris becomes the fourth Southern Miss player to earn a spot on a USA Baseball Team, including Tony Phillips (1991), Matt Wallner (2018) and Tanner Hall (2022).
For the most up-to-date information on the Collegiate National Team, visit USABaseball.com and follow @USABaseballCNT and @USABaseball on Twitter/X and Instagram.
2026 Collegiate National Team Roster
(Name - Position - School)
Jackson Barberi - RHP - Florida
Tanner Bradley - RHP - Oregon
Kolby Branch - INF - Georgia
Tague Davis - INF - Louisville
Hogan Denny - UTL - Indiana
Chase Fralick - C/1B - Auburn
*Trent Grindlinger - UTL - Tennessee
Landon Hairston - OF - Arizona State
Grayden Harris - LHP - Southern Miss.
Luke Harrison - LHP - Texas
Easton Hawk - RHP - UCLA
Walker Hooks - LHP - Ole Miss
Rett Johnson - OF - NC State
Andrew Johnson - RHP - Southern Cal
Gavin Kelly - UTL - West Virginia
Aidan King - RHP - Florida
Ethan Lund - LHP - Oklahoma State
*Ryan McPherson - RHP - Mississippi State
Wylan Moss - RHP - UCLA
Anthony Pack Jr. - OF - Texas
*Nico Partida - INF - Texas A&M
Derrick Pitts - OF - Cincinnati
Jackson Sanders - LHP - Auburn
Will Sanford - RHP - Oregon
JD Stein - INF - South Carolina
Tomas Valincius - LHP - Mississippi State
Ryker Waite - INF - Vanderbilt
Joshua Whritenour - RHP - Florida
* denotes USA Baseball alum
About USA Baseball
Headquartered in Cary, North Carolina, USA Baseball serves as the national governing body for baseball in the United States. Since 1978, the organization has been dedicated to Leading the Growth of Our Pastime's Future, supporting and protecting the game for its 17.3 million participants nationwide. A proud member of the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) and the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC), USA Baseball's national teams have earned 72 gold medals in international competition, including two Olympic gold medals and a World Baseball Classic title. Beyond competition, USA Baseball champions the sport's growth and well-being through initiatives such as BASE (Baseball Athlete Safety Education), Fun At Bat, Pitch Smart, PLAY BALL, the Prospect Development Pipeline, and USABat. Additionally, it recognizes the nation's top amateur baseball player each year with the prestigious Golden Spikes Award. For more information about USA Baseball, its national teams, or its development initiatives, visit USABaseball.com or USABDevelops.com. For more information on the USA Baseball Foundation, visit USABaseballFoundation.com.
In two starts for the Stripes squad during the pre-Taiwan trip, Harris allowed no runs and no walks with four hits and eight strikeouts over five innings of work.
"After nearly two weeks of an extremely competitive Training Camp, we are excited to finalize the 28-man roster that will represent the United States in the inaugural World Collegiate Baseball Championship," said Eric Campbell, USA Baseball's General Manager of Professional and Collegiate National Teams. "The talent at Training Camp was incredible and made this decision difficult, but we are confident that these 28 players will represent the U.S. well in our quest to win a gold medal."
Overall, 21 schools and five conferences are represented on the 2026 Collegiate National Team roster. Florida leads all schools with three players apiece, the most of all schools, while Auburn, Mississippi State, Oregon, UCLA, and Vanderbilt have two representatives each on the list. The Southeastern Conference (SEC) boasts 16 athletes on the roster to lead all conferences, followed by the Big Ten and Big 12 with six, the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) with two, and the Sun Belt Conference with one.
The World Collegiate Baseball Championship format will feature five days of games, with three days of pool play followed by the semifinals and medal games. The U.S. will open its pool play slate on July 11 against Korea at 12:30 a.m. ET/12:30 p.m. local, face Chinese Taipei on July 12 at 6:30 a.m. ET/6:30 p.m. local, and then play Japan on July 13 at 12:30 a.m. ET/12:30 p.m. local. The semifinals will be played July 14 and the finals, which will consist of gold- and bronze-medal games, will be held July 15.
The 2026 Collegiate National Team will be led by manager Dan Hartleb. He will be joined by Matt Hobbs (pitching coach), Jonathan Hernandez (assistant coach), Tracy Smith (assistant coach), and Tom Walter (assistant coach).
Harris was one of three Golden Eagles, the others were pitchers Camden Clark (Laurel, Miss.) and Camden Sunstrom (Baton Rouge, La.) of the invited to the national team trials. Harris becomes the fourth Southern Miss player to earn a spot on a USA Baseball Team, including Tony Phillips (1991), Matt Wallner (2018) and Tanner Hall (2022).
For the most up-to-date information on the Collegiate National Team, visit USABaseball.com and follow @USABaseballCNT and @USABaseball on Twitter/X and Instagram.
2026 Collegiate National Team Roster
(Name - Position - School)
Jackson Barberi - RHP - Florida
Tanner Bradley - RHP - Oregon
Kolby Branch - INF - Georgia
Tague Davis - INF - Louisville
Hogan Denny - UTL - Indiana
Chase Fralick - C/1B - Auburn
*Trent Grindlinger - UTL - Tennessee
Landon Hairston - OF - Arizona State
Grayden Harris - LHP - Southern Miss.
Luke Harrison - LHP - Texas
Easton Hawk - RHP - UCLA
Walker Hooks - LHP - Ole Miss
Rett Johnson - OF - NC State
Andrew Johnson - RHP - Southern Cal
Gavin Kelly - UTL - West Virginia
Aidan King - RHP - Florida
Ethan Lund - LHP - Oklahoma State
*Ryan McPherson - RHP - Mississippi State
Wylan Moss - RHP - UCLA
Anthony Pack Jr. - OF - Texas
*Nico Partida - INF - Texas A&M
Derrick Pitts - OF - Cincinnati
Jackson Sanders - LHP - Auburn
Will Sanford - RHP - Oregon
JD Stein - INF - South Carolina
Tomas Valincius - LHP - Mississippi State
Ryker Waite - INF - Vanderbilt
Joshua Whritenour - RHP - Florida
* denotes USA Baseball alum
About USA Baseball
Headquartered in Cary, North Carolina, USA Baseball serves as the national governing body for baseball in the United States. Since 1978, the organization has been dedicated to Leading the Growth of Our Pastime's Future, supporting and protecting the game for its 17.3 million participants nationwide. A proud member of the United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC) and the World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC), USA Baseball's national teams have earned 72 gold medals in international competition, including two Olympic gold medals and a World Baseball Classic title. Beyond competition, USA Baseball champions the sport's growth and well-being through initiatives such as BASE (Baseball Athlete Safety Education), Fun At Bat, Pitch Smart, PLAY BALL, the Prospect Development Pipeline, and USABat. Additionally, it recognizes the nation's top amateur baseball player each year with the prestigious Golden Spikes Award. For more information about USA Baseball, its national teams, or its development initiatives, visit USABaseball.com or USABDevelops.com. For more information on the USA Baseball Foundation, visit USABaseballFoundation.com.
Players Mentioned
Friday, October 20
Tuesday, August 22
Thursday, August 17
Saturday, August 12