10 predictions for New England baseball in 2026

Dexter Southfield '27 Owen Burnes may have started a trend by reclassifying to graduate early. (Brian Kelly/NEBJ)

The internet is filled with content about resolutions and predictions this time of year, and we wouldn’t want to miss out.

We’ve explored numerous trends in our coverage in 2025, including an increase in player injuries, shifts in college recruiting, and changes to the structure of travel ball programs. Now it’s time to look ahead to where our beloved pastime is going in 2026.

We’ll start with a reminder that we are not reporting news in this story. These are merely predictions and should not be accepted as fact.

Here’s a list of 10 predictions for New England baseball in 2026.

1. A return of the Super 8 tournament will gain momentum.

The Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) suspended the popular Division 1A/Super 8 tournament for four years in April of 2021, as the MIAA Tournament Management Committee gathered data to ensure equity. The 2025-26 academic year is the first in which the Super 8 is eligible to return, although it was not put to a vote in the school year’s first MIAA Board of Directors meeting in August. However, MIAA executive director Bob Baldwin said, “That’s a huge topic for us.”

Several prominent coaches, including Walpole High coach Chris Costello and Braintree High coach Bill O’Connell have advocated for bringing back the Super 8 tournament on The Base Path Podcast. Expect the idea to get more traction in 2026.

2. More local players will have opportunities to play in the Cape League.

When the MLB Draft shifted from early June to mid-July in 2020, it had a major impact on the Cape League. While roster turnover was always prevalent, the mid-summer draft forced teams to basically assemble two rosters each summer — one for before the draft and one for after. In 2025, playoff rosters were almost entirely different from Opening Day rosters.

Brewster Whitecaps coach Jamie Shevchik expressed his frustration when New England’s top prospect heading into the 2026 MLB Draft, LSU pitcher Mavrick Rizy (Fiskdale, Mass., Worcester Academy), was shut down by his college coach after pitching just 6.2 scoreless innings on the Cape.

“We had him penciled in for two more outings … but we got a surprise that he’s done today,” Shevchik said.

It’s not just players who get drafted that leave the Cape mid-season. It’s pitchers who reach their innings limits or even position players who just want a few weeks off before returning to college campuses. By the end of last season, many Cape League rosters were comprised primarily of local players at the D2 and D3 levels who were just happy to be playing on the Cape. Don’t be surprised if the Opening Day rosters start to take on a similar feel in 2026.

3. The Futures League will add another team in 2026.

The Futures Collegiate Baseball League announced in November that it will add a new organization, the Lowell Spinners, in 2026. That will bring the number of FCBL teams to seven. It’s a bit of a clunky number for scheduling purposes. One team will be idle each night of the season, and more than 50% of the league’s teams will earn playoff berths.

By comparison, the Cape League has 10 teams, and the NECBL has 13. It seems like an easy fix, with one NECBL organization moving to the Futures League, although I understand that owners of NECBL franchises aren’t in the business of helping the Futures League.

4. Expect to see more top prospects reclassifying to graduate earlier.

For years, we’ve seen the trend of prep prospects reclassifying into lower classes or taking postgraduate years to extend the college recruitment window. This year, we actually saw two top New England prospects — Dexter Southfield (Mass.) pitcher Owen Burnes and North Kingstown (R.I.) shortstop Rock Arnold — reclassify into higher classes to announce commitments to Power Four programs. Burnes moved up from the Class of 2028 to 2027 to commit to Auburn. Arnold did the same thing while announcing his commitment to Oklahoma State.

Why wouldn’t top prospects make this jump? Instead of paying tens of thousands of dollars for an extra year of prep school, they are banking that money and presumably receiving college scholarships.

5. Don’t expect the NCAA to restrict movement in the transfer portal.

It’s widely accepted that the NCAA lacks leadership, and there will be zero fixes coming even when everyone involved can identify a problem. However, I’m not ready to say that the trend toward more player movement needs to be fixed.

Arkansas men’s basketball coach John Calipari recently went on a rant about the state of college athletics, proposing changes to the transfer rules. He believes players should only be able to transfer without the penalty of a redshirt year if their coach leaves for another school. Well, who does that proposal benefit? The player, who is attempting to find a better fit? Or the coach, who will retain unhappy players even as he actively recruits their replacements in the transfer portal?

These players are over the age of 18. They are now all eligible to get paid. In what other profession do we tell an adult they can not work for a year if they leave their job? The college game is different now. Coaches must now constantly recruit within their own programs to keep players from jumping ship. Let’s all accept it. It may even lead to better communication and stronger relationships between coaches and players.

6. D3 college coaching jobs may become more attractive than some D1 positions.

One of the more surprising news items of the year came when UMass head coach Matt Reynolds left his D1 head coaching post to accept the same position at D3 Wesleyan. Why would any D1 coach leave his program to take a D3 job?

As mentioned above, the D1 game has changed dramatically. Players at Power Four programs are now getting paid NIL money. There is no longer a limit to the number of scholarships D1 programs can offer players. At a mid-major like UMass, the top players often look for opportunities in the transfer portal to play at stronger programs with better resources. Coaching at a mid-major has become much less about player development and more about finding D1 prospects who are willing to commit for a year or two before they seek greener pastures.

For some D1 coaches, a move to a D3 program might signify a return to what they love most about coaching — identifying high school players who fit their value system, developing those players for four years, and maintaining lifelong relationships that extend well beyond a transactional baseball experience.

7. Legion Baseball will rise in popularity.

The summer of 2025 marked the 100th year of Legion Baseball, and the organization saw an 8% increase in participation. Expect that trend to continue. With the rising costs of AAU travel ball organizations, Legion will be an attractive alternative for families on tighter budgets. Legion offers competitive games for players up to 19, so it could be particularly attractive for juniors who have made college commitments and prefer not to invest $6,000 for a year of travel ball.

From a health perspective, Legion also offers an advantage with five to six local games per week instead of the travel ball model of squeezing two or three games per day into a long weekend.

8. ‘IMG Academy of the North’ will not impact the New England prep scene.

Masters Academy International, or MAI, is attempting to bring a sports-centric academy to Massachusetts. The school plans to break ground on an 82-acre campus in Stow and open in fall 2026. MAI is clear with its goals: to create a multi-sport powerhouse in the vein of Florida’s IMG Academy, with an athletic focus that supercedes any other school in New England.

Don’t expect “IMG of the North” to impact the quality of play on the New England prep scene. The overwhelming majority of prep school families value the education and character development that New England schools offer just as much — if not more so — than the athletic experience. Even before the idea for Masters Academy International was hatched, a handful of New England parents chose to send their children to IMG or other sports-first academies in Florida, Georgia, or other southern states. Now, they will just have the option to do that closer to home in Stow.

9. Brown will be New England’s most improved college program.

Brown hasn’t been competitive in the Ivy League for the last decade-plus, posting a record of 119-252 in 11 seasons under Grant Achilles. The Bears went 7-14 in Ivy League play last season.

However, it’s difficult to dislike the news coming out of Providence in recent months. Brown has revamped its coaching staff with some accomplished names in the New England baseball world. Frank Holbrook (Middletown, R.I.) returns to Providence after spending two seasons assisting Mike Glavine at Northeastern, where the Huskies won a program-record 49 games during a CAA championship season in 2025. He previously served as the head coach at D3 Rhode Island College from 2019-23, concluding his tenure there winning the first Little East regular-season title in program history en route to Coach of the Year honors in 2023.

Brown also welcomed associate head coach Eric Podbelski — the longtime Wheaton skipper — and former Salve Regina pitching coach Andrew McKeon upon Holbrook’s hiring. That staff has impressed in bringing in some big-name recruits as well.

10. Dexter Southfield will repeat as New England’s top prep program.

Dexter completed a steady ascent under legendary coach Danny Donato in 2025, when it earned the top ranking in New England, according to our final coaches poll. The squad may be even better in 2025, with a loaded roster that includes potential D1 prospects at multiple positions.

Auburn commit Owen Burnes ’27 is one of New England’s top prospects in any class, as is Stanford commit Patrick Bryan ’27. Pitchers Matt Blanusa ’26 (Elon University) and AJ Baroncelli ’27 (Northeastern University) are committed to D1 programs, while Jett Little ’26 is New England’s top uncommitted prospect while he rehabs an injury. The Class of 2028 is also laden with potential D1 prospects in Grady Tempesta ’28, Rory Funke ’28, and JT Taylor ’28. All three started as freshman last spring.