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Baseball Danny Talbert

Taking a Closer Look at the 2026 Wolves

CARROLLTON, Ga- Following the inaugural season competing in Division I, UWG baseball returns to the diamond with a mix of new and returning Wolves looking to build off the success of last year.

This year's Pack is made up of 42 Wolves, featuring 21 transfers, 16 returners and five true freshmen. 

One returner who started in 45 of last season's 51 games is redshirt junior shortstop Jacob Bowman. In his 141 at-bats, the Charlotte, North Carolina native tallied 37 hits, 24 runs, eight RBIs, eight walks and three doubles, finishing with a .170 batting average, .247 on base percentage and a .262 slugging. Where the shortstop really shined was in the field. Last season, Bowman was one of five players in the ASUN to field at 1.000, but he was the only infielder to achieve this feat. Playing error-free baseball, Bowman tallied 112 assists, 61 putouts and was in 13 double plays.

Senior outfielder Brady McDevitt is another Wolf making his return to Cole Field in 2026. Starting in 42 games last year, McDevitt recorded 41 hits, 30 RBIs (second most for UWG), 16 runs, seven doubles and three homers while batting at a .255 average with a .320 on-base percentage and a .354 slugging rate. Remarkably, McDevitt was another one of the five players in the ASUN to play error-free baseball last season. Fielding at 1.000 percent, McDevitt recorded 85 putouts, four assists and was involved in one double play.

One new Wolf who will be playing alongside Bowman in the infield is Fano Cruz, a transfer from Pasco-Hernando State College. Most likely taking over the role of first base, Cruz is coming off an excellent season in which he earned a slew of awards, including NJCAA Division II Baseball All-America Honorable Mention honors, First Team All-Conference, All-Conference Defensive Team, All-Tournament Team honors, was listed as a top-ten player in the Sun-Lakes Conference and helped his team win the NJCAA Division II National Championship. Playing in all 62 games last season, he finished with a .322 batting average, .452 OBP (eighth in conference), and a .498 slugging while totaling 68 hits (third in conference), 65 RBIs (led the conference), 59 runs (fourth in conference), 19 doubles (third in conference) and six homers (tied for 10th in conference). In the field, he recorded 424 put outs (led conference), was a part of 38 double plays (led conference), had 26 assists and recorded a .987 fielding percentage (ninth in conference).

Another Pasco-Hernando State transfer joining the Pack following a championship season is junior outfielder Anthony Cole. Competing in 58 games last season, Cole finished with a .301 batting average and a .492 slugging percentage, totaling 55 hits, 48 RBIs (sixth in conference), 32 runs, 17 doubles (fourth in conference) and six home runs (tied for tenth in conference). Defensively, he was reliable in the outfield, recording 96 putouts, five assists, a .981 fielding percentage and turning a double play. 

Composed of 20 Wolves, this year's bullpen is made up of 13 transfers and seven returners.

After competing in a team-high 19 games and starting in one last year, senior Gavin Mask looks to close out his UWG career on a high note. Filling in as a reliever, Mask pitched in 24 innings last season, finishing with 22 strikeouts, a 6.00 ERA and a 3-1 record (best win percentage for UWG). One of Mask's strongest performances last year came in the Wolves' 9-3 win over North Florida (April 5, 2025). Coming in halfway through the fourth inning, Mask conceded only one hit, struck out two batters and held the Ospreys scoreless for 4.2 innings. 

One new Wolf joining the pitching rotation this year is Old Dominion transfer Luke Ridley. Appearing in 10 games at ODU last season, Ridley totaled seven strikeouts in his eight frames of work. Before his time with the Monarchs, the Gainesville, Florida native spent a season at Central Florida Junior College and three years at Polk State Junior College. In his lone season at Central Florida, Ridley accumulated 32.2 innings in his 24 appearances, finishing with 43 strikeouts, a 4.3 ERA, four saves and a 3-1 record.

While there are only six Wolves who were mentioned above, more details about the rest of the Pack can be found in this season's game notes, which will be posted throughout the year. 

Stay up-to-date with all things UWG baseball by following the program's Instagram and X pages @UWGbaseball.
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Players Mentioned

Jacob Bowman

#9 Jacob Bowman

INF
6' 1"
Redshirt Junior
R/R
Gavin Mask

#17 Gavin Mask

RHP
6' 2"
Senior
R/R
Brady McDevitt

#3 Brady McDevitt

OF
5' 11"
Senior
L/R
Fano Cruz

#16 Fano Cruz

1B/ OF
6' 2"
Junior
L/L
Luke Ridley

#18 Luke Ridley

RHP
6' 1"
Redshirt Senior
R/R
Anthony Cole

#25 Anthony Cole

OF
6' 5"
Junior
R/R

Players Mentioned

Jacob Bowman

#9 Jacob Bowman

6' 1"
Redshirt Junior
R/R
INF
Gavin Mask

#17 Gavin Mask

6' 2"
Senior
R/R
RHP
Brady McDevitt

#3 Brady McDevitt

5' 11"
Senior
L/R
OF
Fano Cruz

#16 Fano Cruz

6' 2"
Junior
L/L
1B/ OF
Luke Ridley

#18 Luke Ridley

6' 1"
Redshirt Senior
R/R
RHP
Anthony Cole

#25 Anthony Cole

6' 5"
Junior
R/R
OF