LANCASTER, Pa. – Three-time defending champion Johns Hopkins earned the distinction of preseason favorite in the 2026 Centennial Conference Baseball Preseason Poll. The Blue Jays compiled six first-place votes and 76 points to land atop the voting among CC head coaches.
Swarthmore and Haverford both garnered two first-place votes to finish second and third in the voting, respectively. The Garnet totaled 71 points while the Fords tallied 64 points.
McDaniel was projected to place fourth with 58 points, while Franklin & Marshall (54) was also picked to make the five-team playoff field.
The 2026 season is slated to begin in mid-February with Dickinson traveling to Ashland, Va. for a trio of games over the February 14-15 weekend. The majority of CC squads will open the season the following weekend, with all 10 set to start by the end of February. Conference play commences on Saturday, March 28. The five-team CC playoffs are set for April 28-30 and May 2-3. The No. 4 seed will host the No. 5 seed in a play-in game on April 28, with the top two seeds hosting first round matchups on April 30. The top seed will host the remainder of the double-elimination tournament on May 2-3.
2026 Centennial Conference Baseball Preseason Poll
| Rank | Institution (First-Place Votes) |
Points |
| 1. Johns Hopkins (6) |
76 |
| 2. Swarthmore (2) |
71 |
| 3. Haverford (2) |
64 |
| 4. McDaniel |
58 |
| 5. Franklin & Marshall |
54 |
| 6. Dickinson |
38 |
| 7. Gettysburg |
32 |
| 8. Ursinus |
23 |
| 9. Muhlenberg |
22 |
| 10. Washington College |
12 |
2026 Schedule | 2025 Championship | 2025 All-Centennial Team | D3baseball.com Preseason Poll
Johns Hopkins put together one of the best seasons in Centennial Conference history last spring, registering a 44-5 overall record, a 17-1 mark in conference play and its third straight and 19th overall CC title. The Blue Jays downed Haverford in CC championship and went on to win regional and super regional crowns en route to earning the seventh trip to the NCAA College World Series for a CC squad. The Blue Jays 44 wins are tied for second all-time in the CC, while their 26-game winning streak from March 29 through May 24 of 2025 ranks as the third-longest streak in CC history.
The Centennial was ripe with talent last spring, with a conference-record eight players earning All-America honors from either D3baseball.com or the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA). The previous high of CC All-Americans was five in 2010. Two of those All-Americans are back in the fold for 2026 - Haverford sophomore shortstop Jackson Sgro and Hopkins junior leftanded pitcher Grant Meert. Sgro compiled arguably the best freshmen season in CC history last year, culminating with the distinction of D3baseball.com National Rookie of the Year and second team All-American by both D3baseball.com and the ABCA. Meert was a standout reliever for the Blue Jays and earned fifth team accolades from D3baseball.com.
Nine All-Region performers, including three multi-time award winners, and 23 players who have earned All-Centennial laurels are back on the diamond this spring. JHU senior outfielder Alex Shane, JHU graduate student righthanded pitcher Kieren Collins and Swarthmore senior designated hitter Aidan Sullivan headline the list of highly-accomplished returning players. Shane is a three-time All-Region and three-time first team All-Centennial pick, while Collins is a three-time All-Region and four-time All-CC honoree. Sullivan also boasts three All-Region awards to his name and was the 2023 CC Rookie of the Year and a first-teamer before receiving second team honors each of the past two seasons.
McDaniel senior first baseman Ben Davis is a three-time CC all-star while F&M senior righthander Peter Mullen, Gettysburg senior righthander Alex Wilkie-Viscio, McDaniel junior outfielder Ethan Haddock and junior third baseman Shea McKenna and Washington College senior designated hitter Drew Kinsey are all back as two-time All-CC recipients.
Hopkins is ranked 11th in the D3baseball.com Preseason National Rankings.
Returning All-Americans (2)
Jackson Sgro, Haverford, So., SS (2025 D3baseball.com National Rookie OTY & Second Team; 2025 ABCA Second Team)
Grant Meert, Johns Hopkins, Jr., LHP (2025 D3baseball.com Fifth Team)
Returning All-Region (9)
Robert Murphy, Gettysburg, Sr., SS (2025 ABCA Second Team)
Jackson Sgro, Haverford, So., SS (2025 ABCA First Team; 2025 D3baseball.com Rookie OTY & First Team)
Alex Shane, Johns Hopkins, Sr., OF (2025 ABCA Third Team; 2025 D3baseball.com Second Team; 2024 ABCA Second Team; 2023 ABCA Second Team, 2023 D3baseball.com Third Team)
Kieren Collins, Johns Hopkins, Gr., RHP (2025 D3baseball.com Third Team; 2024 ABCA Third Team; 2023 ABCA Second Team, D3baseball.com Third Team)
Grant Meert, Johns Hopkins, Jr., LHP (2025 D3baseball.com First Team)
Ben Davis, McDaniel, Sr., 1B (2025 ABCA Second Team; 2025 D3baseball.com Third Team)
Aidan Sullivan, Swarthmore, Sr., DH (2025 D3baseball.com Second Team; 2024 D3baseball.com First Team, 2024 ABCA Second Team; 2023 D3baseball.com First Team)
Brandon Sullivan, Ursinus, Jr., OF (2025 ABCA Third Team)
Drew Kinsey, Washington College, Sr., DH (2024 ABCA Second Team)
Returning All-Centennial (23)
Ben Myers, Dickinson, Jr., RHP (2025 Honorable Mention)
Drew Norton, Dickinson, Jr., RHP (2025 Honorable Mention)
Peter Mullen, Franklin & Marshall, Sr., LHP (2025 Honorable Mention, 2024 Second Team)
Kiernan Keller, Franklin & Marshall, Sr., LHP (2024 Second Team)
Michael von Zuben, Franklin & Marshall, Sr., OF (2024 Honorable Mention)
Alex Wilkie-Viscio, Gettysburg, Sr., RHP (2025 Second Team, 2024 Honorable Mention)
Robert Murphy, Gettysburg, Sr., SS (2025 Honorable Mention)
Dominick Balsamo, Gettysburg, Jr., DH (2025 Honorable Mention)
Jackson Sgro, Haverford, So., SS (2025 First Team)
Sam Cohen, Haverford, Sr., RHP (2025 Second Team)
Luke Treese, Haverford, Jr., OF (2025 Honorable Mention)
Chuck Norton, Haverford, Sr., C (2024 Gold Glove of the Year & Honorable Mention)
Alex Shane, Johns Hopkins, Sr., OF (2025 First Team, 2024 First Team, 2023 First Team)
Kieren Collins, Johns Hopkins, Gr., RHP (2025 Second Team, 2024 Second Team, 2023 First Team, 2021 First Team)
Grant Meert, Johns Hopkins, Jr., LHP (2025 First Team)
Ben Davis, McDaniel, Sr., 1B (2025 Second Team, 2024 Honorable Mention, 2023 Honorable Mention)
Ethan Haddock, McDaniel, Jr., OF (2025 Honorable Mention, 2024 First Team)
Shea McKenna, McDaniel, Jr., 3B (2025 Second Team; 2024 Rookie of the Year & Honorable Mention)
Aidan Sullivan, Swarthmore, Sr., DH (2025 Second Team; 2024 Second Team, 2023 Rookie of the Year & First Team)
Noah Potholm, Swarthmore, Sr., RHP (2025 Honorable Mention)
Brad Johnston, Swarthmore, Jr., DH (2025 Honorable Mention)
Brandon Sullivan, Ursinus, Jr., OF (2025 Second Team)
Drew Kinsey, Washington College, Sr., DH (2025 Second Team, 2024 First Team)
