The Brown University baseball team is preparing to open its 2026 season this Friday at the Snowbird Baseball Classic in Port Charlotte, Florida. The Bears will compete against Miami (Ohio), Illinois State, and Indiana State during the three-game weekend.
This year’s roster consists of 38 players, including 30 returners and an eight-member freshman class expected to make immediate contributions. Nearly all pitchers from last season are returning, with only one departure due to graduation.
The 2026 campaign marks a transition for Brown baseball as Frank Holbrook takes over as head coach, joined by associate head coach Eric Podbelski. “In general, the freshman class has been pretty strong on the hill,” Holbrook said. “Peter Dubie will pitch on Friday against Miami and be the game one starter. I think he’s got really good stuff, it’s just him transitioning into that starting role where in the past he’s mostly been out of the bullpen.”
Brown was ranked eighth in the Ivy League Preseason Poll but anticipates improvement compared to last year.
The schedule includes 40 games—16 at home at Attanasio Family Field at Murray Stadium—and features matchups against four teams that participated in NCAA Regionals in 2025 and another that reached a regional final in 2024.
The pitching staff brings back almost 81 percent of last season’s innings pitched. Junior Ryan Oshinskie returns after missing part of last year but made an impact upon his return and earned First Team All-Cape League honors over the summer with a 1.93 ERA across 13 appearances. Senior Dylan Reid is also set to rejoin after recovering from injury, while senior Peter Dubie transitions from relief work to a starting role.
Freshmen Porter Berryman and Drew Nelson are expected to see time on the mound this season. “Porter Berryman’s been really good indoors,” Holbrook said. “He’s also left-handed, so that provides a little bit of some matchups out of the bullpen. He also can provide some length and I think he profiles as a guy who can start down the road.”
Senior Christian Keel will anchor the bullpen after logging significant innings last year; he moves back into relief duties for high-leverage situations late in games. Other key relievers include junior Brenden Kline and sophomores Ian Keusch, Carter Barth, and Bryan Yang. Newcomers Camren Piwnicki and Cal McBurney are also expected to contribute out of the bullpen.
“Keel is a veteran guy that has pitched in some different roles,” Holbrook said. “I think he’s best suited out of the bullpen. He’s really competitive. He’s a guy that you see with three-inning saves, one-inning saves, and bounce back the next day. Cal McBurney is another freshman who has thrown a ton of strikes indoors and has been good early on. Piwnicki will be another guy who can give us some length out of the bullpen.”
At catcher, junior Brandon Chang returns as starter after hitting five home runs as a rookie while maintaining perfect stolen base numbers defensively last season by throwing out 36 percent of runners attempting steals on him.
Three starting infielders return: Second Team All-Ivy selection DJ Dillehay moves from shortstop to third base; senior Mark Henshon shifts back to second base; sophomore Christian Butera moves from third base to first after leading Ivy rookies with a .303 batting average last year; freshman Matt Luigs starts at shortstop opening day following preseason success; Harssh Ramayanam Venkkat may also play shortstop this season.
In center field is senior Mika Petersen—the reigning Ivy League batting champion—who led Brown with both hits (54) and doubles (nine) last year while maintaining consistent performance over his college career as shown by his appearance in nearly every game since joining Brown.
Left fielder Logan Meusy returns alongside right fielder Alex Benevento; both contributed offensively during key moments last season such as walk-off hits or multi-hit games against conference rivals.
Additional options for playing time include juniors Brady Dever and Miles Newsome along with sophomore Cam LaGrassa who have seen action both infield and outfield during preseason preparations.
