The 2026 New Balance Future Stars Series JUCO Main Event Showdown — presented by Draftline –will be held January 26-27 at Globe Life Field. Nine high-octane programs will compete to kick off the 2026 season in style.
Those nine are: Florida SouthWestern State College, San Jacinto College, Wharton County Junior College, Grayson College, Seminole State College, Amarillo College, Florence Darlington Tech, Lake Land College, and Wabash Valley College.
Let’s meet these programs, one by one.
Head Coach: Preston McDonald
Home Ballpark: Dailey Field
Notable Alums: Tanner Myatt, Rio Foster, Hunter Parks
2025 Result: 52-12
2025 LEADERS
(MIN. 100 PA / 20 IP)
| STAT | LEADER | VALUE |
|---|---|---|
| AVG | .453 | |
| HR | Zack Hunt | 11 |
| RBI | Hunt | 76 |
| SB | Devin Mitchell, Josh Campos | 25 |
| OPS | Evans | 1.209 |
| ERA | Jackson Burton | 2.74 |
| WHIP | Burton | 1.10 |
| K | Prisco | 87 |
Preston McDonald has seen it all.
Well, almost.
From taking over the Stingers at just 24 years old, to amassing well over 500 wins to even going on a run in the most recent JUCO World Series.
But the veteran head coach has never seen anything like the upcoming New Balance Baseball Future Stars Series JUCO Main Event Showdown, and for good reason. Regular season JUCO games in a big-league ballpark? Unprecedented. It’s an opportunity that McDonald is both grateful and excited for.
“First off, we’re very appreciative of Jeremy Booth and Kory (Koehler) over at San Jac for allowing us to have the opportunity to compete in such an unbelievable experience for these student-athletes and these programs,” he told FSS Plus. “We’re looking forward to the challenge, you’ve got some of the top teams in the country all in one spot.
“The opportunity to play in a big-league stadium, I know these guys are going to be really excited and we think it’s such a great opportunity for them. We’re looking forward to it and to the challenge, and we’ll have our hands full that opening weekend.”
The timing of the event — it’s set for the last week of January at Globe Life Field in Arlington — provides a unique challenge for all of the coaches in having to make sure players are game-ready slightly earlier than normal, but is one McDonald believes his group is up to the task on.
“It’s not too big of a different for us,” he said. “Really all we did was shut our guys down a little bit earlier than we normally would, and got them to start back ramping up a little bit earlier. Their shutdown period was a little bit shorter than we’d normally do, and (our pitchers) will throw a few bullpens at home before they get to campus, and once they get here, it’ll be full go…throw a couple pens, let the hitters see some live pitching, and bus it to Texas and see if we can play well and try to see if we can compete with these other programs in January.”
There is, after all, a ton of momentum to maintain for a program coming off a 52-win season and fourth appearance in Grand Junction in program history, which includes a win in their opening game last year. Expectations are high. For a program that hasn’t lost more than 13 games since 2017, they should be.
“We’re really proud of where our program is at,” McDonald said. “I think we’re averaging right at 50 wins a year over the last five years, and we’ve got back-to-back World Series trips with Final Five finishes. So, our players understand the expectations of the program while also understanding that last year is over with.
“That doesn’t win you any games this year. We have to earn everything all over again. This is a completely different team; this is a new team, a new year and everybody starts 0-0. Our players understand that we have to work, and hopefully the hard work that they’re putting in right now when nobody’s watching will pay off once the season gets rolling.”
What will that group look like once their season gets going with their January 26 opener against Lake Land? McDonald pointed out some players that will be worth keeping an eye on once his team takes the field in Arlington.
“I feel like we have a good core coming back,” he said. “We’ll sprinkle in some transfers and we’ve got a good core of freshmen, but we kind of built our team around these returners who have some experience in big games and pressure moments. They’ve played in Grand Junction, they’ve played against a team that won a national championship, they’ve played against good teams. They know what it’s like to win.
“I think on the pitching side of things, the guy who’s made the biggest jump since last year is Elijah Sanders. He just committed to NC State this fall; left-handed pitcher, he was up to 94 this fall with a ton of arm side movement, real good changeup, breaking ball has come a long way. We feel really confident in him, he’s getting a lot of pro interest. We return Jackson Mullen and Jackson Burton, who were two really key pieces for us out of the bullpen last year. Then we have several other arms that are back from last year as well.
“Offensively, some guys that played a lot last year that I think are going to be key pieces of the lineup again this year.
“Jake Zehner, who hit over .400 last year…Gabe Herold, who will probably hit in the middle of the order for us again this year and started most of the time at second base.
“Tristan Strickland is probably our top pro prospect from a position player standpoint; 6-4, 210, super-athletic, hit a couple of balls a mile in Grand Junction last year and we’re looking forward to him having a big year as well. I think we’ll be talented enough to compete with these teams out there and hopefully we can make another run at this thing and find ourselves a way to get back to Colorado.”
About New Balance Future Stars Series
The New Balance Future Stars Series presented by Program 15 is a global platform for amateur baseball development and scouting, powered by a commitment to impact, integrity, and player-focused innovation. Its alumni can be found throughout professional baseball, and its events and partnerships have reshaped how talent is identified, nurtured, and celebrated.
Connect with New Balance Future Stars Series by visiting our website, www.futurestarsseries.com, by visiting our YouTube page, and by checking out the social media channels below.
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Since 2003, he has covered multiple World Series and has worked high-profile events ranging from the MLB All-Star Game to the World Baseball Classic. In addition to his role working for the Future Stars Series that he's held since 2017, Ashmore currently serves as the beat writer of the Double-A New York Yankees affiliate, the Somerset Patriots, as well as national hockey writer and New York Jets game day beat reporter for The Trentonian.
A regular contributor to Baseball America, Ashmore has worked eight Super Bowls, 12 Stanley Cup Finals, the 4 Nations Face-Off, the NBA Playoffs, College Football Playoff National Championship Game, Frozen Four, Daytona 500, major UFC events and much more as he approaches 3,300 games covered in his career.
An avid trading card enthusiast, he lives with his wife, Sarah, their son, future No. 1 overall draft pick in 2042, William, their beloved dog, Bailey, and occasionally well-behaved cat, Smokey.
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