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The 2026 New Balance Future Stars Series JUCO Main Event Showdown will be held January 26-28 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.
Grayson College Vikings
Head Coach: Cal Hernandez, 3rd season
Home Ballpark: Dub Hayes Field
Notable Alums: John Lackey, Daniel McCutchen, Andy LaRoche, Danny Darwin, Chris Gittens, Tyler Ivey, Josh Bostick
2025 Result: 33-22
2025 Statistical Leaders (min 100 pa, 20 IP)
2025 LEADERS
(MIN. 100 PA / 20 IP)
| STAT | LEADER | VALUE |
|---|---|---|
| AVG | Austin Gowin | .393 |
| HR | Caleb Hoover | 16 |
| RBI | Godwin | 52 |
| SB | Sloan Barrett | 20 |
| OPS | Hoover | 1.345 |
| ERA | Coleman Allison | 2.25 |
| WHIP | Kade Neuenschwander | 1.02 |
| K | Braydon Risley | 83 |
When it comes to finding a relatable coach to play for on the JUCO circuit, you’d be hard-pressed to do better than Grayson College Vikings rising star Cal Hernandez.
Sure, he still hasn’t turned 30 yet, with that benchmark set to be reached just a few days prior to the start of the 2026 New Balance Baseball Future Stars Series JUCO Showdown presented by DraftLine.
But he’s also been down this path as a player, albeit recently, having used a stop at Cisco Junior College to propel him back to a four-year school at Oral Roberts, where he played for the final two years of his career and got drafted by the Seattle Mariners in the 26th round back in 2018.
Both that path and the recency of it make him a desirable sounding board for many of his players as he enters his fourth season at the helm of a program that’s been trending up since he took it over in 2023.
“I think being able to understand these kids on a personal level like that is super beneficial,” Hernandez told FSS Plus. “I’m six years out of pro ball, but I also went through the same stages that these kids went through. I went through the JUCO ranks, I went through D1, and I was lucky enough and fortunate enough to get drafted. So, that’s a big thing that I get to relate to these guys on, and that’s the one thing that I believe in to build a really good culture around here is to be able to relate to your guys on and off the field.
“Everybody’s head spins every once in a while, everybody goes through a lot of things off the field, and I understand that and we understand that. But, I think it’s very beneficial, I really do. Some kids might not agree with that, but some really do, and the guys that we brought back and guys that are here, they understand that. This team can relate to this staff really well, and that’s what I’m excited about. This is a good group.”
Hernandez went to Dallas Baptist University to start his college career out of high school, redshirted there for a year, played the year at Cisco — in which his team went to the NJCAA World Series — and then went to Oral Roberts, where he earned back-to-back All-Summit League First Team honors. His mindset going through such a circuitous route is one he knows he can use with his group, and has often.
Just who’s in that group when we get to Globe Life on January 25? It’s an interesting time to ask that question, as many rosters are still in flux. But Hernandez was able to point to some names to keep an eye on when the Showdown starts.
“We’ve got a couple guys, and it’s a good mixture of ‘veterans’ and new faces that we’ve got,” he said. Obviously, up the middle, we have Brandon Creek and Blake Lewis; those two guys are good players and understand how we as a staff work and expect things to go smoothly during the season and during the off-season.
“Those guys are going to be the leaders in the lineup for us, and we expect them to have good years like everybody else, but it’s good to have those guys there. We’ve had a couple of arms that are back; Coleman Allison had a good year for us, and I’m really excited to see Jack Sharp.
“I think he’s going to have a good year. He was a big name coming out of high school and things like that, but he’s been very consistent thus far, and we’re excited to see him. The newest additions are Caleb Watkins, Berkeley Roddy, guys like that that have shown at each level that they’ve had success early on.
“This is a good group, a good core group. I think our staff did a really good job of bringing guys in that we really needed, so this team is starting to get together and understand that they can make a run if they want to.”
The starting point for that, of course, would be the Showdown. The schedule is something of a gauntlet, with four games in three days against Wabash Valley, Wharton, San Jac and Amarillo.
For Hernandez, who has seen his program’s win total increase every year since he took over, he knows it’ll be a formidable test, but one he believes his team can handle.
“This is exciting for us,” he said. “This is a big test early on for our guys. This is the most excited I’ve been with a group since I’ve been here; the want to compete and the want to win with this group has been there since day one.
“Usually, with groups and some younger guys, you kind of have to get that out of them and force that out of them for them to understand the situation, but this group has been working ever since they got on campus…opening a season up in a major-league ballpark against top-ranked teams in the country, it’s a good test. It’s a good test for us, and we’re excited.”
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.
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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 seven 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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