Forty young people from around North America earned a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity from Major League Baseball to attend the 2026 World Series presented by Capital One as participants in the Pitch, Hit & Run Finals. The finals of Pitch, Hit & Run presented by Firehouse Subs features the top five baseball and softball participants, respectively, from four different age divisions (7-8, 9-10, 11-12 and 13-14).
After a special on-field recognition prior to Game Two of the Fall Classic, the finalists compete on Sunday, Oct. 25, at American Family Field, home of the 2026 National League Champion Milwaukee Brewers and host site of this year’s first two Fall Classic games. The Pitch, Hit & Run finals stream live on MLB.com at 10:30 a.m. ET/9:30 a.m. CT. To qualify for this year’s competition, young athletes from around the world participated in local and regional competitions where the best-of-the-best competed to advance.
2026 Pitch, Hit & Run baseball finalists
Age 7-8 Baseball
|
Benjamin Banta – Ellenton, FL Liam Kozicki – Superior, CO Julian Thomas – Washington, DC Taizyn Phillips – Washington, UT Elliott Kostiuk – Oakville, Ontario |
Age 9-10 Baseball
|
Oliva Auimatagi - Spring Valley, CA Paixton Phan – Foster City, CA Preston Pollnow – Gilbert, AZ Grady Newton – Mill Hall, PA Richard Aguilar – Esparto, CA |
Age 11-12 Baseball
|
Jax Thomas – Harrisburg, SD Gabriel Nerenberg – Mesa, AZ Colin Heyward – Baldwin, NY Caleb Jones – Middletown, MD Lincoln Neilan – Huntington Beach, CA |
Age 13-14 Baseball
|
Austin Miller – San Diego, CA Preston Carter – Vineyard, UT Kinsler Farmer – Crandall, TX Hudson McCulley – College Station, TX Neo Nuez – Laveen, AZ |
2026 Pitch, Hit & Run softball finalists
Age 7-8 Softball
|
Cameron Verhoef – Stevensville, MD Alyza Vazquez – Philadelphia, PA Brynn Wurtsbaugh – Whitestown, IN Alana Liebel – Cleveland, OH Carli Fraser – Adel, IA |
Age 9-10 Softball
|
Adleigh Loney – New Market, MD Mollie MacIntosh – Salem, NH Sawyer Phillips – Coeburn, VA Ava Gossett – Bartonville, IL Emily Brosnan – Arlington Heights, IL |
Age 11-12 Softball
|
Casey Haegele – Virginia Beach, VA Charlotte Rydzisnki – Buffalo Grove, IL Haley Tsai – Bothwell, WA Kennedy Junious – El Cajon, CA Grace Williams – Mather, CA |
Age 13-14 Softball
|
Chantel McCarthy – Shelton, WA Koral Darnell – Picayune, MS Cassidy Wu – Raleigh, NC Madelyn Mollerdino – Arlington Heights, IL Tatum Frisby – Muskogee, OK |
* Italics indicate returning athlete
Since the Pitch, Hit & Run program’s inception in 1976, over 20 participants have played in Major League Baseball. Notable alumni of the Pitch, Hit & Run Program include former National League MVP Andrew McCutchen; former All-Star Joey Gallo; three-time All-Star Adley Rutschman of the Boston Red Sox; Gold Glover J.P. Crawford of the Seattle Mariners; Rhys Hoskins of the Cleveland Guardians; and Spencer Torkelson of the Detroit Tigers.
Registration for the 2027 Pitch, Hit & Run presented by Firehouse Subs competition opens soon. Local youth baseball and softball leagues, as well as individual community youth organization volunteers and leaders, are eligible to host competitions in their towns and cities by registering at mlb.com/pitch-hit-and-run. LeagueApps, MLB's youth baseball and softball digital partner, will provide its multi-platform technology to help securely collect and organize registration data for the skills competition. MLB provides an official kit to all hosts for ease of set-up, while MLB Network supports the program in studio programming and across social media platforms.
Pitch, Hit & Run is part of the PLAY BALL initiative, which is MLB’s collective effort to encourage young people and communities to engage in baseball and softball-related activities, including formal leagues, special events and casual forms of play. PLAY BALL events have become MLB’s signature youth engagement activity, demonstrating the positive way the game can serve as an outlet for physical activity, fun with friends and learning how to play the sport at its most basic levels.
Be one of the first to know when host registration opens for 2027 Pitch, Hit & Run competitions by visiting online here.