The SLU Billikens went 33-26 and were eliminated in the Atlantic 10 Conference Tournament last season. (Photo: Thomas Grove)

Jason Barnes
Special to the Editor

ST. LOUIS, MO — The Saint Louis University baseball team announced a number of new additions to its roster for the 2026 season.

Saint Louis has added 16 transfers and four freshmen to the team. All will begin as students at SLU this month and will be eligible to play for the Billikens next season.

“We are excited to welcome another large class this summer to Billiken baseball,” SLU baseball head coach Daren Hendrickson said. “The combination of quality freshmen and transfers makes for another interesting fall of blending the team together with our core group of returners. We are very optimistic about our finish last year and look to continue to build off our success as a winning program.”

Here is a list of SLU’s transfer additions:
Noah Andrunas · RHP · 6-1 · 210 · Jr. · Cerritos, Calif. · Gahr High School/UC Riverside/Cerritos College
Matthew Arnold · C · 6-0 · 205 · Gr. · Ballwin, Mo. · Marquette/St. Charles CC/Maryville
Andrew Banda · RHP · 5-10 · 170 · R-Jr. · Nuevo, Calif. · Heritage HS/Cypress College
Krew Bond  · OF · 5-9 · 190 · Jr. · Mendota, Ill./Ottawa Marquette/Wabash Valley CC
Joey Canzoni · IF · 5-11 · 200 · R-So. · Cleveland, Ohio/Walsh Jesuit/Cincinnati/Northern Oklahoma College
Logan Cromer · RHP · 6-0 · 205 · Gr. · Edwardsville, Ill. · Edwardsville High School/Lewis and Clark CC/Delta State University
Matt Deutsch · C · 5-10 · 190 · Jr. · Mission Viejo, Calif. · Capistrano Valley HS/Binghamton/ Saddleback College
Ahmaad Duff · OF · 5-5 · 150 · So. · Indianapolis, Ind. · Lawrence Central/Alabama
Andrew Dumont · RHP · 6-1 · 200 · R-Fr. · Wildwood, Mo. · SLU High/Tennessee
Dylan Gormont · LHP · 6-8 · 250 · R-Jr. · Kansas City, Mo. · Liberty High School/Metropolitan CC
Colin Hawkins · LHP · 5-11 · 185 · Gr. · St. Louis, Mo. · Lindbergh/University of Illinois Chicago
Trevor Jackson · RHP · 6-1 · 210 · R-Jr. · Marion, Ill. · Marion High School/East Carolina
Liam McKinney · LHP · 6-3 · 210 · Jr. · Norman, Okla. · Norman High School/Northern Oklahoma College
Brian Nunez · RHP · 6-1 · 180 · Jr. · San Diego, Calif. · Point Loma/Cal State Northridge/San Diego Mesa College
James Showalter · RHP · 6-1 · 185 · Sr. · Mission Viejo, Calif. · Mission Viejo High School/Santa Ana College/Johnson University
Drew Welk · RHP · 6-2 · 185 · Jr. · Gig Harbor, Wash. · Bellarmine Preparatory School/Bellevue College

Here is a list of the freshmen additions:
Caden Earing · RHP · 5-11 · 183 · Fr. · Round Lake, Ill. · Mundelein High School
Loren Georger · RHP · 6-2 · 195 · Fr. · Appleton, Wis. · Appleton West
Drew Kleinheider · IF · 5-7 · 165 · Fr. · Edwardsville, Ill. · Father McGivney Catholic High School
Lucas Wietholder · IF · 6-3 · 190 · Fr. · Columbia, Mo. · Father Tolton Catholic

ABOUT THE NEW TALENT:
Noah Andrunas · RHP · 6-1 · 210 · Jr. · Cerritos, Calif. · Gahr High School/UC Riverside/Cerritos College
Noah Andrunas joins SLU after a standout season at Cerritos College, where he went 10-1 over 14 starts, posting a 2.84 ERA, 89 strikeouts, and just 24 walks across 88.2 innings. He previously pitched at UC Riverside in 2024, making 16 appearances (five starts) with 45.1 innings and 32 strikeouts, including a 7.2-inning shutout vs. Cal State Bakersfield.
 
Matthew Arnold · C · 6-0 · 205 · Gr. · Ballwin, Mo. · Marquette/St. Charles CC/Maryville
Catcher Matt Arnold joins SLU after a productive three-year career at Maryville University, where he appeared in 82 games and posted a career .269 batting average, .430 on-base percentage, and 57 RBIs. He totaled 14 doubles, 6 home runs, and maintained a strong .991 fielding percentage, proving to be a consistent presence on both sides of the ball. In 2025, Arnold hit a career-best .297 with a .444 OBP over 25 games, adding three doubles, one triple, and two home runs while continuing to anchor the defense behind the plate.
 
Andrew Banda · RHP · 5-10 · 170 · R-Jr. · Nuevo, Calif. · Heritage HS/Cypress College
Right-handed pitcher Andrew Banda joins SLU after two seasons at Cypress College, where he made 29 appearances and struck out 40 batters over 42.1 innings. In 2025, he appeared in 19 games and earned three wins, posting a 9.42 strikeouts-per-nine rate while working primarily out of the bullpen.
 
Krew Bond  · OF · 5-9 · 190 · Jr. · Mendota, Ill./Ottawa Marquette/Wabash Valley CC
Outfielder Krew Bond joins SLU from Wabash Valley Community College, where he played in 56 games and hit .318 with 4 home runs, 57 RBIs, and 56 runs scored. He also recorded 23 stolen bases, providing solid speed and consistent offensive production for the team.
 
Joey Canzoni · IF · 5-11 · 200 · R-So. · Cleveland, Ohio/Walsh Jesuit/Cincinnati/Northern Oklahoma College
Infielder Joey Canzoni joins SLU from NOC Tonkawa, where he played 53 games during the 2024-25 season. He hit .369 with nine home runs, 55 RBIs, and scored 62 runs. Canzoni also had 24 walks and 14 stolen bases. He did not play during the 2024 season at Cincinnati before transferring to NOC Tonkawa.
 
Logan Cromer · RHP · 6-0 · 205 · Gr. · Edwardsville, Ill. · Edwardsville High School/Lewis and Clark CC/Delta State University
Right-handed pitcher Logan Cromer joins SLU from Delta State. Over three seasons, he made 39 appearances with a 12-6 record and a 3.60 ERA, striking out 92 batters in 105 innings. In 2025, he pitched 16.2 innings out of the bullpen with a 2.16 ERA and 15 strikeouts.
 
Matt Deutsch · C · 5-10 · 190 · Jr. · Mission Viejo, Calif. · Capistrano Valley HS/Binghamton/ Saddleback College
Matt Deutsch joins SLU after playing 26 games last season at Saddleback, hitting .220 with 1 home run and 15 RBIs. In his freshman year, he appeared in 41 games and batted .285 with a .395 on-base percentage, including three home runs. Deutsch was part of the Saddleback team that won the 3C2A Baseball State Championship in 2024.
 
Ahmaad Duff · OF · 5-5 · 150 · So. · Indianapolis, Ind. · Lawrence Central/Alabama
Ahmaad Duff joins SLU after spending the 2025 season with Alabama, where he appeared briefly as a pinch-runner. A standout from Lawrence Central High School in Indianapolis, Duff was highly regarded in Indiana as the No. 2 outfielder by Prep Baseball Report and Perfect Game USA. He earned All-Marion County Second Team honors as a junior and had strong high school seasons, including a .509 batting average with five home runs as a sophomore. He earned SEC First-Year Academic Honor Roll recognition during his time at Alabama.
 
Andrew Dumont · RHP · 6-1 · 200 · R-Fr. · Wildwood, Mo. · SLU High/Tennessee
Andrew Dumont is joining SLU after not playing last season at Tennessee. A St. Louis University High School graduate, he earned honors all four years and was ranked among the top 350 players nationally and near the top 100 for right-handed pitchers. He was also the seventh-best player overall and second-best right-handed pitcher from Missouri in his class.
 
Dylan Gormont · LHP · 6-8 · 250 · R-Jr. · Kansas City, Mo. · Liberty High School/Metropolitan CC
Right-handed pitcher Dylan Gormont joins SLU from Metropolitan Community College, where he made 13 appearances—including 12 starts—during the 2024-25 season. He threw 54.1 innings, posting a 4.80 ERA with 40 strikeouts, and held a 1-1 record.
 
Colin Hawkins · LHP · 5-11 · 185 · Gr. · St. Louis, Mo. · Lindbergh/University of Illinois Chicago
Right-handed pitcher Colin Hawkins joins SLU from UIC, where he made 36 appearances over two seasons. He posted a 4.57 ERA across 43.1 innings, with 34 strikeouts and a 4-1 record. In 2025, he appeared in 26 games out of the bullpen and recorded one save.
 
Trevor Jackson · RHP · 6-1 · 210 · R-Jr. · Marion, Ill. · Marion High School/East Carolina
Right-handed pitcher Trevor Jackson joins SLU after spending last season at East Carolina, where he did not appear in any games. Prior to that, he pitched two seasons at Logan College, helping the team to an 89-29 record and two region championships. In 2024, he made 15 appearances (14 starts), posting a 6-1 record with a 6.00 ERA and 63 strikeouts over 54.0 innings. In 2023, he went 5-3 with a 3.16 ERA and 51 strikeouts in 42.2 innings, including two complete games and one save. Jackson is a former Top 500 national recruit and was ranked as the No. 6 right-handed pitcher in Illinois coming out of high school.
 
Liam McKinney · LHP · 6-3 · 210 · Jr. · Norman, Okla. · Norman High School/Northern Oklahoma College
Right-handed pitcher Liam McKinney joins SLU from NOC Tonkawa, where he made 33 appearances over two seasons. He posted a 13-4 record with a 4.21 ERA and 78 strikeouts across 87.2 innings. In 2025, he went 5-2 with a 3.41 ERA over 15 appearances, primarily out of the bullpen, and recorded two saves.
 
Brian Nunez · RHP · 6-1 · 180 · Jr. · San Diego, Calif. · Point Loma/Cal State Northridge/San Deigo Mesa College
Right-handed pitcher Brian Nunez joins SLU from San Diego Mesa College, where he made 8 starts during the 2024-25 season. He finished the year with a 3-2 record, posting 26 strikeouts over 27.0 innings. Nunez recorded an 8.67 K/9, while allowing 20 earned runs on 42 hits, ending the season with a 6.67 ERA.
 
James Showalter · RHP · 6-1 · 185 · Sr. · Mission Viejo, Calif. · Mission Viejo High School/Santa Ana College/Johnson University
Right-handed pitcher James Showalter joins SLU from Johnson University, where he made 32 relief appearances over two seasons. He recorded 13 saves and posted a 3.78 ERA with 58 strikeouts over 50.0 innings, averaging 10.44 strikeouts per nine innings. Showalter adds late-inning experience to the Billiken bullpen.
 
Drew Welk · RHP · 6-2 · 185 · Jr. · Gig Harbor, Wash. · Bellarmine Preparatory School/Bellevue College
Right-handed pitcher Drew Welk joins SLU from Bellevue College, where he made 25 appearances over two seasons. In 2025, he posted a 1.63 ERA with 42 strikeouts in 27.2 innings, averaging 13.66 strikeouts per nine innings and earning two saves. As a freshman in 2024, he appeared in 10 games and recorded a 3.45 ERA over 15.2 innings.
 
Caden Earing · RHP · 5-11 · 183 · Fr. · Round Lake, Ill. · Mundelein High School
Hendrickson on Earing: “Caden is a quality young arm that should see considerable time on the mound. His upside is tremendous, and he is a great competitor.”
 
Loren Georger · RHP · 6-2 · 195 · Fr. · Appleton, Wis. · Appleton West
Hendrickson on Georger: “Loren is a very talented right-handed arm from Wisconsin that we are thrilled to add to our pitching staff.  He is a hard worker with multiple quality pitches who will have a chance to make an impact right away.”
 
Drew Kleinheider · IF · 5-7 · 165 · Fr. · Edwardsville, Ill. · Father McGivney Catholic High School
Hendrickson on Kleinheider: “Drew is one of the best high school hitters in the area the last couple years.  He is an advanced offensive player who can also be a quality defender anywhere on the infield for us. He will make us better as soon as he gets to campus.”
 
Lucas Wietholder · IF · 6-3 · 190 · Fr. · Columbia, Mo. · Father Tolton Catholic
Hendrickson on Weitholder: “Lucas is a premium athlete who possesses advanced skills on the offensive and defensive side of the ball.  He is a well-rounded player who can impact the game and help us win in a variety of ways.”