2026 Baseball Preview Part 2: Meeting the Newcomers

The New Orleans Privateers have a total roster of 46 players and there will be a lot of different combinations between the lineup and the pitching staff as the team traverses through the 2026 season.
 
There are five hitters returning from last season and a host of hitters whose versatility and production through the fall caught the eye of Coach Andrew Gipson.
 
"We had more extra base hits than any team I've had in the fall. We pitched it better as the fall season went on. The talent level is good enough and offensively we have a lot of guys we can mix in."
 
Owen Smith and Eli Tidwell garnered all-tournament honors at their respective junior colleges. Smith went to the JUCO World Series twice with McLennan and made the All-JUCO World Series Team in 2025. Tidwell also made the NJCAA All-Tournament Team at Northwest Shoals.
 
There are two hitters who transfer in from Division I schools in Kareh Valentin (FIU) and Carson Hepworth (Louisiana). Valentin was a defensive ace at the JUCO level, winning 2023 Defensive Player of the Year before transferring to FIU where he had 18 RBI last season. Hepworth also earned Defensive Player of the Year honors at Pensacola State in 2024.
 
Kaden Irving and Kruise Newman bring strong power numbers from their previous stops. Irving hit 12 homers and was First Team All-Conference at Mississippi Gulf Coast. Newman hit 28 homers over two seasons at Tennessee Wesleyan.
 
There are also three new catchers in the fold in Carter Freeland, Jayden Adcox and Josh Hoffmann. Freeland hit .321 last season. Adcox hit .339 with 84 career RBI in JUCO. Hoffmann was a two-time All-Region selection at Delgado.
 
Eddie Castillo is the younger brother of Victor Castillo who played his last collegiate season on the Lakefront. Eddie was twice an All-Region selection at San Jacinto.
 
Evan Rogers had 16 doubles last season at Jones. Dylan Biddick was runner-up for Region MVP at Bossier Parish. Stan Wiltz was District Hitter of the Year at Brother Martin and is one of three true freshmen. Miles Curley pitched to a 3.86 ERA and hit .297 at College of Central Florida. Dathan Cummings was a two-time Gold Glove winner in high school.
 
"This is a good group that's eager to learn. I think this is a group that cares about each other and they show up every day with a want to learn and get better and as a coach that's all you could ask for."
 
On the pitching side, there are a lot of newcomers as well including five Division transfers in Cortland Clarke (FGCU), Riley Marcotte (Louisiana), Rex Henderson (UTRGV), Brock Hill (UAB) and Brice Deaton (Jacksonville State).
 
There are also two freshmen who prepped locally in William Andrade and Cole Navarro. Andrade was an All-State selection at Holy Cross and Navarro broke the school wins record at Brother Martin.
 
Bryson Goff threw a complete game in the JUCO World Series in 2024 and sported a 15-1 record at East Central. Lane Alack was brought over with Coach Gipson from Belhaven after he earned Second Team All-Conference honors. Reid Leonard broke the strikeout record and won seven games at Chattanooga State.
 
Luke Lycette was an All-Conference selection at William Carey. JB Landrum had seven wins at Huntingdon. Ethan Hunt went 7-1 and threw a complete game in 2024 at UMass-Boston. Brycen Smith had four wins and two saves at Jones. Logan Waldschmidt won a JUCO national title at Pasco Hernando State. The Privateers also have depth in their pitching staff provided by Luke Hymel (baseball and football standout at Riverside Academy), Kurt Kassner (All-District as a DH and pitcher) and Jack Garvey (three wins last season at Miami Dade CC).
 
"I'm just excited for fans to come out and feel the energy that's around this program right now. We're in the entertainment business and I think that gets lost sometimes. I want when you watch us to play to feel an energy and an excitement. And I want to represent the energy and resilience of this city."
 
Stay tuned for our final part of our season preview coming on Friday.

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