As we enter the middle of February, the 2026 Liberty Athletics Spring season begins to commence. With it, comes the start of baseball season. After two consecutive losing seasons in 2023 and 2024, first-year Head Coach Bradley LeCroy brought some hope and expectation back to the program last season, leading the Flames to their first winning campaign since 2022, going 30-27. With a core group of returners and a Top 25 transfer class coming into Lynchburg, LeCroy and the Flames have their sights set on making the next step, the program’s first NCAA Tournament appearance in four years.
2025 Season Recap
2025 was very much a season of highs and lows for the Flames. Inconsistency was expected with a coaching change, as the Flames saw a bunch of roster turnover prior to the new regime and the start of the 2025 season (even though that has become common in modern-day college sports regardless of a shift in coaching or not). On a positive note, Liberty had a 20-13 record at home; however, the Flames struggled on the road, going just 10-14. Liberty went an impressive 7-3 against ACC foes, which included three wins against ranked opponents, but the Flames played poorly during conference play, posting a mark of just 10-17, including going 0-2 in the Conference USA Tournament (which Liberty hosted).
More wins in Conference USA play has to be the main goal this season for Liberty to have success and to make a NCAA Tournament case. In their two years in the league, the Flames have gone 10-17 and 11-13 in conference play, posting a measly 21-30 overall mark. While Conference USA is typically a one-bid league in most sports, CUSA has been represented in NCAA Regional play by two teams in each year that Liberty has been a member. With multiple opportunities for resume building wins against teams such as Dallas Baptist, Western Kentucky, Louisiana Tech, and others, Liberty can easily make an at-large bid case with enough wins against CUSA foes this season, especially if they repeat their 2025 success against Power 4 opponents in the non-conference matchups.
Key Returners
Liberty returns a few key pieces from the 2025 team that provide a solid foundation for the Flames to have success in 2026. In baseball, everything starts on the mound. An elite starter doesn’t just win games — he sets the tone for a season. Liberty’s “tone-setter” is 2026 Preseason CUSA Pitcher of the Year, Ben Blair. Liberty’s ace made 15 starts last season, posting a 6-4 record with a 3.67 ERA over 83 and a third innings. Blair finished 2025 second in CUSA in innings pitched and strikeouts and enters 2026 as a top arm in the conference and a potential high-draft pick.
Junior shortstop Tanner Marsh also returns to the Mountain. Marsh was Liberty’s most consistent hitter in 2025, recording .295 with 22 RBI and 52 runs scored. The SS also led the Flames with 21 multi-hit games, including five three-hit contests while having the longest hitting streak of any Flame by recording a hit in 14 straight games and getting on base in 23 consecutive games. Marsh also provided speed and defensive steadiness for the Flames, recording a team-high 18 stolen bases and a .962 fielding percentage, committing only nine errors in 236 chances.
Power hitter Nick Barone returns to the lineup for Liberty. The senior hit .282 with a team-leading 52 RBI and 40 runs scored. Barone had 12 doubles, three triples, and 10 homers, posting a .512 slugging percentage. The Pennsylvania native finished top 10 in the conference in RBIs and led the Flames with 15 multi-RBI games. Senior first baseman Jaxon Sorenson brings more power hitting and a veteran presence to the lineup. Sorenson hit a team-leading 14 home runs and eight doubles, posting a .478 slugging percentage. The senior hit .239 with 50 RBI and 47 runs scored, while finishing the year eighth in CUSA home runs and walks.
Top Newcomers
Alongside a solid returning core of players, Liberty reloaded in the portal, bringing in the 22nd overall ranked portal class in the country according to 64Analytics. INF Jordan Jaffe comes to Lynchburg from Richmond. Jaffe spent three seasons at Richmond, where he established himself as one of the top hitters in the Atlantic 10. A 2023 Atlantic 10 Freshman of the Year, he also earned Collegiate Baseball Freshman All-America honors and was named to the Jewish Baseball News NCAA Division I All-America team that same year. He followed that with a 2025 Atlantic 10 All-Conference Second Team selection and continued production in 2024, finishing among the A-10’s top 10 in batting average (.364), runs scored (62), doubles (19), and walks (23).
Kyle Hvidsten also joins from CUSA rival Western Kentucky. The catcher spent one season at Western Kentucky after two years at Iowa Western (where he was a teammate of Jaxon Sorenson), playing a key role on WKU’s 2025 Conference USA Championship team. In 2025, he appeared in 44 games with 34 starts, batting .282 with 22 RBI and 29 runs scored, while showing late-season power by homering six times over his final 11 games. Outfielder Ryan Drumm also joins the 2026 Flames squad from Butler, where he hit .296 with nine home runs, 47 RBI and 55 runs scored in 96 career games as a Bulldog.
Liberty’s pitching staff added some arms as well. The group brings a wide range of Division I and junior college experience, combining depth as both starters and relievers. Jaxon Lucas spent two seasons at NC State prior to coming to Liberty, making 26 appearances with one start while posting a 2–0 record and striking out 42 batters over 40 innings. Ayden Decker-Petty logged three years at Indiana, earning two Academic All-Big Ten selections while appearing in 38 games with two starts and recording 67 strikeouts across 72 innings. Matthew Porter split time between Pittsburgh and Lakeland, pitching exclusively out of the bullpen in 33 games at Pitt before transitioning into a starting role at Lakeland, where he made 19 starts, went 7–4, struck out 123 batters in 86 innings, and earned All-Conference honors. The final arm, Bradley Zayac spent one season at East Carolina, making 14 appearances with nine starts and totaling 26 strikeouts over 36 2/3 innings, adding valuable starting experience to the staff.
2026 Schedule Overview
Liberty’s schedule this season is no simple task. The Flames 2026 slate features multiple marquee Power Four opponents, as well as some important conference games. Liberty will face West Virginia from the Big 12 in their home-opening series, beginning February 20th, along with a myriad of midweek games against ACC opponents such as Virginia, Virginia Tech, Wake Forest, Duke, and NC State. While these matchups provide RPI and morale boosting opportunities, there are some crucial series on Liberty’s conference slate as well. Notably, Liberty’s road series at Dallas Baptist in mid-April will give the Flames a measuring stick opportunity with the defending champ and preseason pick to win the conference. Kennesaw State is projected to be a contender for the conference crown this season and the Flames will play three games in Georgia at the end of March. Louisiana Tech made the NCAA tournament last season and sits only behind Dallas Baptist in the preseason rankings. The Flames welcome the Bulldogs to Lynchburg for three games, May 8-10th in what could be a series that not only shapes the conference standings but could easily be the last chance Liberty has at gaining quality wins to boost a hopeful at-large bid resume to Regionals.
Is 2026 The Next Step?
It’s been four years since 2022 when the Flames made three consecutive NCAA Tournaments (and two Regional Finals) dating back to 2019 (2020 season was cancelled after just a few games). Coach LeCroy made giant strides in 2025, but there’s still a lot of unknowns and unanswered questions. However, with a solid returning group combined with a high-level transfer class, there’s reason to believe the Flames can surpass their 7th place projected finish in Conference USA and compete with the best of the league. The road back to baseball relevance, the NCAA Tournament, competing for conference championships, (and maybe even Omaha?) are all on the table as Liberty gets ready to start their 2026 campaign.
The Flames will open the 2026 season on the road at The Citadel. The Flames and Bulldogs will play a three-game series from February 13-15th, with the first pitch on Opening Day being thrown at 4:00 PM est. You can watch all three games on ESPN+.
