Baseball | 6/3/2026 12:01:00 PM

Utah Tech junior Ryan Kroepel has been named as one of five national finalists for the 2026 John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year Award, which was announced by the College Baseball Foundation on Wednesday.

Joining Kroepel on the John Olerud Award national finalist list is Fairleigh Dickinson 1B/RHP Jeremy Cheeseman; Florida Gulf Coast OF/RHP Evan Dempsey; Mercer INF/RHP Braydon Kersey; and Campbell OF/RHP Jett Music.

The John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year Award is presented annually to the best dual role player in the nation. The award is named after former Washington State University standout John Olerud, who achieved success both as a first baseman and left-handed pitcher during the late 1980s. He was inducted into the National College Baseball Hall of Fame in 2007.
 
The 2026 John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year Award will be announced at a press conference scheduled for 1:30 p.m. ET/12:30 p.m. CT, on Saturday, June 13, in the media room at Charles Schwab Field, prior to the start of the second day of action at the Division I College World Series in Omaha, Neb.

A two-time first team all-Western Athletic Conference selection, Kroepel finished the 2026 season ranked in the WAC's top-20 in six offensive categories, which includes leading the conference in walks with a Utah Tech single-season record 51 free passes. 
 
Kroepel started in all 59 games, with 53 of those starts coming at third base. The junior batted .312 overall, .358 in conference play, and finished the year ranked second in the WAC in HBPs (17 – school record), fifth in on-base percentage (.469), t-sixth in runs scored (56), t-14^th in RBI (47), and t-15^th in hits (67).

He hits safely in 46 of those starts with 18 multi-hit outings, and enjoyed a career long 37-game on-base streak during his junior campaign.
 
On the mound, Kroepel led the WAC with 10 saves and posted a 1-2 record with a 3.82 ERA and a 1.22 WHiP in 19 relief appearances. His 10 saves also tied him for 18^th in the NCAA Division I rankings, and he finished with 31 strikeouts in 35.1 innings pitched. 
 
Kroepel was tabbed 2026 WAC Preseason Player of the Year and was voted to the conference's all-preseason team at both third base and at reliever. He began the season ranked as the 18th-rated third baseman by D1Baseball.com, and was included on the 2026 NCBWA Midseason Stopper of the Year watch list. 
 
In addition, Kroepel was tabbed as a Perfect Game College Midseason Third Team All-American as a two-way player back on April 1, and was named the national John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Week on March 10.
 
Utah Tech closed the 2026 season with a 35-24 overall record, an 11-win turnaround from a season ago. Utah Tech's 35 wins this year also marked the sixth time in the program's NCAA era that the Trailblazers had reached the 35-win plateau, and are the most victories in the program's brief time as a Division I member.