Ellsworth 2026 Team Outlook
January 13, 2026
Program: Ellsworth
Head Coach: Reece Anderson: 1st year
NJCAA Region/Division: Region 11, DII
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: ReeceAnderson22
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Coach Anderson takes over the reins of this Ellsworth squad after is lone season as the Assistant Coach, looking to build off a 31-25 record the year prior. After an early exit in the Region 11 tournament, Ellsworth has an uphill battle heading into the new season after losing over 275 innings and six key contributors throughout the lineup. The bright side for this squad is that many of the returning sophomores saw valuable time, as many of the innings and at-bats were split last season. This, paired with a strong freshman class, creates a positive outlook for Ellsworth as they head into the Spring.
PITCHERS
Despite losing over 275 innings and their top two arms from last year's squad, Ellsworth looks to not skip a beat on the mound. Reloading with a core group of returning sophomores and two incoming freshmen looking to make an immediate impact. Right-hander Jakob Nachreiner and left-hander TJ Eikenberry return with the most innings under their belt as we head into the Spring. Nachreiner is coming off a freshman year tossing 42.1 innings to a 4.04 ERA, with 44 strikeouts to only nine walks. On pace to improve these marks as the fastball has jumped up to 91 mph, as the secondaries continue to develop, with the addition of a new cutter this season. When it comes to Eikenberry, he is the lone left-hander on the staff looking to see valuable time as the main arm out of the bullpen. As a freshman, the lefty tossed 16.1 innings out of the pen to a 6.61 ERA, striking out 14. Two more returning sophomores who have caught eyes this fall are right-handers Tripp Rawlings and Braeden Billings. Rawlings is an imposing 6-foot-9, 250-pound build with a fastball up to 91 mph, paired with a sharp gyro slider sitting in the mid-70s. The righty has strung together an impressive fall, showing steady development after only tossing 12.2 innings last season. With Billings, he also saw limited time, tossing 10 innings last year, but is looking to build off a strong fall. The righty operates out of a side-arm slot, creating trouble for right-handed bats with a east to west profile in the mid-80s. Look for him to be a key piece in the bullpen along with Eikenberry. Rounding out this group of returning sophomores is right-hander Drew Drake. Another low-slot arm for this staff, looking to build off a freshman year where he tossed 13 innings to a 3.46 ERA, while striking out 10.
- SO. RHP Braeden Billings was an intriguing arm out of the Ellsworth bullpen. The right-hander works with a sidearm profile, making it difficult for right-handers to pick up. Working from a rocker motion with loose and quick arm action. Billings worked with a two-pitch mix; the sinker was sitting 83-85 mph, playing with true sink, and the slider was 75-78 mph, with 2600 RPMs and -17.3 inches of horizontal movement. Able to induce ground balls, Billings showed strong in his inning of work, striking out one and walking one.
During our ICCAC fall showcase, despite a sophomore-heavy staff, two freshman arms made some loud noise. Right-hander Zach Halverson and James Tounsley are poised to make an immediate impact on this staff. Halverson had the most impressive fall on this staff, seeing a real spike in velo from sitting in the low-80s, T86.8 mph, to now reaching 92.4 mph, sitting in the low-90s. Looking the part on the mound with a clear path to continue his development, watch out for this righty as we head into the Spring. Then right alongside him comes Tounsley, another side-arm tosser who was a lesser-known name throughout high school. An east-to-west profile with a true sinker up to 88 mph, gaining 19 inches of horizontal movement, and a slider in the upper-70s. These two arms have major upside within this Ellsworth staff and would not be surprised to see them play a major role throughout the season.
- FR. RHP Zach Halverson was the first arm of the day and set the tone for the rest of the event. A lean, long-limbed 6-foot-4, 177-pound frame with still more to come, Halverson struck out one in a clean inning of work. Showing effortless action on the mound, working with a high kick motion, working direct down the hill, followed by loose, full-circle arm action from the lower ¾ slot. The right-hander worked with a two-pitch mix with the fastball sitting 89-90 mph, T92.4 earlier this fall, with an impressive 16.6 IVB for the slot. Then the slider was 77-78 mph, with slight sweep, spinning 2500 RPMs. Looking the part on the mound, Halverson was able to attack the zone and get outs with ease. One of the more intriguing JUCO arms in the state of Iowa.
- FR. RHP James Tounsley, a loose, lean, long-limbed, 5-foot-11, 187-pound frame, worked a clean three-up, three-down inning, retiring all three hitters via the groundball. The right-hander showcased a two-pitch mix working from a loose and clean sidearm angle. The fastball was sitting 86-88 mph with true sink, gaining 17 inches of horizontal movement, and the slider was upper 70s, with a true gyro profile. Tounsley was able to easily induce groundballs and work a quick, clean inning.
OFFENSE
With the bats, much is the same story with the arms, losing seven key contributors throughout the lineup. The biggest losses come with C Cade Sammler and INF Boston Doeschot, both leaving for FIU. While these losses will be hard to replace, Ellsworth is set to return five sophomores ready to take the next step, along with a freshman who has stood out from the rest. During our ICCAC Fall showcase, the right side of the infield stood out as a major strength for Ellsworth. 2B Eric McGill and 1B Dylan Phelps were living on the barrel, making loud contact and turning heads. McGill ended his day going 3-for-4 with two bombs, posting EVs up to 96.6 mph. Looking to start right where he ended his freshman year, where he slashed .319/.410/.548, with 10 home runs, 49 RBIs, and 24 stolen bases. Right by him was Phelps, who would end his day with a walk and three run shot, after posting a max EV of 96.2 mph during BP. The right-handed bat will be looking for a bigger role this season after slashing .324/.453/.353, driving in 12 in 68 at-bats. Outside of these two, Ellsworth returned two more impact bats in INF Maddox O’Connor and OF Dillon Carlson. O’Connor is working off a freshman year campaign where he slashed .299/.397/.505, with six home runs, 16 doubles, and 50 RBIs. A mainstay at the top of the order, looking to once again be a major run producer. Then Carlson is a heavy contact bat coming off slashing .355/.444/.441, driving in 39. The right-hander will look to even out this power-heavy lineup with some clear bat-to-ball skills.
- SO. 2B Eric McGill put together one of the loudest performances of the day. The right-handed bat started the day running a 6.96 60-time, then followed it up with a 96.6 mph max EV during his round of BP, spraying the ball across the diamond. Then, when it came to game time, McGill went 3-for-4 with two home runs, a single, a walk, and three RBIs. Sitting all over the barrel, McGill works with a confident approach and a small leg lift trigger, getting into the lower half and letting his hands work through the zone, creating an uphill path able to do damage. The power comes easily from his 6-foot, 195-pound frame, taking a fastball dead center and destroying a hanging slider for a pull-side bomb.
- SO. 1B Dylan Phelps, another Ellsworth bat, caught eyes through the workout and game play on Friday morning. Starting the morning off with a strong BP round where the right-hander posted a max EV of 96.2 mph, along with a peak hand-speed of 25 mph and bat speed of 80 mph. The physical 5-foot-11, 200-pound frame works from a simple wide base with a toe tap trigger, and hands that stay compact, blasting through the zone, creating a slight uphill path with a long finish. Phelps would end his day going one-for-three with a three-run pull-side bomb and one walk.
Outside of these retuners who saw heavy playing time as a freshman, there have been two names catching eyes this fall. Sophomore 3B Gavin Doll and freshman SS Jacob Koerselman look to translate strong fall campaigns into a productive Spring. Doll was another standout with the bat from the Fall showcase, going 2-for-3 with a double and two walks. The righty showed clear development from the prior year with a jump of 10 mph in average EV, along with a max EV of 95.2 mph. The third baseman will look to improve on his .244/.333/.390 line in only 41 at-bats. Then freshman Koerselman continues to impress after a strong senior season with the Valley Tigers, where he slashed .310/.440/.884 with eight doubles. The right-hander impressed during his workout, running a 6.84 60-time paired with 98 mph EVs and 90 mph throws across the diamond. The combination of these two has the makings to create real damage throughout this Ellsworth lineup.
SS Jacob Koerselman from: 9/19/25
4-YEAR COMMITMENTS
| NAME | CLASS | POS | COMMITMENT |
| Zach Halverson | FR. | RHP | Cal State Bakersfield |
| Eric McGill | SO. | INF | Oakland |