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College of DuPage 2026 Team Outlook

January 14, 2026
By: Kai Formella
IL/WI Content Writer

Program: College of DuPage
Head Coach: Pat Leahy, First year
NJCAA Region/Division: Region IV, DIII
Last Year’s Record: 18-27
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: @DuPageBaseball
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Roster link                              

Coach Leahy will aim to right the ship in his first year at the helm, working to return the Chaparrals to the level of success they achieved in 2024 with their fourth-place finish at the NJCAA Division III World Series. The Chaparrals will return five key players following a challenging 18-27 campaign, along with several new additions who are expected to make an immediate impact on the diamond. It will be exciting to see what this promising group can produce in the spring.

PITCHING

This Chaparral pitching staff is returning 91.1 innings this season, with several pitchers poised to make a significant impact. Leading the list of key returners on the mound is SO RHP Porter Olson, who is coming off a strong freshman season where he logged 54.1 innings with a 5.13 ERA, earning Second-Team All-Region IV honors. Olson operates from a deceptive lower ¾ slot and features a mid-80s fastball that pairs well with his heavy, fading changeup. He also mixes in an efficient curveball/slider combination capable of producing whiffs. Joining him among the key returners is SO LHP Oliver Dew, who will look to take on a larger role on the staff this season. Despite a limited sample of innings last year, tallying 17 strikeouts over 12 innings. Rounding out the list of arms expected to make an impact this season is RSO 1B/RHP Cullen Kleinsasser, providing a valuable boost on the mound on days when he is not in the field. The right-hander had one of the top pens at the program’s scout day, showcasing a heavy mid-80s fastball and an effective curveball-changeup offspeed combo. Below is what our staff had to say about some of these returners. 

  • SO. LHP Oliver Dew (Willowbrook, IL) looks to be a top returner for the Chaps on the mound for this coming season, striking out 17 across 12 innings last year. He’s 6-foot-1, 185-pounds with long levers and room to add more strength across his high-waisted frame. Easy mover that works exclusively out of the stretch, slight coil into balance point while holding a pre-bend in the back knee down the mound, works in-line. Lower arm slot with some looseness and deception. Fastball worked 83-85 mph with natural sink, set up a changeup that he sold with arm-speed at 74-77 mph, similar profile to the fastball with feel for the offering. Curveball is also a potential weapon at 65-66 mph, averaged -14.4 inches of IVB.
  • RSO. 1B/RHP Cullen Kleinsasser (Lee’s Summit West, MO) is a two-way prospect to watch for this coming season - returning a .289 average in 40 games last spring with 15 doubles. There is plenty of physicality in his 6-foot-4, 220-pound frame, and it easily shows at the plate with EVs around the 100 mph mark, averaging 93 mph in his round. He has a simple swing with no stride, coiling into his back hip before firing through with intent to elevate pull-side. He also showed present arm-strength on the mound, working 83-85 mph with the fastball and also showing a CB/CH mix in the low/mid-70s.

OFFENSE

One notable strong point of this Chaparral roster is the bats they have returning to the lineup. The first of the key returners is RSO MIF Hudson Williams, who aims to bounce back after an injury-limited 2025 season. In 2024, Williams posted a .312/.380/.433 slash line with three home runs, earning First-Team All-Region IV honors. Defensively, Williams brings natural actions up the middle, featuring a strong arm that can play from multiple angles at 85 mph across the infield. Adding to the list of returners is RSO 1B/RHP Cullen Kleinsasser, coming off a strong 2025 campaign in which he slashed .289/.341/.447 and recorded 18 extra-base hits, earning Second-Team All-Region IV honors. Kleinsasser also showcases a reliable glove, finishing last season with a .971 fielding percentage. Providing an impact from the outfield are SO OF Kyle Boma and RSO OF Zachary Glidewell. Boma is a L/L athlete giving him the ability to cover lots of range in the outfield. He pairs that speed with solid bat-to-ball skills, showing the ability to make consistent hard contact. Glidewell is a returning outfielder who showed promise in limited action last season, slashing .275/.316/.333 over 51 at-bats. Defensively, he’s a steady presence in the outfield and has the tools to make more of an impact with increased playing time. Below is what we had to say about some of these returners.

  • RSO. MIF Hudson Williams (Wheaton Academy, IL) is coming off a big year in 2024 in which he earned First Team All-Region honors, and he looks to be in a prime position to repeat his success. He was one, if not the biggest overall winner on the day on both sides of the ball. At the plate, the right-handed hitter has an athletic and balanced swing that works on top of the baseball with a direct path, showing a fluid swing and barrel accuracy with a peak EV of 96 mph. He profiles on the dirt up the middle at the next level with fluid hands/feet, natural actions, timing through the baseball and feel for the position - extremely comfortable going to his backhand deep in the hole. His arm is athletic and clean with the ability to play on the move and from multiple angles, T85 mph. Also a 6.75 runner in the 60 with a lean, trim 6-foot, 180-pound frame. 
  • RSO. 1B/RHP Cullen Kleinsasser (Lee’s Summit West, MO) is a two-way prospect to watch for this coming season - returning a .289 average in 40 games last spring with 15 doubles. There is plenty of physicality in his 6-foot-4, 220-pound frame, and it easily shows at the plate with EVs around the 100 mph mark, averaging 93 mph in his round. He has a simple swing with no stride, coiling into his back hip before firing through with intent to elevate pull-side. He also showed present arm-strength on the mound, working 83-85 mph with the fastball and also showing a CB/CH mix in the low/mid-70s.
  • SO. OF Kyle Boma (St. Patrick, IL) is an athletic L/L prospect to know for the Chaps. He has a compact, athletic build with some present strength, listed at 5-foot-10, 160-pounds. He worked on the barrel with a line-drive approach in BP, working mostly middle/pull-side with a peak EV of 90 mph, athletic hands with some twitch. Athletic defender in the outfield with fluid feet and range, 6.88 runner and T83 mph from a crowhop. 

The Chaparrals will also add several new faces to the offense, including a few who should make an immediate impact. One of the more notable additions is SO OF Nathan McBroom, a transfer from Triton JC. McBroom is expected to slide into a larger role for the Chaparrals and bring some athletic actions on both sides of the ball. Defensively, he covers more ground than you’d expect for his frame and pairs it with a strong arm, topping at 87 mph from a crow-hop. Also expected to provide some thump from the outfield are FR OF Max Kalish and FR OF Wilson Terrutty. Kalish is a projectable left-handed bat who showed a smooth, fluid path in-event, reaching a 91 mph max EV with a 327-foot max distance. Terrutty is a high-upside athlete with loud tools across the board. 6.73 runner and carried that speed into the outfield, where he showed real range along with a strong arm that reached 90 mph on a pulldown. At the plate, he brings easy bat strength, topping at 99 mph EV with a 90 mph average during the program’s scout day. Adding to the list of impact additions are a pair of freshman infielders in FR INF Luke Fordonski and FR CIF Jesus Torres. Fordonski put together one of the better all-around performances at the program’s scout day, posting the top 60-time at 6.66 seconds, showing above-average speed for the position. He followed that up by showcasing a smooth swing with feel to drive the ball to all fields. Defensively, Fordonski showed fluid, athletic actions on the dirt, displaying a clean glove and an arm that works from multiple angles. Torres projects as a dependable power bat the Chaparrals can lean on in the lineup. The right-hander delivered one of the louder BP rounds at the program’s scout day. The final addition to this group of key newcomers is FR C Rocco Damato, who looks like a candidate to earn early playing time this spring. The right-hander put together a solid round of BP, with solid tools defensively, offering steady receiving behind the plate and a clean glove-to-hand transfer, producing a top pop time of 2.06 seconds. Below is what our staff had to say about these key newcomers.

  • SO. OF Nathan McBroom (Minooka, IL) had a quality showing for our staff. There’s some present strength in his 6-foot-1, 205-pound frame and he moves well for his size with a 7.01 in the 60. He has an intentful swing from the right side with a flat path, creates extension through the zone and through impact, 90 mph peak EV in this look. Strong arm from the outfield with carry and life out of the hand, T87 mph. 
  • FR. OF Max Kalish (Maryville Christian, IL) is an upside L/L outfielder to follow. He has a loose, fluid swing and load with a mostly flat path, upside operation with a peak EV of 90 mph - kept the ball on a line for most of his round.
  • FR. OF Wilson Terrutty (Oswego East, IL) is a newcomer that has a chance to be an impact performer for the Chaps. He has some loud tools across the board, boasting a 6.73 in the 60 with athletic actions in the outfield. He has an easy swing from the right side with natural lift at times to his pull-side, showing the ability to impact the baseball with minimal perceived effort and a peak EV of 99 mph, averaging 90 mph throughout his round. There is room for even more power potential as well to his 5-foot-10, 174-pound frame.
  • FR. INF Luke Fordonski (Downers Grove North, IL) gave a strong all-around showing in our look. He’s athletically built at 6-foot, 175-pounds and there is still room to add on strength in his proportionate frame. He’s a well above-average runner with a 6.6 in the 60, and he looks to be a fluid defender on the dirt with soft hands and easy actions through the baseball, looks to profile there at the next level. Clean, athletic arm that can play from multiple angles, T83 mph. At the plate, the right-handed hitter has a flat swing with length through the zone, line-drive approach middle and pull-side, peaking at 95 mph for his EV.
  • FR. CIF Jesus Torres (Willowbrook, IL) took one of the louder rounds of BP on the day. He has an intentful right-handed swing that worked on the barrel, working flat through the zone with a pull-side approach and lift at times, peaking at 95 mph for his EV with a 361’ max distance. Steady, soft hands at third base, clean glove to hand.
  • FR. C Rocco Damato (Westmont, IL) took one of the more polished rounds of BP on the day. The right-handed hitter worked on the barrel with a fluid and easy swing, showing rhythm and balance throughout his round with a whole field approach. He showed quality actions behind the plate with clean receiving actions and a steady transfer, reaching as low as 2.06 for his pop-time with a peak velocity of 73 mph. 

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