Century 2026 Outlook
February 12, 2026
Program: Century
Head Coach: Matthew Erzar: 5th year 
NJCAA Region/Division: Region 13, DIII
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: CoachErzar
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The 2025 National runner-ups look to reload and pave their way to another World Series appearance with eyes set on winning it all. Going 46-11 on the year, the Wood Ducks would enter the World Series as an 8-seed, working their way to the championship, where they fell to RCSJ Gloucester. An outstanding year for the program as they look to continue this momentum heading into the new year. It’s going to be a new look for this squad as they lose over 220 innings on the mound and seven starters in the lineup. There’s makings to take a step back, a battle-tested group of sophomores looks eager to prove themselves this spring. With the turnover faced this Century squad looks poised to maintain its strength as they make the climb to the top of the mountain.
PITCHERS
On the mound, this staff loses a total of nine arms for over 250 innings, but reloads with a returning sophomore class that all saw valuable time last season. Left-hander Shayne Pellin is coming off a 33-inning season, striking out 31, walking eight, with a 1.64 ERA. Bringing the most experience back on the mound this season, look for him to play a pivotal role within the staff. The fastball sits mid-80s, with a slider to pair sitting mid-70s.
Now three more sophomores, all looking to prove themselves after strong freshman campaigns, are Parker Johnson, Aiden Keranen, and Anthony Blomberg. The first arm is left-hander Parker Johnson, a transfer from McHenry. Not seeing too much time as a freshmen he operates out of a side-arm slot, the fastball sitting low-80s and slider mid-70s. The transfer is set to lead the staff this spring. Then Aiden Keranen is working off a 4.60 ERA after tossing 29.1 innings, striking out 3,1 and only walking 14. We haven't seen much of this arm this fall, but over the summer, he put together a dominant performance, looking to continue it into the spring. Then, rounding out this group of sophomores is right-hander Ashton Blomberg, an incoming transfer from Sioux Falls. Blomberg was a standout at our fall showcase, touching upper-80s with the fastball, paired with a sharp bite slider sitting 80-81 mph. Clear maturity on the mound with the ability to manipulate in the zone. Look for him to play a major role this spring.
- SO. RHP Ashton Blomberg, 6-foot-3 and 190 pounds, armed with a fastball that comes out easy, living at 88–89, and the slider is a sharp, late-biter at 80–81. With the ability to manipulate a two-pitch mix in the zone, he looks every bit the arm that can dictate at-bats rather than react to them.
With the loss of innings, freshmen will play a pivotal role this season, and one has stood out this fall. Right-hander Anders Rydberg out of Parnassus Prep starts us off. This fall, the righty showed the fastball in the mid-80s, slider mid-70s, and curveball low-70s. He will look to fight for important roles this season.
TWO-WAY
After an impressive freshman year seeing time on both sides of the ball, RHP/INF Gavin Goehner heads into the spring looking to make his impact known again on both sides of the ball. On the mound, the right-hander tossed 29 innings, with 29 strikeouts, 11 walks, and a 5.28 ERA. His fastball sits mid-80s with the curveball in the mid-70s, 2500 RPMs. While with the bat, he saw 38 at-bats, slashing .289/.378/.421 with five doubles and 10 RBIs. During the fall, he showed EVs up to 93.2 mph. The biggest impact will be felt on the mound, but don't be surprised to see the next steps taken with the bat.
Now, an incoming transfer from St. Cloud, also looking to have an impact on both sides of the field, is RHP/OF Nathan Zander. With the bat, he didn't see much time, but over the fall has proved it's a viable option. Reaching EVs in the lower-90s, while also having an arm 84 mph across the diamond. While the bat may not play a prominent role on the mound, you will see Zander earn valuable time. Last year, he tossed 36.1 innings, with 39 strikeouts, and a 7.18 ERA. Up to 91 mph on the mound now, the righty pairs it with an upper-70s slider and mid-70s changeup. Look for him to play a prominent role on the mound, while still developing with the bat.
OFFENSE
When it comes to the lineup, it’ll be filled with fresh faces as seven starters depart, but this Century roster looks to fill those roles with a group of returning sophomores, who all saw limited time last year. In their short-lived experience, these sophomores made the most of it and have looked to have taken the next steps this fall. The bat with the most experience will prose behind the backstop in C Connor Larsen. Set to be a leader for this fresh lineup after slashing .327/.406/.596, with 13 homeruns, seven doubles, and 53 RBIs after being the mainstay behind the plate last year. The lefty this fall has reached EVs up to 97.6 mph, while with the glove looks to have improved as well. Behind him will be the next two returning with the most experience, each seeing time within the lineup in INF Jack Erickson and OF Caden Stern. Erickson has the most experience under his belt in this duo after seeing 114 at-bats, slashing .281/.344/.430 with two home runs, 11 extra-base hits, and 25 RBIs. This fall, he reached EVs up to 98.5 mph and was 83 mph across the diamond. While Stern saw 66 at-bats, slashing .379/.567/.470, with 20 RBIs, and five extra-base hits. It’s a contact-oriented left-handed bat, with an athletic setup as a 6.87 runner. These three bats are set to lead the lineup heading into the spring.
Connor Larson from: 9/19/25
Now rounding out the returning sophomores are a duo of bats who saw limited time but look poised to take the next steps this season. Starting us off is OF Wyatt Gavin, who in 44 at-bats slashed .318/.400/.614, with three home runs and eight RBIs. We haven't seen much of him this fall, but look for him to be a power threat within the lineup. Rounding out this group is OF Coby Brownlee, slashing .368/.500/.474, with two doubles in 19 at-bats. Set to see more of an everyday role posting EVs in the mid-90s, along with an arm up to 80 mph in the outfield. As these bats get more comfortable within the lineup, look out for them to make noise this spring.
Coby Brownlee from: 9/19/25
Looking to provide some more depth to the lineup in 3B/2B Ryan Jeffrey, a transfer from NIACC. Set to stabilize the middle of the order, the right-handed bat didn’t see much time at NIACC but has looked strong this fall. He posted a max EV of 95.2 mph, running a 6.93, while being 83 mph across the diamond. Kept an eye out for his impact as his role grows bigger this spring.
When it comes to the freshmen within this lineup, two have stood out this fall as potential to make some noise. Starting this duo off is INF Ben Lang out of Orono, Minnesota. An athletic makeup looking to stick on the left side of the infield. 86 mph across the diamond with EVs up to 99.3 mph. Then the final piece to this group is C/OF Ian McCrohan from Waconia, Minnesota. Unfortunatley McCrohan went down with an injury, leading to him having to redshirt this spring. But this fall, he showed a powerful bat with developing actions in the field, reaching EVs up to 99.3 mph. With a healthy recovery thiscould be one to watch next year.