OVERLAND PARK, Kan. – Fighting Illini junior Kyle Remington was named to the 2026 watch list for the College Baseball Foundation National Pitcher of the Year award, the organization announced on Wednesday.
The 142 pitchers on the watch list represent 26 different conferences and reflect the top mound performers to this point during the 2026 season.
Remington holds a 2.77 ERA across his 13.0 innings of work and four appearances thus far this season. The Grand Rapids, Mich., native has amassed 11 strikeouts while tallying two wins and a save during his debut campaign with the Orange and Blue, while he allowed only one earned run across his first 10.1 innings.
Previous winners of the award include Stephen Strasburg, RHP, San Diego State, 2009; Alex Wimmers, RHP, Ohio State, 2010; Trevor Bauer, UCLA, RHP, 2011; Mark Appel, RHP, Stanford, 2012; Jonathan Gray, RHP, Oklahoma, 2013; Aaron Nola, RHP, LSU, 2014; Carson Fulmer, RHP, Vanderbilt, 2015; Eric Lauer, LHP, Kent State, 2016; Steven Gingery, LHP, Texas Tech, 2017; Luke Heimlich, LHP, Oregon State, 2018; Ethan Small, LHP, Mississippi State, 2019; Kevin Kopps, RHP, Arkansas, 2021; Cooper Hjerpe, LHP, Oregon State, 2022; Paul Skenes, RHP, LSU, 2023; Hagen Smith, LHP, Arkansas, 2024; and Jake Knapp, RHP, North Carolina, 2025.
Remington is one of 15 Big Ten student-athletes recognized on the watch list, a group that also features Nebraska's Gavin Blachowicz, Oregon's Collin Clarke, Iowa's Gavin DeVooght, USC's Mason Edwards, Oregon's Ryan Featherston, USC's Grant Govel, Maryland's Logan Hastings, Nebraska's Ty Horn, USC's Andrew Johnson, Washington's Noah Kenney, UCLA's Wylan Moss, Oregon's Will Sanford, USC's Adam Troy, and Maryland's Lance Williams.
The Illini are back in action at Illinois Field on Friday at 6 p.m. CT, when they host Minnesota.
