October has a way of changing the rooting arrangement. You can spend the spring arguing with somebody’s fan base, then spend the fall hoping its former Friday starter gets through the seventh inning. College allegiances travel surprisingly well.
The 2026 MLB postseason gives us plenty of those connections: 23 players from current SEC schools were named to Wild Card or Division Series rosters, spread across all 12 playoff clubs. Chicago’s White Sox had five, and Vanderbilt supplied five across the field.
This is a team-by-team guide to those players and the regular seasons that brought them here. The impressive seasons get their due. So do the uneven ones. A college résumé does not improve a major-league ERA.
How this list works
Roster cutoff: October 11, 2026. This guide combines the SEC’s September 29 Wild Card selections with its October 3 Division Series selections, counting each player once. It records participation in those roster rounds, including clubs already eliminated; it is not a list of everyone still playing. Future Championship Series and World Series additions are outside this snapshot.
“SEC alumni” here means former players from the conference’s current member schools, following the SEC’s own convention. Some attended Oklahoma, Texas or Texas A&M before those programs joined the SEC. Coaches, players merely eligible for October, and injured or organizational players who were not selected for these series rosters are excluded.
All statistics below are final 2026 MLB regular-season totals. Postseason numbers are excluded. For traded players, the headline stat line combines their MLB clubs; the recap identifies the relevant split. Photos are archival, with dates, original teams and reuse credits shown.
Jump to a club
Atlanta Braves · Boston Red Sox · Chicago Cubs · Chicago White Sox · Cleveland Guardians · Houston Astros · Los Angeles Dodgers · Milwaukee Brewers · New York Yankees · Philadelphia Phillies · San Diego Padres · Tampa Bay Rays
Atlanta Braves
Roster connection: Wild Card and Division Series.
Mike Yastrzemski — Vanderbilt
2026: 139 games; .224/.309/.380 (AVG/OBP/SLG); 12 HR; 41 RBI; .689 OPS.
The average was modest, but the left-handed outfielder supplied 18 doubles and 51 runs alongside his home-run production. This was a veteran contribution spread across 139 games, rather than a short late-season cameo.
Official 2026 season totals. Explore Vanderbilt coverage.
Boston Red Sox
Roster connection: Wild Card.
Jake Bennett — Oklahoma
2026: 9–7; 3.65 ERA; 113⅓ innings; 91 strikeouts; 20 appearances (19 starts).
The Oklahoma left-hander made his MLB debut in May and supplied 20 appearances, including 19 starts. A 3.65 ERA over more than 113 innings gave Boston real rotation help from a newcomer.
Official 2026 season totals. Explore Oklahoma coverage.
Garrett Crochet — Tennessee
2026: 3–3; 6.30 ERA; 30 innings; 37 strikeouts; 6 appearances (6 starts).
His regular-season sample stopped at six starts. A lengthy injury absence shaped the year, and his return to the Wild Card roster was the consequential September development. Do not read these numbers as a full-season account of his ability.
Official 2026 season totals. Explore Tennessee coverage.
Sonny Gray — Vanderbilt
2026: 18–5; 2.72 ERA; 169 innings; 149 strikeouts; 29 appearances (29 starts).
Gray’s 18 wins were accompanied by strong run prevention over 29 starts. Wins depend on team support, but the 2.72 ERA is a much more direct reason to regard this as an excellent season.
Official 2026 season totals. Explore Vanderbilt coverage.
Wyatt Olds — Oklahoma
2026: 2–0; 1.15 ERA; 15⅔ innings; 20 strikeouts; 14 appearances (0 starts).
Olds made his MLB debut in August and finished with 14 relief appearances. The results were excellent, with 20 strikeouts and a 2–0 record, but 15⅔ innings remain a small sample.
Official 2026 season totals. Explore Oklahoma coverage.
Chicago Cubs
Roster connection: Wild Card.
Alex Bregman — LSU
2026: 155 games; .265/.355/.464 (AVG/OBP/SLG); 28 HR; 93 RBI; .819 OPS.
Bregman gave Chicago substantial middle-of-the-order production in his first Cubs season: 33 doubles and 92 runs accompanied the home runs and RBI. LSU fans had a familiar October name in a different uniform.
Official 2026 season totals. Explore LSU coverage.
Kevin Gausman — LSU
2026: 9–12; 4.51 ERA; 177⅔ innings; 184 strikeouts; 32 appearances (32 starts).
His season crossed two clubs. With Chicago, he went 4–2 with a 4.83 ERA and 57 strikeouts in 50⅓ innings across nine starts. The full-season workload was useful; the run prevention was less convincing.
Official 2026 season totals. Explore LSU coverage.
Ryan Rolison — Ole Miss
2026: 9–2; 3.14 ERA; 63 innings; 55 strikeouts; 60 appearances (2 starts).
Rolison contributed across 60 appearances, with three saves and 55 strikeouts. That combination made him a useful bullpen option, even without the headline recognition of Chicago’s other college alumni.
Official 2026 season totals. Explore Ole Miss coverage.
Dansby Swanson — Vanderbilt
2026: 126 games; .213/.297/.397 (AVG/OBP/SLG); 19 HR; 69 RBI; .694 OPS.
The .213 average keeps this from being a glowing offensive review. Still, 19 home runs and 17 stolen bases gave Chicago ways to get production from its shortstop beyond singles.
Official 2026 season totals. Explore Vanderbilt coverage.
Chicago White Sox
Roster connection: Wild Card and Division Series.
Andrew Benintendi — Arkansas
2026: 141 games; .240/.302/.413 (AVG/OBP/SLG); 15 HR; 78 RBI; .715 OPS.
Benintendi played 141 games and drove in 78 runs. The former Arkansas star supplied a veteran offensive contribution to a roster with several much newer SEC-school connections.
Official 2026 season totals. Explore Arkansas coverage.
Braden Montgomery — Texas A&M
2026: 93 games; .226/.312/.350 (AVG/OBP/SLG); 6 HR; 38 RBI; .662 OPS.
The Texas A&M product debuted in June and played 93 games. The .226 average and .662 OPS describe an adjustment season, with six home runs providing some early major-league power.
Official 2026 season totals. Explore Texas A&M coverage.
David Sandlin — Oklahoma
2026: 3–2; 5.58 ERA; 40⅓ innings; 40 strikeouts; 8 appearances (6 starts).
Sandlin made eight appearances, including six starts. Forty strikeouts in 40⅓ innings show some ability to miss bats, while the 5.58 ERA makes clear that his first major-league season included difficult innings.
Official 2026 season totals. Explore Oklahoma coverage.
Hagen Smith — Arkansas
2026: 3–3; 1.29 ERA; 28 innings; 41 strikeouts; 18 appearances (1 starts).
Smith debuted in August and made 18 appearances, only one of them a start. Forty-one strikeouts in 28 innings made this an outstanding initial sample, although it should not be mistaken for a full rotation season.
Official 2026 season totals. Explore Arkansas coverage.
Grant Taylor — LSU
2026: 7–3; 2.25 ERA; 84 innings; 106 strikeouts; 60 appearances (4 starts).
Taylor supplied both volume and leverage options: 60 appearances, including four starts, plus 10 saves. His 106 strikeouts in 84 innings make the 2.25 ERA look less like an isolated number and more like substantial bullpen production.
Official 2026 season totals. Explore LSU coverage.
Cleveland Guardians
Roster connection: Division Series.
Nathaniel Lowe — Mississippi State
2026: 126 games; .252/.317/.444 (AVG/OBP/SLG); 17 HR; 64 RBI; .761 OPS.
These are combined Cincinnati and Cleveland totals. With the Guardians, Lowe hit .226 with five home runs and 27 RBI in 43 games. His full-year .761 OPS was stronger than his .651 mark with Cleveland.
Official 2026 season totals. Explore Mississippi State coverage.
Houston Astros
Roster connection: Wild Card.
Christian Walker — South Carolina
2026: 156 games; .226/.299/.427 (AVG/OBP/SLG); 29 HR; 87 RBI; .726 OPS.
Walker played 156 games and supplied 29 home runs and 87 RBI. The .226 average limits the offensive praise, but Houston still received significant power from its former South Carolina first baseman.
Official 2026 season totals. Explore South Carolina coverage.
Los Angeles Dodgers
Roster connection: Division Series.
Hunter Feduccia — LSU
2026: 93 games; .221/.312/.313 (AVG/OBP/SLG); 3 HR; 19 RBI; .625 OPS.
These are combined Rays and Dodgers totals. After returning to Los Angeles in an August trade, he hit .197 with one homer and seven RBI across 33 Dodgers games. His place here reflects an actual Division Series roster selection, rather than postseason eligibility alone.
Official 2026 season totals. Explore LSU coverage.
Milwaukee Brewers
Roster connection: Division Series.
David Hamilton — Texas
2026: 121 games; .245/.314/.336 (AVG/OBP/SLG); 4 HR; 26 RBI; .650 OPS.
Thirty stolen bases were the defining offensive contribution. His .650 OPS was modest, but a player who can create an extra base has an obvious postseason use when opportunities become scarce.
Official 2026 season totals. Explore Texas coverage.
New York Yankees
Roster connection: Wild Card and Division Series.
Spencer Jones — Vanderbilt
2026: 86 games; .245/.313/.429 (AVG/OBP/SLG); 11 HR; 40 RBI; .742 OPS.
Jones debuted in May, then played 86 games with 11 home runs and 10 stolen bases. The .742 OPS suggests a useful first contribution, while 105 strikeouts in 261 at-bats identify a clear area for improvement.
Official 2026 season totals. Explore Vanderbilt coverage.
Philadelphia Phillies
Roster connection: Wild Card.
Aaron Nola — LSU
2026: 7–12; 4.67 ERA; 175⅓ innings; 177 strikeouts; 33 appearances (33 starts).
Nola made all 33 of his appearances as a starter, but allowed 37 home runs. The innings were valuable; the ERA and home-run total explain why this was a difficult regular season.
Official 2026 season totals. Explore LSU coverage.
Chase Shugart — Texas
2026: 2–1; 4.02 ERA; 53⅔ innings; 59 strikeouts; 46 appearances (0 starts).
Shugart gave Philadelphia 46 appearances and slightly more than a strikeout per inning. His season belongs in the discussion of bullpen depth: meaningful work over a full summer, without pretending a 4.02 ERA was dominance.
Official 2026 season totals. Explore Texas coverage.
San Diego Padres
Roster connection: Wild Card and Division Series.
Walker Buehler — Vanderbilt
2026: 9–6; 4.63 ERA; 153⅔ innings; 131 strikeouts; 32 appearances (32 starts).
Buehler made 32 appearances, all starts. That is a substantial workload, although the 4.63 ERA makes this an uneven regular-season recap rather than a return-to-ace proclamation.
Official 2026 season totals. Explore Vanderbilt coverage.
Tampa Bay Rays
Roster connection: Division Series.
Nick Fortes — Ole Miss
2026: 109 games; .258/.304/.376 (AVG/OBP/SLG); 6 HR; 35 RBI; .680 OPS.
Fortes appeared in 109 games and hit .258, with six home runs and 35 RBI. The .680 OPS describes a modest offensive season, with his roster value also tied to the responsibilities of catching.
Official 2026 season totals. Explore Ole Miss coverage.
The college connections worth following
The White Sox offered the widest collection of current SEC-school alumni: two former Razorbacks, an Aggie, a Sooner and an LSU Tiger. Boston’s four were all pitchers. Vanderbilt’s five connections stretched from Gray’s excellent veteran season to Jones’s first major-league campaign.
That range is the appeal. This is not simply a roll call of the biggest names. There are starters, bullpen contributors, catching depth and young players learning the league. October rosters need all of them.
Source desk
SEC: Wild Card and Division Series roster selections. Each player’s official MLB Stats API season record is linked beneath his recap. Statistics were retrieved October 11, 2026, with the MLB level and regular season selected.
LSU: postseason eligibility and season recap. Eligibility alone does not qualify a player for this guide: Paul Gervase appears in LSU’s eligible-player report but not in the SEC’s selected Division Series roster list.
Arkansas: Benintendi and Smith on the Wild Card roster. Reuters: Crochet’s return for the Wild Card round.