Betts: Five Division I players to watch

Ontario Blue Jays and Junior National Team grad Brendan Lawson (Toronto, Ont.) had an outstanding freshman campaign with the Florida Gators, batting .317 with 10 home runs and 61 RBIs. Photo: University of Florida Athletics

February 2, 2026

By Matt Betts

Canadian Baseball Network

With the calendar flipping to February, the Division I college baseball season inches closer. 

By the Canadian Baseball Network’s count, a total of 211 players are on the rosters of D1 programs. 

Here’s five to watch when first pitch flies on Friday, Feb 13 to open the 2026 season. 

INF Brendan Lawson (Toronto, Ont.) - University of Florida 

Already considered a top prospect for the 2027 Major League Baseball Draft, Lawson came as advertised during his freshman campaign with the Gators.  

The former Ontario Blue Jay started 60 of his team’s 61 games in 2025, hitting .317 with 10 home runs, 61 RBIs and a .939 OPS. Three of his home runs were grand slams. 

His 33 walks also led the team. 

Of his 60 starts, 36 came at first base, 12 at second, 11 at third and one as the designated hitter. 

By season’s end, his play garnered national recognition as he was named a First Team Freshman All-American by Baseball America and a Second-Team All-American by D1Baseball and Perfect Game. 

Florida opens its season at home with a three-game series against the University of Alabama at Birmingham. 

OF Carter Beck (Carnduff, Sask.) - Indiana State University 

Beck arrived in Terre Haute last year after playing his freshman season at Division II University of Mary, and the transition went about as well as he could’ve hoped. He finished with a team-leading .335 average, 11 home runs, 56 RBIs and a .981 OPS. 

Beck, who was named to the All-Missouri Valley Conference First Team in 2025, won’t fly under the radar of opposing pitchers this season, having already been tabbed the MVC’s Preseason Player of the Year by D1Baseball. 

The Sycamores open the campaign at the Puerto Rico Challenge against Manhattan, North Carolina State and Wake Forest. 

RHP Tate Carey (Windsor, Ont.) - University of Michigan 

Like Lawson, Carey had no problem making the jump from high school to Division I. 

The right-hander led the Wolverines with nine wins en route to being named to the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Freshman All-American First Team and All-Big Ten Conference Freshman Team. 

His workload should only increase after he accumulated 57 innings in 18 appearances, seven of which were starts. 

He’s already been named the Big Ten Preseason Pitcher of the Year by Perfect Game. 

Michigan goes south to Surprise, Ariz. to open the season versus Oregon State, Stanford and Arizona. 

INF/OF Payton McHarg (Saskatoon, Sask.) - Illinois State University 

McHarg will try to follow in the footsteps of fellow Saskatchewan native Beck as he too makes the jump from Division II to Division I. 

McHarg’s best college season came in 2024 as a junior at Washburn University when he hit .354 with 21 home runs and 1.216 OPS, numbers that earned him a spot on the NCBWA All-American Second Team. 

An injury slowed his production last season, but he still managed to hit .301 with 13 home runs.  

Illinois State visits Southeast Missouri State for a three-game series on opening weekend. 

OF Max Hartman (Red Deer, Alta.) - Washington State University 

Hartman’s numbers have improved in each of his three seasons at Washington State.  

He hit .368, a mark that led the team, with a .973 OPS in 43 games for the Cougars in 2025. 

The Okotoks Dawgs product had 15 multi-hit games, five of which saw him record four hits, and a 17-game hit streak among his 61 total knocks. 

Younger brother Eric was a 20th round pick by the Atlanta Braves in the 2024 draft and split last season between the Florida Complex League and Single-A Augusta, hitting .240 as a 19-year-old. 

Washington State will be tested right off the bat with a three-game series at Alabama.