Flinn Named 2026 NCBWA Freshman All-American
June 8, 2026 | Baseball
NEWS
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Fighting Illini freshman pitcher Aidan Flinn was named a Freshman All-American by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association, which was announced on Monday.
Flinn earned a spot on the NCBWA Freshman All-America Second Team and was one of four Big Ten student-athletes to achieve Freshman All-America status this season.
A native of Mokena, Illinois, Flinn posted a 2.79 ERA during his debut collegiate campaign in 2026, throwing 61.1 innings with 58 strikeouts and a 0.83 WHIP, the latter of which currently ranks tied for first in the country. Flinn made 15 total appearances, including 13 starts, while allowing just 13 walks all season.
An All-Big Ten Second Team and Big Ten All-Freshman Team honoree, Flinn registered the best ERA by an Illini freshman since 2020, the most innings pitched by an Illini freshman since 2017, and the most strikeouts by an Illini freshman since 2013.
Flinn, now the 15th Freshman All-American in program history, is the first Illini to secure Freshman All-America honors since Cole Kirschsieper in 2020. He is joined on the Freshman All-America Second Team by fellow Big Ten student-athletes Ryan Costello (Maryland), Drew Grego (Nebraska), and Brayden Jaksa (Oregon).
Illinois' Freshman All-Americans
1989 - Sean Mulligan, C (Collegiate Baseball)
1989 - Bubba Smith, UT (Collegiate Baseball)
1991 - Scott Spiezio, IF (Collegiate Baseball)
1999 - Luke Simmons, DH (Collegiate Baseball)
2000 - Andy Schutzenhofer, 1B (Collegiate Baseball, Baseball America)
2002 - Drew Davidson, OF (Collegiate Baseball)
2003 - Eric Eymann, SS (Collegiate Baseball)
2008 - Casey McMurray, OF (Collegiate Baseball)
2009 - Willie Argo, OF (Collegiate Baseball)
2012 - Reid Roper, 2B/RHP (Collegiate Baseball)
2013 - Kevin Duchene, LHP (Collegiate Baseball, NCBWA, Baseball America, Perfect Game)
2014 - Adam Walton, SS (Collegiate Baseball)
2017 - Michael Massey, 2B (Collegiate Baseball)
2020 - Cole Kirschsieper, LHP (Collegiate Baseball)
2026 - Aidan Flinn, LHP (NCBWA)
2026 NCBWA Freshman All-America Teams
NCBWA Freshman All-America First Team
C Cole Hansen, Cal Baptist
1B Ethan Bingaman, Auburn
2B Diego Cruz, Miami (Ohio)
SS Linkin Garcia, Texas Tech
3B Nico Partida, Texas A&M
OF Teddy Tokheim, Stanford
OF Jacob Parker, Mississippi State
OF Anthony Pack, Jr., Texas
DH Brady Christman, Georgia Southern
UT Josiah Overbeek, Army
SP Myles Upchurch, Alabama
SP Trey Morris, Oregon State
SP Lance Davis, TCU
SP Michael Senay, South Florida
RP Sam Cozart, Texas
RP Caden Glauber, North Carolina
RP Landon Hood, Gonzaga
NCBWA Freshman All-America Second Team
C Brayden Jaksa, Oregon
1B Ryan Costello, Maryland
2B Ethan Ball, Virginia Tech
SS Jett Kenady, Cal
3B Jason Bello, Dayton
OF Rett Johnson, NC State
OF Drew Grego, Nebraska
OF Cam Righi, UConn
DH Enzo Infelise, Cincinnati
UT Brady Bowen, Akron
SP Aidan Flinn, Illinois
SP Will Labonte, Portland
SP Garrett Lambert, Mercer
SP Hayden Frey, Toledo
RP Thomas Allen, Louisiana Tech
RP Alex Via, Portland
RP Ben Tanton, Old Dominion
