Lewis Flyers: Same Standards, Different Strategy for the 2026 Season

After coming off a GLVC Regular Season Champion and Regional Appearance, their first since 2013 in both categories, the Lewis Flyers are looking to replicate that success going into 2026.

That won’t be any easy task by any means, as the Flyers graduate seven of their nine positional starters and their entire weekend rotation. In that group was outfielder George Bilecki, who was drafted by the San Diego Padres in the 12th round of the 2025 MLB Draft. Bilecki slashed .356/.432/.797 with 23 homers, 66 RBI, and 18 stolen bases last season. Another bat was 1st-team All-American Mikey Kocen, who hit .407 with 16 doubles, 19 homers, and 63 RBI last season.

However, the focus is not replacing those players, the focus is to maximize the skill of the current roster. “We’ll be a much different team from a year ago.”, said Lewis Head Coach Mike Vucsko, who is entering his fifth season leading the program, “We may not have the power of last year, but there’s a lot of opportunity to be aggressive on the basepaths.” For a team that stole just 54 bases last season, look for the Flyers to increase that total.In terms of returners, Jackson Hunley is the leader in stolen bases amongst returners with eleven. He will look to play an even more impactful role with the team, as he hit .286 in 49 starts last season. Also on the list of returners on offense is Tyler Phommachanhom, who hit .267 in 52 starts as well as his brother Blake, who didn’t play last year, but was a breakout player this fall and will be in the lineup come spring. In the power department for returners, Lewis will rely on John Henry Russell, who hit .329 and slugged .507 in 73 at-bats and will be one of the catchers on the squad.

On the pitching side, the bullpen will be as strong as ever, as two key pieces for the backend are back in 2025. First is Jackson Bruno, who led the team with seven saves and had 30 strikeouts to 3 walks over 30.1 innings. While the ERA for Bruno wasn’t ideal (7.12), his FIP (Fielding Independent Pitching, a metric that strips out defense so that it is read like ERA) was a much more respectable 4.82. “I’m very comfortable with him on the mound.”, stated Coach Vucsko, “he will continue to be a big part of our bullpen.” Another big part of their bullpen returning is Senior Carter Endisch, who had a 3.28 ERA over 24.2 innings (19 appearances). Endisch struck out 29 to walking just seven batters. “He’ll be a leader for our staff, both on the mound and as a mentor”, said Coach Vucsko.

Speaking of mentoring, two players who dealt with injury issues last season may make their way back into the fold for the staff in 2026. First is RHP Ethan Patera, who was formerly at Louisville and Jacksonville State before transferring to Lewis last season. Second is LHP Luke Brown, who had a great fall and features a mid-90s fastball. “He has the potential to be a draft pick”, said Coach Vucsko, as Brown will get every opportunity to showcase his talents in the spring.

The opportunity for players like Brown to showcase their talents is not limited to the established pitching staff; it’s a central theme this season, particularly for the incoming group. Lewis is banking on this same potential with its class of newcomer pitchers, a group ready to provide immediate depth to the stuff. One of those newcomers is RHP Ben Catrambone, who transferred from Limestone University, a school that closed its doors in May. Another reliever out of the bullpen, Catrambone pitched to a 5.16 ERA over 22.2 innings last season with a pair of saves last season. Prior to that, Catrambone was at Triton College in River Grove, Illinois.

Click here to see Lewis’ full signing class

From the Division I ranks, Kevin Pauly makes his way to Romeoville after spending a season at Gardner-Webb and the prior two also at Triton College. He made no appearances for Gardner-Webb last season but had 105 strikeouts with a career 4.73 ERA over 79 innings at Triton JC. 

Another newcomer is two-way player is incoming freshman Lucas Acevedo, who was originally a commit to D1 University of Illinois at Chicago, but found his way in Romeoville. His senior season, he hit .400 with a .558 on base percentage and pitched 18.2 innings with a 3.00 ERA. Per Perfect Game, Acevedo was ranked the 50th best RHP in the state of Illinois.

On the incoming player side on offense, Coach Vucsko highlighted a few freshmen that may make an impact for the team in the spring. First is infielder and local Romeoville High School grad Karlos Otero. Otero was a three-time SPC All-Conference player and hit .400 in his senior season. 

Jimmy Spellman is a big bat that came from Notre Dame College prep. The 6-foot-4 first baseman hit 10 doubles, 4 home runs, and 18 RBI to go with a .366 average in his senior campaign.

Back to the speed side of the offense, Constantine Coines (who may be on the D2 Baseball All-Name Team if there was one) set a Maine South HS stolen base record with 32 bags. He was first team All-Conference his senior season, hitting .364 with a .497 on base percentage and made the All Cook County Team.

While there is some impact freshman on offense, there’s two transfer names that Lewis added to bolster their offense. First is Israel Delgado, who came from D1 Grambling State as an infielder, but will do some catching for the Flyers and had a good fall. Delgado, an Orland Park, Illinois native, spent two seasons at Rock Valley College before transferring to Grambling State, where he had 3 RBI in 9 at-bats.

Then, Lewis hit the NAIA level for some production, getting infielder Jayden Gonzalez from Union Commonwealth in Kentucky. Gonzalez, another pipeline who attended Triton College prior to Union (KY), hit a solid .333 in 150 at-bats in a high-level NAIA conference last season.

The Lewis Flyers face an undeniable challenge in 2026, graduating the core power and experience that drove their GLVC title run. However, Head Coach Mike Vucsko has made it clear that the goal is not merely to replace the production of players like Bilecki and Kocen, but to establish a new, more aggressive identity rooted in pitching depth, speed, and player development. 

With an injection of high-potential talent from the transfer ranks (pitchers Catrambone, Pauly; hitters Delgado, Gonzalez) and key freshmen joining the established foundation of returning bullpen leaders (Bruno, Endisch) and offensive spark plugs (Hunley, Phommachanhom), the 2026 season marks the beginning of a new chapter.

The Flyers are banking on that raw potential to come together quickly, suggesting a team that might win games differently, but remains fiercely determined to replicate its championship success and earn another regional appearance.

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