CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas – The Texas A&M-Corpus Christi baseball team made steps toward the future on Wednesday's National Signing Day, inking six commitments to its 2026 recruiting class, as announced by head coach
Scott Malone.
The group of incoming players consists of Owen Baxter, Jace Elrod, Owen Hudnall, Matthew McClenan, Anson Stuckly and Aidan Vens. The six strike a good balance positionally, with the Islanders adding two pitchers, two outfielders, one catcher and one two-way player.
"I'm super excited about this new group of Islanders," Malone said. "Recruiting Coordinator
Scott Kelly has put together a talented mix of high school and junior college players. They are six outstanding athletes that come from great families, and I have no doubt these players will have bright futures on the Island."
Elrod is a 5'11" outfielder that comes from Texarkana, Texas. He currently features for Pleasant Grove High School, where he has earned First Team All-District honors in each of the past three seasons. He was also named to the All-State Tournament Team in 2024 and helped lead his team to district titles in every season from 2023 to 2025. In the classroom, Elrod is a member of the National Honor Society.
McClenan is a 6'1" two-way player from San Antonio, featuring primarily on the mound and at first base. He currently plays for Central Catholic High School, earning First Team All-League and All-District honors in all three seasons of his career so far and First Team All-State during his junior campaign. McClenan has also been named to an All-State Tournament Team, a High School All-Region Team and a MaxPreps Underclass All-American Team. For his high school, he holds the record for the most doubles and RBIs in a single season as well as the best ERA in a season.
Stuckly is a 6'1" pitcher from Katy, Texas. He currently features for Katy High School, where he was named a unanimous 19-6A First Team All-District Reliever during the 2025 season. He also helped lead the team to District, Bi-District and Area championships during the same year.
Vens is a 6'2" pitcher from Des Moines, Iowa. He currently plays his prep ball at Roosevelt High School, where he was named First Team All-Conference during the 2025 season. He also earned Academic All-Conference nods in every season from 2022-2024.
"Our staff spent the summer building a great list of impact high school players," Malone said. "Three pitchers and one outfielder that will be the foundation and future of the team."
Baxter is a 5'10" catcher from Lincoln, Nebraska who currently plays for Iowa Western Community College. During his first season with the Reivers in 2024-25, he featured in 24 games, hitting .273 with four doubles, a triple, 10 walks and six RBIs. Prior to this, Baxter played at Lincoln Southeast High School, earning All-District and All-State honors in both 2022 and 2024 and Academic All-State honors in all four years while leading the team to a sixth-place finish in the state in 2022.
Hudnall is a 6'0" outfielder from Monroe, Louisiana who is currently playing for South Arkansas College. In his freshman campaign with the Stars, he played in 32 games, hitting .278 with a home run, a triple, four doubles and 13 RBIs. Before college, he played for Ouachita Christian School, where he was named First Team All-League and All-District in 2023 and 2024 and Second Team All-State in the latter season. Hudnall also helped lead his team to state titles in both 2021 and 2023.
"The most recent additions to the class are the big junior college bats," Malone said. "Two big plug-and-play adds that will make a strong impact on the lineup in the spring of 2027."
The six new student-athletes join an Islanders program coming off a season in which they qualified for the Southland Conference Baseball Championship for the sixth consecutive year dating back to 2019 and excluding the pandemic-shortened 2020 campaign. They were also able to pick up a signature win in this year's tournament, eliminating a Lamar team that won 40 games during the regular season.
2026 Islanders Baseball Recruiting Class
Owen Baxter – Catcher | 5'10" | Lincoln, Nebraska
Jace Elrod – Outfielder | 5'11" | Texarkana, Texas
Owen Hudnall – Outfielder | 6'0" | Monroe, Louisiana
Matthew McClenan – RHP/1B | 6'1" | San Antonio, Texas
Anson Stuckly – Pitcher | 6'1" | Katy, Texas
Aidan Vens – Pitcher | 6'2" | Des Moines, Iowa
#ShakasUp
