CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa -- The coaches have selected the 2026 American Rivers Conference (A-R-C) Baseball postseason award selections. These outstanding student-athletes have distinguished themselves throughout the conference's three-game series regular season.
Head coaches from the conference nominated and selected this year's all-conference team, recognizing the top performers. In addition to the all-conference team, the announcement also recognizes the Pitcher of the Year, Position Player of the Year, Rookie of the Year, and Coach of the Year.
The A-R-C proudly announces today that Luther College's Charles Running has been selected as the Pitcher of the Year for the 2026 season. Coe College's Ryan Thoreson has been named Position Player of the Year and Wartburg College's Tanner Jackson has been selected as the Rookie of the Year. Nathan Roling, Simpson College head coach, was voted by his peers as Coach of the Year. In addition to the major awards, the conference announced its 2026 all-conference team.
Running is earning Pitcher of the Year honors after a fantastic season from the mound for the Norse. Running posted the best earned run average in the league at 1.35 and was third best in the league for opposing batting average at .193. He tossed 40.0 innings during the conference regular season and picked up five wins.
Thoreson is earning Position Player of the Year honors after posting a .442 batting average, which led the league. Thoreson also led the league in on base percentage at .525. He recorded 42 hits on the year, the second-best in the A-R-C. He ranked third in the league for OPS at 1.167 and fifth in slugging percentage at .642. In the field, Thoreson recorded the most putouts with 231 in the league from the catcher position. He threw out ten baserunners while on the move attempting to steal.
Jackson is earning Rookie of the Year honors after an impressive freshman season for the Knights. Jackson batted .355 going 22-for-62 from the plate in 16 starts this conference season. He scored 14 runs and knocked four out of the park. He posted 25 RBIs and a .677 slugging percentage.
In his 10th season as head coach, Roling and his staff led the Storm to a third place finish in the league standings, 14-10 record. The third place finish is the best finish in the league standings for the Storm since Roling took over. Roling is earning his first Coach of the Year honor and is just the second coach in Simpson history to earn this honor. He joins John Siranni (1987, 1990, 1991, 1994, 1999, 2004, 2006) on the list.
| 2026 All-American Rivers Conference Baseball Team |
| Position Player of the Year - Ryan Thoreson, Coe College |
| Pitcher of the Year - Charles Running, Luther College |
| Rookie of the Year - Tanner Jackson, Wartburg College |
| Coach of the Year - Nathan Roling, Simpson College |
| Pitcher of the Year |
School |
Yr. |
Pos. |
Hometown/High School |
| Charles Running |
Luther College |
Sr. |
P |
Prior Lake, Minn./Prior Lake |
| Pos. Player of the Year |
School |
Yr. |
Pos. |
Hometown/High School |
| Ryan Thoreson |
Coe College |
Sr. |
C |
Bettendorf, Iowa/Pleasant Valley |
| First Team |
School |
Yr. |
Pos. |
Hometown/High School |
| Brayden Sawyer |
Central College |
Sr. |
UTL |
Grundy Center, Iowa/Grundy Center |
| Max Steinlage |
Central College |
Sr. |
OF |
Cedar Falls, Iowa/Cedar Falls |
| Xander Cloudy |
Coe College |
Jr. |
P |
Boerne, Texas/Boerne |
| Jack Walsh |
Coe College |
Jr. |
P |
Dubuque, Iowa/Wahlert |
| Will Sullivan |
University of Dubuque |
So. |
OF |
Dubuque, Iowa/Dubuque Senior |
| Vince Polizzi |
Loras College |
Sr. |
1B |
Naperville, Ill./St. Francis |
| CJ Boudreaux |
Luther College |
5th Yr. |
RP |
Humble, Texas/Atascocita |
| Zach Gwost |
Luther College |
Sr. |
OF |
Little Falls, Minn./Little Falls |
| Nolan Klocke |
Luther College |
Sr. |
P |
Hayfield, Minn./Hayfield |
| Noah Kindem |
Luther College |
Jr. |
DH |
San Diego, Calif./Ramona |
| Gavin Scurr |
Luther College |
5th Yr. |
C |
San Diego, Calif./University City |
| Josh Stratton |
Luther College |
Sr. |
P |
Plainfield, Ill./Central |
| Easton Johnson |
Nebraska Wesleyan University |
Sr. |
3B |
Gilbert, Iowa/Gilbert |
| Drew Carlson |
Simpson College |
Jr. |
2B |
Iowa City, Iowa/Iowa City High |
| Tijmen Nagel |
Simpson College |
Jr. |
SS |
Amsterdam, Netherlands/ROC Top Amsterdam |
| Charlie Thomas |
Simpson College |
Jr. |
P |
Omaha, Neb./Gretna |
| Second Team |
School |
Yr. |
Pos. |
Hometown/High School |
| Koleson Evans |
Buena Vista University |
Jr. |
RP |
Logan, Iowa/West Harrison |
| Ean McDaniel |
Buena Vista University |
Jr. |
P |
Pleasant Hill, Iowa/Southeast Polk |
| Cooper Sobeck |
Buena Vista University |
So. |
OF |
Queen Creek, Ariz./Desert Ridge |
| Dom DeLaPaz |
Central College |
5th Yr. |
C |
Davenport, Iowa/West |
| Turner Williams |
Central College |
Jr. |
RP |
Newton, Iowa/Newton |
| Eli Elsbecker |
Coe College |
Sr. |
3B |
Fort Dodge, Iowa/Black Hawk College |
| Jon Wille |
Coe College |
Jr. |
1B |
Dubuque, Iowa/Senior |
| Jackson Cullen |
Loras College |
Sr. |
DH |
Joilet, Ill./Joliet Catholic |
| Colin Kissane |
Loras College |
Jr. |
OF |
Orland Park, Ill./Carl Sandburg |
| Brody Von Berge |
Luther College |
Sr. |
P |
Hudson, Wis./Hudson |
| Duncan Ortega |
Nebraska Wesleyan University |
Sr. |
SS |
San Antonio, Texas/Sandra Day O'Connor |
| Garrett Walsh |
Nebraska Wesleyan University |
Fr. |
P |
Lincoln, Neb./Lincoln Southwest |
| Trenten Kingrey |
Simpson College |
Jr. |
OF |
Knoxville, Iowa/Knoxville |
| Emerson Alberhasky |
Wartburg College |
So. |
P |
Ankeny, Iowa/Ankeny Centennial |
| Andrew Gallegos |
Wartburg College |
Jr. |
1B |
Naperville, Ill./Naperville Central |
| Andrew Robinson |
Wartburg College |
Sr. |
2B |
Cedar Rapids, Iowa/Cedar Rapids Prairie |
| Honorable Mention |
School |
Yr. |
Pos. |
Hometown/High School |
| Jackson Torbit |
Central College |
So. |
P |
St. Louis, Mo./Webster Groves |
| Bryer Wiley |
Central College |
So. |
2B |
Urbana, Iowa/Center Point-Urbana |
| Brent Yonkovic |
Coe College |
Fr. |
SS |
Hopkinton, Iowa/West Delaware |
| Alex Esser |
University of Dubuque |
Sr. |
C |
Wauwatosa, Wis./Wauwatosa East |
| Zavion Ingram |
University of Dubuque |
Sr. |
DH |
Clayton, N.C./Cleveland |
| Angel Reyes |
University of Dubuque |
So. |
P |
East Dubuque, Ill./East Dubuque |
| Ben Shea |
Loras College |
Fr. |
P |
New Lenox, Ill./Lincoln-Way West |
| Ike Swanson |
Luther College |
Jr. |
3B |
Bettendorf, Iowa/Pleasant Valley |
| Tyrus Werner |
Luther College |
Jr. |
2B |
Manchester, Iowa/West Delaware |
| Brady Bell |
Nebraska Wesleyan University |
5th Yr. |
1B |
Lincoln, Neb./Lincoln East |
| Tyler Spreitzer |
Nebraska Wesleyan University |
Sr. |
RP |
Omaha, Neb./Millard West |
| Jacob Roberts |
Simpson College |
So. |
C |
Bondurant, Iowa/Bondurant-Farrar |
| Tanner Jackson |
Wartbrug College |
Fr. |
DH |
Waukee, Iowa/Waukee Northwest |
| Conner Funk |
Wartburg College |
Sr. |
RP |
Edgewood, Iowa/West Delaware |
| Griffin Troha |
Wartburg College |
So. |
3B |
Mundelein, Ill./Mundelein |
| Charlie Krueger |
Wartburg College |
So. |
OF |
West Des Moines, Iowa/West Des Moines Valley |
About the American Rivers Conference
Nationally respected for excellence in NCAA Division III athletics, the American Rivers Conference (A-R-C) has a tradition dating back to its founding in 1922 as the Iowa Intercollegiate Athletic Association and adopted its current name in 2018 to reflect its strong Iowa roots and growing regional footprint. The A-R-C is a collaborative community that champions the holistic development of student-athletes, uniting member institutions in a shared commitment to academic achievement, athletic distinction, and leadership.
The A-R-C is home to nine full-time member institutions: Buena Vista University, Central College, Coe College, University of Dubuque, Loras College, Luther College, Nebraska Wesleyan University, Simpson College, and Wartburg College. Luther College has announced its departure from the conference, effective at the conclusion of the 2025–26 academic year.
