Baseball Season Preview Part Three: Outfield

Morehead, Ky. -- Morehead State comes into the 2026 season returning two starters in the outfield from last season and the Eagles have added some newcomers to provide added depth to the squad.
 
"I would say the outfield is where we are the deepest as far as personnel," said Morehead State head coach Chris Rose.
 
Redshirt junior and Canadian Davis Germann figures to be the Eagles' left fielder. He returns after starting 50 games for Morehead State in left field last season and posting a .307 batting average with 10 home runs and 38 runs batted in. A 2024 OVC All-Freshman Team selection, he smacked 10 doubles and three triples in the 2025 campaign posting a .944 OPS.
 
The speedy Germann stole 12 bases in 14 attempts last Spring. He ended the season with a flourish, going 8-13 with three doubles, a triple, two home runs and driving in four runs in the Eagles' season-ending series against Tennessee Tech.
 
Also returning to the outfield is another Canadian, senior JJ Dutton. Dutton came to MSU last season after two seasons at Indian Hills CC in Iowa and made an immediate impact, starting 52 of the Eagles' 53 games last season.  Dutton got off to a bit of a slow start at the plate but finished leading the club with a .340 batting average that ranked 10^th in the OVC.
 
He led the club with an 18-game hit streak and finished the season with a 31-game reached-base streak. Dutton raised his average 140 points from March 1 to the end of the season.
 
Rose said true freshman Kyle Krupp from Louisville has made an instant impression and is battling for the starting job in center field. A graduate of St. Xavier High School, Krupp hit .320 with a home run and five doubles and knocked in 20 runs last season as a senior. He posted a .810 OPS and committed just one error in 56 chances in the field.
 
JUCO transfer Jaden Hart out of John A. Logan College is battling Krupp for the starting nod in center. Last season, he hit .381 with five doubles and 38 runs batted in and posted a .952 fielding percentage in 93 chances. As a freshman he hit .429 with three home runs, two doubles and a triple in just 28 at bats. In his two seasons he stole 56 bases in 59 attempts.
 
"Both of those guys have a lot of tools," said Rose. "Hart has the best arm I've been on the field with from the outfield and he's a 6.3 runner (60-yd dash). Krupp has put together the best at bats of anybody on the team since he stepped foot on campus last fall. He's just a very disciplined and smart player who has a plan (at the plate) and he sticks to it."
 
"One is a right-handed hitter (Hart) and one is left-handed (Krupp) so we have options there, depending upon whom we are seeing on the mound," said Rose.
 
Redshirt sophomore Austyn Peak returns from last season and can play multiple positions.
 
"Everybody's a fan of him (Peak) because he didn't get to play very much last year and the second he got his chance he ran with it," said Rose. "Unfortunately, he got hurt and didn't get to run with it. But he's put together some good at bats the last four live at bats we've had."
 
Rose said newcomers Ian McCubbin and Brayton Coomer will fight for playing time.
 
McCubbin is a junior from Bossier City, Louisiana who played the last two seasons at South Arkansas College. He hit .298 last season with three homers and 16 runs batted in, posting an .816 OPS. He is slated to fight for playing time between the outfield and the designated hitter slot.
 
Coomer is a freshman from Columbia, Kentucky. Last season at Adair County High School, he hit .512 and hit 14 home runs, the most in the state. He added 12 doubles, drove in 37 runs and posted a 1.188 Slugging percentage, highest in the state last season. Rose said he will battle for time between first base and designated hitter.
 
Rose said the Eagles are showing an offensive balance with a speed/power combination from the outfield.
 
"Germ (Germann) can really run, both center fielders can really run, Peak coming in can really run and McCubbin and Coomer have legitimate juice along with (Alex) Kean," said Rose. "So, we'll have two or three legitimate power guys with a bunch of speed guys around them. So, I think we should be a good spot."
 
Morehead State opens the season with a three-game series commencing Friday against UMass Lowell. Due to the winter storm that passed through the area and extended frigid temperatures that have rendered Allen Field unplayable, the series has been moved west to George Rogers Clark High School in Winchester, Kentucky. First pitch Friday is set for 2:00 p.m. ET.