ELON – Elon baseball head coach Mike Kennedy and the Phoenix announced Wednesday their 2026 signing class, featuring six high school standouts.  

 

Elon's six-player signing class includes five right-handed pitchers and a two-way player. The Phoenix continued to successfully recruit the east coast for talent with two players from New Hampshire, and one apiece from North Carolina, Massachusetts, New Jersey and Florida.  

 

"We are really excited about the quality of arms in this class," Kennedy said.  "We wanted front-line high school arms and that's what we got. I believe each of these guys has an opportunity to make an immediate impact on the mound for us. Our coaching staff – Robbie Huffstetler, Ryan Conroy, and Ryder Giles – did a great job assembling this group." 

 

 

Matt Blanusa 

Right-Handed Pitcher | 6'0 / 190 | Newton, Mass. | Dexter Southfield 

• Played for two years at Dexter Southfield for coach Dan Donato.  

• Finished his junior season with a 3-1 record and a 2.21 ERA. Blanusa struck out 32 batters and walked just seven.  

• Blanusa competes for North East Baseball under director Scott Patterson.  

 

Associate head coach Robbie Huffstetler on Blanusa: "A right-handed pitcher with a very good arm. He gets up to 91 with his fastball and a hard, downward breaking ball. Matt is a guy that we could see starting or coming out of the bullpen. He plays for a very good program that has had a lot of success." 

 

Right-Handed Pitcher | 5'11 / 185 | Atkinson, N.H. | Austin Preparatory  

• Played for four years at Austin Preparatory for coach JP Pollard.  

• Selected to the All NEPSAC Team following his junior season in 2025.  

• Edgar competes for North East Baseball under director Scott Patterson. 

 

Associate head coach Robbie Huffstetler on Edgar: "Chase Edgar has the potential to be a front line guy for us the moment he steps on campus. He was someone who was on our radar pretty early last season. He has a three-pitch mix with a fastball up to 92 mph with a very good slider and very good changeup. He is a kid that could potentially see time in the weekend rotation as a freshman but needs to continue to develop and get better." 

 

James Gilbert 

Right-Handed Pitcher | 6'4 / 200 | Bedford, N.H. | Bedford  

• Played for four seasons at Beford High School.  

• Has pitched over 50 innings over the past three seasons with an ERA of 2.43.  

• Opponents have hit just .190 during his time at Beford. His strikeout rate of batters is 29%.  

• Two-time all-state selection and was selected as Bedford's offensive MVP during his junior season.  

• 12th overall prospect in the class of 2026 in New Hampshire according to Perfect Game. Named a preseason underclass all-American as a junior by Perfect Game.  

• Gilbert competes for North East Baseball under director Scott Patterson. 

 

Associate head coach Robbie Huffstetler on Gilbert: "Great frame at 6'3-6'4 and just learning to pitch. He has not been pitching very long but we have seen the fastball at 90-91 mph with a good slider. Coming into the program, he will probably be a bullpen contributor but will have a chance to start. The ceiling is very high for James. He is someone who doesn't have a lot of mileage on his arm, so he is very fresh and we look for him to contribute during his freshman season." 

 

Right-Handed Pitcher / Middle Infielder | 6'3 / 230 | Cranbury, N.J. | Princeton High School  

• Played for four years at Princeton High School for coach Dom Capuano.  

• A first team all division selection and a Carpenter's Cup selection.  

• Served as a team captain on both the Princeton HS baseball and soccer teams.  

• Father, Chris, and uncle, Jeff, both played college baseball.  

 

Associate head coach Robbie Huffstetler on Hamerschlag: "A two-way guy coming out of New Jersey. He is a guy who we saw at one of our camps, and we got to see him reach up to 91 mph while he was here. He also has some power potential in the bat and could also see some time in the corner outfield. A strong, physical kid that we have very high aspirations for him and he has the potential to be a very solid two-way player for our program."  

 

Outfielder / Left-Handed Pitcher | 6'1 / 185 | Greensboro, N.C. | Grimsley High School 

• Played for four years at Grimsley High School for head coach Jason Simmons. 

• Named a Metro 4A all-conference player his junior season and named the Whirlies' offensive player of the year in 2025.   

• Aspires to pursue a career in sports medicine at Elon.  

 

Associate head coach Robbie Huffstetler on Ponder: "Levi is a two-way player out of Greensboro that we saw at one of our prospect camps. We knew he was a good player before we had the chance to see him, but once we got our eyes on him, we knew that he was a guy who could come in and make an impact on both sides of the ball. He throws three pitches for strikes with more room to grow there and has a very good left-handed swing with some power. He is a utility type player who can play some first and the outfield with the ability to do a lot of different things." 

 

C.J. Sayler 

Right-Handed Pitcher | 6'2 / 170 | Ocala, Fla. | North Marion High School 

• Played for four years at North Marion High School for coach Dale Hill.  

• A two-sport athlete in both baseball and golf.  

• Won a 2023 Florida state championship with the Colts.