Versatile Veteran Overholt Back To Lead 2026 Eagles

Collin Overholt has seen it all in his five seasons with Ashland University baseball.
 
From injured true freshman catcher to now-graduate shortstop, Overholt is ready for his final season as an Eagle to begin with three games at the 2026 Houston Winter Invitational on Friday-Sunday (Jan. 30-Feb. 1) at Daikin Park, home of Major League Baseball's Houston Astros.
 
"I'm really excited. I'm looking forward to this year," Overholt said. "It looks like it's going to be a good year. Last year was fun (playing in Houston), and looking forward to it again."
 
Said Ashland head coach John Schaly, "He's been involved in a lot of different positions. The success that he's had, guys look up to him. Our seniors, I feel like they're leading our team in the right direction."
 
Overholt has been a catcher, third baseman and shortstop at Ashland. And when he was prepping at Lincolnview High School, there was another position in the mix.
 
"Actually, we liked him a lot as a pitcher," Schaly said. "He was a two-way in high school."
 
"It wasn't until later in my senior year that we started talking and looking through the schools," Overholt admitted. "It felt like it (Ashland) was the best option."
 
He did pitch and play in 11 games in the field in 2022 – but an injury put a halt to his first season at AU.
 
"I was looking forward to that year. It was unfortunate," remembered Overholt. "First time I had ever gotten a serious injury, too, so just something new to experience."
 
Once healthy, however, Overholt has been a mainstay in the Eagle lineup no matter what position he's played. With 42 walks in 2024 and 43 in 2025, he has two of the top four single-season marks in program history, and his 10 home runs and 47 runs scored a season ago paced the team.
 
"I'd played short and catcher in high school, and then through summer ball, I had experience at third baseman, too," said Overholt, "so all of them felt kind of natural. The transition from catcher to infield was pretty smooth."
 
Overholt enters 2026 having been a College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District pick, as well as a two-time second-team All-Great Midwest Athletic Conference selection.
 
One of five grads to go with five seniors on the 2026 Eagles, Overholt goes from a veteran team in 2025 to one with many new faces this season.
 
"I think our expectation is to help carry the new guys on the team," he said, "help lead them, give them the example and the tradition that we have here. Just show them the way.
 
"It's been good. I feel like a lot of the new guys this year have really bonded well, and we have a really good team chemistry. We've all been close-knit."
 
NEW-LOOK EAGLES TO FACE OPENING STIFF COMPETITION
The No. RV Eagles will start the spring early again this year, taking on No. RV Arkansas Tech on Friday, Alabama-Huntsville on Saturday and No. 2 Central Missouri on Sunday.
 
"They're important, just because they're the first games," said Schaly, starting his 29^th season guiding AU, "but it's three games of out of 50, and then hopefully, a run in the postseason. We'll get a look and see what we have, what we need to work on. Got a lot of new guys, they'll get their feet wet in college baseball against really, really good competition."
 
Picked to finish second in the Great Midwest's North Division, Ashland has four all-conference performers from 2025 returning – reigning conference Freshman of the Year and first-team selection, sophomore outfielder Sean Krueckeberg (.348 batting average, 46 runs scored, 14 doubles, two triples, seven home runs, 41 RBIs and 11 stolen bases in 2025), senior first-team first baseman Sam Witt (.362, 27 runs scored, nine doubles, six home runs, 21 RBIs), graduate second-team right-handed pitcher Chase Carter (3-5 record, six saves, 2.80 earned-run average), and Overholt.
 
Witt also was placed on the 2026 National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association preseason Midwest Region first team.
 
"We lost 71 percent of our innings pitched from last year, so we've got a lot of new guys on our staff, but we've got some really good arms,." Schaly said. "We return probably half of our lineup, approximately. We do have some experience in our lineup."