Kody Smathers is emerging as a high-upside freshman arm for Cal Baptist
In the 2026 season, California Baptist freshman RHP Kody Smathers has already flashed swing-and-miss stuff, posting 36 strikeouts in 23.2 innings across 17 appearances while starting three games, and he even picked up the win in the season opener. His frame and profile suggest upside—6-foot-4 and right-handed, with scouting notes describing a fastball that can sit in the upper-80s to low-90s and a sharp slider that plays as his best pitch. The catch: his command can still wander, so he fits best as a developmental arm with real upside.
