Portland’s freshman RHP flashed ace-level polish in 2026
In the 2026 season, Will Labonte turned heads for Portland by logging 73.1 innings with a 2.82 ERA, a 3-2 record, and multiple Freshman All-American honors, while also landing on the National Pitcher of the Year watch list and semifinalist list. The big differentiator: he wasn’t just effective, he was durable and consistently hard to solve, with early-season scoreless stretches and enough strike-throwing poise to earn national attention. For a team, that screams “high-upside starter” with real mound maturity rather than just freshman flash.
