NC State’s Rett Johnson Named Freshman All-American by NCBWA

The awards continue to pile up for NC State outfielder Rett Johnson following one of the best freshman seasons in recent Wolfpack baseball history.

The National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) announced its 2026 Freshman All-America Teams on Tuesday, and Johnson earned Second Team Freshman All-American honors.

The recognition adds to an already impressive postseason résumé for the Wolfpack star, who also earned All-ACC Freshman Team honors and was selected to the All-ACC Freshman Team earlier this season.

NCBWA 2026 Freshman All-America Team

First Team

C Cole Hansen, Cal Baptist
1B Ethin Bingaman, Auburn
2B Diego Cruz, Miami (Ohio)
SS Linkin Garcia, Texas Tech
3B Nico Partida, Texas A&M
OF Teddy Tokheim, Stanford
OF Jacob Parker, Mississippi State
OF Anthony Pack Jr., Texas
DH Brady Christman, Georgia Southern
UT Josiah Overbeek, Army
SP Myles Upchurch, Alabama
SP Trey Morris, Oregon State
SP Lance Davis, TCU
SP Michael Senay, South Florida
RP Sam Cozart, Texas
RP Caden Glauber, North Carolina
RP Landon Hood, Gonzaga

Second Team

C Brayden Jaksa, Oregon
1B Ryan Costello, Maryland
2B Ethan Ball, Virginia Tech
SS Jett Kenady, Cal
3B Jason Bello, Dayton
OF Rett Johnson, NC State
OF Drew Grego, Nebraska
OF Cam Righi, UConn
DH Enzo Infelise, Cincinnati
UT Brady Bowen, Akron
SP Will Labonte, Portland
SP Aidan Flinn, Illinois
SP Garrett Lambert, Mercer
SP Hayden Frey, Toledo
RP Thomas Allen, Louisiana Tech
RP Alex Via, Portland
RP Ben Tanton, Old Dominion

A Historic Freshman Season

Johnson quickly became one of the most important players in NC State’s lineup from the moment he stepped on campus.

2026 Statistics

.381 Batting Average

.490 On-Base Percentage

75 Hits

42 Walks

14 Stolen Bases

His .381 batting average led NC State and ranked sixth in the ACC.

His .490 on-base percentage also led the Wolfpack and ranks sixth-best in school history for a single season.

Freshman Record Book

Johnson didn’t just have a great freshman season.

He put together one of the best freshman seasons in NC State history.

His 75 hits rank as the ninth-most ever recorded by a Wolfpack freshman.

The Future Is Bright

Johnson arrived in Raleigh with strong recruiting credentials, but even those expectations may have undersold the impact he would make immediately.

Perfect Game ranked Johnson as the #137 overall player nationally in the 2025 recruiting class, and the #29 outfielder. They also ranked him as the #7 overall player in the state of North Carolina, and the #1 outfielder.

He finished the year as:

• NC State’s leader in batting average
• NC State’s leader in on-base percentage
• One of the ACC’s top hitters
• A Freshman All-American

That’s a remarkable list of accomplishments for a player who has only completed his first collegiate season.

Final Takeaway

NC State has produced plenty of talented outfielders over the years, but few have made an immediate impact quite like Rett Johnson.

Freshman All-American.

All-ACC Freshman Team.

All-ACC 2nd Team.

One of the best statistical freshman seasons in program history.

And perhaps most exciting for Wolfpack fans?

He’s just getting started.