Freshman Brayden Zilis has been named to the watch list for the John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year Award for the 2026 season, according to an announcement by the College Baseball Foundation. Zilis is among 54 players recognized nationwide for their dual role abilities in college baseball.
The John Olerud Award honors athletes who excel as both pitchers and position players. It is named after John Olerud, who was known for his performance as a first baseman and left-handed pitcher at Washington State in the late 1980s. Olerud was inducted into the National College Baseball Hall of Fame in 2007.
Zilis joined Illinois State University before the 2026 season. He was ranked as the No. 31 high school shortstop in Illinois by Perfect Game and previously played at Minooka High School. His achievements include being selected to the 2025 PrepBaseball Illinois All-State First Team for a second consecutive year. D1Baseball.com’s Patrick Ebert also listed Zilis among the Missouri Valley Conference’s Top-10 Impact Freshmen prior to this season.
Illinois State Redbirds, linked to Illinois State University, compete in NCAA Division I events across various regions and use facilities such as the OSF HealthCare Athletics Training Center to prepare student-athletes. The program benefits from resources like the Redbird Athletics Excellence Fund, which supports competitiveness and recruitment efforts. Fans can access news, schedules, rosters, and additional information through the official website (https://goredbirds.com/).
For more information on the John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year Award or other College Baseball Foundation awards, visit www.collegebaseballhall.org.
Updates on Illinois State Baseball are available at GoRedbirds.com, on X (@RedbirdBaseball), Instagram (isuredbirdbaseball), and Facebook (Illinois State Baseball). The GoRedbirds.com website and app offer tickets, merchandise, scholarship fund details, photos, and multimedia content.
