Crowder College Professional Athletes

The Record-Setter Hits a Wall

Jacob Misiorowski has spent most of 2026 making MLB hitters look foolish. The Crowder College product and Milwaukee Brewers ace is on pace to set a new MLB record for the lowest batting average allowed by a pitcher — a mark that, by some accounts, would be more meaningful than a Cy Young Award. He has also thrown more 100+ mph pitches than 15 entire MLB franchises have combined since 2008, a stat so absurd it prompted a minor media firestorm when it surfaced this week.

Then came the Cubs.

On Wednesday, September 2, Misiorowski lasted just four innings against Chicago, allowing five earned runs — his worst outing of the season by a considerable margin. He struck out five and Milwaukee still won 9-5, but the performance set off alarm bells. Misiorowski said afterward he "didn't feel great" but "had to make it work." The Brewers' bats bailed him out; the question now is whether they'll keep needing to.

The Shutdown Debate

The rough start didn't happen in a vacuum. Fatigue has been the word hovering over Misiorowski's second half, and the Cubs outing gave it a louder megaphone. A former Cy Young Award winner publicly called on the Brewers to shut Misiorowski down or limit his starts heading into the postseason, arguing Milwaukee's surrounding roster is capable enough to carry the load. It's a reasonable ask — protecting a pitcher of Misiorowski's caliber for October matters more than any regular-season win.

A Hall of Famer also sent Misiorowski an encouraging message before the Cubs start, urging him to trust his stuff. He threw hard. The results just didn't follow.

The tension is real: Misiorowski is the best pitcher in the National League by multiple measures, but a diminished version of him in a playoff series is potentially worse than a rested version who missed two late-season turns. The Brewers' front office hasn't publicly committed to any plan, but the conversation is happening.

Ashby Stays Steady in the Bullpen

While Misiorowski commands the headlines, fellow Crowder alum Aaron Ashby quietly had a workmanlike week out of the Brewers' bullpen. He appeared in four games between September 1 and September 5, tossing one inning in each outing. He struck out two in a September 4 appearance without allowing a run, then gave up one earned run the following day — leaving his ERA sitting at 3.19. Nothing flashy, but exactly the kind of reliable late-inning work a playoff-caliber team needs from its depth arms.

The Bigger Picture

Two pitchers from a junior college in Neosho, Missouri, are contributing to a Brewers team with genuine World Series aspirations. That alone is a story. But the week belonged to Misiorowski — not because of what he did on the mound Wednesday, but because of what his season represents and what's now at stake.

The record books are within reach. So is October. The Brewers just have to get him there in one piece.

Crowder College Alumni Report | MLB | Aug. 23–29, 2026

Jacob Misiorowski is making a case as one of the more quietly dominant starters in the American League, and the Brewers are reaping the rewards. The Crowder College product twirled six innings of two-run ball against the Mets on Aug. 27, punching out six batters in a commanding 8-2 Milwaukee victory that served as the rubber match of the series. His ERA now sits at a pristine 1.73 — a number that belongs on a Cy Young ballot conversation, not buried in the middle of a newsletter.

The Mets had no answers. Jackson Chourio supplied the fireworks offensively with a four-hit, two-homer game, but Misiorowski was the backbone of the win, keeping New York's lineup in check deep into the contest and handing things over to a bullpen that had little work to do.

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Ashby Holds Down the Pen

While Misiorowski commands the rotation spotlight, fellow Crowder alum Aaron Ashby has been a steady presence out of Milwaukee's bullpen across three appearances this week — a workhorse role that rarely gets its due.

Ashby logged one inning in each outing:

• Aug. 23 vs. Braves — 1.0 IP, 1 K, 1 ER (ERA: 3.33)
• Aug. 25 vs. Mets — 1.0 IP, 0 ER (ERA: 3.28)
• Aug. 28 vs. Rangers — 1.0 IP, 2 K, 0 ER (ERA: 3.24)

The trend line is the story: Ashby's ERA has ticked down in each consecutive appearance, landing at 3.24 after a clean two-strikeout frame against Texas on Friday. Relievers who can eat an inning, miss bats, and trend in the right direction are exactly what contending teams need in the stretch run — and Milwaukee, sitting at 82-51, is absolutely in the stretch run.

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The Bigger Picture

Two Crowder College products. One rotation anchor with a sub-2.00 ERA. One reliever sharpening his numbers heading into September. For a two-year junior college out of Neosho, Missouri, that's a remarkable footprint on a first-place roster.

Misiorowski's dominance this season has been a slow-building story nationally, but for Crowder faithful, it's been must-watch baseball all year. With the Brewers firmly in the driver's seat, both alumni could find themselves pitching meaningful innings deep into October — and that would be a Neosho story worth telling all winter.

Jacob Misiorowski is doing things on a baseball mound that are making Mookie Betts tell people to just close their eyes and swing. That is not a compliment to opposing hitters. That is a surrender.

The Crowder College (Neosho, MO) product has turned the 2026 MLB season into a personal showcase, and the week of Aug. 16–22 was the latest chapter. Misiorowski posted back-to-back dominant outings — first shutting down the Los Angeles Dodgers, then outdueling Atlanta's Chris Sale — to cement his standing as the frontrunner for the NL Cy Young Award.

Gem No. 1: Silencing Shohei and Company

Against the Dodgers, Misiorowski went six innings, struck out six, and earned his 12th win of the season in Milwaukee's 4-1 victory at Dodger Stadium. He held the Dodgers' high-powered lineup at bay while his offense did the rest behind a pair of two-run home runs. The win was part of a four-game series sweep of what many consider one of baseball's two best teams — and the takeaways were clear: Misiorowski's Cy Young case isn't a narrative, it's a résumé.

Gem No. 2: The Ace Duel Nobody Lost — Except Sale

On Friday, Aug. 21, Misiorowski went toe-to-toe with Sale in what was hyped as the pitching matchup of the season. He delivered. Six shutout innings, six strikeouts, and a 2-1 Brewers victory. The performance lowered his ERA to a MLB-best 1.68, further distancing himself from the rest of the NL Cy Young field. CBS Sports called him flat-out "the best pitcher in the world in 2026." That's not hyperbole at this point — it's the consensus.

What makes Misiorowski so difficult to solve isn't just the triple-digit velocity; it's the unpredictability that comes with it. Betts admitted he doesn't have a specific approach facing him — and Betts is one of the best hitters on the planet.

The Other Crowder Alum in the Pen

Fellow Crowder product Aaron Ashby has also been logging work out of the Milwaukee bullpen. Ashby threw two innings and struck out four against the Mariners on Aug. 20, then logged another inning against Atlanta on Aug. 22, sitting at a 3.25 ERA on the season. He's not making headlines, but he's been a dependable piece on a Brewers staff that is currently the envy of the National League.

The fact that two pitchers from a small junior college in Neosho, Missouri are contributing to what may be the best rotation in baseball is a storyline worth noting in its own right. But right now, the spotlight belongs to Misiorowski — and based on the last two weeks, he has earned every bit of it.

The Cy Young Award ballot won't be filled out until October. At 1.68 ERA and counting, Misiorowski is making it an awfully short conversation.