Crowder College Professional Athletes

From Neosho, Missouri to the postseason mountaintop — Jacob Misiorowski's journey from Crowder College to Milwaukee's ace has taken a turn that not even the most optimistic Brewers fan could have scripted.

The 24-year-old right-hander closed out a staggering 2026 regular season on Sunday, Sept. 27, tossing 5⅓ scoreless innings against St. Louis in a 6-4 Milwaukee win to finish 16-5 with a 1.80 ERA. Then, on Oct. 3, he walked out to the mound at American Family Field to start NLDS Game 1 against the San Diego Padres. For Crowder College alumni tracking one of their own, it doesn't get bigger than this.

A Regular Season for the Record Books

The superlatives attached to Misiorowski's 2026 campaign are not hyperbole — they are traceable to the record books. He set a 101 mph record that The Sporting News described as one that "might never be broken," becoming the first pitcher to reach that threshold under conditions that make the feat essentially unrepeatable. He also joined an extraordinarily short list of pitchers — Sandy Koufax among them — by accomplishing a rare three-part statistical feat tracked across MLB history. And per Sports Illustrated, he became just the fourth pitcher since 2000 to post a strikeout total higher than his slugging percentage allowed, joining Pedro Martinez and Randy Johnson in that company.

Misiorowski's final regular-season line helped the Brewers close at 103-59 — a franchise-best record. He could become the fourth Brewer ever to win a Cy Young Award, joining Rollie Fingers (1981), Pete Vukovich (1982), and Corbin Burnes (2021). Not everyone agrees he's the lock: FanSided made a pointed case that Phillies ace Cristopher Sánchez's bWAR and workload deserve more consideration. But the momentum heading into October was squarely behind "The Miz."

Taking the Ball in October

Milwaukee named Misiorowski the Game 1 starter against San Diego, where he faced left-hander Robbie Ray, who got the surprise nod for the Padres. The matchup drew immediate attention — Yahoo Sports' full NLDS breakdown identified Misiorowski as a central figure in the series equation, and Sports Illustrated argued his presence gives the Brewers a clear early-series edge.

Fellow Crowder alum Aaron Ashby is also on Milwaukee's NLDS roster, giving the small Neosho, Missouri junior college a remarkable two-man presence on a playoff pitching staff. Ashby's role figures to be out of the bullpen as Milwaukee navigates what it hopes is a deep October run.

The Bigger Picture

What Misiorowski has done in 2026 is the kind of story that reframes the scouting conversation around smaller programs. Crowder College doesn't produce MLB starters with Cy Young pedigrees on a regular schedule. This is singular. The 24-year-old has gone from a junior college arm to a pitcher whose name sits alongside Koufax, Pedro, and Randy Johnson in the same breath — not as marketing copy, but as a matter of documented statistical record.

Game 1 of the NLDS is underway. The Brewers' season, and Misiorowski's legend, are both very much in progress.

Crowder College's MLB Week: Sept. 20–26

A small community college in Neosho, Missouri is quietly producing one of the most compelling pitching stories in baseball — and the final week of the 2026 regular season has put it squarely in the spotlight.

Miz on the Doorstep of History

Jacob Misiorowski enters the final week of the regular season one start away from rewriting the Milwaukee Brewers' franchise record books. The sophomore right-hander posted a 1.86 ERA on the year, cementing his status as MLB's most unhittable starter — a transformation Fox Sports called the product of Misiorowski maximizing everything within his control: his body, velocity, arsenal, and command.

His most recent outing came Sunday, Sept. 20 on Sunday Night Baseball against the Baltimore Orioles. In a planned abbreviated start, Misiorowski delivered three sharp innings, surrendering just one hit and striking out four before the Brewers' bullpen closed out a 3-0 win that completed the series sweep. Milwaukee also set a franchise record with its 98th victory of the season in that game — a milestone Misiorowski helped deliver.

The early hook wasn't a cause for concern. With the postseason looming and Milwaukee managing its ace carefully, the Brewers pulled Misiorowski after three innings by design. His season-long ERA, still sitting at a jaw-dropping 1.86, tells the full story: this has been a historically dominant sophomore campaign.

What exactly is at stake in the final outing? According to Sports Illustrated, one more solid start puts Misiorowski in elite franchise company — a distinction that would formalize what the numbers already suggest: he's the best pitcher the Brewers have had in a generation.

Ashby Quietly Holds His Own

While Misiorowski commands the headlines, fellow Crowder alum Aaron Ashby has quietly contributed out of the Brewers bullpen in the season's final stretch. Ashby worked two innings against the Philadelphia Phillies on Sept. 24 with two strikeouts, then turned in another two-inning, two-strikeout outing against the St. Louis Cardinals on Sept. 26 as Milwaukee closed out the regular season. His ERA settled at 3.12 — respectable work from a reliever helping to protect one of the most well-constructed pitching staffs in baseball.

Sports Illustrated noted that Misiorowski's brilliance has somewhat overshadowed another Brewers pitcher making history this year — a nod to the depth of talent surrounding Milwaukee's ace, a depth Ashby is part of.

The Crowder Connection

It's a remarkable footnote to a remarkable season: two active MLB pitchers from Crowder College, a two-year school with fewer than 5,000 students, are contributing to a Milwaukee rotation and bullpen that has set a franchise wins record. Misiorowski is the star, but the pipeline is real.

With one start left, Misiorowski has a chance to put a bow on the most dominant sophomore pitching season in Brewers history. For alumni of a small Missouri junior college, that's not a footnote — that's a headline.

A small community college in Neosho, Missouri doesn't typically come up in Cy Young conversations. Crowder College is changing that.

Jacob Misiorowski, the Brewers' hard-throwing right-hander and Crowder alum, is in the middle of one of the most dominant pitching seasons in Milwaukee franchise history — and this past week, he added a division title to his résumé.

The Gem That Sealed It

On Tuesday, September 15, Misiorowski took the mound at PNC Park with the NL Central on the line. He delivered: five innings, seven strikeouts, and a performance that anchored a 5-1 Brewers win over the Pittsburgh Pirates. Combined with a Cubs loss to the Braves that same night, Milwaukee clinched the NL Central. Misiorowski's ERA held at a jaw-dropping 1.89 — a figure that has Sports Illustrated asking whether he's making a run at the best single-season ERA in Brewers history.

Teammates aren't shy about the moment. Third baseman Joey Ortiz — who went 3-for-4 with two RBIs in that clinching win — made a point of calling out Misiorowski's performance afterward, a testament to how much the clubhouse understands what they're watching. With a 93-57 record, Milwaukee is now chasing the No. 1 seed in the National League and what would be the franchise's first World Series title.

The Cy Young Case

The hardware conversation is getting louder — and messier. One ESPN analyst drew sharp criticism this week for leaving Misiorowski out of the Cy Young discussion, a snub that The Sporting News called "ridiculous" given where his numbers sit. The backlash was swift: a subsequent fan poll on the award came back unanimous in Misiorowski's favor.

Yahoo Sports' final regular-season power rankings — which slotted Milwaukee at No. 1 — listed Misiorowski as the team's MVP. At 1.89 ERA with a division title and postseason positioning secured largely on his back, the case writes itself.

Ashby Holds His Own in Relief

Fellow Crowder alum Aaron Ashby has been operating in a different role but contributing consistently out of the bullpen. He tossed a scoreless inning with a strikeout in Saturday's outing against Baltimore, and logged two innings with two strikeouts in the clinching win on Tuesday. His ERA sits at 3.27 — a Thursday appearance against Pittsburgh, where he allowed two earned runs, was a rare blemish on an otherwise steady stretch.

Two Crowder arms on the same MLB roster, with one of them putting up a historic season and the other providing reliable late-game depth — it's a story that goes well beyond the box score. For a school of roughly 5,000 students tucked into the Missouri Ozarks, the Brewers' bullpen right now is a pretty good advertisement.

Milwaukee heads into the final days of the regular season with its sights set higher than a division banner. But the foundation of that run is unmistakable: a 1.89 ERA, a Crowder College education, and one of the best pitching seasons in Brewers history.