Pair of Former Aggie Aces to Take the Mound in World Baseball Classic
Feb 06, 2026 | Baseball
BRYAN-COLLEGE STATION – Former Texas A&M aces Ryan Prager and Michael Wacha have been selected to play in the 2026 World Baseball Classic. Prager will represent Team Israel, and Wacha will don the stars and stripes for Team USA.
Wacha becomes the third Aggie pitcher to represent Team USA, following Alex Wilson in 2017 and Brooks Raley in 2023. Prager's selection to Team Israel marks the first time a former Aggie will represent a country other than the United States. The lefty is eligible for Israel's squad through his Jewish heritage.
A native of Texarkana, Texas, Wacha spent three seasons in the Maroon & White (2010-12) and is a member of the Texas A&M Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2023. The righty helped lead the Aggies to back-to-back Big 12 titles in 2010-11 and earned All-America distinctions in 2011 and 2012. Wacha, selected with the 19th overall pick by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2012 MLB Draft, has spent time with the Cardinals, New York Mets, Tampa Bay Rays, Boston Red Sox, San Diego Padres and Kansas City Royals. Over a 13-year professional career, Wacha boasts a 111-75 record and owns a career ERA of 3.89 with 1,416 strikeouts.
The right-hander established his status as one of the most successful starting pitchers in Texas A&M history during his three-year collegiate career. In program record books, Wacha ranks third in innings pitched (348.2), tied for sixth in wins (27), ninth in ERA (2.40) and is one of four pitchers in school history with over 300 strikeouts (336). In each of his three collegiate seasons, Wacha never ended the season with an ERA north of 3.00.
Wacha played an instrumental role in the Aggies' 2011 run to the College World Series, earning the win over Florida State in the Tallahassee Super Regional clinching game. In 7.1 innings of work, he struck out eight while allowing only three hits and two earned runs.
A native of Dallas, Texas, Prager pitched across four years in Aggieland (2022-25), earning several All-America honors and an All-SEC nod in 2024. He was selected by the Los Angeles Angels with the 81st pick in the 2024 MLB Draft before opting to return to Texas A&M for a final season. Following the 2025 campaign, Prager was picked by the Cleveland Guardians in the ninth round, where he now pitches for Cleveland's Single-A affiliate, the Lynchburg Hillcats.
Across three full seasons, Prager appeared in 52 games (50 starts), logging 240.1 innings with a 3.93 ERA. His 250 career strikeouts rank 12th all-time in program history. Prager etched his name into the school's record book in 2025, becoming the 21st member of the program's 200-strikeout club during a shutout of New Mexico State.
Prager was dominant in his ace duties during the Aggies' historic 2024 College World Series run. In two starts in Omaha, he dealt 10.2 innings and allowed just two earned runs to go along with 10 strikeouts, leading the Maroon & White to two wins. His most dominant start came on April 12, 2024, after tossing a seven-inning shutout over No. 6 Vanderbilt where he allowed four hits, no earned runs and struck out 10 batters. At the conclusion of 2024, Prager posted a 9-1 record in 19 starts with a 2.95 ERA and 124 strikeouts, the ninth-most in a single season at Texas A&M.
Team USA will play in Pool B against Brazil, Great Britain, Italy and Mexico. Team Israel plays in Pool D against the Dominican Republic, Netherlands, Nicaragua and Venezuela. All pool B games will be played at Daikin Park in Houston, Texas, and All Pool D games will take place at loanDepot Park in Miami, Florida, running from March 6-11.
Team USA Schedule (all times central)
Friday, March 6: vs. Brazil (7 PM)
Saturday, March 7: vs. Great Britain (7 PM)
Monday, March 9: vs. Mexico (7 PM)
Tuesday, March 10: vs. Italy (8 PM)
Team Israel Schedule (all times central)
Saturday, March 7: vs. Venezuela (6 PM)
Sunday, March 8: vs. Nicaragua (6 PM)
Monday, March 9: vs. Dominican Republic (11 AM)
Tuesday, March 10: vs. Netherlands (6 PM)
Follow the Aggies
Visit for more information on Texas A&M baseball. Fans can keep up to date with the A&M baseball team on Facebook, Instagram and X by following @aggiebaseball.
Wacha becomes the third Aggie pitcher to represent Team USA, following Alex Wilson in 2017 and Brooks Raley in 2023. Prager's selection to Team Israel marks the first time a former Aggie will represent a country other than the United States. The lefty is eligible for Israel's squad through his Jewish heritage.
A native of Texarkana, Texas, Wacha spent three seasons in the Maroon & White (2010-12) and is a member of the Texas A&M Athletics Hall of Fame Class of 2023. The righty helped lead the Aggies to back-to-back Big 12 titles in 2010-11 and earned All-America distinctions in 2011 and 2012. Wacha, selected with the 19th overall pick by the St. Louis Cardinals in the 2012 MLB Draft, has spent time with the Cardinals, New York Mets, Tampa Bay Rays, Boston Red Sox, San Diego Padres and Kansas City Royals. Over a 13-year professional career, Wacha boasts a 111-75 record and owns a career ERA of 3.89 with 1,416 strikeouts.
The right-hander established his status as one of the most successful starting pitchers in Texas A&M history during his three-year collegiate career. In program record books, Wacha ranks third in innings pitched (348.2), tied for sixth in wins (27), ninth in ERA (2.40) and is one of four pitchers in school history with over 300 strikeouts (336). In each of his three collegiate seasons, Wacha never ended the season with an ERA north of 3.00.
Wacha played an instrumental role in the Aggies' 2011 run to the College World Series, earning the win over Florida State in the Tallahassee Super Regional clinching game. In 7.1 innings of work, he struck out eight while allowing only three hits and two earned runs.
A native of Dallas, Texas, Prager pitched across four years in Aggieland (2022-25), earning several All-America honors and an All-SEC nod in 2024. He was selected by the Los Angeles Angels with the 81st pick in the 2024 MLB Draft before opting to return to Texas A&M for a final season. Following the 2025 campaign, Prager was picked by the Cleveland Guardians in the ninth round, where he now pitches for Cleveland's Single-A affiliate, the Lynchburg Hillcats.
Across three full seasons, Prager appeared in 52 games (50 starts), logging 240.1 innings with a 3.93 ERA. His 250 career strikeouts rank 12th all-time in program history. Prager etched his name into the school's record book in 2025, becoming the 21st member of the program's 200-strikeout club during a shutout of New Mexico State.
Prager was dominant in his ace duties during the Aggies' historic 2024 College World Series run. In two starts in Omaha, he dealt 10.2 innings and allowed just two earned runs to go along with 10 strikeouts, leading the Maroon & White to two wins. His most dominant start came on April 12, 2024, after tossing a seven-inning shutout over No. 6 Vanderbilt where he allowed four hits, no earned runs and struck out 10 batters. At the conclusion of 2024, Prager posted a 9-1 record in 19 starts with a 2.95 ERA and 124 strikeouts, the ninth-most in a single season at Texas A&M.
Team USA will play in Pool B against Brazil, Great Britain, Italy and Mexico. Team Israel plays in Pool D against the Dominican Republic, Netherlands, Nicaragua and Venezuela. All pool B games will be played at Daikin Park in Houston, Texas, and All Pool D games will take place at loanDepot Park in Miami, Florida, running from March 6-11.
Team USA Schedule (all times central)
Friday, March 6: vs. Brazil (7 PM)
Saturday, March 7: vs. Great Britain (7 PM)
Monday, March 9: vs. Mexico (7 PM)
Tuesday, March 10: vs. Italy (8 PM)
Team Israel Schedule (all times central)
Saturday, March 7: vs. Venezuela (6 PM)
Sunday, March 8: vs. Nicaragua (6 PM)
Monday, March 9: vs. Dominican Republic (11 AM)
Tuesday, March 10: vs. Netherlands (6 PM)
Follow the Aggies
Visit for more information on Texas A&M baseball. Fans can keep up to date with the A&M baseball team on Facebook, Instagram and X by following @aggiebaseball.
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