Editor's note: The following . Right now, you can get with code: D126.
It’s surreal.
On March 6, Tomas Lopez — an otherwise fairly normal student-athlete at Columbia University — will be in Houston preparing to do battle against some of the biggest baseball stars in the world, including Aaron Judge, Bryce Harper, Kyle Schwarber, Bobby Witt Jr. and Cy Young Award-winners Paul Skenes and Tarik Skubal.
“It’s going to feel like a dream,” said Lopez, a pitcher who will represent Team Brazil in the World Baseball Classic. “I can’t even explain it, but it’s crazy to share the same field with some of the biggest names in baseball. It’s an honor.”
Lopez is one of three NCAA Division I players set to compete in the 2026 WBC, joining UNC Wilmington freshman catcher Matous Bubenik (Czech Republic) and Bethune-Cookman junior pitcher Justin Morales (Netherlands).
🌍 FULL WBC ROSTERS: Former college baseball stars in the 2026 World Baseball Classic
Here’s a closer look at these three players and their journeys to the WBC:
Matous Bubenik
UNC Wilmington coach Randy Hood and his staff have built solid relationships with European players through U.S. academies such as Pro5 and P27. In fact, former UNCW catcher Martin Zelenka will also be on the Czech Republic WBC team.
Czechia's 2026 World Baseball Classic roster
— Talkin' Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_)
The biggest sports in the Czech Republic — without question — are hockey and soccer. But Bubenik, 20, is a different type of a kid.
First of all, his parents — mom Pavlina Wolfova and dad Jan Bubenik — put him in an international school, where he learned English.
In addition, when Bubenik was about 4 years old, his mother, a journalist, traveled to New York and brought back a glove and a toy bat for her son.
Bubenik quickly fell in love with the sport, and he found a small but supportive baseball community in his hometown of Prague.
By age of 10, Bubenik was on the Czech Republic’s junior national team, traveling to Taiwan to play in the 12U World Cup.
Two years later, Bubenik moved from shortstop and third base to catcher, where there was a need on the national team, and that’s been his position ever since.
“I realized off the rip that I wanted to play baseball for a long time,” Bubenik said.
A Communications major, Bubenik is coming off a big fall for UNC Wilmington, stroking a team-high seven doubles and blasting two homers in just 60 plate appearances.
Hood said Bubenik, who is listed at 6-1 and 210 pounds, is one of four Seahawks catchers who will compete for playing time this season, though he has yet to appear in a game through three weeks.
“Matous has a shot to be a good player for us down the road and hopefully this season,” Hood said. “He has a good arm and some power.”
Bubenik traveled to South Korea this past November, playing exhibition games with the Czech Republic, and that’s where he was told that he had made the roster for the World Baseball Classic.
With the Czech team, Bubenik will serve as a backup to Martin Cervenka, who played 10 years in the minor leagues, including two seasons with the Baltimore Orioles’ Triple-A team.
“He’s the GOAT of Czech baseball,” Bubenik said of Cervenka, 33. “Watching him gives me a lot. I’m trying to take over for him as he gets closer to retirement.”
For now, Bubenik is focused helping his Czech teammates win in Toyko. The Czech Republic is in Pool C along with host/favorite Japan; Australia; Chinese Taipei; and South Korea. The Czech Republic will open against South Korea on March 5, and on March 10, the Czechs are set to play Japan and superstar Shohei Ohtani.
“It’s insane,” Bubenik said. “To have the opportunity, at age 20, to play against guys like Ohtani is a dream come true. It’s amazing.”
Tomas Lopez
It was just this January when Tomas Lopez found out he had made Brazil’s squad. When Columbia coach Brett Boretti broke the news to the team, the response was immediate.
“It was met with a resounding ovation and excitement,” Boretti said. “And, because I’m a Red Sox fan, I hope Tomas strikes out Judge multiple times.”
That, of course, would be a major story. Then again, Lopez, a 6-4, 215-pound sophomore righthander from the Los Angeles area (Redondo Beach), put up strong numbers last year. In nine appearances, he went 2-0 with an 0.73 ERA and one save, striking out 17 batters in 12 1/3 innings. He allowed no homers, and batters hit just .178 against him, although he gave up seven walks.
He also pitched well in the clutch, posting two scoreless innings against Southern Miss in the opening game of the NCAA Regional. And he earned a relief win against Penn in the Ivy League tournament, striking out five in two innings. This spring, he’s off to a solid start for the Lions, posting a 4.50 ERA in 10 innings over two starts.
Brazil will compete in Group B with all their games played at Daikin Park in Houston from March 6-11. Also in Group B: Team USA; Mexico; Italy; and Great Britain.
🇧🇷⚾️ GOING INTERNATIONAL 🇧🇷⚾️
— Columbia Baseball (@CULionsBaseball)
Tomas Lopez has been selected to represent Team Brazil at this year's !
📰 🦁 // 🗽
Lopez is eligible to represent Brazil because his mother, Rosane, is from the Sao Paulo area. His father, Francisco, is from Colombia, and the couple met in Los Angeles.
Although Lopez isn’t completely fluent in Portuguese, he has visited Brazil many times, and he can understand the language. He also has dual Brazilian/American citizenship.
Lopez flew to Phoenix on March 1 to join his Brazilian team for a pair of scrimmages against the A’s and Rangers. After that, the Brazilian squad is on to Houston to face Team USA.
Since he had yet to meet any of his teammates when he spoke with D1Baseball last month, Lopez said fitting in might take some time, but he hopes his pitching will carry the day. Lopez’s out pitch is a fastball that sits 92-94, and he also uses a slider, curve, change and cutter.
After missing his first year at Columbia following elbow surgery, Lopez has improved greatly, impressing his coach.
“He’s always had good command and the ability to throw his fastball to multiple locations,” Boretti said. “But he’s come back from the break with better breaking pitches.
“He’s a strong kid and very composed, which should help him fight off the nerves (in the WBC).”
Lopez, a huge Dodgers fan who watches all of his team’s games, has a 3.55 grade-point average while majoring in Financial Economics. Whenever he is done with his pitching career, Lopez would love to stay in baseball, working in the front office.
“I know all the (major league) players,” Lopez said. “I know all the stats. I’m fascinated by trades, arbitration, 40-man rosters. … I would love to work in operations.”
Of the Ivy League education he is receiving, Lopez said: “It’s special. I’m grateful for every classroom I step into and every lecture I attend.”
Justin Morales
Justin Morales, a 21-year-old native of Aruba – which is part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands – could hardly believe that he would soon be in Miami competing against four Pool D opponents: Dominican Republic; Venezuela; Nicaragua; and Israel.
The Dominican roster is loaded with superstars such as Juan Soto; Manny Machado; Vladimir Guerrero Jr.; Ketel Marte; Fernando Tatis Jr.; and Julio Rodriguez. Likewise, Venezuela has stars such as Jose Altuve; Ronald Acuna Jr.; Salvador Perez; Luis Arraez; and Jackson Chourio. Even Nicaragua (Mark Vientos) and Israel (Harrison Bader) have established MLB players on their rosters.
“I can’t believe it, but I have to believe it,” Morales said of his opportunity in the WBC. “Once it’s time to head (to Miami), I’m sure I will feel excitement running through my body.”
Ironically, Morales was in Aruba two years ago when he met the aforementioned Perez, who apparently vacations on the island annually.
“My barber is from Venezuela, and he introduced me to Perez,” Morales said. “I jokingly told (Perez) that maybe I can meet him on the field one day, and now it’s about to happen.”
Indeed, Morales, a 6-4, 210-pound righthander, has yet to put up impressive numbers in college much less pro ball. In 2024, he went 2-2, 6.75 in seven appearances at Tallahassee State College.
Last year, he made his Bethune-Cookman debut, going 3-4, 6.38 in 14 games, including 10 starts. He has a 6.00 ERA in four relief appearances this spring for B-CU, with one save.
However, Bethune-Cookman coach Jonathan Hernandez believes Morales is due for a breakout in 2026.
“He has an above-average fastball, mid 90s and up to 97,” Hernandez said. “He has a 12-6 curve and a changeup, and he’s around the zone.”
Hernandez indicated leading into the season that Morales could wind up earning some midweek starts, in addition to his weekend bullpen duties.
All of that is a long way from Aruba, a tiny Caribbean nation with a population of just 108,000. Morales, who speaks Dutch, English, Spanish and Papiamento, said the people in Aruba are friendly.
“They call it ‘the one happy island’ for a reason,” Morales said. “We have beautiful beaches and landscapes. We rely on tourism, and we treat people right.”
Once he’s on the mound, however, Morales has a different vibe. He said he won’t be intimidated by the big-name players he may face in the WBC.
“It will be my best against their best,” Morales said, “and hopefully I will come out on top.”
This will be Morales’ fifth tournament with the Dutch National Team, including the 2024 Under-23 World Championships in China.
Morales believes that experience will help him prepare for the WBC.
“We played in front of a sold-out crowd in China,” said Morales, who was the youngest player on his team at age 19. “The crowd went nuts with every pitch I threw.”
By the way, Morales has a backup plan if he can’t make it in the majors. Morales, who has a 3.7 grade-point average in Business Administration, would go back to Aruba and take over the successful business his father started two decades ago: Krokus Complete Auto Care.
If so, Morales hopes that, at the very least, he can one day tell his customers an impressive story or two about the time he pitched in the 2026 World Baseball Classic.
