National Baseball Congress
WICHITA, Kan. — The National Baseball Congress announced today that Boston Red Sox starting pitcher Payton Tolle has been named the 2026 NBC Graduate of the Year, which is awarded to an NBC alumnus who has gone on to make a significant impact at the Major League level. First presented to Satchel Paige in 1955, the award most recently honored Pittsburgh Pirates star Ryan O’Hearn in 2025.
Tolle, 23, has emerged as one of the most compelling young arms in baseball this season, and has become a fan favorite with his big personality and joyful nature. Through his first nine starts of his first full MLB season, the left-hander has posted a 2.70 ERA with a 1.05 WHIP and 54 strikeouts in 53⅓ innings pitched.
Few players in the award's history have as deep of a connection to Wichita as Tolle. The Stillwater, Oklahoma native first appeared in the NBC World Series in the summer of 2021, prior to his freshman year at Wichita State University, suiting up for the Wichita 316 Sluggers. Listed on their roster as a pitcher, Tolle instead played first base and batted .385 with a home run, 3 doubles, and 7 RBIs in three games at Eck Stadium, a preview of the two-way talent that would soon turn heads across the country.
The following summer, Tolle returned as a pitcher for the Santa Barbara Foresters of the California Collegiate League, and threw six shutout innings against the TBT Ballers in the quarterfinals, allowing only three hits and retiring the final 10 batters he faced. For Tolle, competing at Eck Stadium felt like anything but a road game.
"I was back home," Tolle said at the time, "I felt comfortable. I pitched on that mound almost every day in the spring and fall, so it felt really good to be back." The Foresters went on to claim their record 10th NBC World Series title with a 12-1 victory over the Hays Larks in the championship game.
Around his two NBC summers, Tolle established himself as one of college baseball's most versatile players at Wichita State. For his career as a Shocker, he hit .313 with 16 home runs while going 13-9 on the mound. His most memorable WSU performance was a game in 2023 when he struck out 10 and allowed no runs over 6 innings, while also going 5-5 at the plate with a 3-run home run and 6 RBIs in a 17-5 victory over Oakland University.
Those summers with the Foresters sharpened his pitching craft significantly. NBC Hall of Fame head coach Bill Pintard and pitching coach Rick Hubbard worked with Tolle to develop his slider and build consistency on the mound. "I learned so much with pitching," Tolle said to Wichita State’s student newspaper The Sunflower at the time, "I tried to grow as much as I could."
After transferring to TCU for his junior season, Tolle became one of the most decorated college pitchers in the country. He was named the Big 12 Pitcher of the Year after going 7–4 with a 3.21 ERA and 125 strikeouts in 81⅓ innings pitched. He was also a semifinalist for the Golden Spikes Award and Dick Howser Trophy, and a finalist for the John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year Award. The Boston Red Sox selected Tolle in the second round of the 2024 MLB Draft, and the organization spent the rest of the year converting him to a full-time pitcher. Once he pitched in his first professional game in 2025 at High-A Greenville, he moved quickly through their system — rising to Double-A Portland, Triple-A Worcester and finally Boston within a single season.
He made his MLB debut on August 29, 2025, opposite Pittsburgh Pirates ace Paul Skenes, striking out eight batters in 5⅓ innings and looking every bit the veteran at Fenway Park. This spring, Tolle returned to Boston and delivered, turning in a six-inning, one-run performance in his 2026 debut against the New York Yankees, striking out the first five batters he faced. He has not looked back.
"Payton Tolle brings the energy and the joy to baseball, and he is part of the NBC in such a special way," said Katie Woods, Executive Director of the NBC Baseball Foundation. "He didn't just pass through Wichita on his way to the big leagues — he played in the NBC twice, competed on our fields as a teenager, and grew into the pitcher he is today in part because of those experiences. That's exactly what the Graduate of the Year award is meant to celebrate."
The Graduate of the Year award first honored legendary pitcher Satchel Paige in 1955, and has been presented annually since 1975. Past recipients include Joe Carter, Albert Pujols, Alex Gordon, Josh Jung, and most recently O’Hearn — a lineage that reflects the NBC's long tradition as a launching pad for Major League talent.
The 92nd NBC World Series, the Nation’s premier summer collegiate showcase since 1935, begins July 23 at Eck Stadium in Wichita and runs through August 1, with championship night in downtown Wichita at Equity Bank Park. The NBC’s Baseball ‘Round the Clock – 11 games in 33 hours – will be July 25 & 26. Tickets and additional information about the NBC World Series, powered by Evergy, are available at nbcbaseball.com.