SANTA BARBARA, Calif. — Adding yet another preseason award to his resume, UC Santa Barbara Baseball's ace pitcher Jackson Flora has been named to Baseball America's 2026 Preseason All-America First Team. With high upside stemming from the combination of height and arm strength, the 6-foot-5 Flora ranks 14th on the list of top prospects for the upcoming 2026 Major League Baseball Draft and also earned a spot on Baseball America's Preseason Pitcher of the Year Watchlist.
 
Flora pitched a 3.60 ERA and 1.00 WHIP (walks and hits per inning pitched) across 13 appearances last season, recording a 6-3 win-loss record. In his 13 games in 2025, the Gauchos went 9-4. He posted 86 strikeouts in 75 innings, with a 5.06 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Pitching with a flatter approach angle from a lower slot, Flora's arsenal consists of a fastball that averaged around 97 mph in 2025, regularly hitting triple digits. Flora complements his heater with two different sliders, including a devastating sweeper that generated swings and misses a third of the time he threw it last season.
 
Santa Barbara finished the 2025 season with a 36-18 record, falling in the opening game of the Big West Championship. The 2026 season will kick off Feb. 13-15 on the road against 2025 NCAA Regional Hosts Southern Miss in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. The first home game is set for Feb. 20 at Caesar Uyesaka Stadium against Portland. Tickets can be purchased by calling the UC Santa Barbara Ticket Office at 805-893-UCSB(8272) or by clicking here.