Toyota Road Report: April 21-26
MWL South Bend Cubs

Toyota Road Report: April 21-26

Published on April 20, 2026 under Midwest League (MWL)
South Bend Cubs News Release


For the first time ever as a Chicago Cubs affiliate, the South Bend Cubs have won back-to-back series to begin a Midwest League season. After four of six games away from both the Peoria Chiefs on the road, and the Beloit Sky Carp at home, the Cubs will hit the road again for a six-game trip to Dayton, Ohio to take on the Dragons.

South Bend returns to Dayton in the hopes of finishing off the business they took care of a year ago. Last July in Dayton, South Bend took three of just five total games, with the Sunday finale of that series being washed away due to rain. The Cubs hope to play well again at Day Air Ballpark, as they take with them the fifth best OPS among all High-A baseball teams at .766.

The Cubs also took home some hardware for the second straight week. Following Brooks Caple being named Midwest League Pitcher of the Week after the Peoria series, Owen Ayers was rightfully named Midwest League Player of the Week early today, following his scorching series against Beloit. Ayers went 8/17 versus the Sky Carp with four home runs and eight RBI. He also became just the second South Bend Cub to ever homer in four straight games, joining Alexander Canario, who did it in both 2021 and 2022. Ayers also ended up crushing five home runs over six games played, and entering Monday, only 11 Major League players, and seven Minor League players had more round-trippers than him.

12 games into the season, South Bend has kept their long ball statistics right where you want them. With 14 home runs hit themselves, that's good enough for a tie for second place in the Midwest League. With just five homers surrendered by South Bend pitching, that places the Cubs in the second fewest category in the circuit.

When you look at Dayton, the Dragons have not enjoyed the same offensive prowess that the Cubs have displayed so far this year. Dayton has just four homers as a team, and are hitting .239 as a squad to start the campaign. That's not to say the Dragons have not had their chances. They have left 114 men on base already this season, which is the second most in the Midwest League.

Dayton is led by former Dragons player Julio Morillo, and pitching coach Willie Blair is a Midwest League veteran, working in multiple years with Dayton and formerly being the pitching coach in West Michigan.

From a player standpoint, Dayton is led by the Cincinnati Reds number-one prospect, catcher Alfredo Duno. The 20-year-old signed with Cincy for 3.1 million dollars in 2023. Hitting .244 in 13 games, Duno has a home run with seven RBI, along with 11 walks.

Outfielder Anthony Stephan was formerly in the Reds top-30 prospects list, but is not currently ranked there. He was a Dragon last season, and struggled against the Cubs, going 2/14 in four games. But that's a talented bat, and even though he has been limited to just four games this season, is 4/13 to start the season with three RBI.

Reds number-30 prospect Alfredo Alcantara is also a Dragon this season, and in 12 games is batting .119 with two RBI.

Players to watch on South Bend...

Cole Reynolds, LHP: The 2026 opportunity that big lefty Cole Reynolds has been presented is one that is worth its weight in gold. After being signed by the Chicago Cubs last season as a free agent, Reynolds started two games with the Myrtle Beach Pelicans, but was not a starter with the South Bend Cubs. A single appearance with the Triple-A Iowa Cubs was also featured last season for Reynolds, with 3.1 innings of shutout baseball being tossed versus Triple-A Sugar Land. Reynolds has come back this season and has been named a key cog in the South Bend Cubs starting rotation. Both outings so far this season for Reynolds have featured outstanding beginnings, and then a bit of a tail-off at the end. However, that's to be expected when you are trying to lengthen yourself and pitch as a starter. In his outing this past week versus Beloit, Reynolds shined in his first three frames, tossing three shutout innings. It was the fourth inning that got him in trouble and ultimately was the reason he had to leave the game. But that is going to happen. Expect to see Reynolds to continue going deeper into games, and in turn, hanging more zeroes late into starts. He also has eight strikeouts in seven innings worth of work, so this start in Dayton could really define things for Reynolds the rest of the Spring. The Cubs have shown confidence in him, and if he can put together an outing of four or five shutout innings, that could be the key sign that he is locked in.

Drew Bowser, INF: Welcome to the 'Drew Bowser Revenge Tour'. As we mentioned earlier, with last year's rain-out at Dayton on that wet Sunday in Ohio, sadly, the game was called before it went official after five innings of play. And due to that, the game didn't count, and neither did the statistics from the game. South Bend was leading that game 5-0 at the time it was called. And four of those runs came on one swing. A Drew Bowser grand slam. Unfortunately, that home run did not count in the official record books for Drew, although we did count them on South Bend Cubs Radio. Bowser is going to go out and get that back this time, without question. But it's not just because he is trying to make a statement, he has made statement after statement with his play on the field this season. Bowser has turned the tide of what he can do at the plate with an outstanding off-season, and a new approach with new adjustments that have him primed to turn some heads this season. It's early in the year, so numbers fluctuate a lot more this time of year, however, Bowser was batting .333 after his multi-hit performance against Beloit on April 15. The best part is with the bat taking major leap this season, the glove has not faded at all. He is Mr. Smooth out there in the infield, and he can play any infield position for Daniel Wasinger. Making a game-saving play on the road in Peoria, Bowser makes the hard stuff look really easy. And with all the star power on this South Bend roster, he is a perfect piece to compliment the left-hand bats of guys like Kane Kepley, Kade Snell and Owen Ayers.

Kenten Egbert, RHP: It's officially homecoming (part two) for Kenten Egbert! Returning to his hometown again, Egbert, the Dayton area native, will get to pitch in his hometown for back-to-back seasons. A member of the South Bend Cubs bullpen right now, Egbert was a starter last season when the Cubs went to Dayton, and it was a tale that will be remembered in the Egbert family forever. A masterpiece thrown at the ballpark that he used to attend games at as a kid. Last season in Dayton on July 26, Egbert was the winning pitcher in six innings of one-run baseball. Talking to Kenten, he discussed how wild it was to be thought of as "the villain" in the park that he used to call home as a fan. But that's truly what it was. It was also eye opening for him to see guys he used to play against in high school at the park on that July day, but they were there as fans, and he was pitching in the game. The outing caught so many eyeballs that he was also asked to be on Dayton Dragons Radio for a pregame interview that week with Tom Nichols. Amazing stuff. Of course, Egbert was a major piece of the South Bend pitching staff down the stretch last season, and he once again is now, kind of acting as the swiss army knife out of the bullpen. Even in that role, he will always be available for a start, and probably should be ready for that if and when call-ups happen.

Schedule and Probables...

Tuesday, April 21 - 7:05 PM ET: RHP Kevin Valdez vs. RHP RHP Reynardo Cruz

Wednesday, April 22 - 7:05 PM ET: RHP Nazier Mulé vs. RHP J.P. Ortiz

Thursday, April 23 - 7:05 PM ET: LHP Cole Reynolds vs. RH Luke Hayden

Friday, April 24 - 7:05 PM ET: RHP Koen Moreno vs. RHP Cole Schoenwetter

Saturday, April 25 - 1:05 PM ET: RHP Brooks Caple vs. RHP Beau Blanchard

Sunday, April 26 - 1:05 PM ET: LHP Ethan Flanagan vs. RHP Nestor Lorant

Check out the South Bend Cubs Statistics

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Midwest League Stories from April 20, 2026


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