PHOTOS VIA ORLANDO SQUEEZE
The Orlando Squeeze (Website), Central Florida’s Major League Pickleball team (yes, that’s a thing), has announced its 2026 roster featuring a former tennis Grand Slam champion alongside returning players and new additions. Founded in 2023 by Orlando sports executive Ryan DeVos, the Squeeze captured a championship title in its inaugural season at MLP Atlanta in September 2023.
The 2026 roster includes Jack Sock, a four-time professional tennis Grand Slam champion and Olympic gold medalist who made his professional pickleball debut in 2023. Sock, 34, was selected by Orlando with the eighth overall pick in the 2026 Free Agency Draft.
Returning players Milan Rane, Lacy Schneemann, and Federico Staksrud were all kept by the team at the February 15 Player Keeper deadline. The Squeeze also added Alex Walker (40th overall pick) and Yates Johnson (52nd overall pick) in the Free Agency Draft.
Schneemann, 30, won the Season 2 Playoffs championship in December 2023 and was named MVP of that event. She works as an aerospace engineer for Boeing while competing professionally. Rane, 28, who resides in Boca Raton, led all Challenger-level female players at the 2024 mid-season tournament by winning 54.7 percent of points. Staksrud, 30, from West Palm Beach, grew up in Buenos Aires and played tennis at Florida Gulf Coast University.
The Squeeze will compete in six regular-season events across the country before playoffs in August. The team’s home event takes place July 30-August 2 at ESPN Wide World of Sports. The regular season schedule includes stops in Dallas (May 22-25), St. Louis (June 4-7), St. Petersburg (June 17-21), Grand Rapids for the mid-season tournament (July 8-12), and San Diego (July 16-19). Playoffs will be held in Dallas (August 6-9) and Newport Beach (August 13-16) before the MLP Finals in New York at CityPickle Central Park on August 28-30.
