Trojans Open Baseball Season With Competitive Effort

By Neshun Holmes

The Mississippi Delta Community College baseball team opened the 2026 season on February 7 with a pair of games against strong competition, falling 4-1 to Southwestern Illinois Community College in the opener before dropping the second game to St. Louis Community College. Despite the results, the Trojans showed encouraging signs on the mound and gained valuable early-season experience against talented opponents.

In game one, MDCC battled throughout seven innings, with Liam Gonzalez providing the Trojans' lone run on an RBI single in the top of the fifth inning. The pitching staff delivered a solid performance, highlighted by Brody Roberts, who struck out four batters and allowed just one earned run over three innings in his collegiate debut. Logan Churchill added three strikeouts in relief, and a key defensive moment came when Tyler Richardson induced a ground ball that turned into a smooth double play with Gonzalez at first, ending a scoring threat. Southwestern Illinois capitalized on a string of hits in the fifth inning to build a three-run advantage and held off the Trojans down the stretch.

Game two proved more challenging, as St. Louis Community College took advantage of defensive miscues in a seven-run second inning. Offensively, Trent Wood sparked MDCC with a triple and later scored on an RBI by Connor Counts. Head Coach Gillentine acknowledged the performance, noting the importance of learning moments and the opportunity for several players to gain their first collegiate game experience, while emphasizing the team's focus on responding and improving.

MDCC moves to 0-2 on the season and will use the upcoming week to sharpen its defensive execution and offensive approach. The Trojans return to action on February 14 at the USA Baseball Complex for the Flag City Classic, facing South Suburban College at 1 p.m. and Kaskaskia College at 4 p.m.

Graphic by Neshun Holmes