BLINN BUCCANEER BASEBALL PREVIEW

Story by Joe Alberico, Blinn College Sports Information

Blinn College baseball head coach Dusty Hart has long believed that championships are built on the mound. If that philosophy holds true, the Buccaneers appear well-positioned for another deep postseason run. 

Second-ranked Blinn opens the 2026 season Sunday with a doubleheader at No. 7 Weatherford College in Weatherford, Texas, and will take the field with one of the most highly touted pitching staffs in NJCAA baseball. 

"We have five or six pitchers going to Power 4 conference schools after Blinn," sophomore pitcher Hayden Morris said, pausing to glance toward his teammates. "Did I miss a few guys? That tells you everything you need to know. Our pitching staff is loaded." 

Morris, who will continue his career at Louisiana State University, is one of six Blinn pitchers committed to major NCAA Division I programs. Sophomore Ben Polleschultz and redshirt freshman Luke Ekdall are committed to Texas A&M University, sophomore Hudson Melaerts will head to the University of Oklahoma, sophomore Cadyn Shaw is committed to Texas Tech University, and transfer sophomore Dylan Thompson will continue his career at Brigham Young University. 

Blinn also returns sophomore pitchers Jack Garza, Matt Taylor, and Connor Romine, giving the Buccaneers a deep and experienced group of arms. 

That depth could once again propel Blinn toward a fourth consecutive appearance in the NJCAA Division I Baseball World Series and a second national championship in three seasons. 

"We have the pitching staff and an offense that is capable of giving those guys enough runs to win games," sophomore outfielder Reece Lunsford said. "We believe we have a team that can win a national championship, and that is our mindset: championship or bust." 

Morris served as one of Blinn's Saturday starters in 2025 and posted a 10-0 record with a 4.17 earned run average and a team-high 106 strikeouts in 86 1/3 innings. Selected by the New York Yankees in the MLB Draft last June, Morris opted to return to Blinn for the 2026 season. 

Polleschultz finished 8-1 last season with a 3.57 ERA and 69 strikeouts in 58 innings, while Shaw went 5-1 with a 4.94 ERA and 52 strikeouts in 51 innings. Melaerts recorded 50 strikeouts in 32 2/3 innings and showed strong swing-and-miss potential, while Ekdall, who has missed two seasons due to injury, has demonstrated the ability that made him a coveted Texas A&M commit. 

Thompson joins the Buccaneers after one season at LSU, where he made one scoreless appearance for the Tigers in 2025. 

Experience will be a driving factor for Blinn both on the mound and at the plate. The Buccaneers return eight pitchers and six position players from last season's team that finished 48-15, claimed the Region 14 South title, won the Region 14 South Regional Tournament and Region 14/Mid-South District Super Regional championships, and advanced to the NJCAA Division I Baseball World Series for a third straight year. 

Blinn went 2-2 at last season's World Series. 

"Getting to the JUCO World Series was huge for us," Lunsford said. "Even though we did not win it, that experience was invaluable. I think it made us hungrier, and now we will not settle for anything less than a championship." 

While the pitching staff is firmly established, Blinn's hitters will be tasked with rebuilding the offense. The Buccaneers hit 82 home runs in 2025, with sophomore designated hitter and infielder Trey Craig returning as the team's current primary power threat after clubbing six home runs last season. 

"We are not going to be the same offense we were last year, and that is OK," Hart said. "You have new players stepping into bigger roles, and it is exciting to see how everything comes together and how the lineup ultimately takes shape." 

Hart said his position players are as evenly matched as any group he has coached, providing both depth and competition throughout the lineup. 

"We will favor defense first, but these guys will decide who is on the field with how they play and how they perform at the plate," Hart said. "We feel good about all of them, and I am excited to see them compete." 

Along with Lunsford and Craig, Blinn returns sophomore infielders Drew Britton, Kason Atkins, and Benji Barrera, along with sophomore outfielder Brady Sullivan. 

Hart also added depth through the transfer portal with sophomores Caden Baker (outfielder), Hunter Smolinski and Jacob Bohacek (infielders), and freshmen Ryley Leininger (infielder) and A.J. DePaolo (catcher). 
"We addressed some needs and added depth," Hart said. "You can never have enough depth." 

Blinn will play 13 games against teams ranked in the NJCAA Division I Baseball preseason poll, including seven matchups with Region 14 South rival and 18th-ranked San Jacinto College-North. The Buccaneers will also face No. 6 McLennan Community College four times this spring. 

Blinn will play 19 non-region games, including 16 consecutive contests, before opening Region 14 South play at Coastal Bend College on Thursday, Feb. 26. 

Following its opening series at Weatherford, Blinn will host its home opener against Dodge City Community College at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 3, at Leroy Dreyer Field in Brenham. 

"We built a challenging schedule to prepare this team for region play and the postseason," Hart said. "If you believe you have a team capable of making a deep run, you want your players ready for that moment." 

Fans who are unable to attend Blinn baseball's home games this season can catch the action live on www.buccaneersports.com by clicking on the "Live Streams" button under the "Inside Athletics" tab.