Category: News

Jones Named Player of the Week

John Melvin Christian College (FL) sophomore Tobin Jones was busy, and productive, last week. Here’s Tobin’s work in five games for the Mohawks in Miami against Millennia Atlantic and Atlantis:

Game 1 – 2-3  | 1 RBI | 1 double

Game 2 – 2-4 | 4 RBIs | 2 homeruns

Game 3 – 3-5 | 4 RBIs | 1 homerun

Game 4 – 3-5 | 2 RBIs | 1 homerun

Game 5 – 1-4 at the plate | 8 IP | 6 hits | 2 runs | 6k’s 

For his outstanding work in the field and on the mound, Tobin Jones has been named the New South Conference Play of the Week!

Congrats also to Travis Snell of Mid-Atlantic Christian, who went 13-18 (.722 BA) with eight RBIs and four stolen bases and earns honorable mention.

Image courtesy JMCC Athletics

VSU Takes Series from Lincoln

ETTRICK, Va. – After claiming the series win with two victories on Saturday, Virginia State dropped the third game in the three-game series against Lincoln University 18-8 on Sunday afternoon.

The Lions managed to get runners on the second and third in the first but were left stranded by a strikeout by Thomas Ealey. VSU managed to get a runner to second in the bottom half, but he was left there as well. The Trojans struck first after Victor Johnson was hit by a pitch. Jashua Mahan then bunted him over to second and a fly ball got him to third. Marquis Smith then singled to shortstop to bring Johnson home. However, in the top of the third the Lions scored six runs on three hits and two VSU errors to take command.

LUPA added three more runs in the top of the fourth. In the bottom portion of the frame Jaquan Tucker and Norman Jackson both singled through the left side. Hector Rivera then hit a two out single up the middle to score Tucker making it 9-2. The Lions continued to add runs in the fifth and sixth while VSU was kept off the board making it 13-2. LUPA added two more runs in the eighth before VSU offense exploded in the bottom of the inning. TJ McGowan started off with a single then advanced on a pass ball. Tucker then traded places with him as he doubled into the right center field gap. Jaden Guthrie then pinch hit and singled past the third baseman. Johnson then singled up the middle to bring home Tucker which was followed by an Erik Romero single up the middle to clear the bases. Jaron Ward, who came in as a defensive replacement, singled through the left side to bring home Romero, making it 15-8. Lincoln added three more runs in the top of the ninth and shut down the Trojans 1-2-3 in the bottom half.

Story courtesy VSU Athletics; Image courtesy Nakhii Young

Apprentice Snaps Losing Skid with 20-3 Rout of MACU

HAMPTON, Va. – Apprentice snapped a four-game losing skid in a big way Friday afternoon, taking down MACU 20-3.

The Mustangs struck first in the top of the third inning with a single run, but the Builders answered with the next 20 runs, five of which came in the third. Jeremy Harmon started the scoring with a RBI double before Caleb Russell kept it going two batters later on a RBI single to give Apprentice a 2-1 lead. Hunter Johnson then doubled, setting the table for Mason Cox to clear the bases on a triple that made the score 5-1.

The Builders tacked on 14 more runs in the fourth inning, sending 20 batters to the plate in the frame. The inning was highlighted by a Jett Winslow two-run blast early in the frame before AS added 10 more runs after the homer to push the score to 19-1. Another Cox RBI single pushed the score to 20-1 after five innings of work. MACU pushed two more across in the sixth to get to the final score.

Johnson finished the game going 5-for-5 with a double, three runs scored and two RBI. Russell went 4-for-5, while Cam Weston, Cox and Harmon each had three hits.

Nick Redman (2-1) got the win, going five innings, allowing just one run off three hits.

Story and image courtesy Apprentice Athletics

Two Mustangs Earn Weekly NSAC Honors

Mid-Atlantic Christian just wrapped up its southern barnstorming tour picking up four conference wins along the way with some outstanding personal performances.

Josiah Collado, a 6’2″ senior from Canton, Georgia, went 11-for 21 at the plate last week for a .523 BA, including four doubles, six singles, and six RBI’s, and has been named the NSAC Baseball Player of the Week.

Josiah’s teammate, Dakota Jacobsen, a 6’0″ senior from Honesdale, Pennsylvania, had a standout week on the mound. In two starts for the Mustangs, he pitched 17 innings against John Melvin (FL) and Lighthouse, giving up no earned runs (0.00 ERA) with nine strikeouts in two complete games and earning Pitcher of the Week honors.

Congrats to Josiah and Dakota!

Builders Score 12 in Second to Rout Bryant & Stratton (VA)

HAMPTON, Va. – The Apprentice School baseball team scored in each of the first five innings, including 12 in the second, as they run-ruled Bryant and Stratton Friday afternoon, 20-6.

The Builders wasted little time getting on the board, using a defensive miscue and a two-run bomb from Jeremy Harmon to take a 3-0 lead out of the first inning. The run parade started in the second inning for Apprentice as the home team sent 18 to the plate in the frame.

In the second, the Builders had just four hits, taking advantage of walks and four Bobcat errors. Apprentice loaded up the bases before a walk preceded another Harmon hit, this time a two RBI single that doubled the lead to 6-0. Two walks and two hit by pitches with the bases loaded came next to push the lead to 10-0, and, after an error scored another run, Nate Yeary came through with a two-run single that made the score 13-0.

After a pair of fielder’s choices finished off the 12-run frame, the Bobcats scratched a run across in the third before the Builders struck back again in the bottom of the inning. Harmon collected another RBI on a single to make the score 14-1 before Matt Phoebus hit a missile to left center in the fourth to push the lead even further out to 18-1. After four Bobcats runs came across in the fifth, Hunter Johnson got a pair back in the bottom of the inning to get to a 20-5 score.

Harmon finished the day 3-for-4 with six RBI and a pair of runs scored. Yeary was 2-for-2 with a pair of RBI and three runs scored, while Johnson was 2-for-4 with three RBI and a pair scored.

Zander Mizelle (4-0) got the win, going three innings of one-run and four-hit baseball.

Story courtesy Walker McCrary/Apprentice Athletics; Image courtesy Kaitlyn Olson @shotsbyk8lyn

Miller Hits Three 3-Run Homers in One Game, Named POW

Mid-Atlantic Christian junior Landen Miller is being recognized as the initial NSAC Player of the Week for 2025.

On February 26, the catcher from Wendell, North Carolina went 3-for-3 against Virginia Peninsula with 3 doubles and 3 RBIs. Two days later, Miller went 3-of-6 against Virginia State swatting three 3-run homers and 9 RBIs. Overall for the week, he was 8-of-14 at plate for a .572 BA.

Congrats, Landen!

Image courtesy MACU Athletics

Apprentice Sweeps MACU to Improve to 4-0

HAMPTON – The Apprentice School baseball team opened up New South Athletic Conference play Tuesday by sweeping MACU, 10-0 and 4-2.

In the opening game of the twinbill, the Builders pushed a run across in the second on a Jett Winslow RBI single before the wheels fell off for the Mustangs in the third. Apprentice scored nine runs in the frame, pushing them across on just three hits and two MACU errors. Winslow was the highlight of the frame with a bases-clearing double that pushed the score out to 5-0 at the time.

In game two, it was much more of a pitcher’s duel. The Builders struck in the bottom of the first on a Matt Phoebus RBI double followed by another Winslow RBI single to take the early 2-0 lead.

MACU answered in the fourth, getting runners on base and pushing two across off an RBI groundout and a single to tie the game at 2-2. After a scoreless fifth frame, Apprentice got the final word in the sixth as they found a pair of runs to get to the final score. Nate Yeary brought home Winslow on a single to take the lead before Mason Cox got a sacrifice fly to push Hunter Johnson across home plate.

Winslow finished the day 3-for-6 at the plate with five RBI and two runs scored.

Story courtesy Apprentice Athletics; image courtesy Kaitlyn Olson @shotsbyk8lyn

JMU Drops Series at #1 Blinn

BRENHAM, Tx. – A sixth-inning outburst in game one, an offensive onslaught in game two, and spectacular pitching across both ends of the twin bill helped NJCAA top-ranked Blinn College baseball sweep John Melvin University on Saturday at Leroy Dreyer Field.

The Buccaneers picked up 5-1 and 8-4 victories to sweep the doubleheader and the four-game series from the Millers.

“Staying locked in and ready to go in each game during a four-game series can be tough,” Blinn head coach Dusty Hart said, “but I thought our guys did a great job of doing what was required of them to win.”

Blinn moved to 10-3 on the year and pushed its season-high winning streak to five games.

The Bucs dominated the series against John Melvin, outscoring the visitors 30-6 while their pitching staff racked up 45 strikes and a five-inning no-hitter (thrown by Hayden Morris on Friday).

Blinn never wavered Saturday, even when the opener proved to be a challenge for the Bucs’ capable offense.

Blinn sophomore starting pitcher Bennett Fryman and sophomore relief pitcher Hunter Bond combined for six scoreless innings, all of which were needed as John Melvin starter Bryce O’Quinn carried a shutout of his own into the home half of the sixth.

Fryman allowed one hit and three walks to go with seven strikeouts across four innings of work. Bond – who earned the victory – followed with two hits allowed, two strikeouts, and one walk.

“That was a great job from those two guys,” Hart said. “With our offense struggling early, for those guys to go out and match zeroes with O’Quinn was crucial for our chances to get the win.”

Blinn finally got to O’Quinn in the sixth when sophomore Matt Quintanar kept the inning alive with a two-out single. Freshman Trey Craig then came to the plate and blasted a two-run home run to center field.

Freshmen Drew Britton and Benji Berrera followed with back-to-back singles and sophomore Lane Allen cleared the bases with a three-run shot of his own to make it 5-0.

“It took us a little while to get going, but once we did, we kept that momentum through the second game, which was great to see,” Hart added.

Sophomore pitcher Dillon Henson got two outs in the seventh, and freshman Jack Garza came on to punch out the final Millers hitter of the game.

For the game, Blinn totaled eight hits, including two apiece for Quintanar and sophomore Ethan Gonzalez.

The Bucs stepped on the gas pedal early and often in game two, and also got a key pitching performance to help stave off John Melvin.

The Millers got on the board first with a run in the first frame, only for Blinn to answer with three runs of its own in the home half.

A sacrifice fly off the bat of Fryman and a two-run single from Allen gave the Bucs a 3-1 advantage. Quintanar made it 4-1 with an RBI single in the second.

The Millers threatened in the third against Blinn starter Reece Wagner, putting the first four hitters of the inning on base to make it a 4-2 ballgame.

With the bases loaded and no outs, reliable freshman relief pitcher Cadyn Shaw entered for the Bucs and promptly escaped what could have been a game-changing inning for John Melvin. He induced a run-scoring double play and a ground out to third to limit the damage.

“That was a huge moment for Cadyn, one that never got too big for him,” Hart said. “That inning could have gone entirely different for us and changed the outcome of the game, but Cadyn went in there and shut them down.”

Following Shaw’s clutch performance, Fryman gave his team a bit of insurance with a no-doubt leadoff homer to start Blinn’s half of the inning.

Britton followed with a double and came around to score on a wild pitch.

Britton and Allen smacked consecutive RBI singles in the fourth to make it 8-3.

John Melvin got one back in the seventh.

Sophomore pitcher Paxton Terveen provided two innings of two-hit relief for Blinn in which he struck out four Millers, and freshman Hudson Melaerts closed out the game by striking out five across the final two frames.

The Bucs’ lineup pounded out 10 hits, led by a three-hit, three-RBI showing for Allen. Fryman and Britton finished with two hits apiece.

Story courtesy buccaneersports.com; Photo by 🇻🇪 Jose G. Ortega Castro 🇲🇽 on Unsplash

Trojans Swept in Opening Series

ATLANTA – The Virginia State baseball team traveled down to Clark Atlanta for a three-game series which saw the Panthers win all three games. On February 1, the teams played a doubleheader with the Trojans losing 3-1 and 11-0, then on Sunday CAU emerged victorious 9-3 in a nine-inning game. 

GAME 1 VSU 1 CAU 3 

  • Both pitchers were cruising through the first five innings. Gavin Stevens struck out seven batters in five innings 
  • Then in the top of the sixth Thomas Ealey singled to the pitcher and stole second with only one out; he then advanced to third after a ground out. TJ McGowan then reached on a throwing error allowing Ealy to score 
  • In the bottom of the sixth CAU hit three straight singles to even up the score at one. Then a steal of second and a walk loaded the bases. A sacrifice fly to center brought another run across followed by a single made it 3-1 going into the seventh 
  • To start the seventh Jaquan Tucker doubled to center, but three straight ground out to short ended the game 

GAME 2 VSU 0 CAU 11 

  • Both teams were scoreless in the first. In the bottom of the second a CAU triple brought in the first run before Ealey struck out the next two batters to escape the inning 
  • In the third CAU added three more runs. After that the Trojan pitching staff would hold the Panthers off the board 
  • In the bottom of the sixth Clark Atlanta exploded for seven runs 

Game 3 VSU 3 CAU 9 

  • In the first inning Ealey singled followed by a Jaden Guthrie single got runners on first and second, then an error allowed both to move up a base however the Panthers would get three straight outs to escape the jam 
  • Clark Atlanta would add a run in the second and then three in the third  
  • Victor Johnson would hit a one out single up the middle before Marquis Smith walked. McGowan would then hit a double to deep left field to plate both 
  • Clark Atlanta would double up their run total in the bottom of the fifth 
  • In the top of the seventh Juluis Turner reached via an error. Ealey then hit a two out single to advance Turner to third. Guthrie then walked to load the bases, but a balk on the next batters let all the runners advance and allowed Turner to score. Tucker then walked to re-load the bases, but a strike out ended the scoring opportunity  
  • CAU would one more run in the eighth inning and the Trojans would go down in the top of the ninth 

Story and image courtesy govsutrojans.com

Apprentice Sweeps Championship Saturday to Claim First NSAC Baseball Title

WILSON, N.C. – After being shut out by Lighthouse Christian in the opening round, The Apprentice School came back with a vengeance on Saturday to win both games against the Makos and claim its first New South Conference baseball title.

A deeper bullpen proved the difference with both games being decided by the 10-run rule, 19-9 in the first and 15-3 in the second.

Apprentice (39-8) came into the tournament ranked eighth in the final USCAA regular season baseball poll and now awaits to see its opponent in next week’s Small College World Series.

Lighthouse (5-29) stunned the Builders 5-0 on Thursday, holding Apprentice scoreless for the first time this season. The Makos then followed that with an 11-9 win over Virginia State on Friday, only the fifth win for the first-year baseball program from Pensacola, Florida. The Builders advanced to the championship round by downing VSU 11-1 in Friday’s elimination game.

But Lighthouse’s magical run was to end there as the Builders, already touting the best record in school history, pulled away from the Makos in both games on Saturday.