Mississippi Valley State University’s baseball team opened its 2026 season with a doubleheader against Stephen F. Austin in Nacogdoches, Texas, but fell short in both games. The Lumberjacks secured victories with scores of 17-2 and 15-3, each game lasting seven innings.
Eric Williams led the Delta Devils’ offense, collecting five hits across the two games. In the first matchup, Williams went 3-for-4 at the plate, including an RBI single and a double. Chris Soeder contributed two singles and drove in a run for Mississippi Valley State.
Other notable performances included Cody Leming hitting a double and Tanner Aoki reaching base twice via a hit-by-pitch and a single. Jaxon Haynes added a pinch-hit single. On the mound, Kobe Ladd stood out by pitching two scoreless innings with one strikeout.
In the second game, Williams added two more hits batting third in the lineup. Johnny Escobalez Jr. pitched one inning and struck out all three batters he faced. Leming recorded his first stolen base of the season along with a hit, walk, run scored, and steal as the ninth batter. Aoki had a hit, walked once, scored a run, and drove in another in his only official at-bat.
Haynes delivered Mississippi Valley State’s first multi-RBI performance of 2026 with a two-run double to open scoring in game two.
The Delta Devils will face Stephen F. Austin again on Saturday afternoon at Pilgrim’s Park with first pitch scheduled for 1 p.m.
CJ Bilbrey is head coach of Mississippi Valley State Delta Devils men’s baseball.
