BASEBALL

The Huntington baseball team wasted no time setting the tone for the 2026 season, taking two of three from Truett McConnell on opening weekend at TMU Baseball Complex to come away with a 2–1 series win.

Game 1 | Huntington 5, Truett McConnell 3
The Foresters hit the ground running Thursday afternoon behind dominant pitching and early pressure at the plate. Huntington capitalized on a handful of Bear miscues in the opening frame to jump out to a 3–0 lead, an advantage it would never relinquish.

Junior ace RJ Anglin was every bit as advertised in his first start of the season. The 6-foot-2 right-hander carried a no-hitter through five innings, striking out five of the 18 batters he faced while allowing just one run on 70 pitches (43 strikes). Truett McConnell’s lone tally against Anglin came via small ball, as a pair of sacrifice bunts and an RBI groundout accounted for the damage.

Offensively, Keifer Wilson drove in a pair with a shot to left, while Owen Willard added an RBI and Deklan Thompson doubled, scored twice, and swiped a bag. Huntington finished with seven hits, took advantage of two TMU errors, and turned the game over to the bullpen late.

After Max Engle bridged the middle innings, Dylan Eggl slammed the door with 1.1 scoreless frames to secure the save as the Foresters opened the season with a road win.

Game 2 | Huntington 10, Truett McConnell 0 (7 innings)
Friday’s opener turned into a showcase for Huntington pitching and one unforgettable performance at the plate.

Starter Grant Simmons was locked in, scattering just two hits over 5.1 shutout innings while striking out six. Aidan Micinski followed with 1.2 hitless, scoreless innings, punching out three to complete the two-hit shutout.

Then there was Tanner Reinartz.

The freshman outfielder put together a day for the record books, blasting three home runs and driving in five runs as part of a 3-for-3 performance. Reinartz accounted for half of Huntington’s runs, becoming a one-man wrecking crew in a lineup that piled up 12 hits and scored six times in the seventh inning to trigger the run rule.

Additional homers from Owen Willard, plus RBI contributions from Sam Kestranek, Cam Clarkson, Zach Pelletier, and Kade Flores, capped a complete effort as the Foresters cruised to the series-clinching win.

Game 3 | Truett McConnell 2, Huntington 1
The finale swung back in the Bears’ favor in a tightly contested pitcher’s duel. Truett McConnell plated two runs in the first inning, and Huntington answered in the second when Braden Kauffman delivered an RBI single to cut the deficit to one.

That would be the extent of the offense, however, as the Foresters were limited to two hits despite drawing five walks and threatening in both the fifth and seventh innings.

Freshman Kai Newman took the loss after striking out four over 3.2 innings, while the Huntington bullpen of Gabe Hamrick and Keegan Shovlain combined for 2.1 scoreless innings to keep the game within reach until the final out.

Huntington leaves opening weekend at 2–1 and will stay on the road next weekend with a neutral-site series against Olivet Nazarene in Hoover, Alabama.