2026 Season Preview: Baseball
Game 1
Game 1
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Central Baptist (AR) | 1 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 9 | 8 | 0 |
|
Champion Christian College | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 6 | 1 |
Game 2
Game 2
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | R | H | E | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Central Baptist (AR) | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 6 | 2 |
|
Champion Christian College | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 2 |
Erik Holth, CBC Sports Information Director
Conway, Ark. – Coming off a run to the American Midwest Conference semifinals, Central Baptist College baseball opens the 2026 season tomorrow with a doubleheader against Champion Christian. First pitch from Majestic Park in Hot Springs is slated for noon.
The Mustangs went 29-24 last season and 23-13 in AMC games. Dr. Aaron Brister, who enters his 13th season guiding the team, returns 21 players from last year's team, led by all-conference selections George Astacio, Brayden Mayencourt and Garrett Fitts, who also won a Gold Glove last season. The other returners include Josh Lumsden, Jaxon Kirkhuff, Ryan Meyer, Julian Rodriguez, Aaron Prince, Cameron Harden, Ayden Qualls, Ryan Dauphinee (a former all-conference selection)), Iziah Tafoya, Dylan Parton, Cole Garcia, Eric de Jesus, Carter Harris, Devin Miller, David Platt, Cody Kennon, Josh Nowotny and Danilo Taborda.
13 newcomers complete the 34-man roster. The newcomers include Franklin Sosa, brothers Jeremy and Cesar Franco, Ethan Reisdorfer, Jake Belton, Jamin Smith, Jaylon McGee, Trey Watson, Preston White, Will Thompson, Aiden Jones, Cade Collins and Malik Simpson.
CBC was picked to finish third in the AMC behind Columbia and the team that ended their season last year in Mission. The Mustangs play 21 conference games this season, beginning with UHSP on March 6. The first conference home series is March 13-14 at Burns Park against Williams Baptist.
The non-conference schedule includes heavy hitters. It features a pair of midweek contests against the reigning NAIA National Champions, LSU-Shreveport, and a trip to the Cajun Collision in Sterlington, La., where CBC will face LSU-Alexandria, USAO, Texas A&M-Texarkana and Mid-America Christian. They also have in-state matchups with Champion, Arkansas Baptist, and Philander Smith as well as two four-game sets with NCCAA schools Dallas Christian and Calvary University out of Kansas. Live video for every home game this season will be available via WatchAMC.com, an official streaming partner of the Urban Edge Network or on the UEN app on your smart devices.