Very few across the NJCAA baseball world placed their bets on the Blinn College baseball team in 2023.
Fast forward one year and even fewer are willing to bet against the Buccaneers.
After being voted to finish second to last in the Region XIV standings last season, a revamped Blinn roster led by first-year head coach Dusty Hart made tidal waves in the form of a Region XIV regular-season championship, a Region XIV Tournament title, and a fourth-place finish at the NJCAA Division I Baseball World Series.
As a new campaign nears, the Bucs now begin the year ranked fourth in the NJCAA Division I pre-season top 20 and have been voted by Region XIV’s head coaches to repeat as region champions.
“You always have to set the bar high,” said Hart, who assumed leadership of the Blinn program last year following 16 seasons as head coach at Grayson College. “Even last year with basically no expectations from anybody … with a brand-new roster and a new coaching staff, our goal was still to win a national championship. That isn’t going to change now or ever.”
Inclement weather has put a pause on Blinn’s season-opening doubleheader against Temple College, which is now tentatively scheduled to begin at 1 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 28, at Leroy Dreyer Field in Brenham (Jan. 29 and Jan. 30 are also possible makeup dates). When the Bucs finally take the field for the first time in 2024, they will do so with a wealth of riches from last year’s 46-win ballclub.
(Pictured: Blinn sophomore Tanner Reaves returns to the Buccaneers after an All-America season in 2023)
Six starting position players, three starting pitchers, and a handful of contributors from its bench and its bullpen return to Blinn’s roster following 2023’s successful run. A horde of promising recruits and Division I transfers also has Blinn eyeing a return trip to the World Series in Grand Junction, Colo., with its sights set firmly on a championship.
“Everything about this team is exciting,” said sophomore infielder and 2023 first-team All-America selection Tanner Reaves. “We have depth at every single position, we have terrific starting pitchers, a deep bullpen, great defenders … I’m just excited to see us get going.”
In his collegiate debut, Reaves established himself among the NJCAA’s best hitters with team highs in hits (103), doubles (22), home runs (20), runs batted in (86), and batting average (.422).
He was one of several first-year players who excelled right out of the gate.
(Pictured: Blinn sophomore Brandon Bishop put together an outstanding season for the Buccaneers in 2023)
Sophomore infielder/outfielder Brandon Bishop is back following an 84-hit season that saw him finish with a .372 clip at the plate. He scored 76 runs to go with 13 doubles, a triple, four homers, and 58 RBIs. Marshall Lipsey will man the outfield for Blinn once again after hitting .318 as a freshman with 10 home runs, 49 RBIs, and a team-best 84 runs scored. Sophomore utility player Coy DeFury brings pop back to the Bucs’ lineup after he hit .280 with eight home runs and 40 runs driven in as a freshman. Sophomores Jake Kolkhorst (pitcher/outfielder) and Brayden Sprencel (infield) also return after hitting .339 and .286 in starting roles as freshmen. Kolkhorst plated 36 runs while Sprencel was an on-base machine after reaching base safely 50.7% of the time.
Newcomers Connor McGinnis (sophomore infielder), Cade Climie (sophomore infielder), Lane Allen (freshman infielder), and Rashaad James (freshman infielder/outfielder), among many others Hart said, should also play a large role for Blinn this spring.
“We feel pretty good about this year’s club,” Hart said. “We have a bunch of guys who have been through the fire and now know how to compete and win at this level. Having that veteran presence leading us every day is going to be huge down the stretch.”
The Bucs should also benefit from a reloaded pitching staff peppered with starter-quality arms.
(Pictured: Blinn sophomore Kaden Dydalewicz was one of the Buccaneers’ best pitchers in 2023)
Sophomore fireballer Kaden Dydalewicz returns after the right-hander posted a 7-1 record to go with a 4.71 earned run average in 2023. He struck out 46 hitters in 42 innings of work and earned the win in the Region XIV Super Regional which sent Blinn to the World Series for the first time since 2014.
Along with Dydalewicz returns Shane Connell, a hard-throwing right-hander who went 5-0 as a freshman with 60 strikeouts across 62 2/3 innings of work last spring. One of those five victories came during a Blinn triumph at the World Series. Sophomore Bryson Dudley is back after making 13 appearances, including one start, last season. He posted a 5-2 record while fanning 62 batters in 48 2/3 innings. Key bullpen contributor Cody Pfeffer is also back in the mix following a debut season in which he posted a sparkling 1.71 ERA in 47 1/3 innings. He earned four saves to go with a 5-2 record and struck out 64 hitters.
Other key pieces and additions to the Blinn pitching staff are Kolkhorst, freshman Cortt Gentry, freshman Paxton Terveen, sophomore Taylor Calcote, sophomore Ryan Hanks, sophomore Ben Bosse, freshman Caden Marcum, freshman Lucas Davenport, and sophomore Brendan Sweeney.
(Pictured: Blinn sophomore Shane Connell returns to the Buccaneers after posting a 5-0 record in 2023)
“This staff is deep,” Connell said. “We had a ton of guys step up last year and show that they could contribute, and now those same guys plus several new arms are here to keep it going. We have guys here who can fill every role on a staff, whether that’s a starting position, long relief, set-up guy or a closer. Everybody here is going to be able to go when their number is called.”
Blinn will play a challenging non-region schedule before kicking off its Region XIV slate against Coastal Bend College on Feb. 29 in Brenham. The Bucs’ non-region matchups include tilts against third-ranked Weatherford College, which placed third at the World Series last season, as well as No. 11 McLennan Community College. Thirteenth-ranked San Jacinto College-North will battle Blinn seven times during region play this season.
“The games are going to be tough no matter who we’re playing,” Hart said. “We had a great year last year and I hope that motivates these guys to keep it going, but it’s important to remember that every year is a new year and that you can’t live in the past. We still have to play the games on our schedule this year. If we focus on ourselves and getting better each and every day as a team, the wins and losses should take care of themselves and I believe we can be where we want to be at the end of the season.”
Blinn has competed in intercollegiate athletics since 1903 and captured 45 NJCAA national championships since 1987.
