Junior Infielder/Pitcher John Simecek SXU Athletics
Despite winning an 11-10 thriller to open up the season over New College of Florida, the Cougars have yet to find the magic from last year as they went on to lose five games in a row. However, they snapped the losing streak on Feb. 7 after a 9-5 win over Calvary University and currently stand at 2-5 with much of the season still ahead of them.
On the offensive side, the team has struggled to not only put runs across but also to put runners on base. They hit just .233 as a team in their first seven games, scoring 30 runs with 11 of them coming in the season opener.
They are still searching for their first home run of the season as well. Last year, they collected four in their first four games which resulted in winning three of those four.
Only three qualified hitters are hitting above .300 which includes freshman infielder Trevor Corbett, senior outfielder/infielder Shea Zbrozek, and junior infielder/pitcher John Simecek.
Corbett leads the team in batting average (.421), OPS (1.156), and RBIs with 5. Zbrozek and Corbett are tied with a team-leading 8 hits on the season so far.
Pitching has also been an issue; pitchers have given up 46 runs through just seven games and walked 30 all while their opponents are hitting .300. The Cougars pitching staff has combined for a 7.29 earned run average (ERA).
My biggest takeaway from this team so far is that when they are playing well it’s because they are playing similarly to what made them great last year. Everyone contributes, putting the ball in play, and consistently hitting.
The recipe for last year’s success was stolen bases, and it appears to be the same in 2026 with already 20 stolen bases. In their two wins this season, they tallied 13 combined stolen bases and just 7 stolen bases in their five losses.
With plenty of time left in the season, the Cougars are not in panic mode just yet. A few tweaks can help the team turn the season around, and then the wins will start to add up. Hopefully by the time the playoffs begin in late April, we will not be talking about the rough start to the season.
**Correction: spacing fixed in photo caption**