There will be plenty of key spots in the lineup to fill for the Southeastern baseball team as they are slated to begin the 2026 season this weekend at Arkansas Fort Smith.
The Savage Storm are coming off a record-setting 112 home run campaign but will need to replace the bulk of those impressive numbers that were lost to graduation.
Carter Olson is the top returnee with 12 bombs a year ago while hitting .375 along with Payton Poole, who hit .274 with nine homers. Ryan Kirk is also back after notching a .262 mark at the plate and five long balls as is Alex Showalter with a .284 average that included four home runs. They should be joined by Gage Dollins, who adds a lefthanded bat with a .236 average and three roundtrippers.
“I don’t know if you can replace the home runs of a year ago,” head coach Alan Trayler commented. “You feel good about guys that are coming in and that they do some of the same things as well as hope that returning guys can develop and turn into some of the ones we just lost. Wesley Mitchell had a good year as a junior and exploded as a senior with 21 home runs. You hope to see those same strides, development and growth but you just don’t know.
“We probably are not going to hit 100-plus home runs this year but should be able to still hit 60 or 70. I’m not looking to replace the power numbers in home runs but we are more looking to replace runs scored and RBIs. This offense is not going to be built on the home run. I think we are a lot more dynamic and can run. We have more guys that can hit and run and handle the bat with their skill sets that make them unique and special. Our job as coaches is to find the right mix in the lineup.”
The Savage Storm will have a Division 1 transfer in outfielder J.J. Bush from Texas A&M Corpus Christi who is a lefthanded hitter with outstanding pop. He belted 13 homers at Eastfield College in 2024 before seeing limited time in Corpus.
Fellow senior Jacob Ambriz comes in from Arkansas Little Rock and will man the catching position after losing long-time starter Brady Evans.
Another key offensive addition is Silo product Easton Ford, who put up All Conference numbers in two junior college seasons at Redlands, including batting a blistering .475 with 18 extra base hits and 36 runs batted in a year ago.
In the outfield junior lefty Tyler Payton from Seminole State adds tremendous speed and is coming off a campaign for the Trojans in which he batted .315 with four homers, 41 RBI and 31 stolen bases. Isaac Villa also comes in from Austin College where he notched a .320 average at the plate last season.
They’re expected to look at versatile freshman Jax Heid at the all-important shortstop spot with fellow newcomer Logan Rose getting his feet wet at the backup catcher.
“Bush is a key addition to the middle of the lineup out of the transfer portal,” Trayler said. “He has the ability to impact the game immediately in the middle of the order. He has good power but more impressive is his eye at the plate. He is a smart and mature hitter. Ambriz has seen a lot of good baseball and will be key to our success. Ford just knows how to hit. He will roll out of bed and go three for four. We have to get that guy in the lineup somewhere.
“We have a bunch of young pieces that have to continue to grow. In recruiting you try to get the best guys you can to compete for spots. On the road we may have to play more small ball at times. Home runs play different at Mike Metheny Field.”
Returning starters Daniel Collins, Colton Clawson and Brock Zimmer headline the returning mound nucleus as starters with Cody Pfeffer and Carson Abbott the returning stalwarts from the bullpen.
That group will be fortified by a pair of Division 1 transfers with Marcus Mott from Mc-Neese State and Dylan Hill from Texas A&M Corpus Christi after starting his college career at Murray State College.
“We have Collins, Clawson and Zimmer back with experience in the rotation and Pfeffer is like a swiss army knife and nothing phases him,” Trayler added. “We have a handful of guys from the portal that should shore up the staff. Mott was committed to LSU out of high school before suffering some injuries but he is finally healthy. Hill should be an impact arm immediately after starting out at Murray. We should have really good depth and we are hoping with experience, growth and development we should win a few more games than a year ago. Quality depth should really help us.”
The Savage Storm’s first home date is slated for Tuesday at 2 p.m. against Northeastern State.
