By Piper Wright //
Hood College men’s baseball team ended its season after clinching a spot in the MAC Commonwealth Conference playoffs for the fifth time in program history.
The Blazers entered post-season play after a decisive 5-4 win over the Albright Lions. Junior right-fielder Sean Seely hit a single down the middle, allowing sophomore first basemen/outfielder Rhett Robins and first-year utility Kamari Chisolm to score the game-winning runs.
The win over the Albright Lions propelled the Blazers into the MAC Commonwealth Conference championship tournament.
“I was extremely impressed with the grit and determination of the entire program and especially the seniors,” head coach Michael Victory said. “To see the team buy into what we are teaching and turn it around from 2025 was truly impressive.”
The Blazers traveled to compete against the Widener Pride in the semi-final round of the tournament. Hood fell to Widener in the opening game, 4-3, but secured its first playoff win since the 2021 season with a 3-2 victory in the second game. The Pride closed out the series with a 19-0 win.
“It felt like a big step forward for the program and showed how much work everyone has put in,” senior infielder Aj Haines said. “We’ve been building toward this, so finally seeing it come together in a playoff setting was really rewarding regardless of the outcome.”
Haines hit an RBI single in the top of the sixth inning, letting first-year infielder Aedan Messier to score and giving the Blazers a 1-0 lead.
“At the plate, my main focus was getting on base for the hitters behind me,” Haines said. “With a lineup like ours, where guys can consistently get on base, which leads to runs, that approach really works in our favor.”
While the Blazers are losing a strong senior class, they look to continue developing underclassmen and add talented first-year players to their depth chart.
The Blazers ended their 2026 season with a 17-25 overall record and a 10-11 record in conference play.
“Overall, the iron will sharpen the iron, and we expect to come back stronger next year,” Victory said.
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