NORTHEAST BASEBALL GEARS UP TO BEGIN 2026 CAMPAIGN IN OKLAHOMA THIS WEEKEND

NORFOLK, Neb. – The chilly winter days are nearing an end and the Northeast Community College baseball team is ready to begin their 2026 season against Northern Oklahoma College-Enid at 1 p.m. Saturday at David Allen Memorial Ballpark in Enid, Oklahoma in their first doubleheader of the season.

Marcus Clapp enters his ninth season as the head coach of the Northeast baseball program and has one thing that excites him more than anything else in Oklahoma this weekend.

"Getting the chance to go and play again," Clapp said. "Going to compete again. Since fall ended in October, it has been a long time since we have been able to compete. We have the chance to get outside and get the season underway. The guys are excited. We are really lucky to have the indoor facility that we have, but it gets old. Four days to be in the sun will hopefully get the guys even more excited to get going."

Brady Fitzpatrick (Bellevue, Neb.) and Hayden Parrish (Omaha, Neb.) are back in the lineup for the Hawks in 2026 after being named First Team All-Region by the ICCAC last season. Parrish has already signed to continue his academic and athletic career at NCAA DI Southern Illinois University Edwardsville in Edwardsville, Illinois next year. Clapp is thrilled to have them both back for their sophomore seasons.

"We definitely need those two to keep producing," Clapp said. "And we expect them to. They are both very consistent hitting the ball. They have each done a lot of really good things for us. Obviously, Hayden has committed to an NCAA Division I school already, and that's exciting for him. I hope for him that he relaxes and enjoys the year now that is already out of the way. We have a couple of key guys around both of them, and we have a few guys on the staff returning as well, so it's exciting to get going."

If there's one thing that Clapp is most looking forward to, it's who will be climbing the hill as part of his pitching staff this year.

"Caden Rezac (Ogallala, Neb.) is going to be a big part of things on the mound," Clapp said. "We have a couple of new guys with Beckett Lund (Lincoln, Neb.) and Beau Pasteur (Pittsburg, Kan.). There are a couple of freshmen that we are really excited about with Barrett Fries (Cairo, Neb.), Ethan Cole (Omaha, Neb.) and Thomas Marshall (Mississauga, Ontario). For me, and I've said this in the past, but this is the most depth that we've ever had here on the mound. I feel like we can go to our bullpen a lot sooner if needed and have the depth in the bullpen that we need. We have a good amount of lefties to mix and match if we need to. I really like where we are at."

At the plate, Clapp is confident that the top of his order will be a force for opposing teams to face all year long.

"The top half of our lineup is going to be very good," Clapp said. "I think it will be tough for other teams to navigate those first five or six hitters in our lineup. Hopefully we can make our lineup one through nine a pain for other teams to face. We have the guys to do it, but some guys have to start playing and getting after it while staying even through the ups and downs."

The Hawks won't face a conference opponent until the back half of March, but they will certainly be tested early and Clapp views that as a positive for his group.

"I think this is probably the toughest non-conference schedule that we have ever had here, so with that there will be a learning experience of continuing to get better and develop," Clapp said. "We'll have to keep playing. Maybe the wins and losses aren't what we were hoping for in the non-conference portion of the schedule, but that's perfectly fine as long as we are getting better each week."

At the end of the day, rounding into form when it comes time for the regional tournament in May is the main emphasis for Clapp and his team.

"We have to be playing good ball in May," Clapp said. "That's the bottom line. We've had years where we've played really good in February and March, but not as well later. For me, we have to stay the course and have to get better. Guys that don't have success early need to stick with it and guys that do have success early also need to stick with it and not try and do more than they need to. It's about guys being consistent and riding the highs and lows to play really good baseball in May."

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