Fresh season, fresh start

By Jacob Teets

Spring is right around the corner, and that means Delta’s baseball and softball seasons are approaching quickly. Last season saw many ups and downs for both the baseball and softball teams, and both are hoping to reach the mountain top by winning the NJCAA Division 3 Region 12 Tournaments this coming Spring. If both want to obtain the ultimate prize, there are steps both teams must take to get there.

Delta baseball looking to put 2025 in the past

Delta baseball is coming into the year with 12 sophomores on the roster and 26 freshmen, with a first-year interim head coach rounding it out.

Some returning sophomores include outfielder Lukas Ordway, infielder/outfielder Jack Berthiaume and right-handed pitcher Mason Beaver.

In 37 games last year, Berthiaume hit a .274 average and drove in 19 runs. On top of that, 11 of his 26 hits were extra base hits.

All that being said, with an interim head coach at the helm, 26 freshmen on the roster and a conference record of 4-21 in 2025, the baseball team has an uphill battle to climb. Trying to improve their conference record is one of the team’s top priorities coming into the 2026 season.

Statistically, the team will be looking to get the bat on the ball more, only hitting an average of .237 as a squad in 2025. Slugging is also an area for improvement, only slugging .303, ranking last in the category among every team in NJCAA Region 12 baseball.

On the pitching side of the diamond, the team earned run average was 7.63, which ranked them 18th out of 28 in region 12 last season. They also struck out 215 batters last year, which ranked 22nd. Compared to Lansing Community College, who ranked first with 459 strikeouts, there’s a lot of room to bring up their strikeout numbers and rank a little higher in 2026.

With a combination of hitting and pitching improvements, the Pioneers baseball team could find themselves swinging into a long tournament run.

The baseball team will play two more games on March 14 before their first of a five game stretch against the Mid Michigan College Lakers on March 20 at 1:30 p.m. at Sports Force Park in Sandusky, OH.

Softball team just steps away from potential title

The softball team is coming off a season where they went 22-22 overall and excelled at home with a 14-5 record. As far as the team’s offensive stats go from last year, the softball team ranked near the middle of the pack in Region 12 in categories such as hits, runs batted in, doubles and home runs.

The pitching staff last year was great, finding themselves in the top ten in earned run average, hits allowed and strikeouts. Replicating and potentially rising the ranks this year will be a key to improving their .500 record from 2025.

Spring training has come and gone for the softball team, and pitcher Geena Gauthier has already thrown a no-hitter against the College of DuPage Chaparrals in a 3-0 victory.

They now await their opening games next weekend from March 20 through March 22, where they will play their opener against Mid Michigan College at 2 p.m. at Sports Force Park in Sandusky, OH.

Being a middle of the road team on offense and top ten in pitching means that making some minor adjustments on offense could lead to the women making another run in the Region 12 softball tournament and possibly winning it all.