The Rose State College Raiders baseball team opened their 2026 spring campaign this week, showcasing a potent offense and flashes of dominance on the mound during a competitive slate of games at home against Northern Oklahoma College-Enid and Barton Community College.
While the final scores favored the visitors, the Raiders proved they belong in the conversation, leading or remaining tied late in several contests.
Pitching Staff Flashes Dominance
The Raiders' rotation and bullpen provided several highlight-reel performances throughout the week. Cooper Davidsonturned in the most dominant start of the young season on Friday against Barton. Davidson silenced the Cougars' bats over 4.0 innings, racking up seven strikeouts while allowing just one unearned run and surrendering only three hits.
The week began with a stellar outing from Caden Janvrin, who kept the Northern Oklahoma College-Enid Jets off the scoreboard for three innings, allowing just two hits in his start. Out of the bullpen, southpaw Ethan Hedrick emerged as a reliable weapon, logging 4.2 innings across two appearances and holding opponents to a meager .176 batting average.
Offense Ignites at the Plate
The Rose State bats were active all week, culminating in a 13-hit explosion during Saturday's high-scoring finale against the Cougars. Tanner Wallace provided the highlight of the week, launching a two-run home run to right field on Saturday. Wallace finished the opening stretch with a slugging percentage of .533 and a team-high 1.055 OPS.
Consistency was the theme for Trent Prosperi and Phoenix Meza, who both collected six hits over the five-game stretch. Prosperi posted a .333 average, while Meza batted .300 with four runs scored. Anthony Roberts also made a significant impact in his opportunities, hitting a blistering .750 (3-for-4), including a multi-hit performance on Saturday.
On the base paths, the Raiders were aggressive and successful. Connor Atkinson led the charge with a pair of stolen bases against the Jets, part of a week where the Raiders frequently pressured opposing defenses with their speed.
Grit in the Late Innings
The Raiders showed remarkable resilience, particularly in an 11-inning marathon against Barton CC on Friday. Despite the 8-3 loss, Rose State battled through extra frames, led by multi-hit games from Luke Hankins, Ryan Lyddiard, and Prosperi.
In Saturday's 18-12 slugfest, the Raiders displayed their offensive depth by jumping out to an early 6-3 lead in the first inning and later regaining a 9-5 advantage. Although the Cougars eventually pulled ahead, the Raiders' ability to strike early and often—headlined by RBIs from Dezmond Roach and Stephen Pattison—provided plenty of optimism for the season ahead.
Looking Ahead
The Raiders will look to build on these performances as they hit the road for the first time this season. Rose State travels to El Reno on Tuesday to take on Redlands Community College, with first pitch scheduled for 2:00 PM.
Rose State Raiders Opening Week Statistical Leaders:
