Baseball Opens Renovated Wood & Huston Field Against Lincoln

Marshall, Mo., (March 10, 2026)- The Missouri Valley College baseball team played its first home game of the season, hosting NCAA Division II Lincoln (Mo.) inside the renovated Wood & Huston Field at Indian Foothills Park.  The Vikings took an early lead, but fell in the contest.

Sophomore Pitcher Phillip Rushman (Lincoln, Neb.) came out in the top of the first inning, and worked around a one-out double to strand one Lincoln runner on-base.  Missouri Valley followed with production from the plate in the bottom half of the first.  Sophomore Shortstop Devin Norwood (Pearl, Miss.) led off and reached safely on an error.  Later in the at-bat, Junior Designated Hitter Masayoshi Hattori (Tokyo, Japan) drove Norwood home on a grounder, and MVC moved in front, 1-0.  Lincoln answered with a rally in the top of the second inning, using seven hits to produce five runs to go on top, 5-1.  The Vikings responded with more runs in the bottom of the second.  Senior Leftfielder Shumpei Kaneko (Saitama, Japan) started things off with a leadoff single, and Freshman Third Baseman Brennan Nickerson (St. Louis, Mo.) was hit by a pitch.  A throwing error allowed Kaneko to reach home safely, while Freshman First Baseman Dalton Fritsche (Perryville, Mo.) worked a one-out walk to put two runners on-base.  Norwood then drove in both Nickerson and Fritsche to cut the team's deficit down to 5-4.  The top of the third featured more runs scored by Lincoln, adding another four to its total and making it a 9-4 contest.  After Lincoln tacked on one more run in the top of the fourth, a triple from Sophomore Second Baseman Sota Suzuki (Aichi, Japan) brought home Fritsche, and MVC trailed, 10-5.  In the bottom of the firth, Freshman Rightfielder Colton Campbell (Orangefield, Texas) belted out a solo homer, and the bottom of the seventh featured a grounder from Pinch Hitter Bradley Johnson that allowed Junior Pinch Hitter Zachary Wilson (Copperscove, Texas) to score, while Freshman Catcher Gabe Duncan (St. Peters, Mo.) knocked out a two-run homer.  The Vikings were unable to rally late, and fell by a final score of 20-9.

Suzuki had two hits and one RBI, and Kaneko finished with two hits and one run scored.  Both Norwood and Duncan totaled one hit, two RBI's and one run apiece, and Fritsche had one hit and two runs scored. 

Missouri Valley falls to 0-16 with the loss, while Lincoln improves to 4-11.

Up next, the Viking baseball team will open play in the Heart of America Athletic Conference with a four-game series at home against MidAmerica Nazarene.  Doubleheaders are Friday and Saturday beginning at 12 p.m., at Wood & Huston Field at Indian Foothills Park.

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About Missouri Valley College

Standing out as one of the most innovative and student-focused liberal arts colleges in the Midwest, Missouri Valley College (MVC) is committed to preparing students for success beyond the classroom. Through the Viking Voyage program, MVC prioritizes career readiness from day one, equipping students with the knowledge and skills needed to excel after graduation. Each of MVC's 30+ in-demand majors—including nursing, business, cybersecurity, computer science, criminal justice, and exercise science—integrates personal instruction, experiential learning, and professional opportunities to prepare graduates to thrive in a rapidly changing and globally connected world. At Missouri Valley College, higher education is more than earning a degree—it's a transformative journey that begins with the end.