Baseball Closes Season with Road Doubleheader Against Baker

Baldwin City, Kan., (April 24, 2026)- The Missouri Valley College baseball team traveled to Baldwin City, Kan., to close a Heart of America Athletic Conference series, and the regular season.  The Vikings fell in both games against the Wildcats.

The first game started with Freshman Pitcher Justin Case (Fulton, Mo.) inducing a double-play to Sophomore Shortstop Bradley Johnson (Lawrenceburg, Ky.) to keep the teams tied.  After a scoreless second inning, Baker followed with production from the plate in the bottom of the third, using one hit to produce one run to make it a 1-0 score.  Missouri Valley was taken down in order in the top of the fourth, and the Wildcats added another run in the bottom half of the inning to hold a 2-0 lead.  The top of the fifth featured a single from Freshman Third Baseman Devin Norwood (Pearl, Miss.), but he was unable to reach home, and Baker scored two more runs in the bottom half to pull ahead, 4-0.  The at-bat on the top of the sixth started on a double from Junior Leftfielder Alex Alton (Jacksonville, Mo.), Junior Designated Hitter Masayoshi Hattori (Tokyo, Japan) walked, but both runners were left stranded.  The Wildcats used three hits and one MVC error to produce two runs in the bottom of the sixth.  Missouri Valley could not rally in the top of the seventh inning and fell by a final score of 6-0.

Norwood and Alton each finished with one hit.  Case pitched the complete-game giving up ten hits and five earned runs with three strikeouts.

Game two started with a scoreless first inning for both teams, where Sophomore Pitcher Phillip Rushman (Lincoln, Neb.) struck out one batter.  Missouri Valley put two runners on-base in the top of the second, as Alton singled, and Norwood walked, but the pair were unable to reach home.  Baker used one hit to produce two runs in the bottom half of the inning to take the lead, 2-0.  The Vikings got a run back in the top of the third, as Freshman Centerfielder Aidan Bearden (Kansas City, Mo.) belted a solo homer to cut the deficit down to 2-1.  After a scoreless inning for the Wildcats, Missouri Valley was taken down in order in the top of the fourth.  Baker followed with production from the plate in the bottom half of the fourth and fifth inning, adding three more runs to make it a 5-1 score.  The Vikings answered back in the top of the sixth, as both Johnson and Bearden singled, Alton brought home a runner with another single.  Later in the at-bat, Senior Leftfielder Shumpei Kaneko (Saitama, Japan) followed with a grounder to allow Bearden to reach home safely to close the gap down to 5-3.  The Wildcats responded in the bottom half of the sixth, using two hits to produce three runs.  Missouri Valley was unable to put a runner on-base in the top of the seventh, and fell by a final score of 8-3.

Bearden led with two hits, two runs and one RBI, while Alton had two hits and one RBI.  Johnson added one hit and one scored run, and Kaneko finished with an RBI.  

The season comes to an end for Missouri Valley with a record of 3-45 overall, and with a 3-25 in the Heart.  Baker improves to 29-20 on the season and 16-12 in the conference. 

Game 1 Box Score-Click Here

Game 2 Box Score-Click Here

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.