MA baseball ready for new season
Coach Dustin Skelton knows one thing for certain about his 2026 Marshall Academy baseball team.
“It will be a group that will be fun to watch,” he said. “I’m really looking forward to watching us compete.”
The Patriots begin a new season this Friday, weather permitting, at Bayou Academy in Cleveland. They are scheduled to play in the Hernando Jamboree Saturday. Next Monday, Feb. 9, they visit Olive Branch, and next Tuesday, Feb. 10, they host Heritage Academy.
Skelton, entering his fourth year as head coach, has four returning starters from last season’s 26-12 squad that was a win short of the Class 3A championship series. There are nine players back overall.
Top returning players, he said, are shortstop Gage Todd and first baseman Kyler Todd.
Newcomers who should be a huge pickup include pitcher Landon Loper and a versatile Dominick Green.
“I am looking for huge years from them,” Skelton said. “Dom is a transfer 10th grader. He can pitch, catch and play third base. He’s a good teammate and a great kid in the classroom. I am very excited to watch him develop this year.”
The makeup of this year’s Marshall diamond squad will be a bit unique, he said, in that it will include 11 sophomores. He said team unity is strong.
“This will be a very close-knit group that works hard every day and gets after it on the field,” Skelton said. “We focus on the little things because those show up in critical situations when you need them most.”
He said the Patriots should be solid defensively and also competitive in the batter’s box.
“They will fight until the end,” Skelton said. “There will be no quit in this bunch.” Pitching will be a key to the team’s success, plus making timely plays behind the pitchers.
“We are only returning two arms on the mound so it is going to be a challenge to see what new guys step up and compete for us,” he said.
District 1-3A foes will be Kirk, North Delta, Lee (Clarksdale), Rossville and West Memphis.
“The schedule is tough,” said Skelton, mentioning opponents like Hernando, DeSoto Central, Lewisburg and Magnolia Heights. “It’s good to play those schools early to really see where our focus level is as a club and see where we can grow from there.”