Pitcher/outfielder Jake Henry Williams stands ready at bat.

Now that football season has officially come to a close with the Super Bowl, baseball season is in full swing as the Red Wolves are prepared to take the work from last season and make a major push in title contention.

After a 26-27 season that ended with a first-round loss to Georgia Southern in the Sun Belt conference tournament last year, the A-State baseball team has spent the offseason learning from their mistakes.

One of the big ways the team has worked on the holes in its schemes from 2025 is through recruiting. The incoming class of 2026 signees filled up with 25 new players from both the transfer portal and high school scouting. 

While having a few concerns about experience with the new guys, Head Coach Mike Silva said he still has faith that the players he chose have the potential to be as good or even better than the veterans of the team.

“Those guys are as talented as anybody in our locker room,” Silva said. “They’re going to get exposed probably at times, and how they handle that is going to dictate a lot of the success.”

While picking up some new faces for the dugout, the long-time Red Wolves have made sure they don’t fall behind in the fight for the starting lineup. Their work with strength and conditioning coach Zach Arn and assistant athletic trainer Justin Perreault from the offseason was noted as a major source of their work towards increasing the standard at which they play.

Through their training, they not only improved their strength and agility, but have also found renewed energy and confidence from their offseason work. 

“Their energy, enthusiasm, and excitement level to go and play, I would say even from a year ago, is higher,” Silva said.

While the talent is all there for this Red Wolves team, there is the question posed of whether or not the team can make the plays to keep their strategies together when emotions are at their peak. 

“It’s really going to come down to execution,” Silva said. “Did you go out? Can you stay within yourself and do your job at a high level and trust it?”

When this team plays at its best, Silva said he believes this will be a resilient team that can withstand anything thrown at it. Beyond the whole, he believes each player has their own individual skill set that will be utilized in some way to work around even the most talented teams in the league. 

“We feel like each player has an idea of their identity,” Silva said. “I think they know that we have to continue to improve through the course of the season and we have to be able to win in a multitude of ways.”

Even with the talent and strategy, this season has a bit of doubt cast onto it with uncertainty. However, Silva said no matter how this 2026 campaign turns out, it will be a test to determine where this program is in its development.

“This year is a measuring stick,” Silva said. “It’s not going to be easy. We’re not going to go undefeated. We’re going to face a lot of adversity.”

What is known for this team is that the city of Jonesboro will continue to support them through thick and thin during the course of this season. Beyond that, this program is continuing to blossom into something great under the leadership of Silva and the backing of the fanbase that will become a destination for recruits across the country.

“Our strength is our community. If we get a recruit in for a weekend, I like our chances,” Silva said. “They get a chance to be around you guys and the people that live here because this is a really special place to live.”

The Red Wolves baseball team will hope for the community to show out this weekend for their season opener series against the Stony Brook Seawolves, where they plan to put on full display the fruits of their offseason progress. 

Categories: Sports