Baseball 4/28/2026 10:08:00 AM

No. 5 Buccaneers rally past Wharton County to claim fourth consecutive South crown

Blinn clawed back from a 10-2 hole to clinch the title and earn home-field advantage for the South Regional Tournament

Baseball 4/28/2026 10:08:00 AM

No. 5 Buccaneers rally past Wharton County to claim fourth consecutive South crown

Blinn clawed back from a 10-2 hole to clinch the title and earn home-field advantage for the South Regional Tournament

At this point, Blinn College baseball winning the Region 14 South has become less a question of if and more a matter of when.

This time, it came in the form of a wild 18-11 win over Wharton County Junior College on Monday in Wharton, Texas.

The fifth-ranked Buccaneers rallied from a 10-2 deficit to clinch their fourth consecutive South regular-season title in the opener of a four-game series with the Pioneers.

Blinn (37-12, 25-7 South) will also host the Region 14 South Regional Tournament for the fourth consecutive year.

"We wanted to play postseason games at home, so the first goal of the season was to win the conference and host the regional," Bucs fourth-year head coach Dusty Hart said. "It's not going to get any easier, but having the opportunity to stay home and play at your own ballpark is far more advantageous than spending several days on the road. We're excited to play more baseball in Brenham."

Early in Monday's matchup, it appeared Blinn would need to wait another day to clinch.

The Pioneers — who required a series sweep to overtake the Bucs in the standings — built a 10-2 lead through two innings.

After Blinn got an RBI double from freshman catcher Zachary Tuxhorn and a run-scoring single from freshman designated hitter Austin Glasscock in the top of the first, Wharton County answered with six runs in the bottom half.

The hosts added four more in the second.

"At that point, you just have to turn off the scoreboard in your mind, which is easier said than done," Hart said. "If you can do that and play the game the way it's meant to be played, you can give yourself a shot. That's what good teams do, and we put our heads down and battled."

Hart also credited redshirt freshman pitcher Tucker Tittle for a gritty effort that kept the Bucs within striking distance.

After sophomore starter Hayden Morris was chased in the second inning, Tittle came on in relief and worked 3 2/3 innings. He allowed four runs on seven hits with one walk and two strikeouts, but also delivered a scoreless third and recorded two outs in a scoreless fourth.

"His stat line wasn't spotless, but he came in in a tough spot and did the job we asked of him," Hart said. "When your players see a guy like Tittle — who hasn't pitched much — go out there and perform like that, it inspires everyone to play a little harder."

The Bucs began their comeback in the third when freshman third baseman Ryley Leininger made it 10-3 with an RBI double.

In the fourth, Blinn closed the gap further as sophomore infielder Drew Britton doubled in a pair of runs and Glasscock drew a bases-loaded walk to make it 10-6.

The rally continued in the fifth as Britton added an RBI groundout, sophomore utility player Benji Barrera drove in two with a single, and Leininger tied the game with an RBI base hit.

After the Pioneers briefly regained the lead in the bottom of the inning, Blinn surged ahead in the seventh.

Leininger drew a bases-loaded walk to tie the game for the final time before sophomore outfielder Reece Lunsford followed with an RBI groundout to give the Bucs the lead for good.

The game broke open in the eighth.

Tuxhorn plated a run with a single before Glasscock blasted his first home run of the season — a three-run shot to right field — for a 16-11 cushion.

"Austin picked a great time for his first collegiate homer," Hart said. "He's a guy who earned that designated hitter spot late in the season and has answered the call in a big way. Whether it's him or Tittle, winning takes everyone in the dugout. You don't accidentally win conference championships."

Blinn added two more runs in the ninth on Britton's bases-loaded walk and a Tuxhorn sacrifice fly.

The Bucs finished with 14 hits, with eight starters recording at least one. The lineup also drew 16 walks, including an impressive five by Lunsford.

Tuxhorn had three hits, drove in three runs, and scored five times. Britton and Glasscock each had two hits and four RBIs, while Leininger added two hits and three RBIs. Barrera drove in two runs.

Following Tittle's outing, three Blinn relievers combined for 4 1/3 scoreless innings.

Freshman Bo Collingwood (1-1) recorded the final out of the fifth and worked the sixth, allowing one walk while earning his first collegiate victory.

Redshirt freshman Landon Bowden struck out two during a scoreless seventh, and redshirt freshman Marc Barnhard tossed two scoreless innings with three walks and three strikeouts.

"Our bullpen was every bit as important to the comeback as our hitters," Hart said. "It starts and ends with pitching."

The series resumes at 6 p.m. Tuesday at Leroy Dreyer Field in Brenham, Texas. The game was moved up from Thursday due to inclement weather.

Blinn has competed in intercollegiate athletics since 1903 and captured 53 national championships since 1987.

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