(Winter Haven, FL.) – Waubonsee Community College's baseball team has basically been either on or off thus far in the early part of their 2026 season. Before they embarked on their annual Spring Trip the Chiefs took advantage of some unseasonably warm temperatures in late February and early March to get in seven games in Illinois. Unfortunately, they lost all seven of them including dropping an 8-4 decision at highly touted Heartland Community College and suffering a heartbreaking 11-10 defeat at Triton College on a walk-off, two-run homer. Waubonsee then turned things around with four straight wins to begin their 8-day, 10-game excursion to central Florida. However, after a pair of losses today the 'streaky' Chiefs have dropped their last four games in the Sunshine State. Waubonsee (4-11) will wrap up its' 'southern swing' with a doubleheader tomorrow, Thursday, March 19 against perennial NJCAA Division I power Delgado (LA) Community College at the Disney Wide World of Sports Complex in Orlando.
The Chiefs pounded Tompkins Courtland (NY) Community College twice to begin their Florida trip. Waubonsee blanked the Panthers 10-0 and followed it up with a 15-2 victory to sweep their doubleheader on March 14 at the Lake Myrtle Sports Complex in Auburndale, Florida. In the first game Donovan Williams jump started the Chiefs offensive outburst by tripling to center field. Jacob Cronshaw then smashed a home run to right field on the very next pitch and by the time the inning ended Waubonsee had scored four more times to take control. Cronshaw then led off the bottom of the second with another home run to right field on the second pitch he saw to make it 7-0. The sophomore from Yorkville finished with three hits, while Ben Hernandez and Aaron Hernandez each registered a pair of hits. Starting pitcher Michael Delgado got the win tossing three hitless and scoreless innings. In game two Coach Alex Hales' Chiefs led just 4-0 heading into the top of the seventh before erupting for 11 runs to break it open. Waubonsee booked four hits and took full advantage of six walks, two hit batters and an error by the Panthers. Brogan Mello earned the pitching victory allowing four hits and no runs over five innings of work.
The following day Waubonsee downed North Dakota State College of Science 7-1. Sam Carroll drove in three runs with a pair of hits and Williams also tallied two hits, walked twice and scored three times. Jake Niedzwiedz picked up his first collegiate win by allowing just one run on two hits over four innings. Cooper Matheny tossed four shutout innings, and Ivan Acevedo pitched a scoreless ninth frame inducing a game-ending double-play. The Chiefs extended their winning streak to four games on March 16 as they topped Holyoke (MA) Community College 3-0 in a game shortened by lightning at the Chain of Lakes Baseball Complex. An infield single by Ethan Cusack and a line drive single to right field by Max Smith each plated a run in the bottom of the second. Waubonsee tacked on a third run in the fourth inning when Williams slapped a single through the right side of the infield to drive in Cusack who had singled two batters earlier. Waubonsee sophomore right-hander Brady Nied picked up the win by shutting out the Cougars over five innings, giving up just one hit while striking out seven and walking two.
After the storm passed, the Chiefs were poised to sweep the doubleheader from Holyoke as they grabbed a 6-0 lead in the sixth inning of game two. Cronshaw drilled a triple on the way to recording two hits and knocking in two runs, and Ben Hernandez smacked a two-run double to lead the offense. Waubonsee held a 6-3 lead in the bottom of the seventh with two outs and no one on base, one out away from victory. Things then monumentally unraveled as the Cougars rallied to win 7-6 with two hits and courtesy of five walks by Waubonsee pitching, including a walk-off base on balls to end the game. On March 17 Waubonsee fell 10-5 to the University of Connecticut-Avery Point despite a 4 for 5 performance by Ben Hernandez. The left-handed first baseman ripped a pair of doubles and drove in two runs in the loss.
Waubonsee then dropped a pair of games today as they fell to Triton College 8-3 and to 18th ranked Northern Essex (MA) Community College 4-1. The Trojans scored three runs in the bottom of the fifth and three more in the sixth to pull away. Waubonsee managed six hits with J.P. Merlak recording two of them, while Neidzwiedz took the loss on the hill giving up three earned runs over five innings pitched. In the loss to Northern Essex it was the Chiefs' defense that faltered. Mello went four innings allowing only three hits and three runs in the second inning, all unearned, while striking out four and walking one. Down to their final out, the Chiefs avoided the shutout as Hayden Bailey lined a pinch-hit single to right to score Aaron Klemm who had drawn a lead-off walk in the bottom of the seventh.