CANYON, Texas — St. Edward's baseball opened the 2026 season Friday afternoon with a hard-fought but uneven 13–7 loss to West Texas A&M at Wilder Park, a game that featured early missed chances, a decisive middle stretch by the Buffs, and a late Hilltopper rally that showed the resilience of a new-look lineup.
The opener began quietly, with both teams scoreless through two innings as
CAMDEN WHITE worked around early traffic and the Hilltoppers tested West Texas A&M starter Cade Griffin without breaking through. That changed in the bottom of the third, when the Buffs strung together extra-base hits to seize momentum. After Daniel Castellanos doubled to left-center, Jacob Police tripled to right to drive in the game's first run, and Zac Rackham followed with an RBI single to give the home side a 2–0 edge.
West Texas A&M extended the lead in the fourth, capitalizing on defensive miscues and hit-by-pitches to score three unearned runs and stretch the margin to five. St. Edward's found itself chasing early, but the response came in the fifth inning when
TREVOR SEBEK singled and
BOSTON LEE launched a two-run homer down the right-field line, cutting the deficit to 5–2 and providing the Hilltoppers with their first offensive spark of the season.
The Buffs answered immediately in the bottom half of the frame. Brock Bunker doubled and stole third before Timothy Haynes lifted a two-run homer to left, pushing the lead back to five and halting SEU's momentum. Still, the Hilltoppers continued to grind out quality at-bats, manufacturing a run in the sixth when
DYLAN TATE scored on a ground-ball double play to make it 7–3.
St. Edward's kept pressing in the seventh. Sebek reached again and eventually scored on another productive grounder, trimming the deficit to 8–4 and keeping the Hilltoppers within striking distance. Any thoughts of a quick turnaround were answered in the bottom of the inning, however, as West Texas A&M erupted for five runs, using a mix of doubles, hit batters, and a two-RBI single from Anthony Picciano to open up a 13–4 advantage.
Refusing to fold, SEU mounted its strongest push in the eighth.
CONNOR COX doubled to left-center,
BEN MERRIMAN worked another of his five walks on the day, and
AUSTIN PAGE was hit by a pitch to load the bases.
NICO RUEDAS followed with a two-RBI single to left-center, pulling the Hilltoppers back within seven and extending the inning.
St. Edward's added one more run in the ninth when Merriman walked, stole second, and scored on Page's RBI single to left-center, capping a seven-run, 11-hit afternoon. Sebek led the offense with three hits and two runs scored, while Merriman reached base five times and sparked the late rally. Lee finished with two RBIs in his Hilltopper debut, and Ruedas drove in two more as SEU continued to apply pressure deep into the game.
White took the loss in his season debut, working four innings, while the bullpen faced sustained pressure across the middle frames. Despite the final score, the opener offered encouraging signs — a lineup willing to work counts, produce situational offense, and continue competing through nine innings.
The Hilltoppers will look to clean up defensive execution and carry their late-game energy forward as the season-opening series continues, aiming to turn flashes of offensive depth into sustained momentum as the 2026 campaign moves ahead. Saturday's game has been pushed back to 2:00 p.m. to allow for warmer temperatures.
