Hutchinson CC Sports Information
WICHITA – The Hutchinson Community College baseball team dug itself too large of a hole to climb out of in a second-round elimination game of the Plains District Tournament on Friday at Eck Stadium.
The Barton Cougars scored eight runs over their first three offensive innings and eliminated the Blue Dragons 13-3 in six innings.
The Blue Dragons end a record-setting offensive season with a record of 46-15. The 2026 Blue Dragons set nine offensive season records this season.
Hutchinson on Thursday rallied from a seven-run deficit to defeat Seward County 18-10. The Blue Dragons trailed Barton 9-0 after 2 1/2 innings on Friday. Then in the third inning, a potential Blue Dragon comeback began when an RBI single from Anthony Mazza and an RBI fielder’s choice from Jackson Schanuel which cut the deficit to seven. Max Flowers singled in Eli Duncan in the fourth to cut the Barton lead to 9-3.
The comeback stopped their as Barton scored four runs in the top of the sixth to close out its victory.
The Blue Dragons had five hits, led by Mazza, who was 2 for 3 with a pair of singled and an RBI.
Schanuel was 1 for 2 with an RBI. Duncan was 1 for 3 with a run scored and Flowers was 1 for 2 with an RBI single.
Starting pitcher Merek Yeager (6-3) suffered the loss going just 1 1-3 innings. Kolby Heskett worked 2 1-3 innings and Lincoln Muller pitched 2 1-3 innings. Barton collected 13 hits. The Dragons collectively had three strikeouts.
The 46 wins this season are fourth most in Blue Dragon Baseball history. Third-year head coach Brock Nehls completes his third season with 137 wins, the most by any Blue Dragon coach in his first three seasons with the program.
The nine Blue Dragon season records the Blue Dragons broke were: Batting average – .386; slugging percentage – .726; runs scored – 721; total hits – 732; doubles – 182; triples – 35 (tied record); home runs – 131; total bases – 1,377; and RBIs – 648.
Mazza concludes a tremendous Blue Dragon career. The future University of Utah player tied for second in career batting average – .429; third in total hits – 171; second in runs scored – 164; school records for doubles – 46 and triples – 12; tied for 12th with 22 home runs; and seventh in RBIs – 122.
Sophomore Eli Duncan tied for third in career home runs with 27.
