SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – Evangel Baseball opens their 2026 campaign on the road in Arizona, taking part in the Coach Calderone Invitational, looking to compete with some tough west coast competition.
Evangel will take on Arizona Christian on Thursday (Jan. 22) night at 8:00 PM CT, followed by a matchup with Embry-Riddle at 11:00 AM CT on Friday (Jan. 23) morning. The final matchup of the invitational sees EU taking on Benedictine University-Mesa at 3:00 p.m., on Saturday (Jan. 24) afternoon.
SERIES HISTORY
This will be Evangel's first all-time matchup with the three Arizona schools.
OPENING STORYLINES
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Head Coach Sam Jones leads the Valor in 2026, his second year at the helm, after a 16-34 regular season last year.
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Evangel returns Quentin Edwards (Sr., Rogers, Ark.) and Evan Baptiste (Sr., Hoffman Estates, Ill.), a pair of leaders offensively. Edwards swung a team high .414, the 10th best batting average in a single season at EU, while Baptiste recorded a .312 batting average last year.
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Other notable offensive returners include Heath Perry (39 starts), Matthew Olson (42 starts), and Kannon Perry (28 starts).
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On the mound, Evangel returns Isaac Daley (42 strikeouts), TJ Newman (35 strikeouts), and Cooper Wilken (17 appearances)
UP NEXT
Evangel returns to action on February 3rd at 12:00 p.m. with a doubleheader against longtime rival, College of the Ozarks, in Point Lookout, Missouri.
For the latest information on Evangel Athletics, visit Facebook at Facebook.com/EvangelValor, Twitter (@EvangelValor), or EvangelAthletics.com. Fans can also receive updates on their favorite EU teams by downloading the Evangel Athletics Gameday App through the App Store or Google Play.
