• DMACC was 25-30 in 2025 and tied for seventh in the ICCAC
• Head coach Nic Mishler says this is the most talented team he has had at DMACC
• Bears will have a sophomore dominated starting lineup

After a one-week hiatus, the DMACC baseball team will finally be able to open the 2026 season. The Bears will play Hutchinson Community College (HCC) in a three-game series Feb. 7 and 8 at Hutchinson, Kan. They'll will face Northeast Oklahoma College-Enid (NOCE) Feb. 9 at Enid, Okla.

DMACC was originally supposed to open the season last weekend against NOCE but the four-game game series was postponed because of a winter snowstorm. The first game of that series has been rescheduled for Feb. 9 and the Bears and NOCE will play a doubleheader Feb. 17, at the end of a six-game road trip to Texas. The final NOCE game has been scheduled for March 1 after a four-game series against Butler Community College (BCC) in El Dorado, Kan.

DMACC is coming off a 25-30 record in 2025, including a 17-16 mark in the Iowa Community College Athletic Conference (ICCAC), giving DMACC a tie for seventh place in the league standings.

"I really like our team," head coach Nic Mishler said. "The group of guys we have seem like a close group. They show up and are ready to work every day and I think that's pretty common with the kids that we recruit. The depth and talent we have is the best that we've had since I've been here."

Mishler said one of the things he likes about his team is that most of the players are able to play more than one position, giving him a lot of options.

"I think we have five infielders who can play every infield position and we have outfielders who are fast enough to play every outfield position," Mishler said. "I think our versatility is good and the depth on the mound should be pretty solid as well."

The starting lineup will be sophomore dominated with Brock Moore of Urbandale at catcher, Adam Leininger of Fargo, N.D., at first base, Blake Crancer of Normal, Ill., at shortstop, Martin Smith of Boone in left field, and Jake Espeland of Des Moines in right field.

Moore batted .300 with four home runs and 23 runs batted in last season. Crancer batted .292 with five home runs and 37 RBIs and Leininger hit .299 with six home runs and 30 RBIs.

Sophomore Trey Franck of Marion had the inside track to an outfield position before suffering a broken hand in practice when he was hit by a pitch. Mishler said Franck is expected to miss about a month.

Second base and third base are up for grabs and sophomores Brady Walton of Waukee, Cole Baumgart of Clarinda and Drake Obermueller of Iowa City are the contenders for those positions.

Sophomores Austin Anderson of Marion and Isaac Zoske of Alleman are behind Moore at catcher, and Mishler said both will see playing time, including Anderson at one of the infield positions.

Freshman competing for starting spots include Nolan Galla of Warrenville, Ill., at either second or third base and Grayson Kirsch of Marion and Drew Owen of Alleman in the outfield.

Pitchers slated to start the HCC series include sophomores Jordan Leininger of Fargo, N.D., Gage Miller of Mandan, N.D., and redshirt freshman Hunter Cook of Polk City. Redshirt freshman Jackson Gwin of Lafayette, Ind., will start the NOCE game.

Leininger had a 1-2 record with a 2.23 earned run average last season and Miller was 2-6 with a 1.94 ERA.

Sophomore Andrew Theiss of Clear Lake is probably the Bears' No. 1 starter but has arm issues and will miss the HCC and NOCE games. He was just 1-3 last season but compiled a 1.83 earned run average and struck out 28 batters in 34 and a third innings.

"We just want to be cautious with him," Mishler said.

Other starting pitcher candidates include sophomore Sebastian Talaga of Palo Hills, Ill., freshman Isaac Zrust of Ladd, Ill., freshman Ben Hites of Oak Creek, Wis., and redshirt freshman Jack Sellnau of Anamosa.

Relief pitchers include redshirt freshman Teeghen Rath of Cedar Falls, sophomore Rhett Pleggenkuhle of Van Meter, freshman Ben Engele of Oakdale, Mont., freshman Greg Noel of Moorhead, Minn., and sophomore Zack Turpin of Waukee.

Mishler said if things are going well with his starting pitchers, they will be limited to about 75 pitches a game through the first three or four weeks of the season.

"The goal is for the starters to get through 90 or so pitches through the first five or six innings and then run some relievers out there," Mishler said. "We throw a lot of guys and we want to keep them as fresh and healthy as possible."

Mishler said he likes the athleticism of his team.

"We will be able to steal bases and go from first to third on base hits quite a bit but we'll also be able to bunt," Mishler said. "I think it's going to be a good mix of guys who can bunt and create some controlled chaos on the bases and with our left-handed hitters we should be able to do some matchups when opponents bring in a left-handed pitcher. We just have versatility and a lot of trust in our guys.

"Our pitchers have shown an ability to fill the strike zone with some pretty good stuff. We have a group that just likes to play hard and play fast and that's a strength for us."

Following their games against HCC and NOCE the Bears will travel to Irvine, Texas, for games against Dallas-North Lake on Feb. 13 and Dallas-Eastfield on Feb. 14 and 15. They'll see NOCE for a doubleheader Feb. 17 at Enid, Okla.