2026 Morton College baseball outlook
2025 record: 25-32 overall, 9-5 in Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference
Head coach: Chris Wido (129-96, four seasons)

Outlook
With returning sophomore and transfers, Morton College's roster features 17 second-year players. Eight of the nine projected opening-day starters are sophomores.

"This is definitely a veteran team," Wido said. "Our expectations are that their experience can be relied on this year. In the fall, we were able to bypass some of the basics. We saw some moments during our fall season the experience at the college level showing itself.

"Our hope is with the guys we've got coming back that they have some understanding of how a junior college season works, an idea of how competitive our region is and the need to be battle tested come playoff time."

After three straight 30-win seasons, the Panthers endured a 2025 campaign where key players dropped like flies with numerous injuries. 

"We need to stay healthy," Wido said. "That did us in last year – we had injuries to key guys."

Finding multi-position players was emphasized when Wido and his staff hit the road to find future Panthers.

"We weren't properly built to fill holes," Wido noted. "The emphasis was finding athletic guys who could play multiple positions and fortify us up the middle." 

The academic side prospered with the Panthers earning NJCAA All-Academic Team honors for a second straight year.

The Panthers rebounded from their slow start by winning 15 of their next 22 games. While Morton College struggled in one-run games, the Panthers managed a memorable 7-6 win in a Sunday afternoon community event hosted by Waubonsee at the Kane County Cougars' Northwestern Medicine Field in Geneva.

Five of Morton College's returning players – Coulson Reidel, Hayden Mosley, Dasaan Lee, Will Lewis, and Jack Roessler, played important roles in that win over Waubonsee. 

Lewis came up with his best effort of the season, allowing one earned run and three hits over four innings to collect the win in relief. Roessler came up with one of five quality starts over the final two months of the campaign, going five innings before turning it over to Lewis. 

Reidel and Lee both had two hits, while Mosley doubled and drove in a run.

"We could have phoned it in, but we didn't," Wido remembered. "Us achieving NJCAA All-Academic honors a second straight year, winning 15 of 22 after that losing streak and the Waubonsee win were great example of how we kept grinding it out every single day." 

Key returning players
C – Dasaan Lee (.271, 3 HR, 35 RBI)
SS – Aidan Brokaw (.314, 2 HR, 13 RBI)
3B – Hayden Mosley (.317, 9 HR, 41 RBI)
LF – Coulson Reidel (.335, 3 HR, 34 RBI)
OF/P – David Garza (.266, 1 HR, 25 RBI)
P – Daniel Basalone (3-2, 10 appearances)
P – Merrick Hill (33 strikeouts, 25 innings)
P – Will Lewis (37 strikeouts, 25.2 innings, 2-4 record in 13 appearances)
P – Lukas Brniak (29 strikeouts, 19 innings)
P – Parker Brown (12 strikeouts, 10.2 innings)
P – Jack Roessler (3-2 record, 43.2 innings).

Around the horn
Catcher – NCAA Division I Grambling State-bound Dasaan Lee, who split time at catcher, first, third and DH in 2025, leads the way with freshmen Quinn Mateja serving as backup.

"Dasaan's really stepped it up," Wido notes.

Pitcher – The starting rotation features sophomores Joshua Quezada, Jack Roessler, Will Lewis and William Ho, a transfer from NJCAA Division II semifinalist Iowa Central. 

Triton transfer Hunter Johnson (3-2, 3.59 ERA, 62 strikeouts in 42.2 innings) is expected to contribute. Johnson also led the Trojans in home runs with 5 to go along with hitting .284 and driving in 21 runs. 

Nathan Byrdak, a right-handed freshman, is being looked as the "go-to reliever late in games," according to Wido.

Jackson Wigstone and Brenden Malley, both 6-5 freshmen, are described by Wido as "high-impact guys." Also keep an eye on freshman left-hander Justin Gibbs, a two-way standout who helped his high school to back-to-back conference championships. Gibbs also will see time in the outfield.

John Rings also figures to be part of the starting rotation as well as in high-leverage relief situations. Merrick Hill is being counted on as a "go-to guy" out of the bullpen.

Joey Zietara, Morton College's ace last year with 2.70 ERA and 68 strikeouts in 63.1 innings, will redshirt in 2026 due to an injury.

First base – Panthers looking to platoon Neil Glynn and Triton transfer Ryan Groberski (.262 BA, 4 HR, 21 RBI). The left-handed hitting Glynn will face right-handers and the right-handed hitting Groberski will be penciled in against left-handers.

Second base – Hunter Johnson gets the nod with Trey Hernandez also expected to be in the mix.

Shortstop – Aidan Brokaw returns. He's one of three returnees who hit over .300 last season.

Third base – Hayden Mosley is back with Hernandez in reserve. Mosley's nine home runs and 41 RBI are tops among Panther returning players.  

Utility – Like his brother, JD Swarbrick, Jack Swarbrick will be the Panthers' "super utility player."

Outfield – Coulson Reidel mans left field. His .335 batting average, .484 on-base percentage and 15 stolen bases are category-bests among Morton College returning players.

Bren Milburn, who swiped an IHSA single-season record 93 bases in 2025 at Crete-Monee, opens in center. Milburn also will play some shortstop as well. Nick Dabrowski, who put up numbers of .331 BA, 4 HR, 25 RBI), gets the call in right field.

David Garza, who hit .266 and knocked in 21 runs in playing a variety of positions last year, also will see time exclusively in the outfield.

Wido sees freshman Donovan Christman as being able to provide power as well as pitch.

More on Morton…
"We're still looking for our offensive identity," Wido notes. "We want to be well-rounded offensively and not be a one-trick pony. One through nine we're very talented. We want to see how the pieces fit in the lineup."

Wido wants the Panthers to be more aggressive on the base paths. The Panthers were 71 of 84 in steal attempts last season.

Skyway switch
The Skyway again has adjusted its baseball format with conference play going to single 9-inning games with Friday/Saturday and Tuesday/Wednesday series rotating with a home and away game. It mirrors the postseason tournament format of nine-inning contests.

"This requires you to use your bullpen and be smart about it," Wido said. "In the old format of seven-inning doubleheaders, you could run your starters out there and if they did well, you didn't need a lot of pitching depth."

Region IV review
"Our region and conference will be very competitive," Wido said. "There's no days off, that's for sure. It seems like a lot of the teams in our region got more competitive. Very few programs have taken steps back since I've been around."

The schedule
Morton College opens against 15th-ranked Parkland at the Vincennes Invitational February 20th in Indiana. The Panthers also will travel to Myrtle Beach and Tennessee for preseason competition. 

The Skyway Conference opener is April 3rd and 4th against defending league champion Elgin.