Ranger baseball set to start 2025 season
Key Points
- Northwest Mississippi Community College looks to build on a 31-19 record from 2025.
- Head Coach Mark Carson emphasizes a veteran bullpen and the return of 15 sophomores.
- Sophomore Mason McMillin returns to lead the offense after pacing the team in hits and home runs last season.
SENATOBIA, Miss. — Coming off a 31-19 season that saw 62 percent of the roster’s hits produced by then-freshmen, the Northwest Mississippi Community College Rangers are set to transform that youthful potential into a veteran-led run for the 2026 season.
The Rangers kick off their campaign at Jim Miles Field today with a noon doubleheader against Missouri State-West Plains. For Head Coach Mark Carson, the benchmark for success remains consistent: surpassing the 30-win mark and facilitating player transitions to four-year programs.
“The state of Mississippi junior college baseball is second to none as far as the competitiveness and the balance,” Carson said. “One through 15 is really good. You can go out there and get beat any day by anybody.”
Pitching and Depth
Carson enters the season with a roster split between 15 sophomores and 16 freshmen. The pitching staff, a critical component in a league where teams play 32 innings per week, returns a deep rotation. Sophomore right-handers Eli Deberry, Jace Robinson, Brady Stinnett, and Tyler Sullivan, along with left-hander Will Howell, all logged at least 20 innings last year.
Offensive Outlook
Offensively, the Rangers will lean on outfielder Mason McMillin, who led the team last season in hits and home runs. The current sophomore class accounted for 50 percent of the team’s total RBIs in 2025, providing a sturdy foundation for incoming freshmen like two-way players Preston Johnson and Caleb Doty.
Despite a disappointing exit in the NJCAA Region 23 Tournament last May, Carson believes the experience of playing in a conference that produced 50 percent of the 2025 NJCAA Division II World Series final four will pay dividends.
