William Penn Open Year with Quartet of Games in Oklahoma

Ponca City, Okla. – The Statesmen baseball team played four contests as it started the 2026 campaign against Waldorf in non-conference action on Saturday and Sunday.

WPU (3-1) started its season with a pair of victories on Saturday, winning 7-2 in the opener, before capping the first day of competition with a 12-0 triumph. 

The navy and gold returned to the diamond Sunday, taking down the Warriors 17-9 in the first matchup of the day, but falling 7-4 to finish the weekend.

WPU 7, Waldorf 2

In their first contest of the season, the Statesmen fell down by a run in top of the second inning before Keoni Young (Sr., Las Vegas, Nev., Exercise Science) got his crew on the board with a solo home run in the bottom of the frame. 

After Andrei Gordeev (Sr., Balashikha, Russia, Business Management) retired the Warriors in order, Shane Mailloux (So., Santee, Calif., Business Management) hit a three-run homer to put William Penn up 4-1 in the third inning. 

William Penn extended its advantage in the fifth inning when McGwire Jephson (Jr., Rigby, Idaho, Business Management) reached on a fielder's choice that pushed Mailloux across the plate.

The sixth frame saw the Statesmen score their last runs of the contest. The first came as a Mailloux single was coupled with the Warrior error to allow Young to come around.  Albert Jaquez (Jr., Gurnee, Ill., Kinesiology) then had a sacrifice fly as Logan Bialek (Jr., South Elgin, Ill., Exercise Science) scored. 

The Warriors scored once more in the top of the seventh, but it was not enough as Garrett Neiman (Jr., Arvada, Colo., Sports Management) recorded the final groundout to seal the victory.

Six Statesmen produced a base knock in the victory, with Mailloux tallying three. He also had a team-high three RBIs. 

Pineda drew three walks as well.

Keoni Young found his way home on three occasions in the opener, while Mailloux made it across twice. 

Gordeev pitched five strong innings to earn the win in his Statesmen debut.  He allowed one run on four hits, while striking out seven. Neiman relieved him and allowed one hit and one run over two frames, while striking out two. 

WPU 12, Waldorf 0

William Penn sustained its momentum in the second contest against the Warriors, initiating the scoring with a four-run second inning. Ened Perez (Jr., Orocovis, P.R., Kinesiology) delivered a two-RBI single to drive in Sawyer Hardman (Jr., American Fork, Utah, Kinesiology) and Young, while Andres Pineda (Sr., Cartagena, Colombia, Business Management) contributed an RBI single. Jephson then lofted a sacrifice fly to score Young and give William Penn a 4-0 lead after two innings.

After a scoreless third, Mailloux hit an RBI single to score Jaquez in the bottom of the fourth.

William Penn added two more runs in the fifth when Pineda and Hardman each delivered RBI singles, allowing Bialek and Mailloux to score and pushing the lead to 7-0.

Following a quick top of the sixth, the Statesmen offense continued to roll. William Penn put runners on first and third before Hardman hit an RBI single to score Mailloux. Aiden North (Jr., Oskaloosa, Iowa, Industrial Technology) followed with an RBI double to score Abraham Arroyo (Grad., Camuy, P.R., Master's of Sports Management). Jaquez then hit an RBI double to bring in Hardman, and Pineda capped the inning with another RBI double, scoring Jaquez on an unearned run.

Eight different Statesmen recorded a hit, led by Pineda and North, who each went 3-for-4 at the plate.

Pineda also tied Perez for the team lead with three RBIs.

Young and Jaquez each had two hits, while Young, Hardman and Jaquez scored two runs apiece.

Mailloux added a hit and drew two walks.

Erik Mejia Jr. (So., Las Vegas, Nev., Exercise Science) collected the win by battling for six frames. He held Waldorf scoreless on two hits, two walks, and six strikeouts. Jack Nesje (Jr., Sioux Falls, S.D., Biology) pitched a perfect seventh inning of relief.

WPU 18, Waldorf 9

WPU and WU combined for 24 hits, and Young delivered two grand slams in Sunday's opener.

The first grand slam came in the top of the first inning when Young delivered in the four-hole to push Jephson, North, and Mailloux across for a quick 4-0 lead.

Waldorf responded with six runs across three innings to take a 6-4 lead entering the top of the fourth.  That is when Jephson hit an RBI single to score Perez. The next batter, North, hit a sacrifice fly that tied the game at 6-6 when Jagger Mitchell (Sr., Rock Springs, Wyo., Business Management) crossed the plate. Mailloux worked a walk in the next at-bat to load the bases for Young again. Young responded with his second grand slam of the contest to score Mailloux, Jephson, and Pineda. Hardman followed with a single, and Bialek entered as a pinch runner. Perez delivered a single to send Bialek home and end the scoring in the fourth inning with William Penn leading 11-6.

The Warriors scored three runs in the bottom of the fifth, however, to cut the deficit to 11-9.

Arroyo drove in Perez and Bialek on an RBI single in the sixth, while William Penn again went to work again in the top of the seventh inning.  The first run of the five-run inning was scored when Hardman was hit by a pitch that pushed Adrian Ayala (Jr., Omaha, Neb., Exercise Science) across the plate.

Jaquez then reached on a fielder's choice, allowing Mailloux to score for a 15-9 lead. Mitchell reached on an error to load the bases, and Pineda singled in an unearned run for Bialek. Jephson followed with an RBI single that scored Jaquez for another unearned run. The final run scored when Mitchell came home from third on a wild pitch.

Nesje then retired the Warriors in order to secure the Statesmen win.

William Penn had eight players record a hit, led by Jephson, who went 4-for-6. Young, Hardman and Pineda each had two hits.

Young had a team-high eight RBIs, highlighted by his two grand slams. Arroyo and Jephson each had two RBIs.

Mailloux and Bialek scored three runs apiece, followed by Jephson, Young, Perez and Mitchell with two.

Ethan Peters (Jr., Hortonville, Wis., Sports Management) earned the win with 3 1/3 innings of work, allowing six hits, six runs, and three walks. Neiman worked the sixth inning, giving up one hit and one walk, while Nesje pitched a perfect seventh to close out the contest.

Waldorf 7, WPU 4

WPU was outhit just 10-9 in its first loss of the season.

The first three and a half innings were scoreless until Waldorf broke through in the bottom of the fourth inning to take a 1-0 lead.

Young responded with a home run to score himself and Mailloux, giving the Statesmen a 2-1 advantage. The Warrior bats erupted in the bottom of the sixth inning for six runs before William Penn was able to retire the side.

After a scoreless sixth, Ayala hit a two-RBI double in the top of the seventh to score Perez and Hardman before a flyout ended the contest in a 7-4 Waldorf win.

Hardman went 3-for-3 with a walk to lead the Statesmen at the plate. Mailloux and Ayala also had two hits apiece, while Young and Ayala each drove in two runs.

Connor Gaddis (Fr., Kansas City, Mo., Exercise Science) was strong out of the bullpen, allowing two hits and a walk in two innings of work.

"It was good to get three wins; we wanted to get four, but had some execution issues," Head Coach Mike Laird said. "All in all, the defense played very well with the infielders making several strong plays. Offensively. Keoni had a great series with three home runs, as well as Mailloux having one. Pineda, Hardman, Mailloux, Jephson, and North also delivered multiple-hit games. Arroyo and North were sidelined Sunday with hamstring issues."

Next Up: William Penn travels to Hannibal, Missouri Friday and Saturday. On Friday, WPU meets Hannibal-LaGrange in a doubleheader beginning at 12 p.m., while Saturday will only be a single nine-inning contest at 12 p.m.