Stephen F. Austin
3-0
Mississippi Valley State
0-3
Jacks Strong Again in Saturday Win over Mississippi Valley
2/14/2026 5:08:00 PM | Baseball
SFA pushes across 14 runs, uses strong start from LeBlanc, quality relief work for 3-0 start
LeBlanc struck out four batters in his start and used three fly outs and five ground outs before giving way to Jonathan Valdez in the fifth. Valdez went 1.1 innings allowing four hits and two earned runs. Valdez collected three Ks as did Andrew Wenske and Adrian Rubio who worked the eighth and ninth innings, respectively. It was Elian Balmaceda that went 1.2 innings following Valdez's stint and faced two over the minimum to limit the damage and set the table for Wenske and Rubio's successful outings.
Cermodrick Bland enjoyed a 3-for-3 day at the plate which started with a leadoff single in a first inning that saw the Jacks plate four runs on two hits, the other a Julian Swift two-run double, while also using consecutive RBI ground outs by Mark Henning and Ethan Pena.
Jhett Creel's hot start to the season continued in the fourth as a two-run single put the Jacks up 6-0. MVSU scratched a single run in the fifth and added four more in the sixth, but the Jacks plated multiple runs in four of the final five innings, including a three-run seventh that supplied runs via a Josh Ibe walk, a sac fly from Swift and a balk.
POSTGAME NOTES
- The Jacks are 3-0 to start a campaign for the first time since 2010 and for just the second time since the program's revival in 2006
- SFA registered its third-consecutive game with 14+ runs and the 13th game under Vanderburg with 10+ runs
- Bland recorded his third three-hit game of the season, while Swift registered his second multi-hit game
- Bland, Creel, Swift and Rodric Black have recorded a hit in all three games this season
- Creel has registered multiple RBIs in each game of the series and has seven for the season
- SFA arms have totaled 40 strikeouts in 23 innings allowing just four walks
The Jacks and Delta Devils return to Pilgrim's Park on Sunday at 1 p.m. to wrap up the series. Live coverage links will be available at www.SFAjacks.com.
LIVE COVERAGE
Watch: ESPN+
PxP: Alex Del Barrio; Color: Stuart Paul
Stats: Game 4
SECURE YOUR SEATS TODAY
Single game tickets for all SFA baseball home games are available now. Fans interested in purchasing season ticket packages can secure their seats here. Don't miss out on all the exciting action from Pilgrim's Park this season!
THE 'JACKS HAVE GONE MOBILE
SFA Athletics' newest mobile phone application is designed to bring Lumberjack fans closer to the action than ever before. Available now on both the App Store and Google Play, the new SFA Athletics app delivers schedules, scores, rosters, news, ticket access, and exclusive content right to your phone. Fans can also receive push notifications, so they never miss a moment of the action. Download now: Official SFA Athletics App.
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Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Balmaceda, Elian (1-0)
L: Jones, Jace (0-1)
Batting:
2B: Williams, Eric 1 ; Ramos, Isreal 1 ; Landaz, Stephen 1 ; Soeder, Christopher 1
RBI: Ramos, Isreal 1 ; Landaz, Stephen 1 ; Bufford, Noah 1 ; Soeder, Christopher 1
SF: Landaz, Stephen 1 ; Bufford, Noah 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Aoki, Tanner 1 ; Huelsing, Gabriel 1 ; Williams, Eric 1 ; Soeder, Christopher 2
HBP: Soeder, Christopher 1
Batting:
2B: Swift, Julian 1
3B: Bland, Cermodrick 1
RBI: Peña, Ethan 2 ; Schneider, Cooper 2 ; Henning, Mark 1 ; Ibe, Josh 2 ; Swift, Julian 3 ; Creel, Jhett 2
SF: Peña, Ethan 1 ; Swift, Julian 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Bland, Cermodrick 4 ; Schneider, Cooper 1 ; Henning, Mark 2 ; Adkisson, Ethan 1 ; Ibe, Josh 1 ; Swift, Julian 1 ; Creel, Jhett 3 ; Black, Rodric 1
SB: Bland, Cermodrick 2 ; Schneider, Cooper 1 ; Henning, Mark 2 ; Swift, Julian 2 ; Black, Rodric 2
HBP: Bland, Cermodrick 1
