Hope Bobcat Baseball season preview

Top row from left to right: Jaiden Brown, Breyden Brawner, Heath Bane, Xander Coronado, L’alien Bolliet, Drake Mathis, Riley Bramlett.
Bottom Row left to right: Sam Johnson, Aiden Dean, Israel Juarez, Cayden Haywood, Austin Courtney.

HOPE – With the start of the 2026 Hope baseball less than a week away, we decided to interview a group of Hope Bobcat baseball players to investigate the upcoming season and the players representing our school.

Riley Bramlett
Reporter: What positions do you play?
Riley: “I play second base primarily but I’m also a pitcher.”
Reporter: What do you bring to the team?
Riley: “I bring a piece of the energy and will make plays for my team.”
Reporter: What skills are crucial to success this season?
Riley: “We all need to work on the mental side of the game. It’s crucial to get back up after an error or get on base your next at bat after a strikeout. Overall, mental toughness is vital.”
Reporter: In one word, describe this team.
Riley: “Fighters”
Reporter: What are your expectations for the season?
Riley: “I expect us to be confident enough to win games and battle every single pitch.”
Reporter: How would you describe the coaching staff?
Riley: “They are some of the best there are.”
Reporter: What is the strongest aspect of the team?
Riley: “Hitting is pretty strong and our defense is getting to that point.”
Reporter: Who is an underrated player to look out for this season?
Riley: “Donny Reaves. This guy comes out every day to play ball and makes plays. He’s knocked on the door of some home runs as well. Overall, he’s a well rounded ball player that shouldn’t be taken for granted.”
Reporter: What is your favorite baseball team?
Riley: “The New York Yankees.”
Reporter: How has playing baseball affected your life?
Riley: It makes me think hard and quick. It sharpens my reactions which hones my focus and keeps me locked in. I appreciate the guys around me and the coaches we have guiding us.

Jaiden Brown
Reporter: What positions do you play?
Jaiden: “I pitch and play shortstop.”
Reporter: What do you bring to the team?
Jaiden: “I bring leadership and I help us to be a team.”
Reporter: What are your expectations for this season?
Jaiden: “I hope we will improve and be a winning team.”
Reporter: What does the team hope to prove this season?
Jaiden: “I hope that we prove that we are better than a lot of teams.”
Reporter: What qualities make a team better?
Jaiden: “Everybody showing up to practice everyday and putting in hard work.”
Reporter: What does baseball mean to you?
Jaiden: “I have grown up playing baseball and it has meant a lot to me.”
Reporter: What do you hope to accomplish this season
Jaiden: “I hope I can help win us several games this season.”
Reporter: What does a winning mindset look like to you?
Jaiden: “When everybody is hyped to play baseball and everybody comes to practice to work hard.”
Reporter: What is your favorite baseball memory?
Jaiden: “Playing coach pitch and hitting great.”
Reporter: What makes a coach great?
Jaiden: “When coaches pick up their players when they feel down and them coaching us through even the little stuff to make us better players.”

Austin Courtney
Reporter: What positions do you play?
Austin: “I am mainly in center field, but I also play pitcher, as well. Most of the times we play conference games, I am the number one pitcher.”
Reporter: What do you bring to the team?
Austin: “I like to bring the energy before our games when we are trying to get hype, and I also like to bring confidence to our younger guys.”
Reporter: What are some strengths and weaknesses for the team?
Austin: “Starting with weaknesses, I would say the inexperience we have with several younger guys on the team. For strengths, we have some really good older players on the team that will help lead the way as well as show an example as to how to play the game.”
Reporter: Who are some key players this season?
Austin: “We have our senior, Israel Juarez, our third baseman, as well as our juniors, me, Jaiden Brown, Sam Johnson, and Drake Mathis.”
Reporter: What is your favorite part about baseball?
Austin: “Just getting to go out there, having fun, and doing the thing I love. I have played baseball my whole life and getting to play with friends and have my family come out and watch has been fun.”
Reporter: What did you improve on most for this season?
Austin: “Definitely hitting. Last year I was mainly trying to work on pitching, but this year I have tried to step up to be a better hitter.”
Reporter: What teams are you looking forward to playing this season?
Austin: “We are in a very tough conference with Nashville for example. I grew up with a bunch of Nashville guys so for sure Nashville will be fun to play. Prescott and De Queen will also be very fun to play.”
Reporter: What are your goals for this season?
Austin: “For me, I want to first of all have a successful season at the plate and improve from what I did last year. I also hope to progress in pitching and go out there and duel like I usually do.”
Reporter: What are your expectations for the team this season?
Austin: “Our expectations this season from preseason until now have been to win, that is the whole goal. So we have our mind set on going out there, working hard, and winning.”
Reporter: Who is your favorite baseball player?
Austin: “I always grew up as a Mike Trout fan, but I have always been a Chicago Cubs guy so Anthony Rizzo is always my guy, so I would say Anthony Rizzo.”

Sam Johnson
Reporter: What positions do you play?
Sam: “I catch and I pitch.”
Reporter: What do you bring to the team?
Sam: “I think I help bring the team closer together and be able to communicate with each other.”
Reporter: What was one thing you focused on in the offseason to improve?
Sam: “Definitely my batting. I have also focused on my pitching.”
Reporter: How has coach Martindale and staff helped the team?
Sam: “The coaching staff has helped make the team more uniform and more active in the program as well as bringing the team together to realize baseball is a team effort.”
Reporter: What are your expectations for this season?
Sam: “I am very hopeful for this season. I believe we can win a lot more games this year than last year. I also hope we will keep growing together as a team.”
Reporter: What skills are crucial to having a successful season?
Sam: “Defense and batting are the main skills of course but being able to work as a team is just as important.”
Reporter: What does success mean to you?
Sam: “Success is more than just winning a game. It is improving on the mistakes we have made in the past. Hopefully we are going to be a lot more successful this year even if we do not win everything.”
Reporter: What teams might be tough to play this season?
Sam: “Probably Arkadelphia and Nashville.”
Reporter: What got you into baseball?
Sam: “My dad played college baseball and my brother played for Hope and is playing college baseball right now, so I have just grown up with this game.”
Reporter: What makes a good teammate?
Sam: “One that is always standing by ready to help and ready to work with the team.”

We will be covering the 2026 Hope Bobcat Baseball season starting with Hope’s away game at Malvern next Tuesday on February 24th. We hope you are as excited as we are to watch this team play and go Bobcats!