STLCC Archers baseball team wins their first round of playoffs against
Jefferson College and heads to Joplin to face Crowder College.
By: Lindsey Unnerstall
Sports Editor
he STLCC Archers baseball team closes out their 2026 spring season with an almost even record of 24 wins to 25 losses. The guys team made it through their first round of the post-season after a three-game
series against Jefferson College, with the Archers winning the final game in the 11th inning and upsetting the No. 2 seed team. The win comes after the Archers previous four losses to Jefferson at the beginning of the season.
The team advances to the NJCAA Region 16 Tournament in Joplin, Missouri and faces Crowder College in their next game on May 7. The outcome of the May 7 game will determine if the Archers will continue in
the play-offs or end their season in Joplin.
Sophomore pitcher Mason Mitchell has played baseball all of his life and reflects on this season as one of the best in his career and attributes it to the team of guys and their hard working energy.
“The vibe of the team is the best. People love to be at the field. People love playing the sport. There’s
nobody on this team, I doubt, that doesn’t want to be here. They all want to have fun and they all
want to go play as best they can,” said Mitchell.
From the off-season to the post-season, the Archers are dedicated and hard at work, putting in hours
at both the weight room and the field, working on technicalities, strategies and everything in
between. Although they undergo months without any real games or competition, the team uses the
time to fine-tune everything from their pitches to bunt coverages and base running strategies.
“That’s one thing that us pitchers work on is just how much stronger we can get for the
season. Working on our pitches, working on our mechanics heavily in the offseason, just getting ready for that first game is the biggest thing,” Mitchell said. “So we go all in on working out and working on our skills.”
Sophomore first-basemen and outfielder Nick Bonczkowksi has also thoroughly enjoyed his time with the Archers and plans to take the STLCC skills he’s learned into UMSL this coming fall in terms of baseball and his sports management major. After an injury left him sitting out the entirety of last year’s season, Bonczkowski hit the gas this year with a buzz of energy.
“My hope is to continue playing the game and just enjoy every second. There’s only a few years left of college, so just enjoying the moment and enjoying the memories of meeting new teammates, learning, growing together and just enjoying the game of baseball,” Bonczkowksi said.
Both boys agreed that their biggest struggle as a team this season has been staying consistent and keeping their heads in the game when they start to lose.
“Usually when we get down in games, I would say about more than half the time we just let off the gas. We kind of lose confidence,” Mitchell said. “But whenever we’re on and we’re playing really good, we keep that momentum going, and we’re, in my opinion, probably one of the best teams in the region.”
After a long season of non-stop hard work, the team heads into the post-season with a mindset to have fun, play the game and enjoy every moment and every memory.
“We’ve been, as a group, realizing that you only get a few more guaranteed games, so [we’re] really enjoying the little moments together and just playing free,” Bonczkowski said. “We kind of
are having the ‘there’s nothing to lose’ mindset which has brought the team even closer these last few weeks.”
The team has found that holding each other accountable, being mentors and putting their heart in every single game is what has brought them this far. Whether or not they continue to advance in the
playoffs, they’ve got memories and friends that will last way beyond baseball.
“So just giving it your all and having the sophomores who had been there the year prior to take some of the freshmen under their wing, just helping them out, guiding them on the right path and just building that team chemistry that translates into games,” Bonczkowski said about the team’s mentality during the year.
As for the team’s upcoming game against Crowder College, the boys are playing to win and most of all, have a good time.
“We’re just gonna go in there and play as hard as we possibly can. We are actually pretty confident, more confident than we thought we would be,” said Mitchell. “My mindset is to just go in there and play our hearts out. Go in, win a series, and hopefully we move on.”
