LINCOLN, Calif. – Jessup baseball (1-0) team opened the 2026 season in spectacular fashion on Friday afternoon, using a barrage of home runs and a dominant bullpen effort to secure the victory over Chico State University (0-1) at McBean Park, 9-1.
Junior center fielder Tony Otis provided the early fireworks, while Cody Antone put the game out of reach late as the Warriors dismantled the Wildcats in front of an enthusiastic home crowd.
The Warriors didn't take long to welcome Chico State to Lincoln. In the bottom of the first, Cody Antone reached on a single before Otis cleared the center-field fence for a two-run home run, giving Jessup an immediate 2-0 lead.
One inning later, it was a case of déjà vu. After Antone drew a walk and stole second, Otis stepped up and launched his second two-run blast of the day, this time to left field, extending the lead to 4-0.
Chico State managed to scratch across their only run of the game in the fourth inning on an RBI single by Myles Walton, but the Jessup pitching staff buckled down to prevent any further damage, leaving the bases loaded, 9-1.
The Warriors added an insurance run in the sixth when Ryne Miller drew a bases-loaded walk to score Hideo Hirayama. The knockout blow arrived in the seventh; with the bases full of Warriors, Cody Antone hammered a grand slam to right-center field, pushing the advantage to 9-1 and effectively sealing the season-opening win.
The Warriors' victory was fueled by elite individual performances and disciplined team execution, headlined by the power bats of Tony Otis and Cody Antone. Otis finished the day an incredible 2-for-3 with two home runs, four RBIs, and two walks, while Antone mirrored that production by going 2-for-4 with a massive grand slam, four RBIs, three runs scored, and a stolen base.
This offensive onslaught was supported by a patient approach at the plate, as Jessup's hitters showed remarkable discipline to draw nine walks as a team to complement their 10 hits. On the mound, the Jessup bullpen proved to be lights out, led by Joey Guarienti, who earned the win with 1.1 innings of hitless relief. The combined efforts of Guarienti, Jason Riviello, and Jordan Cezar were instrumental in keeping the Wildcats off the board during the critical middle innings, effectively stifling any hope of a Chico State comeback.
Head Coach Trevor Paine commented after the win, ""Really happy with how we played today. We looked prepared which is all you can ask for so early in the season. Otis and Antone's big days at the plate set the tone and the pitchers grinded and did a great job navigating their lineup. I also thought we looked really sharp defensively. There is a lot we can improve on but the focus now turns to getting on the road tomorrow morning and going up to Chico to win a series."
The Warriors will look to carry this momentum into the rest of the series. Jessup and Chico State will satisfy a double-header tomorrow, January 31, with the first pitch scheduled for noon.
