After a grueling nine month offseason, the McLean Highlander baseball team returned to the diamond to face the Forest Park Bruins for their inaugural game of the 2026 season. Following a bitterly cold winter, the Highlanders turned game one of the young season into an explosive opener on both sides of the ball.
“It was great to finally get back out on the field,” senior Charlie Erlanger said. “We’ve been preparing all offseason to continue the success that we had last season.”
Junior outfielder Adam Wormington took the first at-bat of the season for McLean, lacing a single up the middle. Wormington’s hit ignited a fire for the Highlanders that had been missed during the offseason as McLean would go on to plate four runs in the opening frame, highlighted by a slew of base hits, walks and hit by pitches.
“Getting to notch the first hit of the season was a very cool feeling,” Wormington said. “It was cool to see how excited the bench got when I reached base. Everyone’s energy helped ignite our offense tonight.”
Right-Handed Pitcher Alex Inget flocked to the mound for the Highlanders for his season debut. The sophomore standout wasted no time for McLean, getting two swing-and-miss strikeouts and a flyout to complete the first inning on just 12 pitches.
“I’ve been waiting a long time to get back on the bump,” Inget said. “Last year I did really well, so I want to continue that way of pitching to chase that feeling of excellence and help the team win as many games as possible.”
The runs kept coming for the Highlanders as they tacked on six more in a 20 minute long, marathon half inning to go up 10-0. McLean would end up sending 11 batters to the plate in the frame, all who contributed to the offensive explosion.
“Everyone was on top of it tonight,” Wormington said. “Top to bottom, each person in the lineup was able to contribute to scoring, whether that was getting on base or moving a runner over; everyone helped everyone out.”
Back on defense, Inget would go on to hurl two more innings of no-hit baseball. The righty would allow just one baserunner in three frames, earning the win while tallying four strikeouts. Seniors LHP Colin Tomasulo and RHP Nate Tsitsibelis went on to relieve Inget and each tossed an inning of their own, combining for just one hit surrendered and four strikeouts as McLean would go on to mercy the Bruins 10-0 after five innings of play.
“All of our pitchers dominated tonight,” Inget said. “Getting the no-hitter would have been really cool, but everyone did their job and we were able to pick up a strong first win.”
The win served as a great launch pad to begin the new season for McLean, but the team knows the challenges that lay ahead. The Highlanders will face their first big test of the season as they host the Gainesville Cardinals, the defending state champions, on March 15 in their home opener at 12pm.
“We know what is ahead for the weekend,” Erlanger said. “Gainesville is a strong squad and we know what they are capable of after winning it all last season. We will be ready for them when they come.”
