Chargers Open Season Looking to Build on GPAC Championship Run

Baseball team wins 2025 GPAC Championship.
Photo by Asi Tupua.

The Briar Cliff baseball team begins its new season this week carrying both momentum and memory, the confidence of a championship run and the emotion of a group determined to do it again.

The Chargers open their regular season February 6 in Ozark, Missouri, where they will face Baker University and Kansas Christian College on the first day of competition. The early matchups mark the start of a season shaped by last year’s success, when Briar Cliff captured the 2025 Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) Baseball Tournament championship with a 6–5 victory over Mount Marty at Bishop Mueller Field in Sioux City. The title earned the program its first NAIA National Tournament appearance since 2015.

Despite that achievement, expectations outside the program remain measured. Briar Cliff was selected fourth in the GPAC Preseason Coaches’ Poll after finishing last season with a 29–24 overall record and a 17–11 mark in conference play. Inside the locker room, however, the focus is less on rankings and more on continuing the culture that fueled last season’s run.

Head coach Corby McGlaufin said the foundation of last year’s team went beyond talent.

“I think it was just all of those guys that truly loved each other,” McGlaufin said. “The toughness is what stood out to me. It was a really tough group of individuals working toward a common goal, and it’s a powerful thing when you have enough guys all on the same side of the road.”

That culture is immediately noticeable to newcomers like freshman Cael Walrod, who is experiencing college baseball for the first time within a championship program.

“It’s definitely been a switch from the high school environment,” Walrod said. “Going into a team that’s coming off a winning season, winning the GPAC is such a big achievement for them. Joining the culture of a winning program has been so fun and something truly different.”

Walrod said preseason training quickly showed him the difference between high school and college athletics.

“It’s definitely been a big jump. The level of competition is a lot higher than what I expected,” he said. “Practices have been a lot harder and more intense than anything I’ve ever done before.”

As opening day approaches, the freshmen’s goals are simple and team-focused.

“Going into the first game is exciting just to see what the team does and hopefully get back to where we were last year,” Walrod said. “Personally, I just want to do whatever I can to help the team get back to that GPAC championship.”

For senior Caleb St. Cyr, the season carries a different kind of meaning. After four years in the program, he has watched Briar Cliff steadily build toward last year’s breakthrough.

“Every year we’ve really improved,” St. Cyr said. “We brought in new transfers and freshmen every year, and honestly the leadership from the upperclassmen has been huge. Last year, we knew we had a good team going into the season. We had some bumps along the road, but the seniors and upperclassmen kept us together in order to win the GPAC and just have fun and play our game.”

Now entering his final season, and planning to attend PT school after graduation , St. Cyr says perspective has changed how he approaches the game.

“There is a little bit of pressure knowing we were the champions last year,” he said. “But for me, being a senior, I’m just trying to cherish every moment, even the early-morning lifts. This is the last time we’re going to be able to do this all together.”

Instead of focusing on statistics, St. Cyr says his final baseball goal is about appreciation.

“My personal goal this year is just to have fun one last time,” he said. “This is it for me with baseball. Our team goal is to win the GPAC championship again, and I think everybody is capable of producing and helping this team. We’re going to have a good season.”

McGlaufin believes this year’s roster blends experienced contributors with players who have patiently waited for their opportunity.

“We have a lot of guys who had big moments for us last year, and we’re excited about the new players coming in,” McGlaufin said. “We also lost some really good players, so there are guys who have been here two, three, four years who haven’t gotten many opportunities who will get chances this year, and they deserve those moments.”

As the Chargers prepare for their opening games, the long-term goal remains clear.

“Every year you want the group to come together and become stronger each month,” McGlaufin said. “We had a really tough preseason schedule, and we want to be playing our best baseball in May, and play as deep into May as possible.”

The season begins with new faces, familiar leadership, and the shared memory of a championship banner. For Briar Cliff baseball, opening day is not just the start of another schedule, it’s the continuation of something they built together.