Northern Colorado Bears began their 2026 baseball season with an 11-4 loss to Wichita State at Eck Stadium on Friday. The Bears started strong, collecting 11 hits and scoring first in the game. Brett Barber led the team offensively with a double and a triple, finishing with five total bases. Jake Bullard contributed two hits and played solid defense at first base, while Ethan Mooser added a double that helped create another scoring opportunity.
Jaden Stone also had two hits and stole a base as part of Northern Colorado’s balanced lineup, which saw five players record at least one hit. The Bears managed to put runners on base in seven of nine innings, drawing key walks and forcing Wichita State’s pitchers to throw more pitches throughout the afternoon. However, they struggled to convert those opportunities into runs, going just two for eighteen with runners in scoring position and leaving ten runners stranded.
Wichita State used timely home runs to gain momentum during the middle innings. Max Kaufer hit two solo home runs, Jayson Jones added a two-run homer, and Kaleb Duncan contributed another solo shot. These power plays allowed the Shockers to pull ahead despite being outhit by Northern Colorado.
Northern Colorado’s pitchers combined for twelve strikeouts over the course of the game.
The Bears will try to bounce back when they face Wichita State again in a doubleheader scheduled for tomorrow, starting at 11:05 AM MT.
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For more information about UNC Athletics, visit their official homepage at https://uncbears.com/.
