On Friday, May 15, the Grand Rapids Community College baseball team ended its season with a loss against Cuyahoga Community College, with a final score of 10-18. The Raiders finished fourth in the 2026 National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) Region XII Division II Tournament. This concluded the Raiders’ season with an overall record of 30-14 (22-3) in conference play.
The Raiders entered the NJCAA Region XII Tournament strong, defeating No. 7 seed Mid Michigan College in two games, with scores of 8-0 and 12-9. The Raiders continued their win streak when they faced No. 5 seed Henry Ford Community College, defeating the Hawks 7-5.
The Raiders fell in the fourth game against No. 1 seed Kellogg Community College, losing 7-15.
“We would have been right in the game. We made six errors in the (KCC) game, and you’re not going to win any games making six errors, but we were still right in it until the last inning. We just needed to play better,” Head Coach Mike Eddington said, in a phone interview with The Collegiate.
From playing lower-ranked teams to suddenly playing higher-ranked ones, the pace changed. That raised the question of whether the Raiders would change their approach or mindset.
“No, just another normal game,” Eddington said. “We played them (KCC) a lot, and have a lot of respect for their program. We just didn’t play good enough to win.”
In an elimination game, the team faced Cuyahoga Community College and lost with a 10-18 final score. Eddington reflected on the final game and what led to the loss.
“We had five errors (in) that (CCC) game, and again, if you want to beat good teams, you (have) to play clean defensively, and we didn’t. We were right in there, but just the last two games, which we (didn’t have any errors), kind of came back to bite us,” Eddington said.
Eddington noted the team played well offensively, as the Raiders led CCC throughout the game. Yet those defensive errors turned out to be costly as CCC took advantage to score runs.
“You can’t give away free outs, because that takes wear and tear on your pitchers, and it kind of brings their team down, and errors are part of the game. What we encourage is … to pick each other up. Someone made a mistake, someone make a play now. That’s our mentality,” Eddington said.
As a coach, Eddington encourages the team to pick each other up when players make tough errors throughout the game.
“That’s part of the game, you just move on to the next play. You can’t get down. People make errors, and you just move on, and when someone makes an error, we’re hoping a teammate picks him up,” Eddington said.
Overall, the Raiders had a great season, going undefeated on their home field and capturing their fourth consecutive conference title. Eddington knew the team could have gone further, but is proud of the results and progress made with the team.
“Very proud of our players, they worked hard and came to practice every day with a lot of energy, and the same with the games,” Eddington said. “We want to win, but…JUCO (Junior College) is about developing players and moving them on. We had a great group of guys. They all worked hard. They all excelled in the classroom. I was real happy with our team and a great group of guys.”
GRCC baseball concluded the 2026 season with remarkable accomplishments and goals for the next season.
