TAHLEQUAH – Northeastern State opens the 2025 season on the road in Edmond, Okla. to play in three contests spanning Sunday and Monday as participants in the Edmond First Pitch Classic.

Sunday
Northeastern State vs. Missouri-St. Louis* | 12:30 p.m. 
*at Central Oklahoma

Monday
Northeastern State vs. Southeastern Oklahoma* | 10 a.m.
Northeastern State vs. Oklahoma Baptist* | 1 p.m.
*at Central Oklahoma

The 2025 RiverHawks lineup returns familiar faces in catcher Gage Williams and infielder Korben Ford. Williams was an All-MIAA Third Team pick in 2024 after hitting for a .363 average and nine home runs alongside 45 RBI. Ford recorded a .299 average and finished the season strong, collecting base hits in six of his last seven games played.

The pitching staff will look largely different from a season ago, with pitchers on the roster only combining for 15 starts with the team from 2024. Drake Sisemore returns after receiving 13 appearances and seven starts. The senior has 28 appearances across his collegiate career, which includes time spent at East Central in 2023. Chance Condit (eight starts in 2024) and Trey Havens (33 career strikeouts) also return to the rotation as seniors.

The season opener is set for Sunday, Feb. 2 against Missouri-St. Louis. UMSL holds a membership within the Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) and enters off of a 30-win season in 2024. Braedon Stokes highlights the returning members of the 2025 roster for the Tritons, earning a D2 Baseball Preseason All-America Third Team nod entering the season. Stokes collected a .417 batting average with 21 extra base hits in the previous campaign, setting a single-season program record with nine triples.

After the opener, the RiverHawks will face Southeastern Oklahoma on the morning of Monday, Feb. 3 at 10 a.m. In an in-state series that dates back to 1951, the program has earned 63 wins against SEOSU, including the last three matchups. Alan Trayler is in his first season leading the Savage Storm and has been on the coaching staff since 2018 and guides a unit that was selected to finish tenth in the GAC Preseason Poll.

NSU matches up against Oklahoma Baptist later at 1 p.m. The Bison enter off of a 32-win performance in 2024 and have a roster consisting of 23 upperclassmen and 14 returners. Among the 15 newcomers is Great American Conference Player of the Year DJ Van Atten, who earned the honor in 2023 as a member of the Southern Nazarene program before spending 2024 at Abilene Christian. The Bison were picked to finish seventh in the GAC Preseason Poll.