The 2025-2026 co-op baseball season at University Academy started on March 2.
The team opened its season with a home game on March 3, which was a loss to Pembroke Hill. There will be three more home games throughout the season. However, there are also plenty of away games for students to attend and support the team. Districts will begin on May 8.
Team practices are Monday through Friday from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Coach Martez Gardner said anyone in high school is free to join, and the team meets at the south stadium locker room before practice starts.
The baseball coach, who was born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri, said, “I like teaching the game I grew up loving.”
His assistant coaches this year include Freddie Hammons, Payton Weber and Seth Hart.
Coach Gardner has been with UA in a variety of capacities for more than 20 years. He said playing baseball can help students find their own path if they let it.
One UA student who has found his way along the baseball path is Thomas Smith. Smith, a senior, said he joined the baseball team for two reasons. One of them is that he was excited about playing with his friends, and secondly, he wanted people to know who he was.
The baseball team is one of the co-op sports with University Academy and Ewing Marion Kauffman School. This year’s squad has a lot of returning players and new players. There are five upperclassmen and 13 underclassmen, with 11 of those being freshmen.
The upperclassmen from UA on this year’s roster are juniors Solomon Cheadle and Christopher Nolan and seniors Zion Martin and Thomas Smith.
Smith said he feels baseball can be more than just a game or sport; it is something that builds players as people and lets them experience new things like brotherhood.
He said, “I also really like the many different cultures that baseball has and how strong relationships can be built within this game.”
At the professional level, baseball brings together athletes from a wide variety of countries and backgrounds. He said he enjoys this aspect of the sport and how it makes things more diverse and interesting.
Smith also said it is important to know that baseball improves mental and physical strength and that failure is a normal thing in the game.
Coach Gardner has things he loves about baseball, too.
He said that “the sound of the ball popping in the gloves and the unique sound a bat makes when hitting the ball” is something he is looking forward to this season.
Smith, who is a captain on the co-op team, said he is looking forward to seeing his teammates grow as individuals this season. He also looks forward to seeing himself improve as a captain. Something else he wants to do in his final season playing baseball at UA is just enjoy the game together with his team and create unforgettable memories with the newer players.
The next home game will be April 28. The co-op squad will play against Van Horn High School at 4:30 p.m. Make sure to come and support.
