The Race for Delta Dental

The Race to Delta Dental

Ben Wissler 

As the snow on Exeter's “Nest” finally melts, it uncovers the reminders of the potential franchise building in Exeter. After losing a lot of key seniors, many are wondering how they will bounce back.

New Hampshire baseball competition has risen steadily over the years and where we are right now, there are great teams scattered all across the state. Go west, and you run into Keene who gave Exeter a hard time in their last meeting. If you go northwest, you find Pinkerton and Bedford, 2 teams with huge talent and a great program. The stage is set for a very good season; now it's time to see how the Blue Hawks bounce back from losing some key players after last year's season.  The first 3 games of the season will be a test for sure. Windham has 2 very good pitchers, both topping around the 90 MPH mark. Then, headed to Nashua South, they are a solid team, but even after losing key seniors, Exeter should have this win. After only 2 games, one of the biggest games of the year gets played away in Bedford against a very good Bedford team, led by arms James Gilbert and Zack Papik. As noted before, there is talent across all teams and across all parts of the state.

The Bounce Back

After taking home the Division 1 title last season, the team is filling in the spots that were opened by last year's seniors. Returning Varsity players who didn’t see a lot of playtime will now be starting in those spots. This, mixed with young talent, will, in many people’s eyes, let Exeter bounce back very quickly. The one thing that might give Exeter the upper hand against teams is their pitching rotation. We reached out to Coach Joyce, asking, “How is the 2026 staff shaping up to handle the high-pressure innings in D1?” Joyce responded by saying quote, “We feel good about our pitching depth again this year. Battles and Engler will lead the way, along with Brennan Schimoler, but we have many other guys who will pitch in bigger roles this spring.” Being a coach and having pitchers like Nolan Engler and Ethan Battles is a huge bonus. Two very good pitchers with good velo ranging into the 90’s range, and have a great arsenal of offspeeds to throw off batters' timing. Battles put up a 3.2 ERA in last year's season, along with 37 strikeouts. To add to this, Battles has a very good backstop in Brennan Schimoler. They have very good chemistry and know how to play off of each other very well. Battles can throw pitches in the dirt without having to worry about a passed ball. Schimoler, who is a very key piece of not only Exeter’s defense, but their offense as well. Boasting nearly a .300 batting average with a .506 OBP. His combination of blocking, pop time, and power when hitting makes him a key part of this team. Schimoler is also a very big part of the team culture. He is a really good dude, and people play off of him very well. That brings us to our final player, Nolan Engler. Long story short, a junior with the mechanics, velocity, and offspeeds that are more relatable to a sophomore in college. Engler put up a 3.31 ERA with 30 strikeouts. He mixed this with 5 wins and 1 loss, with one of those wins being a very good start at Deltan Dental in the championship last season, which was closed out by Schimoler. Engler brings hype and energy to the dugout and to his starts. In practice, he is always cracking jokes, but motivating and helping everyone on the team. These 3 players are just the start of Exeter’s roster; there is more time for talent to emerge, and it will be interesting to see how the season starts and ends. The rain is clearing off, the snow is melting, and the race for Delta Dental begins.