TROY, Ala. (WTVY) – Troy Baseball enters the 2026 season with momentum, confidence and a lingering sense of unfinished business.
Head coach Skyler Meade, now in his fifth season at the helm, has turned the Trojans into one of the most consistent programs in college baseball. Since taking over in 2022, Meade has led Troy to 148 wins, the most by any Troy coach in their first four seasons, including three straight 37-plus win seasons for the first time since 1996–98.
Last season, Troy went 39-21 overall and 18-12 in Sun Belt play, finishing third in the conference and earning a No. 14 national ranking — the highest in program history. The Trojans were also the only team in college baseball to win its first 13 weekend series in 2025.
Despite those accomplishments, the season ended in disappointment as Troy was left just outside the NCAA Tournament.
“It should sting,” Meade said. “When you earn things, you’d like to be rewarded. We weren’t rewarded, but it means nothing anymore.”
That mindset has carried into the offseason as Troy prepares to open the 2026 campaign Feb. 13 on the road against Mercer, a top-75 RPI program.
“We don’t want to reinvent everything,” Meade said. “There’s a reason we’ve won at the level we have. But there are some things we have to continue to evolve to win that extra game or two.”
Part of Troy’s sustained success has been its culture — something freshman Brady Richardson, an Enterprise native, noticed immediately after arriving on campus.
“One of the things we say here is ‘leave no doubt’ every day,” Richardson said. “A lot of places have sayings like that, but since I’ve been here, they actually live by it. It’s pretty much a creed.”
Richardson said being close to home helped ease his transition, but it was the people inside the program that ultimately sold him on Troy.
“They made it feel like this was home,” he said. “Not just the coaches, but the players too. It feels like a family here.”
While Troy returns 63% of its offensive production from last season, nearly 60% of the roster is new, including a highly rated recruiting class and a wave of transfers — particularly on the mound, where the Trojans are replacing nearly 80% of last year’s innings.
“I trust the talent we brought in,” Meade said. “Whether it’s from the transfer portal, junior college or high school, these guys are going to make an impact early.”
Offensively, Troy was among the best in the Sun Belt in 2025, ranking second in on-base percentage at .403 and setting a school record with 122 hit-by-pitches. This year, Meade believes the offense can take another step forward.
“We feel like we’re going to thump the ball around a little more,” Meade said. “Those explosive moments can be game changers.”
Senior Steven Meier, who battled through injury last season and returned for another year, says the chemistry within this year’s team feels different.
“I’ve never had a team bond so well so fast,” Meier said. “Since August, it’s just been clicking. It’s unprecedented.”
The disappointment of last season still lingers for Meier — and it played a major role in his decision to return.
“I think about it every day,” he said. “I go to sleep thinking about it, I wake up thinking about it. It cut me deep, and that’s why I came back.”
With a demanding non-conference schedule featuring matchups against Mississippi State, Georgia and Vanderbilt, Troy expects to be tested early and often.
“Our guys will know what they’re made of,” Meade said. “We’ll be battle-tested come late May.”
As the Trojans begin the 2026 season, the goal is simple: prove they belong — and leave no doubt.
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