Warhawks Earn First Win of Chafetz Era
Decatur, AL - Calhoun baseball opened the 2026 season with four games in Andalusia, Alabama, facing Southern Union and L.B. Wallace across two days. The Warhawks dropped their opener to Southern Union, 14-4, before falling to L.B. Wallace, 12-2, on Thursday, Jan. 29. Friday's slate featured a pair of tight contests, as Calhoun suffered a 12-11 loss to Southern Union before closing the weekend with a 5-0 setback against L.B. Wallace.
On Wednesday, February 4, Calhoun opened their home slate at Austin High School, and responded with their first win of the season, splitting a doubleheader with Dyersburg State. The Warhawks dropped Game 1, 9-7, before bouncing back with an 18-8 victory in the nightcap.
Game 1 – Dyersburg State 9, Calhoun 7
The Warhawks showed resilience early in the opener but couldn't overcome a big middle stretch from Dyersburg State. Gavin Gonzalez provided the offensive spark with a grand slam, driving in four runs, while Trent Wilson added a sacrifice fly to round out Calhoun's scoring.
Seth Walton finished 2-for-3 with two runs scored, and Adam Yazel reached base twice and stole a base as Calhoun stayed aggressive with four stolen bases in the game.
On the mound, Cody Hodges struck out five over two innings to start the game, and Bryant Jones followed with two scoreless innings, allowing no hits while punching out five. Dyersburg State capitalized on walks late to edge out the Warhawks in the opener.
Game 2 – Calhoun 18, Dyersburg State 8
Calhoun flipped momentum quickly in Game 2, erupting for 18 runs on 13 hits to secure the first win of the Cameron Chafetz era.
Jayson Smith led the charge with a standout performance, going 3-for-4 with a double, triple, and four RBI. Noah Albuquerque was a perfect 3-for-3 with two doubles, three runs scored, and two RBI, while Seth Walton added a double and drove in three runs.
The Warhawk offense applied constant pressure throughout the lineup, with eight different players batting in runs. Austin Williamson scored three times and drove in two, while Taisuky Rodriguez, Gavin Gonzalez, and Trent Wilson each chipped in run-producing hits.
Kaiden Wear delivered a key performance on the mound, tossing 2.1 scoreless innings in relief, allowing no hits and striking out three to shut down Dyersburg State's offense and swing momentum firmly in Calhoun's favor.
After the game, Head Coach Cameron Chafetz reflected on earning his first win at Calhoun. "Feels good to knock the first win out" Chafetz remarked. "We know we've got some work to do, we're building the foundation for what we want to become moving forward, and these guys have started to buy into that mindset. It takes a special kind of person to be a part of building a program, and we've got some special guys."
Calhoun will be back in action on Saturday, February 7, as Coahoma travels to Decatur for a double-header starting at 12:00 p.m.