Danville, Va——– 2026 is off to a strong start for Averett University Athletics. As the winter sports season begins to wrap up, the Cougars turn their attention to spring sports, and the rest of the spring semester. For Averett, spring means the conclusion of cold weather, and the start of baseball season.
The Averett baseball team and new head coach Billy McLaughlin walk into 2026 sitting last in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) preseason rankings. The Cougars capped off 2025 with a record of 20-16 which gave them their first winning season since 2015, and their first conference playoff berth as a part of the ODAC. McLaughlin brings new assistant coaches, and former players, J.C. Barry and Mason Williams onto his staff to help guide the team to what they are hoping will be another winning season.
“I was with Coach Fleming for a long time, so I definitely learned a lot, and got two great assistants, have spent a lot of time in the program, and have learneda lot too, yeah so we are ready to go,” McLaughlin said.
When new coaches are hired for teams from either different places, or promoted to new positions within a program, new opportunities arise for coaches to take on new responsibilities that include more decisions which will ultimately tell what path they want to lead their team down for the foreseeable future.
“My mindset is a little bit different, I have to make a lot of decisions that I did not have to make before,but I try to stay the same person as I was before for the guys. For opening day, I just want the guys to play hard and be the family that we already are both on and off the field,” Mclaughlin said.
At Averett University the motto within the athletics department has always been “One team, One family.” This motto holds true with the message that both McLauglin and Barry tell their team in the dugout at the end of every practice, and game.
“ Just have a positive mindset day in and day out even if you have a negative day, walk away with something positive that you did that day,” Barry Said.
J.C. Barry, a recent Averett University graduate from Katy, TX who played baseball for the Cougars under former Head Coach Kenny Fleming, and then Assistant Coach McLaughlin, now is taking in the view of Owen Fulton Field from a different perspective within the team as assistant coach, and seems optimistic about helping to move the team forward within a new position of leadership.
“ At first it was a change, but now I have gotten used to it, getting to ask him a bunch of different questions, he has a really deep mind and has been around for a while, with asking him questions, he has been able to help me out a lot with certain situations that I did not know how to handle before,” Barry said.
With the new season about to begin, the cougars have a new and improved team that is a mix of new faces that include freshman coming out of high school, students that have transferred to Averett from other schools, and veterans that have been with the Cougars for at least two years.
Drew Skinner, a junior from South Riding, Va, who was the starting catcher for the Cougars last year talked about taking on new leadership with being an upperclassman and the excitement of a new season.
“We are really just focused on the day by day. We’re super present, so we’re trying to get back on the field after a bunch of snow which is good, and focus on this weekend, and then we will go on from there,” Skinner said.
As games start for the Cougars, the team this year is focused on coming together as a family and playing with intention competing and having fun every day in the ODAC.
Cade Sabin, a sophomore native of Charlotte, N.C., and a member of the pitching staff for the Cougars who now has a year of college baseball experience shared his perspective of the difference between the start of his second year and last year.
“I’m very excited, I think the biggest thing is just how fun it was last year, the ability to compete with your guys, you miss that over the coarse of the offseason so I’m excited to get back to that for sure. I’ve been getting my body moving, so I’ll be ready to go this weekend,” Sabin said.
He went on to talk about what both fans and other spectators who come out to games this year should expect to see.
“This is a young team, we’ve got a lot of talent, and we are a group of guys that gets it done together, so I think our depth is what really stands out. Last year we had a lot of great hitters up top, and now we have a deep pitching staff, deep defense, deep hitters, so I’m excited to get the chemistry right and everything flowing,” Sabin said.
With the Cougars bringing back veteran leadership, they will be complimented by the young freshman who come in ready to compete at a higher level.
Blake Reavill, a freshman middle infielder from South Riding, Va, brings in a personality of a player that is ready to go and help his team win.
“This year is definitely different, because in high school, our team chemistry and everything wasn’t too good, and the first thing I noticed was the difference in that and how everyone plays as a team,” Reavill said.
With opening day coming up this weekend, and the Cougars set to start their 2026 Campaign, there is no shortage of confidence within the team.
Come out and support the Cougars when take on the Blazers out of Hood College (Fredrick, Md) for Opening Weekend this Saturday. First Pitch is set for 12pm EST.
