Southwestern Community College
January 29, 2026
Program: Southwestern Iowa CC
Head Coach: Mike Creason: 1st year
NJCAA Region/Division: Region 11, DII
Email: [email protected]
Twitter: SWCC_Baseball
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After a frustrating 2025 season, the Spartans enter 2026 looking to reset the culture and direction of the program under new leadership. Coach Creason takes over the reins as head coach, coming with over 20 years of experience, including a long-tenure as the Northwest Assistant coach. Looking to flip the script after an 11-40 season, which saw a 7-26 conference record. The major piece missing from the Spartans' last year was experience, as they trotted out a heavy freshman roster, having to learn on the fly. While this wasn't the best case scenario for the previous year's squad, the roster now flips to his biggest strength, being experience. The bulk of the innings return on the mound, while seven starters return to the lineup. What was once their biggest weakness now looks set to guide the Spartans heading into the Spring.
PITCHERS
The Spartans lose nine arms to graduation, totalling over 170 innings, but a returning group of sophomores and a pair of freshmen will look to fill these roles. The ace of this staff will be right-hander Wyatt Throckmorton, but table that for later, as you’ll also see him changing the game with the bat as well. For now, let's look into a duo of right-handers looking to even out the rotation. Andrew Guzman has been giving a strong look this fall after starting seven games in 11 appearances for the Spartans as a freshman. The righty tossed 21.2 innings with 17 strikeouts. It's a high-powered arsenal with the fastball reaching 90.5 mph and slider in the upper-70s, but the key for him will be if he can find his command early this spring. Behind him is Eliot Bergollo, primarily a bullpen arm as a freshman, tossing 21 innings with 22 strikeouts. This fall, the righty topped 87 mph, sitting in the mid-80s, pairing with a mid-70s gyro slider. These arms are going to be heavily relied on this season and will be fascinating to watch as they develop into their roles. Then the sophomore looking to round out the staff is right-hander Alfred Aviles. The righty tossed 17 innings to a 6.88 ERA, striking out 13. This fall, Avilies was showing a three-pitch with the fastball in the low-80s. This group of returners will be relied on heavily throughout the spring as the anchors of this staff.
Andrew Guzman from: 9/19/25
When it comes to the freshmen on this staff, a pair have stood out from the rest and look set to have promising first years. Right-hander Jackson Yanke leads this group after a strong showing at our ICCAC showcase. The righty showed a three-pitch mix with the fastball sitting mid-80s with riding tendencies, paired with a lower-70s sweeper, and an upper-80s changeup. A loose and athletic build on the mound, look for Yanke to get valuable innings right off the bat. The final freshman rounding out the staff is right-hander Jackson Yanke. This is an arm we haven't seen since his high school days. If the mid-80s arsenal have continued to develop, Woodard immediately become an impact arm out of the bullpen.
Jackson Yanke from: 9/19/25
TWO-WAY
As touched on earlier, sophomore two-way standout Wyatt Throckmorton looks set to be a game-changer on both sides of the field. Starting on the mound, set to be the ace of the staff, the left-hander comes with the most experience on the mound. The lefty tossed 56 innings to a 6.11 ERA, striking out 35. This fall, he showed a low-80s fastball from a low ¾ slot, with a sweeper and changeup to pair. Despite the prospect of being the staff ace, Throckmorton is set to have the biggest impact in the top half of the order. The left-handed bat slashed .298/.426/.421 with 18 RBIs, two home runs, and seven doubles. This fall, he posted an average EV of 95.1 mph, along with a max EV of 98.3 mph. The power has developed a long way since high school and looks to lead the Spartans' lineup this spring.
OFFENSE
When it comes to the offensive side of the ball it's where the Spartans look to thrive. Only losing two everyday starters, this core of returning sophomores is eager to prove themselves once again and be the firepower at the plate. Before we dive into the returning sophomores, one thing stood out from nearly all these position players. They are one of the more all-around athletic groups in the state and look to use this to their advantage. The top bats returning to the lineup are MIF Alexander Arroyo and 1B Daniel Cepeda. Arroyo ended his first year slashing .323/.435/.413 with nine doubles, two home runs, 40 RBIs, and 10 stolen bases. At our fall showcase, he ran a 6.88 60-time and followed that up with a max EV of 95 mph and an arm 84 mph across the infield. Arroyo is going to be a mainstay at the top of the order for the year to come. Mostly like to clean him up is the big left-hander Danield Cepeda. One of the more feared bats in the lineup after slashing .344/.449/.519, sending four over the wall, with 32 RBIs, and 11 doubles. We didn't see much of him this fall, but make no mistake, this will be one of the more impactful bats in the lineup.
Alexander Arroyo from: 9/19/25
The depth of the lineup doesn’t stop there, as four more sophomores look to balance out the rest of the order. INF Brayden Mitchel leads us off, a first year he looks to improve on after slashing .244/.347/.293 with 23 RBIs and four doubles. The development has come along quickly as the max EV jumped to 102.2 mph with an average of 97.8 mph. Whether he can translate this into in-game results has yet to be seen, but keep watch on this sophomore. Net up. Another infielder, Jackson McDanel, is looking set to improve on his first-year marks. The righty slashed .295/.386/.402, with 25 RBIs, five doubles, and two home runs. After posting a 6.98 60-time and 85 mph tosses across the diamond, Mitchel looks set to stick in the glove as an athletic and fluid fielder. Now, the final infielder in this sophomore class is Ismael Bencosme. A 6.95 runner, 87 mph across the diamond, and 99.1 mph max EV. Bencosme looks set to improve on his freshman year marks, where he only saw 51 at-bats. Now with a cowed infield, don't be shocked if you see a name or two make their way into the outfield.
Finally rounding out this group of sophomores is the man behind the plate in C Anibal Montanez. Working off a freshman year where he slashed .315/.484/.449, with 23 RBIs, and six doubles. A defender who showed well at out fall showcase, as he looks set to be the mainstay behind the plate for the Spartans.
Anibal Montanez from: 9/19/25
Now flipping this offense over to the freshman, there have been three catching eyes this fall, looking to make their impact this spring. With a lack of depth in the outfielder we start with two freshman outfielders in Logan Bjerke and Kohen Bollwinkel, fighting for early playing time. Bjerke is a name we haven't seen for some time now, but if his tenure at Ames is any reflection of the player he is to become, he’ll be an early candidate to start in the lineup. Now with Bollwinkel, we saw him during the showcase this fall, and he posted some eye-catching numbers. A 6.58 runner, with a max EV of 93.6 mph, and an outfield velo of 87 mph. Looking for the in-game results to translate, but the lefty swing looks set to make an early impact. Rounding out this freshman class is 1B Trey Hicklin. Another power bat looking to be a counterpart to Cepeda. The right-hander posted EVs north of 100 mph, with a bat speed at 79.8 mph. He will look to add some more power throughout the lineup.