When Army West Point Baseball and the Navy Midshipmen get together, nothing is easy, and everything is earned.
After the teams split their matchups on March 27 and March 28, the series came down to the finale on March 29. With the baseball star in the Star Series presented by USAA also on the line, the third‑base side of Doubleday Field erupted with anticipation on every out until the final one was recorded—securing a 4–3 victory over the Mids and clinching the series.
Starting pitcher CDT Trey Ates ’26 set a career-high in innings pitched with 7.2 on March 29. He delivered 129 pitches, working around a first inning run allowed to settle into the game and keep Navy from scoring again until the eighth. Striking out five on the day, the Dallas native faced the minimum in the second and fifth innings, earning the win and moving to 2-0 on the year.
Ates received run support from Army’s bats in the first and third innings. The bottom of the first saw each of the first three Black Knights reach on walks, enough to plate a run during the ensuing at‑bat by CDT Addison Ainsworth ’26, despite the play resulting in a double play. CDT Thomas Schreck ’26 then moved the line with an RBI double to make it 2–1.
In the third, Schreck recorded his second RBI double of the contest, plating CDT William Parker ’26 from first base with two outs. CDT Carter Hewitt ’26 then reached on a fielding error to allow Schreck to score, making it 4-1.
Navy did not go away quietly, and with one out in the eighth, the Mids launched a two-run home run to right field, closing the gap to 4-3. Ates then recorded the second out of the frame before turning the ball to CDT Josiah Overbeek ’29, looking to stake his claim to a save.
He did just that, working around a walk and stolen base in the eighth and a base hit in the ninth, and inducing a routine ground ball to first for the final out of the game and Army’s right to sing second on March 29.
The win moved Army to 14-11 overall and 6-3 in the Patriot League. The Black Knights have won seven of their past eight games.
By the Numbers
129: The 129 pitches tossed by Ates was the exact same number that CDT Justin Lehman ’25 tossed two seasons ago in a complete-game shutout of Navy on April 26, 2024.
2-for-4: Schreck was 2-for-4 on March 29 with a pair of RBIs.
Black Knight Notes
Barr moved back into the leadoff spot for the first time since March 11 vs. Merrimack. Ainsworth slid into the four-spot after leading off in eight consecutive games. Overbeek hit second—the highest he’s been in the order this year—and Parker slotted into the third spot.
Ates’ outing vs. Navy was his first against the Mids since his postseason appearance on May 11 a season ago, when he pitched six scoreless innings in relief to give Army a win in the Patriot League Semifinal Series. March 29 marked his first career start vs. Navy, and his second win to move to 2-0 in the rivalry.
Overbeek reached base for the 23rd consecutive game to begin his career.
Army played error-free baseball for the 13th time in 2026 over 25 games to date.
Army has won four of its past five meetings vs. Navy and 19 of its past 28 dating back to 2022. The Black Knights have also won 24 of their past 36 games against academy rivals.
The Black Knights have won the baseball star in four of the past five seasons. March 29 marked the third year in a row in which the star was decided by a game three rubber matchup, with the combined run differential over those three games being even.
Army retook the lead in the all-time series vs. Navy, 138-137.
Next Up
Army concludes its homestand vs. Cornell at 3:35pm on March 31, before jumping back into conference play with a three-game road series at Holy Cross April 4-5.
The excerpt and image were taken from https://goarmywestpoint.com.
