Offense Rolls, Johnson Dazzles as Mud Monsters Win 2026 Season Opener
PEARL, Miss. (May 7, 2026) - As the lights came on over Trustmark Park for the first time in 2026, Preston Johnson was lights-out. The right-hander returned to the state of Mississippi and carved up eight Gateway batters across six scoreless innings, leading the Mississippi Mud Monsters (1-0) to a 5-2 victory over the Gateway Grizzlies (0-1).
The stellar performance by the Crystal Springs native was a career best for the professional ballplayer, as he eclipsed his previous high marks in both innings pitched (4) and strikeouts (5). Johnson threw 81 pitches to 21 batters, including 54 strikes.
Monster Notes
Opening night. Opening win. One strong first chapter.
- Preston Johnson struck out eight batters across six scoreless innings.
- Jack Holman delivered a two-run triple in the third inning.
- Kasten Furr added a two-run double to stretch the Mud Monsters lead.
- Chris Barraza struck out the side in the ninth to seal the victory.
Full Box Score
Want the full line from Opening Day? Dive into the numbers from Mississippi’s 5-2 win.
Early Pressure
The Mud Monsters started moving from the first inning.
Brayland Skinner led off the game just as he did on Mississippi’s inaugural Opening Day, taking a leadoff walk from Gateway starter Ben Harris and immediately swiping his first bag of the season. Though able to get into scoring position in the bottom of the first, the Mud Monsters offense was held in check until the home half of the third.
Catcher Andrew Semo walked to begin the frame and later tied Skinner for the club lead with a stolen base of his own.
Representing the runner at second, shortstop Slater Schield then drilled a line drive straight at Gateway second baseman Cade Parker. With Semo running on contact, Parker gloved it and flipped the ball to shortstop Sawyer Smith, who stepped on the bag for the 4-6 double play.
The unconventional twin killing did not take the energy out of the inning, however, as Skinner notched the first hit of both the game and the 2026 season for the Mud Monsters with a single up the middle.
Kyle Booker followed with a single of his own, driving in the speedy Skinner for the first RBI of the year and giving Mississippi a 1-0 lead. On the play, Booker advanced to second on an errant throw home.
The Big Swing
Two-out damage gave Mississippi room to breathe.
Holman clears the bases
The two-out hitting did not end there, as Holt singled to put two Mud Monsters aboard for Jack Holman. The Mud Monsters first baseman belted an offering from Harris into right-center field that caromed off the wall for a bases-clearing triple.
The game remained 3-0 in favor of the Mud Monsters for the next two innings before Gateway reached into its bullpen and brought in Alec Sparks to replace Harris.
Adding On
The Mud Monsters pushed the lead to five in the sixth.
In his second inning of work, Holman chopped a grounder to his first-base counterpart, Bryson Horne, who fielded it and tossed to Sparks. Unable to glove the throw, Sparks was charged with an error that allowed Holman to reach safely.
Samil De La Rosa then took the 1-1 offering from Sparks and drove it deep into left field. With Holman holding up to see whether the ball would be caught, the throw from Grizzlies left fielder Mitchell Sanford nailed him at the plate for the first out.
Newcomer Jackson Nicklaus then blooped a single into shallow left field to advance De La Rosa to third. An error on the throw to third allowed Nicklaus to take second base, and with two runners now in scoring position, the table was set for Kasten Furr.
After battling with two strikes and fouling off three consecutive offerings, the Mud Monsters left fielder sharply lined a double down the line to make it a 5-0 ballgame.
Finishing It
Gateway made noise late, but the Mud Monsters shut the door.
Jackson Smith took the ball from Johnson as the seventh inning rolled around and retired the first five Gateway batters he faced. The sixth batter of his outing, Jose Alvarez, hit a sharp ground-ball single through the left side that both Schield and Holt attempted to field.
With a runner aboard at first, Gateway right fielder Victor Castillo took Smith’s second pitch of the at-bat over the right-field fence for a two-run home run, cutting the Mud Monsters’ lead to 5-2.
Smith quickly regrouped and struck out Mark Shallenberger swinging for his second strikeout of the outing.
With the Mud Monsters three outs away from securing their second consecutive Opening Day victory, manager Jay Pecci deployed Chris Barraza in the save situation. Barraza struck out the side on 14 pitches, including 11 strikes, to shut the door and seal the Opening Day victory.
Next Game
The Mud Monsters continue their season-opening three-game series against the Gateway Grizzlies tomorrow evening, with first pitch slated for 6:30 p.m. CT.
Southpaw Blake Peyton (0-0, 0.00) goes for Gateway, while the Mud Monsters counter with right-hander Brian Williams (0-0, 0.00).
About the Mississippi Mud Monsters
Baseball Lives Here. It Just Got a Little Weirder.
The Mississippi Mud Monsters are a professional baseball team based in Pearl, Mississippi, competing in the Frontier League. Built in the mud and rooted in Mississippi, the Mud Monsters believe baseball should be unapologetically fun, a little weird, wildly welcoming, and deeply tied to the place it calls home. Real baseball. Real people. This is swamp-built, Mississippi-made baseball, where the vibes matter just as much as the final score.