The 2026 baseball season may have ended one win short of the East Regional Finals, but for the Clinton Dark Horse baseball program, this spring represented something much bigger than a final score.
Under third-year head coach Matthew DeLeone, Clinton battled through injuries, illness and adversity to finish 15-9 overall, including a 6-4 mark in conference play, before advancing to the third round of the NCHSAA 4A State Playoffs for the first time since 2007.
Ironically enough, DeLeone was a player on that 2007 team.
Now, nearly two decades later, he helped guide the Horses back to that stage as the leader of the program.
“Honestly, taking what we had to work with as far as talent and overall baseball IQ, I couldn’t ask for a better year,” DeLeone reflected. “We started the year 7-2, then hit a patch where we only won one out of seven games and were sitting at 8-8. But we played pretty quality baseball closing out the year.”
Clinton responded by winning five of its final regular-season games before making a deep postseason push that included a home playoff victory and a narrow 3-2 road loss to Bunn in the third round. Bunn has since advanced to represent the East Region in the state championship series.
“We were one hit away, one play away from beating that team,” DeLeone said. “You can’t take anything away from our guys. I’m super proud of everything they accomplished.”
The season tested Clinton repeatedly.
The Dark Horses navigated multiple injuries throughout the year while also dealing with a stretch where the flu impacted the roster for nearly two weeks. Instead of folding, the group leaned into resilience.
“The biggest thing was they learned how to fight through adversity,” the Clinton coach said.
That growth became evident during the second half of the season, particularly in the way Clinton began playing together as a unified group.
“The guys finally bought into playing for your teammates, not just with your teammates,” DeLeone said. “Baseball is an individual sport in some ways because every individual has a job to do. Once they bought into that aspect, we started playing really well.”
DeLeone stressed throughout the season that players did not need to become superstars. Instead, they needed to embrace their roles and maximize their own abilities.
“I’m not asking you to be Derek Jeter or Alex Rodriguez,” he remarked. “I’m asking you to be yourself, but the best version of yourself.”
For DeLeone, the season also carried personal significance.
As someone born and raised in Clinton, bringing the program back into postseason relevance has become part of a larger mission to restore pride in Dark Horse baseball.
“Absolutely, it feels full circle,” DeLeone said. “Baseball’s been put on the back burner at Clinton for a little while, and we’ve been fighting for three years to put us back on the map. Baseball is on the way back.”
Despite this year’s squad finishing with fewer wins than some recent Clinton teams, DeLeone viewed this group as one of the program’s most successful because of its chemistry, toughness and postseason breakthrough.
“This year happened to be the lesser of the three years as far as win total, but it was more successful overall,” he said. “The guys learned how to be better teammates.”
The Dark Horses will graduate three key seniors, including Southeastern Community College commit Henry Bass, along with Brennon Bell and Roady Carter.
DeLeone believes Carter’s development, especially, will serve as a model for future players in the program.
“When I got here, Roady struggled with confidence at the plate,” DeLeone recalled. “But he adapted and learned the art of hitting with two strikes better than most players I’ve seen. His senior year was better than his other two years combined because he learned and adjusted.”
While Clinton loses veteran leadership, optimism surrounding the future of the program remains strong.
DeLeone pointed to an undefeated middle school team expected to feed into the program next season, along with continued growth from local travel baseball organizations.
Still, he acknowledged challenges remain, particularly with participation numbers. Clinton likely will not field a junior varsity team next season because of roster limitations.
“It’s concerning,” DeLeone said of the numbers. “But it’s also just the nature of kids these days. Years ago, kids were outside playing all summer long. Now they have to make a sacrifice if they want to become better athletes.”
Even so, DeLeone sees encouraging signs ahead.
“The kids coming up are working really hard and are going to be really good athletes,” he said. “I think after next year we should be able to field a JV team for years to come.”
As the offseason begins, the foundation established this spring has already shifted expectations around Clinton baseball.
The Dark Horses not only returned to the third round for the first time in 18 years, but they also reignited belief throughout the community that the program is once again moving in the right direction.
“It was an overall success,” DeLeone said. “We hosted and won a playoff game, made it to the third round and learned how to be better people and better teammates. Next season starts now.”