Troy loses $35,000 in camera gear theft before College World Series
Troy's first trip to Omaha was hit by a $35,000 camera theft from the team bus. Borrowed gear still got the photographers through the win over Ole Miss.
Roughly $35,000 in camera gear vanished from Troy’s team bus just hours before the program’s first Men’s College World Series appearance, turning a landmark trip to Omaha into a scramble for replacement equipment. For a baseball operation carrying bodies, lenses, cards, chargers and support gear to document the moment, the loss landed like a gut punch.
The theft was discovered after Troy arrived at Charles Schwab Field for its game against Ole Miss on Sunday, June 15, 2026, and a Troy official reported it shortly before noon. Omaha Police spokesman Michael Pecha said Monday that no arrests had been made and the investigation continued. The team bus had been parked near the team hotel since about 4:30 p.m. Saturday, June 14, 2026.
Troy’s photographers did not miss the game. The NCAA, CWS Inc., Creighton University and the University of Nebraska-Omaha lent equipment so Troy could cover its 12-8 win over Ole Miss, and Troy executive associate athletic director for communications Adam Prendergast said he could not thank them enough for helping capture what he called a “historic day for Troy Baseball and Troy Athletics.”
The broader sting goes beyond one bus load of gear. Troy opened its first MCWS appearance on Friday, June 12, 2026, against No. 16 West Virginia at Charles Schwab Field, and its first game ended in a 7-5 loss before the rebound against Ole Miss kept the Trojans alive in Omaha. Troy Athletics said the path to Nebraska included a postseason run through wins over Rider, Miami, Florida and a sweep of Little Rock.
For photographers, the lesson is painfully familiar. A kit that fits in one roller or hard case can disappear in one parking lot stop, one hotel handoff or one rushed load-in, and the replacement bill is usually worse than the headline price. Keep serial numbers recorded, photograph every body and lens in the bag, insure the kit for replacement cost, and put an AirTag or GPS tracker inside the case before travel. Hard-case habits matter too: lock the case, keep gear out of sight in vehicles, and split valuable pieces when the day turns chaotic.
Troy still got the images it needed in Omaha, but the missing bus load of gear nearly stole the story before the cameras could roll.
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