Stevens Cardinals Host Sunapee Lakers in Early Spring Baseball Matchup

The Stevens Cardinals opened the 2026 spring baseball slate at home in Claremont on Saturday, hosting the Sunapee Lakers in a non-conference matchup that gave both Sullivan County programs their first competitive look at this year's rosters.

For Stevens, a NHIAA Division III program with 492 students, the game arrived with momentum from last spring's postseason run. The Cardinals advanced to the 2025 Division III state championship bracket, winning a first-round tournament game over Prospect Mountain 3-2 on June 5. Early April games give coaches the chance to evaluate lineup depth, manage pitching workloads, and test combinations before conference play intensifies in late April and May.

Sunapee's Lakers made the short trip from their lakeside community to Claremont for a game that holds no conference standing implications but carries real practical value at this point in the season. Non-conference openers in New Hampshire high school baseball typically serve as the first unscripted test of a roster: pitchers work through their early-season mechanics, underclassmen audition for varsity spots in live game situations, and coaching staffs gather the information needed to finalize lineups ahead of more consequential divisional matchups.

The Cardinals play under red and black colors, and their program carries a distinct regional identity beyond the diamond. The school's fight song, "Glory to Stevens," is sung to the melody of "Glory to Dartmouth," Dartmouth College's fight song from just up the river in Hanover. That borrowing is more than a musical curiosity; it reflects the deep geographic and cultural ties between Claremont and the Upper Connecticut River Valley corridor that has long connected both communities.

Beyond baseball, Stevens sustains a broad multi-sport program under Athletic Director Scott Fitzgerald, encompassing basketball, football, ice hockey, lacrosse, and soccer. Baseball opens in April as one of the higher-profile spring offerings at a school where athletics represent a visible thread in Claremont's civic fabric.

Fans can track box scores and standings through MaxPreps and stream select games on the NFHS Network. The official Stevens athletics calendar at stevenshsathletics.com carries the complete spring schedule, including any postponements that arise during New Hampshire's unpredictable early-season weather.