EDWARDSVILLE - Edwardsville High School baseball coach Tim Funkhouser said he is excited about the Tigers’ upcoming 2026 season, pointing to a returning group of experienced varsity players who he expects to take on leadership roles after the program lost a core group of seniors to graduation last year.
Edwardsville was 25-11 and finished as regional champions in 2025.
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“Well, we have a few guys, three guys in particular, who have been at the varsity level for four years,” Funkhouser said. “So, it’s like we’re adding assistant coaches that are player-coaches.”
Funkhouser highlighted pitcher Chase Milburn, saying Milburn is currently injured but has remained engaged with teammates.
“(Chase) Milburn’s out right now with an injury, but I heard him multiple times talking to pitchers, helping them, and it’s like turn him loose and just let him get guys better,” Funkhouser said. “And then, he’s going to be back in action here in another month. So, he’ll impact it on the field, too.”
Funkhouser also pointed to Hunter Baugh and Tony Eberlin as longtime varsity contributors.
“Hunter Baugh has been a guy, and then (Tony) Eberlin, who’ll pitch for us tomorrow, he’s been with us both since their freshman year,” Funkhouser said.
He added that Nick Chiarodo has accumulated experience early in his career.
“And then, Nick Chiarodo has been a quick, experienced guy that, as a freshman, he got to play a little bit, so he’s got more experience than most of our guys, but he’s still doing his thing, too,” Funkhouser said. “So, I couldn’t be more impressed with those guys.”
Funkhouser said other players are also pushing for opportunities, and he expects roles to take shape over time.
“But then, those other guys have been looking forward to the opportunity,” he said. “And we have a lot of guys that can do different things, a lot of different guys that can pitch. It’ll just play out as the season goes on, and see where guys are with what they do well, what they can make adjustments for.”
He said he has already seen developments he found encouraging.
“Even the end-game adjustments some guys made were exciting to see,” Funkhouser said.
Funkhouser also said early signs point to a team that enjoys being together, which he described as part of a longer process.
“Well, it’s a long journey,” he said. “I think the beauty about this team is they look forward to being at practice each day, and you can already tell they like each other. There’s a longer process to that, but they enjoy being a part of what we have here, and their part in creating it for now and into the future, too.”
