From Pike Road to Omaha: Markham Propels Troy to First College World Series

By: Chuck Walsh

OMAHA, Neb. – As the Troy baseball team began the ritual of counting the outs it needed to advance to its first ever appearance in the College World Series last Saturday, Trojan right fielder Houston Markham stayed away from the calculations that ultimately reached zero and a trip to the Field of Dreams. The countdown began early as Troy led Little Rock 4-0 after three innings, 5-2 after eight innings, and claimed the first Super Regional championship in school history with a 7-2 victory.

"My motivation was to do everything I could to make sure we got to experience the College World Series," said the sophomore. "I prayed every inning that I could contribute positively toward accomplishing our goal of reaching Omaha. It wasn't hard concentrating on the game; I stayed focused because there was too much at stake and I was locked in."

That's just who Markham is. It's how the sophomore from Pike Road, Ala., was raised in a family of four which includes his mother, Mary, his father, Houston III, and his older sister, Payton.

As Markham heads out to his position as Troy's starting right fielder in the opening game of the 2026 MCWS at Charles Schwab Field against West Virginia on Friday, he'll thank God, look up at his family, and focus on what he does best: excelling at playing the game of baseball.

Troy's game against the Mountaineers begins at 1:00 p.m. CT and is televised on ESPN.

A three-sport star in high school, Markham was a wide receiver and a defensive back as a football standout, an undersized center in basketball, and an all-state selection in baseball. In two years as a member of the Troy baseball team, Markham has a career batting average right around .300 and a near-perfect career fielding percentage.

He enters the CWS hitting a career-high .324, has been the Trojans' starting right fielder since May 15, and is nearly perfect on the basepaths with seven stolen bases in eight attempts. Markham's play in the outfield helped him solidify his spot in the starting lineup. His only error in 49 chances this season came in Troy's season-opener on February 13.

Markham enters the CWS as one of the hottest hitters in the nation. He's batting .444 (12-27) in seven NCAA Tournament games which includes .400 (8-20) in leading Troy to the championship of the Gainesville Regional and .571 (4-7) in the Troy Super Regional. In a pair of elimination games against Miami from the ACC and Florida from the SEC, Markham was seven of nine (.779) with one double and two home runs. He was named to the Gainesville All Regional team.

Markham's eighth-inning home run against Miami extended Troy's lead and gave the Trojans a late insurance run in a 9-6 victory that ended the Hurricanes' season. His solo home run against the Gators sent the Trojans to the regional championship game and was the go-ahead run in a 16-11 win on Florida's home field.

"I hit a first pitch fastball against Florida," said Markham. "I wouldn't say it's the biggest hit of my career, but it will be one that I'll remember forever."

Markham's success on the baseball diamond is certainly not by accident as the sport management major comes from a family of athletes.

His dad played football (punter) and baseball (first base) at Alabama State University. His sister, Payton, was a softball player growing up. Markham's grandfather, Houston Markham Jr. was a legendary football coach at Alabama State (1987-97) who led the Hornets to the 1991 black college football national championship. Markham, Jr. led Alabama State to a 69-47-4 record during his tenure.

"I was very close to my grandfather," said Markham. "He was my second coach. He taught me everything I know about the game of football. He watched me all the way up to his passing when I was 13."

Markham credits his father, mother, and sister as also having an important impact on his life.

"My parents have always told me to like who likes you," said Markham on the life philosophy that led him to becoming a student-athlete at Troy University, a campus just over 45 minutes from his hometown.

"Troy and Coach (Skylar) Meade took a chance on me coming out of high school," said Markham. "It was an easy decision to choose Troy over the other offers because of the proximity to my house, the quality of baseball, and the outstanding coaching staff."

Meade is making his second appearance (first as a head coach) at the CWS. During his standout career at Louisville, he pitched in the 2007 College World Series. He helped lead the Cardinals to a 12-4 win over Mississippi State in Omaha. Meade won nine games and recorded a 4.24 ERA as Louisville played in the CWS for the first time in school history that season.

"Houston is such a great kid from a great family," said Meade. "His success in the second half of the year is so earned by him. He put his head down, made adjustments, and has become the elite player we all knew he could be."

While the pace of Markham's daily routine of classes, studying, and practice has certainly changed since Troy became just the third Sun Belt Conference team to advance to the CWS, Markham will certainly remain true to his roots.

Of the many messages and phone calls that Markham received after the Trojans' victory over Litte Rock on Saturday to send Troy to the College World Series, the most memorable text came from his high school math teacher, Samantha Phillips.

She wrote that she was happy to see him playing so well, but more importantly, she was proud to see the man Markham has become.

Markham certainly understands the magnitude of playing in Omaha.

"I'm having a tremendous amount of fun being on this road trip with my teammates," said Markham, as the team stepped off of its first ever charter airplane flight on Wednesday. "It's been a great experience so far. I'm most looking forward to playing in a venue I've always dreamed about playing in. I'm also looking forward to celebrating a few wins on this field and bringing back a championship."

Troy University Athletics

From Pike Road to Omaha: Markham Propels Troy to First College World Series

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