Baker College’s esports team, The Swarm, claimed their first major esports trophy last week, becoming The National Esports Collegiate Conference (NECC) Division 2 Champions in VALORANT– a team-based, multiplayer action game. This victory is historic, as this is the team’s inaugural season.
Here’s the rundown: The championship match against Conestoga College was a Best-of-5 series, significantly longer than the regular season and playoff matches, which were Best-of-3s. Despite a slow start in Game 1, trailing 0-7 and finishing the first half at 3-9, The Swarm showed resilience. They came back to lead 12-10 but eventually headed into double-overtime– winning Game 1 with a 15-13 score.
Building on that momentum, Game 2 was a 13-6 victory for Baker. However, Conestoga fought back in Game 3, winning 13-8. Game 4 was close and ended 12-12, sending the series into overtime once again. The Swarm won both overtime rounds and secured the championship with a 3-1 series score.
Baker College’s Esports Director, Henry Johnston, reflected on the team’s success, “I’m incredibly proud of what we accomplished in our first season. Bringing home this championship was our goal, but we’re not done yet. The Spring season is our main focus, with bigger competitions and more opportunities to prove ourselves on a national stage. If we achieved this much in our first season, the sky’s the limit for our next.”
Baker’s Valorant team, composed of seven players—including a student-coach—dedicates 15-20 hours weekly to practice on top of competition time. Their preparation includes film reviews, scrimmages, strategy sessions, and refining communication and mental fortitude. Geographically diverse, the team includes members from Michigan, California, New Jersey, and Missouri. Two players currently reside on Baker’s Owosso, MI campus, with two more set to join next semester.
“Winning this championship for the school means so much to me,” said player-coach Hernan Pernas. “We fought hard throughout the season, and I knew we would take control when it mattered most. We have a solid core of great players, and our experience really showed. We’re on a great path to keep winning and making a name for ourselves in the collegiate esports scene.”
The NECC trophy is just the beginning for Baker Esports. With the Spring season promising higher stakes and even tougher competition, the team’s ultimate goal is to qualify for prestigious LAN events and take on the nation’s best collegiate teams.