ETSU wins 2025 SoCon Baseball Championship

GREENVILLE, S.C. – ETSU captured the 2025 Southern Conference Baseball Championship with a thrilling 7-5 comeback victory over Samford on Sunday afternoon at Fluor Field. The Buccaneers overcame an early four-run deficit to claim their first SoCon tournament title.

Samford exploded out of the gate in the first inning, plating four runs on three hits and taking advantage of an ETSU error. Jeffrey Ince led off with a single to center, followed by a walk for Cade Carr. Parker McDonald then hit an RBI single down the right field line, followed by Matthew Strand's RBI single to center. Two more runs crossed the plate courtesy of a throwing error by ETSU shortstop Cody Miller and a wild pitch.

The Buccaneers answered back in the bottom of the first when Tristan Curless lifted a sacrifice fly to score Miller, who had reached base and stolen third, cutting the deficit to 4-1.

Samford starter Brooks Rice and ETSU's Landon Crumbley matched zeros in the second and third innings before the Bulldogs extended their lead to 5-1 in the fourth inning when Gus Gandy doubled down the left field line and scored on Ince's RBI single up the middle.

The turning point came in the fifth inning when Henry Ferguson singled up the middle to start the rally, and JD Yakubinis followed with a towering two-run homer to left-center field, his fifth of the season, cutting Samford's lead to 5-3.

The Buccaneers delivered a four-run sixth inning as Grant Gallagher walked and advanced to second on a balk before Jamie Palmese tripled down the right field line to tie the game at 5-5. After Yakubinis drove in Palmese with an RBI single, Miller singled to put runners on the corners. Cooper Torres capped the rally with a two-run double to left-center, giving ETSU a 7-5 lead they would not relinquish.

Crumbley earned the victory for ETSU, allowing five runs (three earned) on seven hits over six innings while striking out four.

Brady Frederick came in relief for the Buccaneers, shutting out Samford over the final three innings to earn his fourth save of the season. Frederick struck out three batters and allowed no hits, retiring nine of the 10 batters he faced.

Walt Nadzak Award (Tournament Most Outstanding Player)
Cooper Torres, Sr., DH, ETSU

Pinnacle Award (highest GPA on championship-winning team)
Tristan Curless, Sr., 1B, ETSU

2025 All-Tournament Team
SP - Mason Blasche, SAM
SP - Colton Cosper, MER
SP - Alec Bouchard, WOF
RP - Evan Steckmesser, SAM
RP - Terry Busse, MER
RP - Brady Frederick, ETSU
C - JD Yakubinis, ETSU
1B - Jackson Harris, SAM
2B - Travis Elliott, CIT
SS - Cody Miller, ETSU
3B - Aryan Patel, CIT
OF - Brayden Corn, WCU
OF - Axel Melendez, ETSU
OF - Jake Souder, SAM
DH - Cooper Torres, ETSU