Trojans Explode for 10 Runs in Win Over Christendom

ETTRICK, Va. – The Virginia State baseball team used a pair of big middle innings to power past Christendom, 10-4, on Tuesday afternoon. The Trojans improved to 6-4 overall with the victory.

Virginia State broke open a tight contest with a five-run fifth inning and followed with four more runs in the sixth to take full control. The Trojans showed patience at the plate and capitalized on scoring opportunities to build a commanding lead.

Christendom struck first with a run in the top of the third, but the Trojans quickly responded in the bottom half to even the score at 1-1.

The offense came alive in the fifth inning as Virginia State strung together timely hits to take the lead for good. A two-run double from Antonio Boone put the Trojans in front before Luka Gilliam added another two-run double. Samuel Young later delivered an RBI double to cap the inning and give Virginia State a 6-1 advantage.

The Trojans continued to apply pressure in the sixth inning, scoring four more runs to extend the lead to 10-1. Gilliam drove in two more runs during the frame as Virginia State created separation.

Gilliam led the Trojans at the plate with a strong performance that included multiple hits and four RBIs. Boone added two RBIs, while Young also contributed an RBI. Jaron Ward scored three runs and was active on the basepaths to help spark the offense.

On the mound, Charles Jones earned the win after turning in a solid start, allowing just one run over six innings. DeCarlos Nora III worked in relief to help close out the game.

Christendom mounted a late rally with three runs in the eighth inning, but the Trojans’ early offensive surge proved to be more than enough as Virginia State secured the 10-4 victory.

Story courtesy Virginia State Athletics; image courtesy Chris Waugaman

Atlanteans Take Series with Strong Offensive Display Against Lighthouse

MIAMI – Atlantis University opened Saturday’s NSAC series with a close 5–4 win over Lighthouse Christian College, showing real resilience. LCC took an early 3–0 lead, scoring twice in the first inning and once more in the second. Atlantis University stayed calm and slowly got back into the game. The big moment came in the fifth inning, when Guerrero hit a key double to drive in a run, and Lopez drew a bases-loaded walk to help shift the momentum and put Atlantis ahead. On the mound, right-hander Encarnacion pitched six innings, giving up three runs on six hits, striking out nine, and walking just two. Sobrino finished the game with a scoreless inning to secure the win. The offense got hits from Guerrero, Bracho, Astudillo, Valbuena, and Lopez, while the defense played error-free baseball for a strong team effort.

Atlantis followed the opening win with a commanding offensive explosion in Game Two, defeating Lighthouse 14–4. The Atlanteans delivered one of their most productive innings of the season in the second, erupting for ten runs that completely shifted the game’s trajectory. The rally featured a sequence of timely hits and aggressive baserunning, including RBI contributions from Lopez, Guerrero, Astudillo, Knowles Jr., and Chung. The offensive surge established firm control and energized the Atlantis dugout. Starting pitcher Villalobos earned the win after striking out six batters across four innings of work, while Olazabel later secured the save to complete the victory. AU’s lineup produced an impressive 16 hits in the game. Guerrero led the charge from the leadoff spot with three hits, while Astudillo, Mamarella, Valbuena, and Knowles Jr. each delivered multi-hit performances. Lopez drove in three runs and added two stolen bases, highlighting the Atlanteans’ aggressive approach on the basepaths. The team also executed defensively, turning two double plays that reinforced their control of the contest.

The series finale presented a different challenge. The Makos surged early with a seven-run first inning highlighted by a grand slam that immediately put the Atlanteans on the defensive. Despite the early deficit, AU refused to fold. The lineup steadily chipped away at the margin through consistent contact and situational hitting. Atlantis University collected ten hits in the game and mounted a determined comeback effort that ultimately fell one run short in a 7–6 loss. Bracho, Astudillo, Ruiz, and Lopez each recorded two hits, while Astudillo drove in two runs to pace the offense. Sobrino provided stability on the mound in relief, throwing three scoreless innings and limiting Lighthouse Christian’s momentum. Defensively, Atlantis remained disciplined and turned three double plays to keep the game within reach. The comeback effort demonstrated the team’s competitiveness and ability to respond under pressure.

Atlantis improved to 12-10 overall and 6-2 in league play.

Story and image courtesy Atlantis Athletics

Apprentice Takes Three from St. Vincent, Improves to 14-2

HAMPTON, Va. – The Apprentice School baseball team took three of four this weekend from Saint Vincent, splitting a Friday twinbill before winning both halves of Saturday’s doubleheader.

The Builders won the first game of the series Friday afternoon by a 4-2 final score. After the Bearcats jumped out in front in the top of the first, Justin Bradshaw tied the game up with a RBI single before Apprentice took the lead in the fourth on a Jaeden Anderson RBI single. Jackson Thomas brought home the final two runs for the Builders in the fifth on a single as well.

Nick Redman (5-0) got the win, striking out seven over six innings, while Grant Stratton shut the door in the seventh to earn his third save.

SVC got their revenge in the second half of Friday’s twinbill, winning 6-5, despite a late comeback attempt from Apprentice. The Bearcats scored four in the third to take the lead, but the Builders got one back in the fourth on a Jett Winslow RBI single. After single runs in the fifth and sixth stretched the lead to 6-1, Apprentice took advantage of walks and errors by SVC to score four runs. The Bearcats went to their closer, though, who struck out the final two batters of the game to get the win.

The Builders bounced back on Saturday with a sweep of SVC to earn the series win. The day started with a 5-0 win that saw all five runs come across in the first two innings. All three runs scored in the first inning came via bases loaded walks, while Isaac McCallister got a RBI single, followed by a Landon Turner sacrifice fly in the second to score the runs.

Charley Higginbotham (3-1) was near perfect on the bump, going the complete seven, allowing just four hits and a walk while fanning three.

The series win came in a 10-5 win in the nightcap. SVC scored two in the top of the first, but the Builders answered immediately with a Seth Harrison sacrifice fly followed by a Winslow two RBI single to take the lead. After the Bearcats tied it in the top of the second, Nate Yeary and Anderson had back-to-back sacrifice flies to retake the lead at 5-3. Four more Builder runs came across in the third, three of which were on bases loaded walks, before Drew Barbosa pushed the final Builder run across on a RBI groundout.

The Builders move to 14-2 on the season and now head to Myrtle Beach this week for a five-game week against Cincinnati-Clermont, Colby-Sawyer and NHTI.

Story courtesy Walker McCrary/Apprentice Athletics; image courtesy Kaitlyn Olson @shotsbyk8lyn

Mustangs Split Series at BJU

GREENVILLE, S.C. – Mid-Atlantic Christian took one win and left a couple on the table over the weekend in an early-season baseball series with Bob Jones University.

In Friday’s series opener, MACU fell behind early then fought back to tie the game at 3-3 in the sixth inning before BJU pulled away for a 7-5 victory.

Through the first three innings of Saturday’s twin-bill matinee, neither team could get the bats rolling. In the top fourth inning, the Mustangs got on the board to take the 1-0 lead. That was all they needed as senior Colin Langley gave up only two hits and two walks to claim the shutout win.

In the series finale, the Bruins wasted no time setting the tone. In the bottom of the first, Bob Jones scored six runs on five hits to seize early momentum. A two-RBI double from Cayden Kennedy highlighted the inning, followed by a two-run double by Derek Farley and RBI knocks from Elijah Medrano and Mannix Crawford to build a 6-0 lead.

In the third, both teams added a run to the scoreboard. For the Bruins, David Henry scored on an error to push the advantage to 7-1.

The fifth inning proved decisive. After the Mustangs rallied for four runs in the top half to cut the deficit to 7-5, the Bruins exploded for 11 runs in the bottom of the inning. The Bruins stretched the lead to 18-5.

In the top of the seventh inning, Mid-Atlantic looked to mount a late comeback, adding seven more runs to their total. However, the Bruins’ bullpen ultimately shut the door to secure the 18-13.

Story and image courtesy BJU Athletics

Championship Day is Upon Us!

WILSON, N.C. – John Melvin (LA) got a walk-off double to defeat Apprentice 11-10 Friday and earn its way into Saturday’s NSAC Baseball Championship game.

The top-seeded Millers gave up seven runs in the second inning and appeared doomed to enter the losers bracket but methodically clawed its way back into the game, sealing it in the seventh.

Lighthouse Christian, John Melvin (FL) and Mid-Atlantic Christian were eliminated on Friday. Virginia State and Apprentice will meet Saturday morning at 10:30 Eastern for the chance to advance to the title game against JMU.

Livestream for all games is available at wilsontobs.com.

Day One in the Books at NSAC Championship

WILSON, N.C. – The first day of action at Fleming Stadium was marked by solid play and several big innings.

GAME ONE: #3 Apprentice 8, #6 Lighthouse Christian 6

GAME TWO: #5 Virginia State 11, #4 John Melvin (FL) 6

GAME THREE: #3 Apprentice 7, #2 Mid-Atlantic Christian 5

GAME FOUR: #1 John Melvin (LA) 12, #5 Virginia State 5

Play resumes Friday morning at 9:30 am Eastern time at Fleming Stadium in Wilson. All six teams are still in contention in the double-elimination tournament. You can watch each game via livestream at wilsontobs.com.

Graphic by WildCard Entertainment

JMU’s Musgraves Named NSAC Coach of the Year

After leading the Millers to the regular season title, John Melvin University (LA) baseball coach Rocke Musgraves has been named NSAC Coach of the year by a panel of veteran sportswriters and sportscasters.

In just the program’s third season, Musgraves guided the Millers to a 26-23 record including a pair of wins over 16th-ranked South Arkansas Community College and a victory over #15 Houston-Victoria. JMU also posted a 15-2 (.882) record in league action, the best winning percentage in NSAC baseball history.

Before his stop at JMU, Rocke coached at the NCAA Division I, Division 2, NAIA, and NJCAA levels including stops at NCAA Division 2 Northwest Nazarene University, where he led the Warriors to the Northwest Athletic Conference championship in 2016. Prior to that, Musgraves built Louisiana State University – Shreveport into one of the premier baseball programs in the NAIA.

Congratulations to Rocke Musgraves, the 2025 NSAC Baseball Coach of the Year!

Image courtesy Carla Walker/SportsPicsByCarla; WildCard Entertainment

Jones, Leblanc, Snell Lead 2025 All-Conference Selections

New South Athletic Conference baseball coaches have selected Gavin Leblanc (JMU-LA) as the 2025 Pitcher of the Year and Tobin Jones (JMCC-FL) and Travis Snell (MACU) as Co-Players of the Year.

Leblanc, a senior lefty, made 11 starts for the Millers with a 5-2 Record, threw for 63.1 Innings, giving up only 46 hits and 27 walks, with 85 strikeouts for a 2.84 ERA and .203 BAA.

Jones and Snell tied in the voting for Offensive POY.

Jones, a 6’3″ sophomore outfielder, had a batting average of .375 in 72 ABs, a slugging percentage of .819 for an OPS of 1.284, with 27 hits, 9 homers, and 24 RBIs.

Senior outfielder Snell also put up impressive numbers for the Mustangs, batting .447 with 129 PA’s, a slugging percentage .660, with 5 HRs and 28 RBIs.

“Congratulations to our players of the year as well as all of the outstanding student-athletes that make up the 2025 NSAC All-Conference Team,” said commissioner Mike Davis. “They have made this one of the most exciting campaigns yet in NSAC baseball, with more fireworks to come in Wilson.”

2025 All-Conference First Team

  • Zander Mizelle, P, Apprentice
  • Charley Higginbotham, P, Apprentice
  • Kevin Rodriguez, P, Atlantis
  • Dakota Jacobsen, P, MACU
  • Jeremiah Cabrera, P, MACU
  • Tobin Jones, OF, JMCC (FL)
  • Trevor Durr, C, JMU
  • Jaden Guthrie, 2B, Virginia State
  • Nate Yeary, OF, Apprentice
  • L. Valentin, Lighthouse
  • Jeremy Harmon, C, Apprentice
  • Travis Snell, OF, MACU
  • Thomas Ealey, OF, Virginia State
  • Braeden Morgan, 2B, JMU (LA)
  • Eduardo Perez, C, Atlantis
  • Justin Suarez, 2B, Atlantis
  • Landen Miller, C/DH, MACU
  • Gavin Leblanc, P, JMU (LA)

All-Conference Second Team

  • Dalon Arrington, P, MACU
  • Garrett Walker, P, JMU (LA)
  • Caleb Ougel, P, JMU (LA)
  • Cole Crocker, P, JMCC (FL)
  • Logan Fleming, P, JMCC (FL)
  • Eduardo Roque, P, Atlantis
  • Jesus Gonzalez, P, Atlantis
  • Kevin Rodriguez, P, Atlantis
  • G. Deroche, Lighthouse
  • H. Molina, Lighthouse
  • L. Villasana, Lighthouse
  • H. Ojeda, Lighthouse
  • Noah Watkins, OF, JMU (LA)
  • Sammy Maddox, 1B, JMU (LA)
  • Connor Pleasant, SS, JMU (LA)
  • Nick Redman, P, Apprentice
  • Josiah Collado, C/OF, MACU
  • Rafael (RJ) Cabrera, IF, MACU
  • Victor Johnson, OF, Virginia State
  • Jacquan Tucker, 1B, Virginia State
  • TJ McGowan, 3B, Virginia State
  • Marcos Medina, INF, Atlantis
  • Nathaniel Gomez, CF, Atlantis
  • Gianni Rodriguez 3B/DH, Atlantis
  • Hunter Johnson, IF, Apprentice
  • Camden Richardson, P, Apprentice
  • Jett Winslow, IF, Apprentice

Image courtesy Carla Walker/SportsPicsByCarla; WildCard Entertainment