ROUND ROCK, Texas -- Trinity University, playing in its final Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference event, exited with the program's 15th overall baseball championship, earning a tough 2-1 victory over Concordia (Texas) in the title game of the 2025 SCAC Baseball Tournament Sunday afternoon at Dell Diamond. Official Website l Tournament Stats l Photo Gallery
Trinity, which joined the SCAC in 1989-90 when the league was known as the College Athletic Conference, earned a share of the CAC baseball title in its inaugural year as a member in 1990 and exited the league as the conference tournament champion in 2025.
Concordia (Texas) reached Sunday afternoon's title game by defeating McMurry, for the second time in the tournament, 11-7 in an extra-inning thriller earlier in the day.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- In a tournament that was filled with offense, Sunday's title game was the first true pitcher's dual of the championship with both teams having to claw and scratch for any offensive production.
- Sunday's game was much different than the team's battle on Saturday when Trinity scored in six of eight innings and Concordia in five of nine in the Tigers' 7-6 victory.
- The game remained scoreless until Trinity plated the first run of the game in the bottom of the fifth off a sacrifice fly from Kaleb Woodward to go up 1-0.
- Concordia evened things up in the top of the seventh when Eric Garcia singled thorugh the left side to bring in Zach Seigrist.
- An inning later, Trinity's Kai Tinker doubled home what proved to be the game-winning run in the bottom of the eighth to provide the final 2-1 margin.
- Trinity's Jack Briese, Will Taylor and Will Hellings combined to work 9.0 innings, allowing just seven hits and one earned run while striking out nine. Taylor picked up the win to go to 6-0 on the season and 2-0 on the weekend.
- Concordia's Gavin Voth started and worked 4.2 innings holding the Trinity offense to just two hits and one earned run in 4.2 innings of work.
TRINITY UNIVERSITY STATISTICAL STANDOUTS
- Kai Tinker: 1-4, 1 2B, 1 RBI
- Kaleb Woodward: 0-2, 1 RBI
- Brandon Nelson: 2-4, 1 2B
- Cam Champness: 1-2, 1 2B
- Will Taylor (WP): 4.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 4 K, 4 BB
- Jack Briese: 4.0 IP, 5 H, 5 K, 2 BB
CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY (TEXAS) STATISTICAL STANDOUTS
- Zach Seigrist: 2-4, 1 run
- Eric Garcia: 1-4, 1 RBI
- Garth Voth: 4.2 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 K, 4 BB
- Chase North (LP): 1.2 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 K, 1 BB
NOTABLES
- All three of Trinity's wins at the tournament came by one run, making them the first champion in the SCAC era (1992 to present) to win each of their tournament games by only one run.
- Trinity's Nicholas Lazzara is the only repeat honoree on this year's all-tournament team, having also earned the honor at last year's event.
- Trinity ends its 36-year conference run with an 84-42 all-time record in SCAC tournament play after this year's 3-0 mark.
- Trinity's 15 baseball titles are the most for any program in SCAC history and seven more than the next closest schools - Centre College, Millsaps College and Washington (Mo.) - who had eight each.
- Concordia's Matthew Armes had six walks during the tournament, tied for the most in a single tournament with seven other players.
- Trinity's Will Taylor's two wins at this year's event ties him with eight other players to win two games at one tournament, with the last person to do it Cody Myers of Centenary at last year's championship.
- After playing the previous six championships at The Depot at Cleburne Station, this year's championship was played at Dell Diamond in Round Rock, Texas for the first time ever.
ALL TOURNAMENT TEAM
- Catcher - *Nicholas Lazzara, Trinity
- First Baseman - Will Baker, Trinity
- First Baseman - Collin Bruning, McMurry
- Second Baseman - Aaron Gomez, Concordia
- Second Baseman - Alex Trinh, St. Thomas
- Shortstop - Logan Smith, Concordia
- Third Baseman - Eric Garcia, Concordia
- Third Baseman - Kai Tinker, Trinity
- Outfielder - Kaleb Woodward, Trinity
- Outfielder - Zach Seigrist, Concordia
- Designated Hitter - Matthew Armes, Concordia
- Designated Hitter - Brandon Nelson, Trinity
- Pitcher - Hunter Poe, McMurry
- Pitcher - Will Taylor, Trinity
- Pitcher - Will Hellings, Trinity
- Pitcher - Otto Franz, Concordia
*repeat honoree from 2024
UP NEXT
With the win, Trinity (36-7) earned its second tournament title in three years and clinched the league's automatic berth into the upcoming NCAA Division III Championship. Concordia (33-11), along with McMurry (32-11), will await word of a possible at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament when those announcements go out on Monday, May 12.
This year's Division III championship will be played May 30 through June 5 at Classic Park in Eastlake, Ohio.
