Lynchburg, Virginia — The East Texas Baptist Tigers are the 2026 Super Regional Champions after defeating University of Lynchburg in a three-game series. The title marks the Tigers’ second Super Regional Championship in the past four years and secures their trip to the NCAA Division III Baseball Championship in Eastlake, Ohio. The best-of-three series went the distance, with ETBU winning the opener 8-2 before falling 3-1 in game two and responding with a 6-2 victory in the decisive game three.
Super Regional Recap
Game 1 | East Texas Baptist 8, Lynchburg 2 | Box Score
East Texas Baptist opened Super Regional play with an 8-2 victory over Lynchburg on Friday afternoon in Virginia. The Tigers broke open a tight game with a three-run fifth inning before adding five more runs across the seventh and eighth innings. Isaac Thornton tossed a complete game for ETBU, allowing just two runs on seven hits while striking out seven. Carter Nannini drove in three runs with a key fifth-inning double, while Connor Massimini added a two-run home run in the eighth inning.
Scoring Summary
3rd | Lynchburg took a 1-0 lead as Benton Jones doubled to right field to score Brandon Garcia.
5th | ETBU answered with a three-run double from Carter Nannini, scoring Connor Massimini, Carson Livesay, and Juan Ortigoza to give the Tigers a 3-1 advantage.
6th | Jack Pokorak cut the deficit to 3-2 with a solo home run to center field for Lynchburg.
7th | Jobee Boone pushed the ETBU lead to 4-2 with an RBI single up the middle before Brody Tewers followed with a two-run double to score Boone and Joaquin Costa, extending the lead to 6-2.
8th | Connor Massimini capped the scoring with a two-run home run to left field, scoring Juan Ortigoza and making it 8-2.
Game 2 | East Texas Baptist 1, Lynchburg 3 | Box Score
Lynchburg evened the Super Regional series with a 3-1 victory over East Texas Baptist on Sunday morning at Worthington Field. ETBU struck first in the opening inning, but the Hornets answered with two runs in the third and added an insurance run in the fifth. Logan Tapman tossed a complete game for Lynchburg, limiting the Tigers to four hits while Cody Myers took the loss for ETBU despite allowing just three runs over four innings.
Scoring Summary
1st | ETBU took a 1-0 lead as Carter Nannini grounded out to shortstop, allowing Carson Livesay to score after reaching on an error.
3rd | Lynchburg moved in front 2-1 on a two-run single to left center from Quinn Madden, scoring Jack Pokorak and Benton Jones.
5th | Brandon Garcia stole third base and later scored on a throwing error to extend the Hornets’ lead to 3-1.
Game 3 | East Texas Baptist 6, Lynchburg 2 | Box Score
East Texas Baptist clinched the Super Regional with a 6-2 comeback victory over Lynchburg on Sunday afternoon in Virginia. Trailing 2-0 entering the seventh inning, the Tigers erupted for six unanswered runs over the final three innings, including a five-run eighth inning powered by three home runs. Conner Smeltzer earned the win in relief, tossing 4.2 scoreless innings with five strikeouts, while Justin Flannery drove in three runs with a go-ahead homer in the eighth.
Scoring Summary
3rd | Lynchburg opened the scoring as Kyle Moshier launched a solo home run to left field for a 1-0 lead.
5th | Benton Jones doubled to left field to score Moshier, extending the Hornets’ advantage to 2-0.
7th | ETBU got on the board when Juan Ortigoza advanced to second on a passed ball, allowing Brody Tewers to score and cut the deficit to 2-1.
8th | Connor Massimini tied the game at 2-2 with a solo home run to right field.
8th | Justin Flannery followed later in the inning with a three-run home run to left field, scoring Jobee Boone and Carter Nannini to give ETBU a 5-2 lead.
8th | Kahne Nolen added another solo home run to left field as the Tigers capped the five-run inning and pushed the lead to 6-2.