#8 Tiger Baseball will start their 2025 postseason play at Dell Diamond in Round Rock, Texas where they will compete in the 2025 Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference baseball tournament.
 
The Tigers (33-7, 27-3 SCAC) dominantly ended the regular season by sweeping Southwestern to clinch sole possession of the SCAC regular season championship. Kai Tinker (Simi Valley, Calif. / Grace Brethren) continued his hot streak at the plate, hitting .636 (7-11) with a double, a home run, and three RBI. The Tiger pitching staff shutout Southwestern in game two thanks to the combined efforts of Jake Beck (Austin, Texas / Austin), Brandon Morio (Austin, Texas / McNeil), and Jack Briese (Danville, Ky. / Boyle County) only allowing a combined three hits in their nine innings pitched.
 
SCAC Hitter of the Week
 
Brandon Nelson (Missouri City, Texas / Ridge Point) has won SCAC Hitter of the Week for the first time this season for his performance against Southwestern University.
 
Per SCAC Release:
 
Nelson powered eighth-ranked Trinity to a three-game conference weekend sweep against Southwestern, closing out the regular season on a 12-game winning streak to secure the SCAC Regular Season Championship and top seed at the upcoming conference tournament. Nelson hit a scorching .667 (8-for-12) with a double and two home runs over the three games this weekend, scoring five runs and notching eight RBI. He opened the series with a 3-for-4 performance in Friday's 9-5 win, then went 2-for-4 with a grand slam and two runs scored in the team's 9-0 shutout on Saturday. He closed the weekend with another 3-for-4 day that included two runs scored and three more RBI - as well as a game-tying three-run home run in the third inning, sparking the Tigers to a run-rule 17-7 victory.
 
Preview - SCAC Tournament
 
The Tigers travel to Dell Diamond in Round Rock, Texas to compete in the SCAC baseball tournament. Trinity is the one-seed in the tournament and will take on four-seeded St. Thomas (TX) in the first round. Fellow SCAC rivals Concordia (TX), who is the two-seed, and McMurry, who is the three-seed. Game one against St. Thomas will be on May 2nd at 1:00 PM.
 
On The #21 Concordia University Texas Tornados: The Tornados are entering the SCAC tournament red hot, coming in on an eight game win streak and a 31-9 (24-6 SCAC) record. They recently swept St. Thomas in run rule fashion, only playing the minimum 21 innings of baseball, and out scoring the Celts 34-4 over the weekend. Concordia boasts one of the best pitching rotations in the conference, with starting pitchers Otto Franz and Dakota Palmer both holding sub 3.00 ERAs and Ralph Wallace III who has been one of the best closers in the conference. Junior right fielder Colby Christian has been a beast in the batter's box, hitting .354 with 16 doubles, and leads the conference with 15 home runs and 62 RBI. The Tigers played an incredibly competitive series against the Tornados on the road, coming away with a 2-1 series win. Historically, the Tigers have a 19-16 record against the Tornados.
 
On The McMurry University War Hawks: McMurry is also coming into the SCAC tournament on a tear, currently on a nine game win streak to finish the regular season with a 31-9 (22-8 SCAC) record. In their most recent action, the War Hawks swept Centenary and celebrated senior day in dominating fashion. Although pitching was a struggle point for McMurry early on in the season, they have since improved that part of their game thanks to junior starting pitcher Hunter Poe leading the way with his 3.13 ERA. Junior catcher Michael Smosna has caused problems for every team in the conference, batting .443 with 16 doubles, eight home runs, and 52 RBI. Trinity stymied the McMurry offense and picked apart their pitching in a regular season sweep of the War Hawks. Trinity has an 11-13 record against the War Hawks in the all time series.
 
On The University of St. Thomas Celts: The Celts have been on a skid to end the regular season, being losers of their last six games, three of which were against the Tigers, which has leveled their record to 19-18 (17-13 SCAC). Their last series of the regular season left much to be desired, as the Celts were easily swept by Concordia. They have one of the best batters in the nation with Alex Trinh, whose .471 batting average is the sixth best in all of NCAA Division III baseball. Senior Pitcher Jacob Mead has been the most effective pitcher for the Celts this season, having a 4.17 ERA and 43 strikeouts over 41 innings pitched. Trinity blasted through the Celts in a high scoring SCAC series sweep in the regular season. The Tigers have a 16-1 record against St. Thomas historically.
 
Up Next
 
Trinity will await their potential assignment in the NCAA tournament, with regionals beginning Friday, May 16th.