GASTONIA, NC – Despite a late-inning rally, 18th-ranked and top-seeded Francis Marion University fell to third-seeded and 25th-ranked Belmont Abbey College 15-4, Saturday afternoon (May 3) in an elimination game at the 2025 Conference Carolinas Baseball Tournament.
The Patriots most likely finish their historic season with an overall mark of 40-13, a 22-win improvement over the previous campaign. The NCAA Division II Tournament field will be announced on May 12.
In his first year as head coach,
Jeff Jefferson led the Patriots to their first ever 20-win season in Conference Carolinas league action, to share of the regular-season title, a program-record 25-home wins, and he earned conference Coach of the Year honors.
Junior outfielder
Will Dorrell and senior
Caleb Oakley led FMU with two hits apiece, with both extending their streaks of safely reaching base to 43 and 20 games respectively.
FMU starting pitcher
Daniel Barcena (4-2) sat down the first two batters in the top of the first before allowing a solo homer to Jackson Risk.
Belmont Abbey scored five more runs over the next three innings, all coming with two outs, to forge a 6-0 advantage. The Crusaders tacked on an unearned run in the seventh for a 7-0 margin.
FMU had runners on base, but stranded five over the first four frames.
Following a 45-minute weather day in the seventh, the Patriots mounted a comeback. Belmont Abbey starter Seth Edgerton (3-3) blanked FMU on four hits over the first six innings, but he did not return to the mound after the delay.
In the bottom of the seventh, Oakley drilled a two-out, two-run triple to the right-center field gap as FMU closed to within 7-2.
In the eighth, Patriot senior designated hitter
Noah Stout blasted a two-run homer that literally left the ballpark, clearing a retaining wall beyond the right field bullpen. Now trailing 7-4, Francis Marion went on to load the bases with two outs and Oakley returned to the plate. The Mullins native chopped a grounder to third that was ruled foul negating an RBI-single that would have brought Conference Player of the Year
Charlie Bussey III to the plate with the tying run on second. However, Oakley eventually struck out stranding the tying runs on base.
Belmont Abbey (36-15) exploded for eight runs in the top of the ninth to account for the final margin.
Oakley finished his four-year career with 148 hits in 152 contests.
#25 Belmont Abbey 15 #18 Francis Marion Univ. 4, (May 3, 2025 at Gastonia, NC)
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Belmont Abbey College.... 121 200 108 - 15 12 1 (36-15)
Francis Marion Univ……… 000 000 220 - 4 8 4 (40-13)
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Pitchers: Belmont Abbey – Seth Edgerton; Drew Stegura(7); Thomas Paxton (8); Jacon Larkins (9) and Justin Herrera, Jake Bidoglio(8), Josh Wilson(9). Francis Marion Univ. –
Daniel Barcena;
Daemon Woodruff(3);
Danny Leo(4);
Josh Adams(7);
Jackson Madden(9) and
Hunter Looper,
Caleb Oakley(8).
Win-Seth Edgerton (3-3) Loss-
Daniel Barcena (4-2) T-4:29 pm A-183
HR-BAC Jackson Risk, Todd Velotta, Jake Bidoglio, FMU-Stout (9)
Weather: Overcast 70
