SEASON RECAP: Baseball 2025

• The Lions cruised to a 27-15 record with a 12-6 mark in league play. 
• Piedmont posted seven wins over top-25 foes sweeping #22 Chapman to open the seasond and taking two-of-three from #25 Emory.
• Senior pitcher Zeke Swartz had an outstanding year with a 1.96 ERA earning CCS First Team All-Conference honors, D3baseball.com Region Pitcher of the Year, All-Region (D3baseball.com & ABCA/Rawlings) and All-American honors (D3baseball.com-First Team; ABCA/Rawlings-Third Team)
• Braden Simms also earned All-Region as a relief pitcher with eight saves as he became the all-time Piedmont career record holder with 25 saves.

• Zeke Swartz had a masterful performance pitching 8.0 innings of scoreless work to defeat #25 Emory 1-0 at Loudermilk Field. Swartz posted a career-high 13 strikeouts as he dismantled the Emory offense that was averaging over 9.5 runs per game. 
• A Cole Ellis double was the first hit of the game with just a combined five total hits. Ellis' double to lead off the second did not produce a run but did contribute to Piedmont leaving the bases loaded after a pair of walks. 
• It was one inning later that Piedmont would break the scoreless tie as Trace Cate had a leadoff home run in the third inning. An error in the fourth allowed the first baserunner for the Eagles, but a ground rule double in the sixth proved to be the first hit for Emory. 
• The two hits for Emory came back-to-back in that frame as Swartz locked down and Jackson Randolph finished the job in the ninth. After a hit by pitch to start the inning, a double play helped Randolph out of the jam and in fitting fashion, the final out of the game was a strikeout giving the Piedmont staff 14 in the game. 

Full Recap | Box Score

• In dramatic fashion, the Piedmont University baseball team earned a come-from-behind win over LaGrange in extra innings 10-9 in game two of the series in Demorest.
• Piedmont trailed by six early in the contest and was down 7-3 heading to the bottom of the seventh when the Lions reeled off six runs on four hits and an error to tie the contest at 9-9. 
• It took extras to seal the deal but Trace Cate was able to post the walkoff hit to right field scoring Ben Connelly to lift the Lions to victory.
• After the Lions were able to shut down the Panthers offense behind a complete game from Zeke Swartz, LaGrange saw its bats wake up early in game two of the series, with three runs in each of the first and fourth innings to build a large cushion.
• The damage could have been worse in the early going, but Piedmont starter Bodie Eilertson stranded the bases loaded to end a threat in the second.
• Trailing by six runs in the bottom of the fifth inning, the Lions took advantage of four consecutive walks to plate their first run. Then, after a pitching change, a sacrifice fly from Ben Connelly and an RBI single from Carter Few made it 6-3.
• LaGrange built back the six run advantange with a pair in the sixth and another run in the seventh to lead 9-3. 
• In the seventh, a lead-off error proved costly as Cody Funk was aboard and back-to-back outs could have ended the frame. Instead, Piedmont sent a total of 10 batters to the plate and drove in six runs on four hits and a pair of walks. 
• The bases were loaded when Head Coach Justin Scali opted for a pinch hitter bringing Davin Miller to the plate. He crushed one deep for a bases-clearing triple to knot the game up at nine and bring life back to the Lions. 
• Neither team managed more than a single hit in the eighth or ninth innings as Braden Simms entered for Piedmont to attempt to close out the contest. With Cate's game-winner in the home half of the 10th, Simms earned the win pitching the final three innings without allowing a run and just four hits. 
   

Full Recap | Box Score

• An error on the final play of the game proved costly for Maryville as Piedmont escaped with a walkoff game-winner in the 10th inning to claim an 8-7 win over the Scots in the series opener.
• Piedmont rallied to score two in the bottom of the ninth to force extras and though the Scots tacked on a run in the 10th, Piedmont was not to be denied on senior day.
• A Kyle Carlson walk put him on for Tyler Nelson to sac bunt over to second. Another walk to Jack Gilsenan put two on for Cody Funk who singled to right field allowing Carlson to score. Gilsenan was stranded in between second and third, but a throw over to attempt to catch him at third got away and allowed the winning run to score.
•  Braden Simms battled through 2.2 innings to earn the win after allowing a pair of runs off five hits. 
• Cody Funk finished the game 4-for-5 with three RBI setting up the game-winning moment at the end. 

 Recap  | Box Score