NEED TO KNOW:
Score: Piedmont, 14; Belhaven 4
Records: Piedmont, 30-13 (CCS 12-6); Belhaven 31-12 (CCS 12-6)
PEARL, Miss.—Piedmont baseball has won the 2026 CCS Tournament on the strength of its conference-leading offense and stout pitching.
The win marks the program's second time winning the CCS tournament and the fifth overall tournament title for the program.
After Piedmont's bullpen was used highly in Sunday's game, the freshman Will Schmidt delivered a strong outing against the Blazers, shutting down the lineup for two frames while the offense got to work.
In the bottom of the second, the Lions' lineup did what they had done all season and put a crooked number on the board. Jack Ryan led off the inning with a double to the wall in left field. Davin Miller broke the seal on the game with an RBI single, scoring Ryan and giving the Lions the lead that the team would not surrender for the rest of the game. A relentless lineup, the Lions continued to tack on runs. With the bases loaded, Cody Funk skied a ball to right field, allowing Miller to score. Piedmont kept the pressure and forced the Blazers to break. Three more runs came across due to errors and pitch control, giving the Lions a 5-0 lead.
Schmidt, with a healthy lead, kept the Blazers off the board through four innings of play, giving the offense plenty of room to add on as the lineup added runs in the third and fourth.
In the fifth, Belhaven started a rally against Schmidt and the Lions, plating three runs and cutting the deficit.
Answering after the Belhaven rally, Piedmont scored two in the bottom of the fifth to extend its lead to 9-3.
Averett Thompson relieved Schmidt in the sixth, and despite allowing the leadoff batter to reach, set down the Blazers, sending the Lions back to the bat rack.
In the sixth, the Lions jumped on the new Belhaven pitcher, tagging him for a run after a one-out RBI single. With a runner on second, Cruz Mullinix shot a ball up the middle, scoring the Lions 11th run. With Mullinix on base, Jack Ryan stood in and drilled a ball to deep left field for a two-run home run. Ryan, who had driven the ball well all afternoon, put a cap on the Lions rally in the sixth with his homer.
Facing elimination in run-rule fashion, the Blazers scored a run in the seventh, staving off a run-rule victory for the Lions and forcing the game to the bottom of the seventh.
The bottom of the inning began with back-to-back singles from Dickerson and Funk, putting the bat in the hands of Ben Connelly. Connelly, who started the year slow, had caught fire in the middle of the season, and the sophomore still had sparks on the bat. Connelly lifted a ball to right-center, and as the outfielders gave chase, the Lions celebrated. The ball touched down on the warning track, hopping the wall, scoring Dickerson and crowning the Lions as the 2026 CCS tournament champions.
Piedmont went undefeated in the tournament, cruising through all rounds with the offense coming alive in the final two rounds to ease the tension.
With the win, the Lions punch their ticket to the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2011.
The Lions will await seeding in the tournament, which is slated to begin on the weekend of May 14.
Turning Point:
- The Lions' five-run second inning that led the way for the rest of the contest.
STANDOUT PERFORMANCES:
- Dickerson and Few collected three RBIs in the contest, tied for first for Piedmont on the afternoon.
- Ryan's two-run homer created the final momentum swing for the Lions as Piedmont controlled the contest from there.
- Despite allowing three runs in the fifth, Schmidt handled a strong Belhaven lineup over four innings and allowed the lineup to hit without pressure.
HOW TO FOLLOW:
- To stay up to date on all information regarding Piedmont University Athletics, be sure to visit PiedmontLions.com and connect with the Green and Gold on social media. Follow the Lions on Twitter: @PiedmontLions, Instagram: @PiedmontLions, and Facebook. To follow each Piedmont athletic program on social media, use the Social Media Directory at PiedmontLions.com or click here.
