USC Upstate's Season Ends with Loss to Oklahoma State
By USC Upstate Athletics
TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – Finding themselves competing on the third day of an NCAA Regional for the first time in program history, USC Upstate baseball remained resilient until the end in Sunday's do-or-die elimination game against Oklahoma State. While the outcome did not break the Spartans' way in the 12-1 setback, the second of two straight trips to the NCAA Tournament showed the Spartans can hang with anyone in the country.
Capping his strong tournament, redshirt freshman centerfielder
Trey Bentley logged the Spartans' lone multi-hit effort, picking up two of the team's five hits. For the second straight game, he drove home a run with a double in the ninth inning, as his two-bagger drove home fifth-year designated hitter
Johnny Sweeney from first base.
Redshirt sophomore shortstop
Maloy Heaghney, senior leftfielder
Preston Lucas, and senior first baseman
Wylie Waters each recorded a hit for Upstate. Sweeny drew the lone free base issued by the Cowboys, appropriately being hit by a pitch, the 31
st HBP of his season.
On the mound, two relievers, junior left-handed pitcher
Jack Gibson and senior right-hander
Juan Reyes, combined for two scoreless innings, each working an inning apiece. Sophomore righty
Cayden Mackey tied his season-high with a team-best four strikeouts in three innings of relief.
How It Happened
- T2: Breaking the deadlock and striking first for the Cowboys, Oklahoma State's Campbell Smithwick jumped on a 0-0 pitch, depositing it over the wall in rightfield.
- T3: Adding to their advantage, the Cowboys struck for seven runs in the third frame. A pair of three-run home runs, one from Avery Ortiz and one from Remo Indomenico, plated six of the seven tallies.
- T4: Hanging another run on the board, Oklahoma State's Smithwick slugged another long ball, leaving the yard in left.
- T7: Expanding their advantage, the Cowboys clubbed two additional long balls in the seventh, solo shots from Indomenico and Terrance Bowen.
Notable
- Entering the game in the third inning for the Spartans, Andrew Kummer made his 27th appearance of the season. His appearance total ties for the fifth-most pitching appearances in a single season, the most by a Spartan in a season since Grant Hoppack appeared in 27 games in 2018.
- Making 26 of his appearances in relief, Kummer's 26 relief outings are the most in a season by a Spartan since Kevin Davis appeared in relief 26 times in 2022. The 26 relief appearances this year tie for the seventh-most in a single season in program history.
- Closing the regular season on Sunday at the Tuscaloosa Regional, USC Upstate completed its 64th game of the season, a program record. The 2026 season marks the fourth straight season the Spartans have played 60 or more games.