Courtesy of Newberry College Athletics
SALISBURY, N.C. – The Newberry College Wolves saw their postseason run come to a close Friday afternoon at Newman Park, falling 6–3 to Coker in a South Atlantic Conference Tournament elimination game.
Game One: vs Catawba on May 1st
Newberry Baseball opened the South Atlantic Conference Tournament with a tough 8-4 loss to top-seeded and nationally ranked No. 6 Catawba on Thursday afternoon at Newman Park. The Wolves, the 8-seed in the bracket, will now face the loser of Limestone vs. Coker in an elimination game on Saturday.
Newberry struck for all four of its runs in the sixth and seventh innings, highlighted by a two-run homer off the bat of senior Cooper Gentry in the seventh that put them within one run of Catawba. Gentry finished the day 2-for-4 with two RBIs and a hit-by-pitch, while Kade Faircloth also tallied two hits and a stolen base. Parker Mergo added an RBI single in the seventh, and Wilson Wages brought home a run with a sacrifice fly in the sixth.
On the mound, freshman Chansen Cole took the loss, allowing six earned runs over 6.2 innings with six strikeouts. Brayden Gilson pitched the final 1.1 innings in relief, giving up just one hit and no runs. The Wolves recorded nine hits on the day but left seven runners stranded and committed two errors defensively.
Catawba used a four-run sixth and three-run seventh to build their lead, making big plays on clutch extra-base hits and Newberry miscues.
Game Two: vs Coker on May 2nd
Newberry battled from behind twice, but a three-run seventh inning by Coker proved too much to overcome.
Luke Compton led the way offensively with two hits and a RBI, while Jonathan Velez added a key RBI double in the sixth that tied up the game. Wilson Wages, Kade Faircloth, and Parker Mergo each added hits.
On the mound, Ethan LeBron started for the Wolves, surrendering only two runs over 5.1 innings. The Newberry bullpen worked hard to contain the Cobra bats, but Coker’s 15-hit performance kept steady pressure throughout.
The loss caps off a hard-fought season for Newberry, who reached the postseason after a strong closing stretch to regular-season play. The Wolves now turn their focus to the 2026 season.