MSC Tournament Page | Photos
BOWLING GREEN, Ky. -- Second-seeded Cumberland (Tenn.) captured the 2025 Mid-South Conference Baseball Tournament title today with a 12-6 win over top-seeded Cumberlands (Ky.) in the second championship game at Bowling Green Ballpark.
The conference tournament championship is the first for the Phoenix since the 2014 season and the program's sixth overall. Cumberland earns the conference's automatic bid into the NAIA National Tournament, which begins May 12 with opening round tournaments across the NAIA.
Cumberlands won the first title game this morning, 5-3, to hand Cumberland its first loss of the tournament and force a second championship game. The Phoenix (37-16-1) sprinted past Cumberlands in the latter stages of the second game -- scoring the final six runs -- to take home the title.
Game 1 - Cumberlands 5 - Cumberland - 3 - Box Score
Mid-South Conference Baseball Player of the Year Charlie Muniz hit a 3-run home run in the bottom of the eighth inning to propel the Patriots to a 5-3 win over Cumberland to force a second championship game.
JD Price picked up the win in relief, allowing one run on four hits over his five innings of work.
Muniz's blast overshadowed an extremely well-pitched game.
Cumberland's Quinian Wiley went the distance for the Phoenix, allowing three earned runs on six hits in the hard-luck loss.
The Patriots (45-10) jumped out to an early 2-0 lead thanks to a Cumberland error that prolonged the first inning. Alec Gonzalez made the Phoenix pay for the miscue with a two-run single to give the Patriots a 2-0 lead.
The lead was short-lived as Cumberland's Javier Beal provided a two-run single of his own to help the Phoenix tie the game at 2-2.
The pitching settled down after the fast offensive starts.
Cumberlands' Nolan Wilson kept the Phoenix off the scoreboard before being lifted for Price in the top of the fifth.
Dylan LaRue broke the 2-2 tie in the top of the sixth with a two-out solo home run over the right field fence.
Cumberland held the lead until Muniz's heroics.
Game 2 - Cumberlands 6 - Cumberland - 12 - Box Score
Cumberland broke open a 6-6 tie in the seventh inning and added four more in the eighth en route to the 12-6 win.
The two teams exchanged offensive blows with Cumberland taking a 2-0 lead in the first, only to have the Patriots tie the game in the third. The Phoenix reclaimed the lead in the bottom of the third and extended the lead to 5-3 in the fourth before Cumberlands tied the game again in the fifth inning.
Cumberland's Preston Welchel inched the Phoenix back in front 6-5 in the bottom of the fifth with a home run. Welchel ended the game 3-for-4 with two home runs and three RBIs.
Gonzalez tied the game at 6-6 in the top of the seventh with an RBI double.
Cumberland scored the next six runs on its way to the championship.
LaRue provided a two-run double in the seventh inning and Toshiki Kuriya a three-run triple in the eighth to close the scoring. Kuriya finished the game with three hits and five RBIs.
Carter Rost picked up his second win of the tournament while improving to 9-0 on the season. He allowed one run on four hits over the final three innings.
Cumberland learns where it will go in the opening round on Tuesday when the NAIA releases its tournament field. Cumberlands will also be in the national tournament as one of 10 hosts for the opening round in Williamsburg.