MARSHALL, Texas – Playing in their third NCAA Division III Super Regional in four years, No. 11 East Texas travels to Virginia to face host the University of Lynchburg. This will be the third season in four that ETBU has seen the Hornets with two games in the 2023 NCAA Division III National Championship Tournament and a meeting in 2024 during the regular season.
The games will take place at NCAA Division I Liberty University's field on Friday and Saturday for a three-game series. The first game will be on Friday at 11:00 a.m. central time with the second game on Saturday at 10:00 a.m. central and the "if" game 50 minutes after.
Below are notes on the Lynchburg Super Regional.
NCAA Division III
Lynchburg, VA, Super Regional
Opponent: #2 University of Lynchburg
Date: May 22-23
Location: Lynchburg, VA
Stadium: Worthington Field at Liberty Baseball Stadium
Watch/Live Stats:
NCAA.com
Game 1: Friday, May 22 – 11:00 A.M. (CST)
Game 2: Saturday, May 23 – 10:00 AM (CST)
Game 3: Saturday, May 23 – if game – 60 minutes after Game 2
Game Notes
ETBU vs. Lynchburg
ETBU has played Lynchburg three times with two in the NCAA Tournament and one in the regular season. The two teams last played on Feb. 16, 2024, in Birmingham, Ala., as ETBU won 5-0 with a no-hit victory. Lynchburg won the first two meetings in 2023 at the NCAA Division III National Championship Tournament, 7-1, and 8-3.
Connor Massimini is the only ETBU player to face Lynchburg in both 2023 and 2024. In the 5-0 win, he went 2-of-4 with 2 RBI. Sayers Collins and Robert Croft combined for the no-hitter with eight strikeouts.
ETBU in Super Regionals
This is ETBU's third Super Regional appearance in four years making this round in 2023, 2024 and 2026. Last year, they were the Regional Runners-up, just missing making the Super Regional. ETBU is 2-3 overall in Super Regional appearances winning it in 2023. They defeated La Verne in three games in 2023 and fell in two games to Pomona Pitzer in 2024.
Super Regional Results (2-3)
2024:#12 Pomona Pitzer 8, ETBU 7
2024: #12 Pomona Pitzer 6, ETBU 4
2023: ETBU 14, La Verne 6
2023: La Verne 9, ETBU 8
2023: ETBU 9, La Verne 1
ETBU in the NCAA Tournament (16-8)
ETBU has made four straight NCAA Tournaments and hosted the Regional Tournament all four years. Overall, ETBU is 16-8 in the NCAA Tournament going 12-3 in the Regional, 2-3 in the Super Regional, and 2-2 in the National Championship Tournament. ETBU has only played four NCAA Tournament games outside of Texas coming in 2023 with four games in the NCAA National Championship Tournament in Iowa.
2026
ETBU 13, Concordia Texas 9 – Regional Championship
ETBU 11, Rhodes College 6 – Regional
ETBU 9, Concordia Texas 6
2025
#6 Trinity 7, ETBU 4 – Regional Championship – if game
ETBU 4, #6 Trinity 0 – Regional Championship
ETBU 9, Huntingdon 8
#6 Trinity 12, ETBU 10
ETBU 11, Millsaps 4
2024
#12 Pomona Pitzer 8, ETBU 7 – Super Regional
#12 Pomona Pitzer 6, ETBU 4 – Super Regional
ETBU 6, #25 Claremont-Mudd-Scripps 5 – Regional Championship
ETBU 7, Concordia Texas 3 - Regional
ETBU 5, Centenary 2 - Regional
2023
#3 Lynchburg 7, ETBU 1 – National Championship Tournament
ETBU 21, #2 Salisbury 7 – National Championship Tournament
#3 Lynchburg 8, ETBU 3 – National Championship Tournament
ETBU 7, #2 Salisbury 3 – National Championship Tournament
ETBU 14, La Verne 6 – Super Regional
La Verne 9, ETBU 8 – Super Regional
ETBU 9, La Verne 1 – Super Regional
ETBU 2, Trinity 1 – Regional Championship – if game
Trinity 8, ETBU 6 – Regional Championship
ETBU 9, Trinity 4 – Regional
ETBU 16, California Lutheran 6 – Regional
In the Rankings
ETBU is in three different Top 25 polls with the highest ranking of No. 11 this week by The Perfect Game. D3baseball.com's postseason rankings from last has ETBU No. 15 and the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) put the Tigers at No. 20. ETBU is No. 18 in the NPI at the NCAA Selection Show.
The "Flannel"ery is in Season
Justin Flannery had a weekend in Marshall to remember. The grad transfer from Menlo College (Calif.) went 6-of-10 at the NCAA Division III Marshall, Texas Regional with 11 RBI and four home runs. In the win over Concordia Texas to start the tournament, he had a double and scored on a wild pitch to tie the game at two in the 9-5 win. In game two of the tournament, against Rhodes College, he went 3-of-4 with eight RBI and two home runs. He posted a two RBI single in the second inning for a 2-1 lead and then hit a two-run home run in the fourth inning for a 4-2 lead. In the seventh inning with Rhodes within two, 6-4, he took a 1-0 count to deep left field for a grand slam and a 10-4 lead for his 8
th RBI of the game. On Sunday in the championship game vs. Concordia Texas, he went 2-of-3 with three RBI and two runs scored. Both of his hits were home runs to give him four in the tournament. In the first inning, as ETBU was up 3-1, he sent a shot over the left CF wall for a two-run home run and 5-1 lead. In the sixth inning, when CTX was within two, he had a solo home run for a three-run advantage, 9-6.
On the year, he is batting .300 with 10 home runs, nine doubles and a .655 slugging percentage. His eight RBI vs. Rhodes was one short of the ETBU single game record of nine set by Phillip Windham in 2014.
"Thor"ton Standing Tall in Post Season
Isaac Thornton has become the No. 1 starter for ETBU in the second half of the season leading the pitching staff. He was named the ASC Newcomer of the Year and leads the conference in wins (8), strikeouts (91), innings pitched (80.2), and complete games (3). In his first start of the post season, against Mary Hardin-Baylor, he went eight innings with nine strikeouts giving up four earned runs for a no decision as ETBU won a walk-off in the ninth inning. The NCAA Tournament brought a first-game start against Concordia Texas where he went the complete game, 9 innings, for the win with eight strikeouts and one walk. He also retired the side in the sixth and eighth innings.
Mess with the "Mass"amini
Connor Massimini has been a part of all four NCAA Tournament teams at ETBU. He has started the past three years as his freshman year he sat behind All-Region players Brett Wagner and
Ben Lea (All-American in 2023). In his three years of NCAA postseason play, he has 13 hits, 11 RBI, and three home runs. This year, he has five RBI with a grand slam against Concordia Texas that sealed the win over Concordia Texas, 13-9.
2026: 3-of-12, 5 RBI, HR (grand slam)
2025: 4-of-18, 1 RBI
2024: 6-of-21, 5 RBI, 2 HRs
New Team, New Year
Only four starters from last year returned in the lineup in
Connor Massimini,
Carson Livesay,
Nathan Harmon, and
Joaquin Costa along with relief pitchers
Tyler Bogusz,
Brayden Hodge,
Matthew Irwin, and
Nolan Bushko. ETBU brought in 40 new players for the 2026 season that have brought a major impact to the year.
The new players that earned All-ASC awards were
Isaac Thornton (Newcomer of the Year),
Carter Nannini (Freshman of the Year),
Conner Smeltzer (ASC Tournament MVP), and All-ASC selections
Aiden Leonard (1
st Team) and
Cody Myers (2
nd Team)
Returning Starters/Role Players
Connor Massimini (OF)
Carson Livesay (DH)
Tyler Bogusz (P)
Nolan Bushko (P)
Brayden Hodge (P)
Matthew Irwin (P)
Joaquin Costa (INF)
Nathan Harmon (INF)
ASC Awards
Receiving four major American Southwest Conference awards, East Texas Baptist University had 10 student-athletes be named All-ASC.
Carson Livesay is the ASC Player of the Year,
Isaac Thornton is the ASC Newcomer of the Year,
Carter Nannini is the ASC Freshman of the Year,
Conner Smeltzer is the ASC Tournament MVP, and the ETBU Coaching staff is the Co-Coaching Staff of the Year.
The Tigers' coaching staff has earned Co-Coaching Staff of the Year honors and is the sixth time
Jared Hood's staff has received this award (2024, 2023, 2022, 2021, 2016). ETBU went 12-0 in the ASC to win the regular season championship and took the ASC Tournament Championship for the third time in four years to earn the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. ETBU is currently ranked in the top 25 in three polls and has a top 20 NPI.
ASC Awards
Player of the Year:
Carson Livesay
Newcomer of the Year: Issac Thornton
Freshman of the Year:
Carter Nannini
Co-Coaching Staff of the Year: ETBU
ASC Tournament MVP:
Conner Smeltzer
All-ASC First Team
Nathan Harmon
Joaquin Costa
Connor Massimini
Carter Nannini
Carson Livesay
Issac Thornton
Aiden Leonard
All-ASC Second Team
Cody Myers
Tyler Bogusz
ASC All-Tournament
Conner Smeltzer – MVP
Tyler Bogusz
Isaac Thornton
Connor Massimini