CLEARWATER, Fla. – Wichita State battled their way to an incredible 14-12 win over UAB before falling to East Carolina 13-3 in the American Conference semifinal Saturday night at BayCare Ballpark.
The Shockers end the 2026 season with a 31-29 record. East Carolina advances to the championship game on Sunday against top-seeded UTSA, with the winner securing the conference's automatic berth to the NCAA tournament.
Game One – UAB
Wichita State banged out 21 hits and rallied from a late 10-6 deficit to extend their season with a 14-12 win over UAB.
In a back-and-forth slugfest, the Shockers and Blazers each used seven pitchers and combined for seven multi-run half innings. Wichita State had to play from behind virtually from the outset, as UAB's JP Head opened the scoring with a first inning solo home run against Wichita State starter
Matthew Cuccias.
The Shockers momentarily surged in front with a two-run second inning, claiming a 2-1 lead on an RBI ground out from
Kaleb Duncan and an RBI single from
Ethan Gonzalez. It proved to be fleeting, however, as the Blazers used an Andrew Hunt two-run homer and Baylor Roberts run-scoring triple to move in front, 4-2.
Cuccias was forced out of the game after just four outs, beginning a parade of relievers from the WSU bullpen. The right-hander allowed three hits and four runs, striking out three and walking two.
After Wesley Helms pushed the UAB lead to 5-2 with an RBI single in the third, the Shockers fought back to tie the game with a three-run fourth.
Jayson Jones singled home one,
Owen Washburn doubled home another, and
Nolan Ganter tied the game at 5-5 with an RBI grounder.
The Shockers faced their first significant deficit when Alex Dupuy launched a three-run home run in the fourth, staking the Blazers to a 9-5 lead. The deficit remained at four when the two teams traded runs in the fifth, and after a scoreless sixth, WSU entered the final three innings trailing, 10-6.
Wichita State put together a six-run seventh to flip the script. Ethan Gonazlez continued his monster afternoon with a solo home run to start the barrage and capped the scoring in the inning with an RBI double. In between, a Jones single, Ganter walk,
Jacob Gutierrez fielder's choice and
Kaleb Duncan single helped the Shockers to a 12-10 lead.
The drama was not over. UAB fired right back with two runs of their own in the bottom of the seventh, including Head's second solo home run of the day to help knot the score at 12-12.
The Shockers finally struck the decisive blow in the eighth, as Washburn ripped an RBI single and Ganter tacked on a sacrifice fly, giving WSU a 14-12 edge.
Brady Hamilton (4-8) was magnificent to slam the door, allowing just one baserunner over 2.2 scoreless innings to earn the win. He retired the middle of the UAB order 1-2-3 in the ninth, wrapping up a game that took four hours and nine minutes.
Gonzalez led the way for the Shockers with a season-high five hits, including two doubles and a home run. Jones and Washburn each added three knocks, and Gutierrez, Duncan and Gustafson recorded two apiece.
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Game Two – East Carolina
A strained Shocker pitching staff was not able to slow down ECU's potent offense, as the Pirates rolled to an 13-3 win in eight innings.
East Carolina built a quick 5-0 lead against Wichita State starter
Ethan Rogers (0-3), taking advantage of a pair of WSU errors to plate single runs in the first and second ahead of a three-run third inning.
Wichita State took advantage of some ECU charity in the fourth as
Nolan Ganter walked and moved to third on two wild pitches before
Jacob Gutierrez plated him with a sacrifice fly to cut the deficit to 5-1.
Colby Wallace cleared the bases with a two-out, three-run double in the fourth, extending the Pirates advantage to 8-1.
The Shockers last gasp came in the fifth when Ganter bounced a two-out, two-run single up the middle, pulling WSU within 8-3. ECU reliever Thomas Paxton (1-0) stymied the threat and held the Shockers off the board over the final 2.2 innings to earn the win.
The Pirates got the two runs back in the sixth, added one more in the seventh, then Grady Lenahan activated the run-rule with a two-run home run in the bottom of the eighth inning.
