LEWISTON, Idaho – The 2025 baseball season ended on Monday at the Avista NAIA World Series, as the Cumberlands Patriots defeated the Loyola Wolf Pack, 9-8. Loyola fell behind 9-0 after two innings, but it battled back to make it a one-run game in the eighth.
The Wolf Pack finished the season with a 42-18 record, marking a new program record for wins in a season.
The Patriots started off the elimination matchup by scoring four runs in the first inning, then they put together another strong inning in the second, scoring five to take a commanding lead, 9-0.
The Wolf Pack fought back in the top of the third, starting with a leadoff walk by Jaxon Buratt. Brandon Mooney singled, advancing Buratt to second, then Myles Liggans walked to load the bases. A wild pitch brought Buratt home, leaving Mooney and Liggans in scoring position, 9-1. Garrett Felix hit to center field, plating Mooney and advancing Liggans to third, 9-2. After Landon Manson walked to load the bases, once again, Cole Romero walked to bring Liggans home for Loyola's third run, 9-3.
Carter Holstein stepped on the mound in the bottom of the third, and he struck out the first two batters faced and secured the final out on a fielder's choice to hold Cumberlands scoreless in the frame. He returned in the fourth to strike out another, then retired two more batters to close out the inning.
After Holstein and the Wolf Pack held the Patriots scoreless in the fifth, Cole Romero led off the sixth with a triple to center field. Buratt grounded out, scoring Romero on the same play, 9-4. Holstein kept the Patriots off the board in the sixth, then Caden Durand entered in the seventh and earned three outs, with the final two coming on a double play.
A Buratt single led off the eighth, then a base hit up the middle by Liggans put two runners on base. Felix knocked one into center field to score Buratt, then Manson singled to left field to send Liggans home, 9-6. Anthony Fernandez doubled to score both Manson and Felix to get the score within one in the eighth inning, 9-8.
Durand kept Cumberlands from touching home in the bottom of the eighth, adding a strikeout in the inning. However, Cumberlands managed to end any chance of Loyola winning the game by closing things out in the top of the ninth, 9-8.
Pack Facts
-
The Wolf Pack set new program records for most wins (42), hits (597), and runs (516) in a single season by a Loyola team. This season's team also featured three new single-season program records (hits, runs, RBI) and one tie for a school record (saves).
-
This season featured three of the top 10 hitting seasons in program history. Brandon Mooney broke the school record with 91 hits, Garrett Felix had the second-most hits in a season with 86, and Cole Romero tied for the seventh-most hits in a single season with 78. Felix's .406 batting average this season also ranks as the sixth-best in any season in Loyola history.
-
Mooney broke the single-season runs record by scoring 81 runs this season, while Felix's 67 runs this year are the third-most in a single season.
-
Romero drove in 74 runs this season, setting a new program record for single-season RBI.
-
A school pitching record was also tied, as Caden Durand finished the season with seven saves.
-
Three of the top 10 seasons in total stolen bases happened this year. Landon Trosclair finished the year with 28, which is the seventh-most in a season in program history. Landon Manson had 27, which is the eighth most, and Romero had 26, which is tied for the ninth-most.
-
Trosclair and Mooney tied for the fifth-most career stolen bases at Loyola with 68. Trosclair also had the third-most runners caught stealing with 42.
-
Mooney's three-year Loyola career featured several single-season records and career records. He owns two of the top two best seasons in total hits and top three in total runs. He holds the school record for most career runs scored (215) and is tied for the most career doubles (54). His career batting average of .384 ranks as the second-best in program history, and he has the second-most hits (247), and third-most RBI (132) in a career in the history of Loyola baseball.
NAIA World Series Schedule
All times Central
Friday, May 23
Game 1 | #4 Hope International (Calif.) def. #7 Cumberlands (Ky.), 10-4
Game 2 | #1 LSU Shreveport def. #10 Grand View (Iowa), 6-3
Game 3 | #3 Tennessee Wesleyan def. No. 8 Loyola, 7-3
Game 4 | #2 Georgia Gwinnett def. #9 British Columbia, 11-1 (8)
Saturday, May 24
Game 5 | #6 Southeastern (Fla.) def. #5 Webber International (Fla.), 15-2 (7)
Game 6 | #7 Cumberlands (Ky.) def. #10 Grand View (Iowa), 8-6, Grand View eliminated
Game 7 | #8 Loyola def. #9 British Columbia, 12-9, British Columbia eliminated
Monday, May 26
Game 8 | #7 Cumberlands (Ky.) def. #8 Loyola, 9-8, Loyola eliminated
Game 9 | #2 Georgia Gwinnett def. #3 Tennessee Wesleyan, 14-0 (7)
Game 10 | #1 LSU Shreveport def. #4 Hope International (Calif.), 6-3
Tuesday, May 27
Game 11 | #3 Tennessee Wesleyan def. #5 Webber International (Fla.), 17-7, Webber eliminated
Game 12 | #4 Hope International (Calif.) def. #7 Cumberlands, 9-7, Cumberlands eliminated
Game 13 | #6 Southeastern (Fla.) def. #2 Georgia Gwinnett, 2-1
Wednesday, May 28
Game 14 | #2 Georgia Gwinnett def. #3 Tennessee Wesleyan, 5-3, Tennessee Wesleyan eliminated
Game 15 | #1 LSU Shreveport def. #6 Southeastern (Fla.), 10-0 (7)
Thursday, May 29
Game 16 | #6 Southeastern (Fla.) def. #2 Georgia Gwinnett, 16-6, Georgia Gwinnett eliminated
Game 17 | #1 LSU Shreveport def. #4 Hope International (Calif.) 14-4, Hope International eliminated
Friday, May 30
Game 18 | #1 LSU Shreveport def. #6 Southeastern (Fla.), 13-7, LSU Shreveport wins NAIA National Championship
(If after Game 17 three teams remain, the team with the most games played receives a bye to Game 19. If there is a tie for games played, the team that won the head-to-head matchup in the tournament shall receive a bye to Game 19. If the tie is still not able to be broken, the higher seed shall advance to Game 19.)
Subscribe to Pack Tracks, a Loyola Athletics Newsletter, for all of the latest information >> https://loyolawolfpack.com/subscribe.aspx. You can also keep up with the Pack by following Wolf Pack Athletics on Facebook at Facebook.com/LoyolaWolfPack, Twitter and Instagram @LoyolaWolfPack, and by checking out our website at LoyolaWolfPack.com.
