CHAMPIONSHIP TICKETS | CHAMPIONSHIP CENTRAL
MONTGOMERY, Ala. — No. 7 seed Texas State and No. 9 seed Georgia Southern prevailed in first round single-elimination action at the 2025 Sun Belt Conference Baseball Championship presented by Troy University in Montgomery, Ala.
By virtue of their victories in Tuesday’s single-elimination games, the No. 7-seeded Bobcats and No. 9-seeded Eagles advance to the double-elimination portion of the bracket.
Four games will be on tap on Wednesday at Riverwalk Stadium—No. 6-seeded Old Dominion vs. No. 3-seeded Troy at 9:00 a.m. CT, No. 7-seeded Texas State vs. No. 2-seeded Southern Miss at 12:30 p.m. CT, No. 9-seeded Georgia Southern vs. No. 1-seeded Coastal Carolina at 4:00 p.m. CT and No. 5-seeded Louisiana vs. No. 4-seeded Marshall in the nightcap at 7:30 p.m. CT.
GAME 1 – No. 7 seed Texas State def. No. 10 seed App State, 3-0
Behind a complete-game shutout from junior right-handed pitcher Bryson Dudley, Texas State outpaced App State, 3-0, in the opening contest of the Sun Belt Conference Baseball Championship presented by Troy University.
The Bobcats needed just one hit—an RBI single through the right side off the bat of junior designated hitter Rashawn Galloway—to score two runs in the bottom of the first inning. Galloway’s single followed a hit by pitch, a fielding error, a sacrifice bunt and a groundout that plated the first run of the frame.
Hits were at a premium for both teams, with Dudley conceding just two over 9.0 innings pitched, while striking out a career-high 10 and walking none. He needed just 104 pitches in the complete-game performance in which he faced the minimum.
App State’s duo of redshirt junior right-handed pitcher Liam Best and graduate student right-handed pitcher Bradley Wilson conceded just three hits, but did walk six and hit another to allow a number of runners on the basepaths.
Texas State tacked on an insurance run in the bottom of the seventh. Junior third baseman Chase Mora shot a one-out double up the middle and stole third, before coming around to score on an RBI single to right off the bat of junior first baseman Coy DeFury.
Dudley earned the win in just his second start of the season to improve to 5-1 on the year, posting the first complete game shutout in postseason play for the Bobcats since Joseph Dvorsky propelled them to a 9-0 win over Stephen F. Austin on May 28, 2011.
The Bobcats will take on No. 2 seed Southern Miss at 12:30 p.m. CT on Wednesday, May 21. The Golden Eagles took 2-of-3 in the regular-season series in San Marcos.
GAME 2 – No. 9 seed Georgia Southern def. No. 8 seed Arkansas State, 13-8
Georgia Southern used a seven-run third inning to run way from Arkansas State in an eventual 13-8 win to claim the final spot in the double-elimination portion of the Sun Belt Conference Baseball Championship presented by Troy University.
With two-on and two-out in the top of the first inning, redshirt junior designated hitter Juju Stevens delivered the first of his six hits—an RBI single up the middle—to get the Eagles on the board first. After a walk was issued to Georgia Southern junior outfielder Jonathan Jaime, redshirt senior shortstop Cade Parker stepped to the plate with the bases loaded and singled to center to drive in a pair and open up a 3-0 lead. The Red Wolves got one back in the bottom half of the frame, when senior first baseman Wil French sent a 416-foot solo shot over the wall in right center.
Georgia Southern blew the game open with a seven-run third inning—headlined by a two-RBI single from redshirt junior catcher Sean White and a two-RBI double to left center from Stevens—to make it 10-1. Arkansas State responded once again, manufacturing a run on a walk by redshirt freshman outfielder Ashton Quiller, a French double to right center and a sacrifice fly by redshirt junior outfielder Cross Jumper.
The Red Wolves used small ball to claw back in the bottom of the fourth, plating four without an extra-base hit to pull within 4 runs, 10-6.
Stevens tacked on an insurance run for the Eagles with a 425-foot leadoff bomb to dead center in the sixth and ignited a two-run eighth with a leadoff single to left. With runners on second and third, Eagles senior outfielder Sean Smith rocketed an 0-2 single down the right field line to drive in two.
Red Wolves junior catcher Kaden Amundson sent a two-out, two-run bomb over the left field wall in the bottom of the ninth to produce the final 13-8 margin.
Georgia Southern senior left-handed pitcher Jacob Phillips, who entered in relief in the fourth inning, earned the win to move to 7-2 on the year.
The Eagles will take on Sun Belt regular-season champion and No. 1 seed Coastal Carolina at 4:00 p.m. CT on Wednesday, May 21. The Chanticleers swept the regular-season series in Conway.
CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE
Tuesday, May 20
Game 1 – No. 7 seed Texas State def. No. 10 seed App State, 3-0
Game 2 – No. 9 seed Georgia Southern def. No. 8 seed Arkansas State, 13-8
Wednesday, May 21
Game 3 – No. 6 seed Old Dominion vs. No. 3 seed Troy, 9:00 a.m. CT
Game 4 – No. 7 seed Texas State vs. No. 2 seed Southern Miss, 12:30 p.m. CT
Game 5 – No. 9 seed Georgia Southern vs. No. 1 seed Coastal Carolina, 4:00 p.m. CT
Game 6 – No. 5 seed Louisiana vs. No. 4 seed Marshall, 7:30 p.m. CT
Thursday, May 22
Game 7 – Loser Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4, 9:00 a.m. CT
Game 8 – Loser Game 5 vs. Loser Game 6, 12:30 p.m. CT
Game 9 – Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 4, 4:00 p.m. CT
Game 10 – Winner Game 5 vs. Winner Game 6, 7:30 p.m. CT
Friday, May 23
Game 11 – Loser Game 9 vs. Winner Game 7, 3:00 p.m. CT
Game 12 – Loser Game 10 vs. Winner Game 8, 6:30 p.m. CT
Saturday, May 24
Game 13 – Winner Game 9 vs. Winner Game 11, 9:00 a.m. CT
Game 14 – Winner Game 10 vs. Winner Game 12, 12:30 p.m. CT
If Necessary – 4:00 p.m. CT
If Necessary – 7:30 p.m. CT
Sunday, May 25
Championship Game – 1:00 p.m. CT