HICKORY, NC – The UVA Wise baseball team saw their 2025 season come to an end as they fell behind early against Carson-Newman and fell oh-so-short in their efforts to come back all the way in a 7-4 loss Saturday afternoon. The loss eliminates the Highland Cavaliers from the South Atlantic Conference Tournament and ends one of the best seasons in the program's NCAA era.
The team had many superlatives this season as they opened with the best start in program history (9-0), won a record six SAC series, and qualified for the SAC Tournament for the first time.
INSIDE THE MATCHUP
Result: Carson-Newman 7, UVA Wise 4
Records: UVA Wise (26-24); Carson-Newman (36-16)
Location: Hickory, NC | Durham Field
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Eagles plated two runs in the first inning, one in the second, and two more in the fourth and sixth to take a 7-0 lead.
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Jaden Ruehling put the Cavs on the board in the bottom of the seventh as he singled up the middle and later scored from second on a
Matt Frye single to center field.
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Nick Badgett opened the eighth inning with a single to left field, and on the next at-bat was brought home by
DJ Dickson, who blasted his sixth home run of the season over the right field wall to cut the lead to 7-3.
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Matt Frye added a fourth run in the bottom of the ninth as he hit a solo home run to left field with one out. After the next three Cavalier batters were walked and loaded the bases, UVA Wise had back-to-back outs to end the game.
- The Eagles out-hit the Cavs 12-9 for the game.
GETTING WISE
- Frye led the team as he went 3-4 for the game with a run and two RBI.
- Dickson was 2-4 at the plate with a run and two RBI. Four others had a hit each.
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Justin Snider took the loss for the Cavs as he gave up five earned runs off of eight hits while striking out three Eagle batters.
Houston Sarvis entered in the fifth inning and pitched two innings of relief, allowing two runs off of four hits.
- The comeback effort was aided defensively by
Ryan Whitson, who entered the game in the seventh inning and pitched a gem as he went for three innings and only allowed one walk.
UP NEXT
The team ends the season at 26-24, tying the 2019 team for the most wins in the NCAA era (2013-present) and for the most wins since 2010. Their 14 SAC wins are a program record since joining the conference in 2020, and the 19 home wins are a Burchell Stallard Field record.
The coaching staff will now turn to recruiting for the off-season and the team will return for their Fall practice season later this year.
