Jax State baseball downs Dallas Baptist with walk-off win, will head to CUSA championship

Jacksonville State is heading back to the Conference USA tournament championship. In a dramatic finish on Saturday, the Gamecocks punched their ticket to the title game with a thrilling 6-5 walk-off victory against Dallas Baptist.

A Walk-Off Finale

The game came down to the wire in the bottom of the ninth inning. After Dallas Baptist opted to intentionally walk Brady Thomas, the pressure shifted to Cooper Blauser. Blauser, the son of former Atlanta Braves standout Jeff Blauser, stayed disciplined at the plate and drew a bases-loaded walk on a 4-0 count to secure the win for Jacksonville State.

This victory marks the second consecutive walk-off triumph for the Gamecocks. During pool play, Jax State edged out Western Kentucky 12-11 in a high-scoring thriller, capped off by a game-winning single from Sam Richardson that drove in Blauser.

Championship Bound

With a stellar 45-13 record, the Gamecocks are now set for their second straight appearance in the CUSA championship. Despite a weather-induced start time delay of one hour and 35 minutes in Kennesaw, Georgia, the team remained focused. Jax State will compete for the title on Sunday against either Liberty or Missouri State at the Kennesaw State University campus.

Key Contributors

Tuscaloosa native Luke Williams led the offensive charge, going 3-for-4 with an RBI. Other notable performances included multi-hit games from Jaxon Pate and Matthew Cash, while Grayson Ashe provided a boost by driving in two runs.

On the mound, Trinity native and All-Conference USA reliever Skyler Hutto earned the win. Hutto stepped up when it mattered most, recording the final two outs in the ninth inning and sealing the victory by striking out Dylan Cupp.