USC Upstate’s Historic Season Concludes with 7-3 Defeat to Kentucky in NCAA Regional

USC Upstate baseball wrapped up its landmark season with a 7-3 loss to Kentucky in the NCAA Regional elimination game on Saturday afternoon. True to their gritty and determined reputation, the Spartans fought hard until the final pitch in what was the program’s first appearance in an NCAA Regional.

After falling behind 3-0 in the first inning, Upstate didn’t fold. Instead, the team responded in the fourth inning, mimicking the approach Clemson used the previous night. With the bases loaded, junior catcher Preston Lucas ripped his 19th double of the season into the left-center gap, bringing home two runs. Junior second baseman Gage Griggs followed with a sacrifice fly to center field, tying the game at three.

Sophomore lefty Chris Torres helped keep the Spartans competitive with a solid five-inning outing. After giving up runs in the first, he settled in and held the Wildcats scoreless through the fifth. Torres struck out three, and his effort was supported by relievers Darin Kuskie and Max Bianchini, who each added two strikeouts. As a result, the Spartans reached 500 strikeouts as a team for the second straight season, finishing with 503—second most in a season in program history, just behind last year’s 510.

Game Summary

Bottom 1st: Kentucky jumped out to an early lead with a three-run homer to left-center by Carson Hansen.
Top 4th: The Spartans rallied with a two-run double from Lucas, followed by a sac fly from Griggs to tie the game 3-3.
Bottom 6th: The Wildcats regained the lead with a squeeze bunt by Patrick Herrera that scored a run.
Bottom 8th: Kentucky added three insurance runs, highlighted by an RBI single from Cole Hage and a two-run single from Hudson Brown.

Key Highlights

Vance Sheahan extended his Division I era program record on-base streak to 48 games with a double in the fourth inning.
Sheahan also became the only player in school history to appear in all 61 games of a single season, setting a new team record.
The Spartans capped off the year with 503 strikeouts as a pitching staff, the second-highest total in program history.

Despite the season-ending loss, USC Upstate exits the NCAA tournament with its head held high, marking a milestone year for the program.