Box Score HATTIESBURG, Miss. - For the first time in program history, the University of Mobile Baseball team, led by head coach Jon Seymour, won the SSAC Baseball Championship on Sunday night, May 7, defeating conference rival William Carey on the Crusaders' home field in convincing fashion, 22-10. In addition, Mobile's championship win is Seymour's 100th career victory at the helm of the UM Baseball program.
The championship victory for Mobile earns the Rams an automatic bid to the NAIA Baseball Opening Round for the first time since the 2019 campaign, with this season's opening round being scheduled for May 15-18 at 10 different host locations across the country. The official NAIA Baseball selection show scheduled for Thursday, May 11.
Game Recap - Mobile Takes Home First SSAC Trophy
After Sunday began with an afternoon semifinal victory for Mobile over Faulkner University, William Carey followed with a win of their own in the semifinals, defeating Loyola University (La.) in the process. Sunday night's championship game began approximately 45 minutes following the William Carey v. Loyola matchup, with Mobile looking ready to roll against their conference rivals. The Crusaders entered as the top seed in this year's SSAC Baseball Tournament, winning the regular season title and sweeping Mobile in three regular season games played. However, the third-seeded Rams came out on top in the game that mattered most, defeating William Carey via the NAIA's run-rule in seven innings.
The bats for Mobile caught fire in the top of the second inning on Sunday night, lasting throughout the entirety of the game. William Carey managed to open the scoring with a four-run first inning, but Mobile left fielder Trevor Wells blasted a grand slam in the second to start Mobile's scoring spree where the Rams eventually pushed across six runs in the inning alone. Mobile then added one more run in the top of the third before tallying a whopping nine-run fourth inning to go up on the Crusaders, 16-6.
In the top of the fifth, Mobile added two more runs as William Carey continued to burn through their bullpen. One inning later, the Rams scored four more runs to lead by 14 total runs late. In the bottom of the sixth, William Carey's offense scratched off two more runs to attempt a monumental comeback, but the Rams' large lead proved to be too much in the end. Head Coach Jon Seymour began emptying his bench in the seventh inning, which proved to be the final inning, as Mobile closed things out in the bottom half of the inning.
Mobile's Impressive Box Score
In the dominating victory on Sunday night, Mobile tallied 17 hits and added 12 base-on-balls, while combining with William Carey to score the most runs scored in a SSAC Championship game in history. Eight of Mobile's nine batters in the starting lineup recorded at least one RBI, with all nine reaching base in the victory. William Carey's pitching staff failed to record a 1-2-3 inning in the game.
Senior Trevor Andrews highlighted the offensive performance for Mobile, going into the record books as the new program record holder for home runs in a single season. Andrews blasted his 17th homer of the season in the title game for the new record after he tied the record in the final series of the regular season. He finished 2-for-4 with four RBIs, two walks, and four runs scored in the championship game.
Other Notable Performances:
- CF Tucker Musgrove: 2-for-4, 4 RBI, R, 2 BB
- LF Trevor Wells: 1-for-5, Grand Slam (12), 4 RBI, 2 R
- DH Samuel Plash: 3-for-5, HR (6), 2B, 3 RBI, R
- 1B J.T. Lastorka: 2-for-4, HR (3), RBI, 3 R
- C Trey Watson: 3-for-4, 2 RBI, BB
On the mound for Mobile, five pitchers combined to give up 10 runs off 15 hits against the Crusaders, with the win belonging to Jacob Davis. Davis pitched 3 1/3 innings from out of the bullpen, allowing just two earned runs and striking out eight batters. Trevor Wells sealed the championship game for Mobile on Sunday night, finishing the game with 1 1/3 scoreless innings.
Head Coach Jon Seymour Reacts
"Just a complete and total team effort throughout this entire tournament," Jon Seymour said following the program's first SSAC title. "The guys constantly battled through adversity every single day and were just phenomenal all week." Mobile finished the tournament with a 4-1 record, going 2-1 against Faulkner University in three total games played.
Mobile's lone loss of the tournament came on Saturday night to the Eagles following a controversial balk call with the bases loaded. After a lengthy review by umpires, the balk was reversed, but pitcher Tucker Musgrove went cold on the mound and walked in the winning run the very next batter. "Bouncing back with two wins on Sunday after such a frustrating loss the night before speaks volumes about this team," Seymour said. "I am very proud of the way this team composed and handled themselves throughout the week. We had so many different guys step up and deliver throughout this tournament."
When asked about his 100th career victory with the Rams, Seymour expressed gratitude. "I am just so thankful to God for placing me here. I am a humbled team member of this program. Very hard to put into words how I am feeling."
Finally, Seymour mentioned the founder of the UM Baseball program, the late Coach Mike Jacobs. "All I can think about is the smile on Mike's [Jacobs] face. I know that he would be so proud of this team and the young men that stepped up on and off the field this week."
Seymour is in his fourth season as head coach at Mobile, totaling a current overall record of 100-56.
Headed to the NAIA National Tournament
With Mobile keeping the 2023 season rolling with the conference championship trophy at their side, the Rams will await the NAIA's selection show next Thursday to see who the team will match up against in the opening round. Location and start times will be announced during the selection show at 4:00 p.m. CT.
Mobile enters this year's national tournament with a 35-13 overall record.
FOLLOW THE RAMS
For complete coverage of University of Mobile Athletics, follow the Rams on social media at /MobileRams (Facebook), @UMobileRams (Twitter), and @umobilerams (Instagram), or visit the official home of the University of Mobile Athletic Department at https://umobilerams.com/.
About the University of Mobile
The University of Mobile is a Christ-centered liberal arts and sciences institution with a vision of higher education for a higher purpose, founded to honor God by equipping students for their future professions through rigorous academic preparation and spiritual transformation. Core values are: Christ-Centered, Academically-Focused, Student-Devoted and Distinctively-Driven. The university offers on-campus and online bachelor's, master's and doctoral degrees in over 75 academic programs. Founded in 1961, the University of Mobile is affiliated with the Alabama Baptist State Convention and is located 10 miles north of Mobile, Alabama on a campus of over 880 acres.
For information about the University of Mobile, areas of study, admissions and more, visit umobile.edu, connect with UM on social media @univofmobile, or call Enrollment Services at 1.800.WIN.RAMS or 251.442.2222.
