WHITEWATER, Wis. – The Macalester College baseball team saw its thrilling season come to an end on Saturday at the NCAA Division III Baseball Championship, hosted by UW-Whitewater at Prucha Field. The Scots defeated Luther College, 14-5 in an elimination game in the morning and lost to the host Warhawks, 9-8 in heartbreaking fashion.
This season the Scots (30-17) broke the school record for wins, which was 26, and became the first team in the program's history to win 30 games. Macalester won the MIAC Playoffs and advanced to the NCAA Championships, both for the second time.
Macalester struck early against Luther, with senior outfielder Raymond McCaskey (Colorado Springs, Colo./Manitou Springs) getting hit by a pitch to start the game, then stealing second. First year outfielder John McMurray (Washington, D.C./Sidwell Friends) followed with a double to bring in McCaskey for a 1-0 lead. McMurray's hit broke the program's record for hits in a season with 67, and the RBI tied the Scots' record for RBIs in a season with 48. In the top of the second, senior infielder Tristan Jones (Fairfield, Conn./Greens Farms Academy) hit a two-out single and advanced to second on an error. Senior infielder Nathan Gumagay (Potomac, Md./Winston Churchill) stepped up and doubled to plate Jones for a 2-0 edge.
Then in the third the Scots rallied with two down again. Sophomore outfielder Tristan Lander (West Chester, Pa./B. Reed Henderson), senior infielder Josh Planko (Northville, Mich./Northville) reached on an error that put runners at second and third, and senior Niko Alexander (Bethesda, Md./Walt Whitman) hit a two-run double for a 4-0 lead. Luther's Ike Swanson led off the bottom of the third with a home run to make the score 4-1.
Macalester loaded the bases in the top of the fourth on a hit batter, a single by McCaskey and a fielder's choice that didn't produce an out. McMurray followed with a sacrifice fly to bring home Gumagay for McMurray's school-record 49th RBI this season. Still in the fourth, Lander drove in McCaskey with an infield single, and junior infielder Holden Peacock (Houston, Texas/Kinkaid School) stole home to put the Scots on top, 7-1. Luther responded with three runs in the bottom of the fourth to make the score 7-4 Macalester.
The Scots broke the game open in the top of the fifth. Jones hit a sacrifice fly to plate Alexander, McCaskey singled home sophomore catcher Bobby Munoz (Santa Monica, Calif./Santa Monica), and Peacock singled to score Gumagay for a 10-4 lead. With Peacock on second and McCaskey on third, McMurray blasted a home run over the right-field fence to give Macalester a commanding 13-4 advantage. In the sixth, Munoz came home from third on a failed pickoff attempt by the catcher to extend the lead to 14-4. Luther loaded the bases with nobody out in the bottom of the sixth but managed just one run on a sacrifice fly.
Junior pitcher Nick Strezo (San Mateo, Calif./Hillside), who entered the game in the fourth inning, retired the side in order in both the seventh and eighth innings. After allowing back-to-back singles to lead off the ninth, Strezo struck out the next batter, induced a ground out, then fanned the final batter to close out the win. Strezo limited the Norse to two runs on eight hits while striking out seven without a walk in six innings to improve to 4-4.
McMurray went 2-for-3 with a run, a double, a homer and five RBIs. Jones, Peacock, Munoz, McCaskey and Gumagay each had two hits in the win, which saw the Scots total 16 hits. McCaskey also scored three runs.
In their second elimination game of the day, the Scots scored three runs in the top of the second for an early lead against UW-Whitewater, who lost to Bethany Lutheran, 8-7 earlier in the day. Lander hit a bases-loaded single to plate Peacock and McCaskey, then McMurray scored on a wild pitch. The Warhawks tallied a run in the bottom of the third and had the bases loaded, but Munoz picked off the runner at first for the third out.
Macalester responded with two runs in the top of the fourth for a 5-1 lead. It was Lander again who delivered a bases-loaded single to bring home Gumagay and Peacock in the fourth. But UW-Whitewater came back in the bottom of the fourth with two runs and had the bases loaded with two out. Senior pitcher Tommy Ball (Wayne, Pa.The Shipley School) entered the game and promptly struck out the next batter to end the threat.
In the top of the sixth and McCaskey on second, McMurray hit a long fly ball that went off the right fielder's glove, allowing McCaskey to score. With two out, Planko singled to bring in McMurray for a 7-3 lead. In the bottom of the sixth, the Warhawks loaded the bases and scored one run on a hit batter. Keli Grennier followed with a grand slam to left to give UW-Whitewater its first lead of the game, 8-7.
With one out in the top of the eighth, McCaskey reached on an error and stole second. After a strikeout, Lander hit a fly ball towards the right field line that was dropped by the right fielder, allowing McCaskey to score the tying run. With two outs the bottom of the ninth, Aaron Holland hit a solo home run to left field to end the game in the Warhawks' favor, 9-8.
Munoz and Peacock each went 3-for-5, while Lander drove in four runs on two hits. Planko also recorded two hits. Junior Josh Schmidt (Chicago, Ill./Whitney M. Young) started and allowed one run on two hits with three walks and three strikeouts in 2 2/3 innings. Junior Damian Man (Houston, Texas/Bellaire) finished the game and gave up one run on two hits while fanning three and walking two in 2 1/3 innings.
The games marked the final competitions for 12 seniors: Alexander, Ball, Gumagay, Jones, McCaskey, Planko, Tristan Collins (Seven Park, Md./Severn School), Evan Kang (Sherman Oaks, Calif./Village Christian), Ben King (Chicago, Ill./Whitney M. Young Magnet), Jamie Loizeaux (Albany, Calif./Albany), Brennan Murley (Bethesda, Md./Walt Whitman), and Stephen Paulsen (Middleton, Wis./Middleton).
Interactive Bracket | Regional Brackets | Tournament Website
2026 NCAA Division III Baseball Championship
Whitewater Regional - Prucha Field at Jim Miller Stadium
Friday, May 15
Game 1: UW-Whitewater 13, Macalester 4 - box score
Game 2: Bethany Lutheran 8, Luther 2 - box score
Saturday, May 16
Game 3: Macalester 14, Luther 5 - box score
Game 4: Bethany Lutheran 8, UW-Whitewater 7 - box score
Game 5: UW-Whitewater 9, Macalester 8 - box score
Sunday, May 17
Game 6: Bethany Lutheran (33-6), vs. UW-Whitewater (43-5) 11:00 a.m.
Game 7: Repeat Game 6 if necessary, 45 minutes after conclusion of Game 6
