Dupage Policy Journal

North Central College's baseball team concluded its 2025 season with a loss to Centre College in the NCAA Tournament. The Cardinals were defeated 13-5 by No. 16 Centre College on Saturday at Nobby's Ballpark, located on the campus of Case Western Reserve University.

The game began positively for North Central as Caleb Coberley reached base on a fielder's choice in the first inning. Parker Wyatt followed with a double, and Austin Wienke drove in Coberley with an RBI groundout, giving the Cardinals an early 1-0 lead.

Brian Duvall managed to escape a difficult situation in the bottom of the first inning by forcing a 6-4-3 double play, keeping Centre off the scoreboard. However, Centre responded strongly in the second inning, scoring five runs on six hits to take a 5-1 lead. They added two more runs in the third inning, extending their advantage to 7-1.

In the fourth inning, North Central narrowed the gap when John Michael Scumaci walked and Owen Ziaja singled. Peyton Burgh then hit a home run over the left field fence, bringing North Central within three runs at 7-4.

Centre capitalized on a North Central error to score two additional runs in the fourth inning, making it 9-4. Jaedin Kotecki managed to hold Centre scoreless during the fifth and sixth innings.

In the seventh inning, Justin Lang and Yamada reached base safely for North Central but were unable to score as Centre maintained their lead at 9-4. The Colonels then scored three more runs in their half of the seventh inning, increasing their lead to 12-4.

North Central added one more run in the ninth when Yamada scored on Wyatt's fielder's choice. Despite this effort, it was not enough as Centre secured a 13-5 victory and continued their journey in the NCAA Tournament.

Peyton Burgh recorded two hits and drove in three runs during his fifth home run of the season. Coberley, Scumaci, Ziaja, and Yamada each contributed by scoring for North Central. Brian Duvall took the loss after allowing seven runs (five earned) over three innings. Ben Prather improved his record to 8-0 for Centre College.

The Cardinals finished their season with an overall record of 26 wins and 19 losses. They won their 11th College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin Tournament before participating in their program's 14th NCAA Tournament appearance.