MISENHEIMER, N.C. The Methodist baseball team's 2026 season came to a close Friday evening, as the Monarchs fell just short in a 4–3 loss to Southern Virginia University at Joe Ferebee Field in the USA South Tournament.
THE ESSENTIALS
Final results: Southern Virginia def. Methodist, 4–3
Records: Methodist 19–24, Southern Virginia 14–28
Location: Joe Ferebee Field; Misenheimer, North Carolina
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Methodist struck first in the third inning when senior Israel Ortiz launched a solo home run to give the Monarchs an early 1–0 advantage.
- Southern Virginia answered in the fourth, capitalizing on a pair of Methodist miscues to score four runs — only one earned — and move in front 4–1.
- The Monarchs responded in the bottom half of the inning to trim the deficit to 4–2. After putting runners on base, freshman Kade Bell drove in a run on a fielder's choice.
- Methodist pulled within one again in the sixth inning as senior Evan Parker connected on a solo homer, making it a 4–3 contest.
- The Monarchs continued to pressure Southern Virginia late, putting at least one runner aboard in each of the final three innings, but the Knights were able to hold on and secure the victory.
STAT FACTS
- Four different Monarchs recorded multi-hit performances.
- Senior Austin Rinzel closed out a historic season with a .472 batting average, setting a new Methodist single-season program record. He surpasses Mike Currie's previous mark of .442, which had stood since 1984.
- Seniors Dalton Juden delivered a strong outing in the loss, pitching six innings while allowing four runs (one earned) and striking out a career-high nine batters.
- Senior Jackson Kuhn was dominant in relief, tossing the final three innings while allowing just one hit and striking out six batters.
