Pensacola, Fla. – The Delta State University baseball team's season came to a close Saturday afternoon with an 11-5 loss to West Florida in the NCAA Division II South Region Tournament at Jim Spooner Field.
The Statesmen finish the 2026 campaign with a 32-23 overall record after battling through the elimination bracket to reach the tournament's final day.
Delta State collected 10 hits in the contest, led by
Tucker Jones, who went 2-for-5 with two RBI and a stolen base.
Austin Batts turned in a strong performance at the plate, finishing 3-for-4 with an RBI, while
Levi Lang added a run-scoring hit of his own.
After trailing 1-0 early, the Statesmen tied the game in the third inning when Jones drove in
Henley Parker with a single through the left side. West Florida answered with a four-run bottom half of the inning and added six more runs across the fifth and sixth innings to build an 11-2 advantage.
Delta State continued to battle late, plating three runs in the seventh inning. Parker doubled down the left field line before RBI from
Austin Estes, Jones, and Lang cut into the deficit.
On the mound,
Colby Lafayette provided solid relief work with four strikeouts across three innings.
The Statesmen close the year with a 32-23 record a third consecutive NCAA Division II South Region Appearance appearance under head coach
Rodney Batts.
