Baseball Closes Season with Road Series at Baker, Snaps Losing Streak in Opener

The Graceland University Yellowjackets wrapped up their 2025 baseball campaign with a four-game Heart of America Athletic Conference road series against Baker University, played Thursday and Friday at Sauder Field. Graceland finished 1-3 in the series, claiming a victory in game one of the Thursday doubleheader to snap a 17-game losing streak. The Yellowjackets closed the year with an overall record of 16-32 and 9-23 in conference play, while Baker concluded its season at 19-22 overall and 12-15 in the Heart.

Game 1 (Thursday): Graceland 9, Baker 5

Graceland broke through early with a three-run third inning and piled on three more in the fifth before adding a trio of insurance runs in the seventh to secure the victory. Senior Zach Tanabe led the offense with three hits and an RBI, while Gabriel Perez, Elio Narvaez, and Ramsel Jerez each drove in two runs.

Jacob Abernathey earned the win on the mound, tossing 4.1 innings and allowing four earned runs on three hits and six walks. Rafael Severino recorded the final eight outs for the save, striking out two and allowing just one unearned run.

Tanabe and Narvaez each delivered RBI doubles, while Jerez added a clutch two-run single in the fifth. Narvaez came through again with a two-RBI double in the seventh, and a throwing error later in the inning allowed another run to score.

Game 2 (Thursday): Baker 3, Graceland 2

Despite outhitting Baker 7-5 and committing no errors defensively, the Yellowjackets couldn't recover from a three-run second inning by the Wildcats. Baker's runs came on a two-run single by Jaxon Bowers and an RBI double by Carter Karlin.

Graceland chipped away in the fourth when Trevor Yorges delivered an RBI double, scoring Jayden Gilbert, and again in the seventh as Cade Connell drove in Carson Chiprez with a pinch-hit double.

Starter Elio Narvaez allowed three earned runs on eight hits over five innings to take the loss. Perez tossed a scoreless sixth in relief. Connell, Yorges, and Chiprez each notched extra-base hits for Graceland.

Game 3 (Friday): Graceland 7, Baker 6

Graceland's lone win of the day came in dramatic fashion in the first game of Friday's doubleheader. After falling behind 6-5 in the fifth, the Yellowjackets responded with a pair of runs in the sixth on a Trevor Yorges RBI double and a delayed steal that allowed Yorges to score from third.

JD Woodruff delivered the biggest blow in the second inning with a three-run homer to cap a five-run frame. Gilbert, Jerez, and Yorges all collected RBI hits in the contest.

Izaac Rabelo earned the win after throwing 4.0 innings, allowing five runs (four earned) on five hits. Mason Krogsgaard and Woodruff closed out the final three innings, with Woodruff picking up the save in a one-run game.

Game 4 (Friday): Baker 4, Graceland 0

Baker capped the series with a 4-0 shutout in the finale. Graceland was limited to just two hits — one from Jake Bauer and another from Connell, both singles.

Zach Tanabe started on the mound and took the loss, allowing four runs on 10 hits over five innings. Thiago Telles worked a scoreless sixth in relief.

Baker plated two runs in the first inning and added runs in the second and fifth. Graceland threatened late, placing runners on in the sixth and seventh, but couldn't break through against Baker starter Tanner Vigna, who tossed a complete-game shutout with five strikeouts.

From the Dugout

Head coach Brad Payne reflected on the team's resilience to end the season.

"We've battled through a lot of adversity this year, and I'm proud of the way our guys stayed together and kept working," said Payne. "That win in game one was a big moment for this group. The seniors set a tone with their leadership, and we saw some younger players step up down the stretch. We'll use this to build momentum into next year."

Season Concludes

With the four-game set complete, Graceland ends the 2025 season with a 16-32 overall record and 9-23 in Heart of America Athletic Conference play. The program now shifts its focus to offseason development and recruitment in preparation for 2026.

For more information on Graceland baseball and all of Graceland athletics, visit GUjackets.com.