AUSTIN – The 2026 Holy Cross baseball season concluded on Saturday, May 30 following a 15-1 setback to UC Santa Barbara in the elimination game of the Austin Regional at UFCU Disch-Falk Field.
The loss ends the Crusaders season at 25-30 during the 150th year of Holy Cross baseball, a year in which they won back-to-back Patriot League Tournament Championships for the first time in program history, posted their third straight season with 25 or more wins and became the first No. 4 seed to win the Patriot League Tournament Championship since 2010.
Junior third baseman
Ryan Grundy was 1-for-4 in the game with a solo-home run off Gauchos starter Jackson Flora, one of the top MLB Pitching Prospects in the 2026 MLB Draft.
UC Santa Barbara (39-19) advances to Sunday, May 31 to face off with the loser of the #6 Texas/Tarleton State game at 1 p.m. EST.
STARTING ON THE MOUND:
- Jackson Flora: (W, 12-0), 7.2 innings pitched, two hits allowed, one earned run, two walks, nine strikeouts, 97 pitches – 64 strikes
- Sophomore Jake Lenahan: (L, 3-7), 6.0 innings pitched, seven hits allowed, six earned runs, four walks, four strikeouts, 103 pitches – 60 strikes
OUT OF THE BULLPEN:
- Raymond Olivas: 1.1 innings pitched, one hit allowed, zero earned runs, zero walks, three strikeout, 24 pitches – 14 strikes
- Sophomore Brett Mulligan: 1.2 innings pitched, one hit allowed, zero earned runs, one walk, two strikeouts, 32 pitches – 17 strikes
STEPPING TO THE PLATE:
- Grundy: 1-for-4, home run, RBI, run scored
- Junior first baseman Braden Connors: 1-for-4, stolen base
- Junior designated hitter Gianni Royer: 1-for-4
- Senior center fielder CJ Egrie: 0-for-2, walk, hit by pitch
- Xavier Esquer: 4-for-5, three RBI, run scored
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Santa Barbara scored the first run in the top of the third off a bases loaded walk. Lenahan battled back and struck out a batter for the second out of the inning. Another bases loaded free pass expanded the lead to 2-0. A single up the middle resulted in the third run of the game, but freshman shortstop Owen Stelzer made a diving stop at short and threw out a potential run to junior catcher Van Coughlin for the third out.
- Egrie wore a pitch off his elbow in the top of the fourth for the Crusaders first base runner of the game. Egrie was picked off first base for the second out then Royer singled to left field for the first hit of a game for the Crusaders.
- Connors made a sweet sliding play at first to end the top of the fifth. In the bottom of the fifth, Grundy drilled a solo shot over the right field fence putting the Crusaders down 3-1.
- In the sixth, Egrie worked a four pitch walk and advanced to second on a balk. He moved up 90 feet on a wild pitch. A groundout ended the inning stranding Egrie at third.
- During the top of the seventh, the Gauchos exploded for nine insurance runs for the 12-1 advantage. They added two more in the eighth and one in the ninth for a 15-1 edge.
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