Trailblazers drop regular season finale doubleheader at Danville Area C.C.

DANVILLE, Ill. – The Vincennes University baseball team closed out the 2025 Spring regular season Saturday afternoon with the final two games of the weekend Mid-West Athletic Conference (MWAC) series against Danville Area Community College.

The Blazers headed to Danville, Ill. for the final two games of the regular season and ended up coming out on the wrong end of a 6-5 final score in game one before falling in the regular season finale 10-2 to the Jaguars.

The day got off to another slow start for the Vincennes offense as once again both pitchers were dealing on the mound early.

Danville Area was the first to break onto the scoreboard, plating a run in the first to take an early 1-0 lead.

VU would get onto the scoreboard in the fifth after a leadoff single by sophomore Brody Fessel (DePauw, Ind.), followed by a walk by freshman Jevan Andrews (Hobart, Ind.) and an RBI single by sophomore Nate Montgomery (Lexington, Ind.) to even the score at 1-1.

The Trailblazers would grab their first lead of the day in the sixth inning with a big four-run inning led by the first six VU batters reaching base safely.

VU opened the inning with a leadoff single by sophomore Corbin Napier (Indianapolis, Ind.), followed by a walk by freshman Evan Doran (Indianapolis, Ind.) and a single by sophomore Noble Johnson (Terre Haute, Ind.) to load the bases.

Vincennes would take the lead on a two-RBI double by Brody Fessel, his second of three times reaching base safely in the game.

The Blazers would keep the inning going with Johnson scoring on a wild pitch and Fessel scoring the fourth run of the inning on a Danville fielding error put in play by sophomore Bradyn Douglas (Frankton, Ind.).

The Trailblazers ended the strong inning with a 5-1 lead over the Jaguars, which Danville Area immediately answered with a four-run inning of their own to even the game at 5-5 going to the seventh.

Danville Area carried this momentum into the seventh inning where the Jaguars came away with a run to pick up the walk-off 6-5 victory over the Blazers in game one of the day.

Sophomore Colton Okes (Evansville, Ind.) got the start on the mound for the Trailblazers in game one of the day, throwing two and two-thirds innings, allowing one run on six hits.

Freshman Ryan Rayburn (Columbus, Ind.) was the first out of the bullpen in game one, throwing three innings, allowing four runs on six hits and striking out one.

Freshman Grayson Reichert (Shepherdsville, Ky.) came in for the Blazers to pitch the final inning of relief for VU, allowing one unearned run on one hit.

The Trailblazers chose to rest many of their regular starters in game two while Danville Area continued to play their regular starting lineup.

The Jaguars continued their momentum from game one into game two, scoring four runs in the first inning and adding another run in the second to take an early 5-0 lead.

Vincennes would get on the scoreboard in the regular season finale in the third after freshman Ryan Robinson (Mooresville, Ind.) led off the inning with a double and later scored by stealing home to cut the VU deficit to 5-1.

Danville Area would get this run back and more by responding with a pair of runs in the fourth and two more in the fifth to increase their lead to 9-1.

VU would answer back in the sixth after freshman Jakob Hoyer (Georgetown, Ind.) led off the inning by reaching on a fielding error, followed by a walk by freshman Maddox Ray (Bedford, Ind.), which second time reaching safely.

After the Jaguars intentionally walked sophomore Damon Kay (Spencer, Ind.), freshman Brady Cloyd (Connersville, Ind.) drove in a VU run with a bases loaded walk to cut the Danville lead to 9-2.

The Trailblazers continued to battle into the late innings but were unable to hold the Jaguars off the scoreboard late as Danville Area scored a run in the eighth to pick up another walk-off win over the Trailblazers, taking game two of the day 10-2.

Freshman Wyatt Burris (Farmland, Ind.) got the start for the Trailblazers in game two, throwing two innings, allowing five runs on five hits.

Freshman Kory Kingsbury (Evansville, Ind.) was the first in relief for the Trailblazers in game two, throwing two innings, allowing two runs, one earned on three hits.

Sophomore Bryce Gross (Bridgeport, Ill.) came in to throw one inning of relief, allowing two unearned runs on one hit and striking out one.

Freshman Kyle Holder (Mount Vernon, Ind.) pitched the final two and one-thirds innings for the Trailblazers in game two, allowing one run on two hits in the game.

The Trailblazers close out the 2025 regular season with a final record of 23-31 with an 11-21 record in MWAC Conference play.

The Blazers will now shift to postseason play where VU will head to the 2025 Mid-West Athletic Conference tournament held Thursday, May 8 through Sunday, May 11.

VU's opponent and tournament location are still to be determined as many other MWAC Conference teams are finishing up their final regular season series this weekend as well.

BOX SCORE

GAME ONE

VU (23-30, 11-20) – 000   014   0 – 5

Danville Area – 100   004   1 – 6

VINCENNES HITTING

2B – Douglas, Fessel. RBI – Fessel 2, Douglas, Montgomery. HBP – Napier. SB – Johnson.

GAME TWO

VU (23-31, 11-21) – 001   001   00 – 2

Danville Area – 410   220   01 – 10

VINCENNES HITTING

2B – Robinson. RBI – Cloyd. HBP – Ray. SB – Phillips, Robinson.