Walters State falls 9-6 to Salt Lake in JUCO World Series Championship

GRAND JUNCTION, CO – An unbelievable season came to an end on Saturday evening for No.1 Walters State in the JUCO World Series Championship, with the Senators falling 9-6 to Salt Lake Community College.

With the loss, the Senators closed the season at 59-8-1. Walters State were Region 7 Champions, Appalachian District Champions and finished second place at the JUCO World Series. It's Walters State's second second-place finish at the World Series in program history. 

The season was special from the beginning, as the Senators were unbeaten in their first 12 games. Walters State scuffled a bit to open conference play but from March 13 to May 28, the Senators won 38 of 39 games. The Senators went a perfect 4-0 in the Region 7 Tournament and then took the first two games from Georgia Highlands in the Appalachian District Series. Walters State went 4-2 in the JUCO World Series. 

The 2025 season will also go down in the Walters State record books. The Senators scored 793 runs as a team, breaking the previous school record of 737 in 2018. Walters State hit .384 as a team, breaking the previous record of .373 in 2002. The Senators hit 182 doubles, breaking the previous record of 161 in 2006. The team had 824 hits, breaking the previous school record of 792 in 2018. 

Individually, Tyler Myatt etched his name in the Walters State record books. Myatt finished the season with a .484 batting average, 31 home runs and 110 RBIs. Myatt broke the school record for home runs and RBIs and tied the record for hits with 105. Myatt won the Triple Crown in NJCAA DI Baseball, leading the country in batting average, home runs and RBIs. 

Aiden Robertson also found himself tops in the country in strikeouts with 130. Robertson was second in the country in wins with 13. 

Walters State as a team led the country in batting average (.384), home runs (134), hits (824), RBIs (722), OBP (.492), slugging (.673), doubles (182) and extra base hits (335). The Senators pitching staff also led the country in strikeouts with 594 and had a team K/9 of 10.95. 

In Saturday night's Championship, Atticus Goodson and Carson Cabbage each homered. Cabbage drove in two runs, as did Jack Torbett. 

On the mound, Walker Morgan got the start and threw five innings. Morgan was excellent in his final start for the Senators, allowing four runs on three hits while striking out nine. 

Morgan was replaced by Brayden Blankenship in the sixth, and he threw an inning while allowing two runs on three hits. Jace Kirby was next in line, allowing two runs on two hits in 1.1 innings while striking out three. After Mason Trucks entered and picked up two outs while allowing an unearned run, Ryan Smith pitched a scoreless ninth. Smith struck out two. 

Salt Lake struck first in the game with three runs in the second, but Goodson cut into the lead with a solo home run in the third. Walters State wasn't finished in the inning, as Kole Fenton followed with a double and scored on a Holden Pantier single to make it 3-2. 

Salt Lake got a run back in the fourth on a solo home run, but Walters State took the lead in the fifth with three runs. After a single by Fenton, a fielder's choice by Nate Conner, a single by Pantier and a hit by pitch loaded the bases, Cabbage walked to score Conner. Torbett was up next, and he fell behind 0-2 in the count before singling up the middle to score two and give Walters State a 5-4 lead. 

However, Salt Lake would answer back in the sixth with a run to tie the game and two more in the seventh to take the lead back at 7-5. The Senators cut the lead in half in the bottom of the seventh on a solo home run to center by Cabbage, but Salt Lake scored two more in the eighth to go up 9-6.

The Bruins threatened for more in the ninth, loading the bases with one out. However, Smith struck out the next two batters to get out of the jam. In the bottom of the ninth, Walters State got a two-out double by Myatt, but that was all.