MONTCLAIR, N.J. – AJ Woodward threw seven dominant innings and Caleb Gray delivered a decisive three-run home run to lead Whitworth to a 7-1 win over host Montclair State in an elimination game at the 2026 NCAA Division III Montclair baseball regional.
The Pirates (30-15) advance to play 9th-ranked Endicott in Sunday's championship round. The 13th-ranked Red Hawks end the season with a 31-11 record.
Woodward (2-1) walked the first batter he faced. Zach Stearns, the second MSU batter, doubled in Jared Levis for a quick 1-0 lead. Unflustered, Woodward settled down to allow only three more hits over the next 24 batters. He did not walk another batter, and only one MSU player got past second base. Over his last two outings, including a relief stint against Linfield in the Northwest Conference tournament final, Woodward has allowed only one run over 11 innings.
Whitworth took the lead for good in the third inning. Spencer Shipman drew a bases-loaded walk with no one out to drive in the first run. Carson Coffield beat out a relay throw from second to prevent a double play and drove in the second run. Gray followed with a deep drive to right-center field for a three-run shot, his ninth home run of the season. After an MSU pitching change the rally continued and Ty Komoda's RBI single increased the lead to 6-1.
Austin Paul hit the Pirates' second home run of the game in the sixth inning, his third of the season.
Whitworth's defense made several spectacular plays throughout the game. None more impressive than center fielder Dominic Giusti's diving catch in right center in the bottom of the third. The Bucs had two diving catches on back-to-back at-bats in the bottom of the eighth. First, second baseman Paul laid out to prevent a base hit by Lukas Egenhauser leading off. Then Gray made a diving catch on a popped-up bunt by Levis for the second out.
The Red Hawks had life in the bottom of the ninth after loading the bases with no one out. Closer Seth Mahler came on to induce a come-backer for a fielder's choice at the plate. He then got a strikeout of pinch hitter Jaxon Grant before inducing Levis to ground out to short stop to end the game.
The Pirates reached 30 victories in one season for only the third time in school history.
Endicott reached Sunday's championship with a dramatic 6-5 win over Montclair State in a winners' bracket game earlier on Saturday. The Pirates and Gulls have never met in baseball, or any other sport. Whitworth will have to defeat Endicott twice on Sunday to win the regional championship.
