LA GRANDE, Ore. – Eastern Oregon Baseball didn't just close the book on the 2026 season—they slammed it shut with authority. In front of a packed Senior Day crowd, the Mountaineers delivered a statement finish, sweeping Corban on the final day of Cascade Collegiate Conference play. The exclamation point came in the form of an 11-10 thriller and a relentless 16-8 comeback in the finale, securing Eastern's first series win to end the year.
Prior to the start of Game 3, the program honored a senior class that has played a key role in rebuilding Mountaineer Baseball:
Tucker Zander,
Tommy Whiles,
Monte Spence,
Tyler Harper,
Greyson McDaniel,
Joey Weissenfels,
Easton Espinoza,
Alex Farnsworth,
Zakaia Michaels,
Reed Stamps,
Mario Landeros, and
Alex Olague.
Game 3
Jayden Butler kept Corban quiet in the second, allowing just a single, but the Warriors broke through in the third. Using four singles, two walks, and a pair of defensive miscues, Corban scored seven runs to take a 7-5 lead. Eastern answered in the bottom half, with Weissenfels picking up his second RBI of the game to cut the deficit to one.
Jake Lenberger came on and delivered a clean top of the fourth, retiring the side to keep the game within reach. In the bottom half,
Tucker Zander worked a leadoff walk, setting the table for Nagler, who drove a two-run home run to left-center to put the Mountaineers back in front, 8-7.
Eastern threatened to extend the lead in the fifth, loading the bases behind a
Greyson McDaniel double, an
Easton Espinoza walk, and an intentional walk to Nagler, but Corban escaped the inning without damage.
The Warriors tied the game at 8-8 in the sixth on another RBI from Lucas Mertlich, but McDaniel answered in the seventh with a solo home run over the fence to give Eastern a 9-8 edge.
In the eighth, the Mountaineers created separation. Olague and Whiles opened the inning with back-to-back doubles, and
David Soto followed with an RBI single to extend the lead to 11-8.
Corban made one final push in the ninth. Back-to-back singles from Sean Shaffer and Nathaniel Gutierrez, followed by a walk from Joaquin Velez-Fucal, loaded the bases. Chase Elliot then singled up the middle to score two and cut the lead to 11-10. A fielding error added pressure, but Eastern turned a clutch game-ending double play to secure the win.
Tyler Harper (1-0) earned the win in relief, while
Will Slater recorded his first save of the season.
Game 4
Eastern struck first in the finale, using singles from Nagler and Olague in the opening inning before a Landeros groundout brought in the game's first run. Corban threatened in the second, loading the bases with the help of a walk and an error, but Eastern turned a key double play to keep the game scoreless.
The Mountaineers held the 1-0 lead into the fourth, when Corban's offense broke through. The Warriors loaded the bases and, despite a double play that limited damage initially, tied the game. With two outs, Corban extended the inning with free bases before Mertlich hit a grand slam to take a 6-1 lead.
Corban added to its advantage with sacrifice flies in the fifth and sixth, stretching the lead to 8-1 while holding Eastern to just one hit over that stretch.
Eastern began its comeback in the sixth inning.
Mario Landeros led off with a single down the left field line, followed by base hits from Whiles and Soto to bring in a run. With one out,
Carson Gerding delivered a double to right field, and
Easton Espinoza followed with an RBI to cut the deficit to 8-5. Corban turned a double play to end the inning and limit further damage.
Zakaia Michaels entered in relief and shifted the momentum, striking out all three batters he faced in the seventh.
Eastern carried that energy into the bottom half.
Alex Olague opened the inning with a solo home run to left, and pinch-hitter
Jace Schow followed with a double to right-center to bring the Mountaineers within one. With two outs, Gerding came through again with a single through the left side to drive in two runs and give Eastern a 9-8 lead.
After a pitching change and two walks loaded the bases, Nagler delivered the biggest swing of the game, sending a grand slam over center field to extend the lead. Olague followed immediately with his second home run of the inning, pushing the score to 14-8.
Alex Farnsworth worked through traffic in the eighth, allowing two singles but escaping without damage. Eastern continued to step on the gas and add on in the eighth. Espinoza reached with a single, and back-to-back doubles from
Jason DeBone and
Kai Brown brought in two more runs to extend the lead. In the final frame,
Tucker Zander closed the door, ending the game with a double play to secure the 16-8 win.
Zakaia Michaels (1-1) earned the win in relief, while Avery Williamson took the loss.
With the sweep, Eastern secured a 3-1 series win to close the year. Under second-year interim head coach
Shane McCarroll, Eastern Oregon finished the 2026 season 14-35 overall and 11-26 in conference play—marking the program's best season since its reinstatement in 2021.
Jace Nagler led the way individually, finishing second in the conference with 14 home runs, third in batting average (.389), and fourth in stolen bases (20). As a team, the Mountaineers posted the second-best fielding percentage in the conference at .971, committing just 50 errors in 1,740 chances—good for sixth nationally. Offensively, Eastern ranked fourth in doubles (95), third in triples (10), and fourth in home runs (49) in the Cascade Collegiate Conference.
