The Piedmont baseball team is back like they never left after having an explosive opening weekend. The Lions opened up the 2025 season in Orange, California where they faced the Panthers of Chapman University ranked #22 in Division III baseball. Senior pitcher Zeke Swartz threw a complete five scoreless innings and only allowed two hits. This gave cushion for graduate student Peyton Irvin to strike out 11 Panthers during his complete five innings and earned him a new career single-game strikeout total. The Lions opened up the season with three wins on the road.
“It was very exciting to play well and sweep Chapman to open the season,” said Head Coach Justin Scali. “We knew going out there that they are extremely well coached and that they have great players, especially on the mound, and were ranked in the top 25 national poll. We were fortunate to get all three games against them, but ultimately it happened because we did a really good job of controlling our own process and the things we had prepared to execute.”
On Mar. 14-21, the Lions played against #25 Emory University where the Lions continued to show their dominance. The series opened up at Loudermilk Field with a standout performance from Swartz. He had a career-high of 13 strikeouts in 8 scoreless innings. Their one score would come from senior outfielder Trace Cate as he hit a homerun in the third inning. The homerun would be the only score in the entire game with the Lions winning 1-0. The Lions would take game two 11-5 but dropping the last game of the series 11-18.
These two standout performances have the Lions ready to face their first conference opponent in Belhaven University. In the CCS preseason coaches’ poll, the Blazers landed themselves at the number one spot with the Lions close by in number two. Last season, the Lions lost the series to the Blazers but are looking to redeem themselves.
“Belhaven is very talented, and we know it will take our best effort to come away with victories,” said Scali. The Lions went on to beat Belhaven in game one by one run for a 4-3 final, but lost both games in the doubleheader on Sat. March 22.
The series to look out for is Apr. 11-13 when the Lions host LaGrange College. The last time the Lions faced the Panthers was in the Collegiate Conference tournament when LaGrange beat them 2-4.
“Our conference is very deep, with each team capable of winning games at any time. We have played a very challenging non-conference schedule to be prepared for the quality programs on our conference schedule. We look forward to the opportunity to compete in the CCS this season,” said Scali.
To stay updated on all things Piedmont baseball, visit piedmontlions.com.
