Postgame press conference

Postgame quotes

Box score

Photo gallery


STARKVILLE, Miss. – Connor Gilmore tossed a complete-game shutout to lead fourth-seeded Central Arkansas to a 3-0 win over second-seeded University of South Alabama baseball the NCAA Starkville Sunday Regional at Dudy Noble Field.

Gilmore (5-0) allowed only four hits, and struck out two with one walk to earn his fifth win of the season. Jaguar right-hander Jaime Dennis (2-1) suffered the loss in 4 2/3 innings, allowing just one run on six hits and tied a career high with five strikeouts without issuing a walk.

“Jaime (Dennis) did a great job,” head coach Mark Calvi said. “He matched their (Central Arkansas) guy (Gilmore) pitch for pitch, and we needed somebody who was going to keep us in the ballgame and he did. He went out there with poise, leadership and composure. You couldn’t ask any more from Jaime Dennis than what he gave us today.”

Central Arkansas scored the game’s first run when Ethan Harris doubled to right field to lead off the inning, atdvanced to third on a sacrifice bunt from Blake Marchal and scored on a two-out RBI single to left field by Scott Zimmerle.

UCA (41-21) added the final two runs of the game on a pair of sacrifice flies in the bottom of the eighth.

Jeff DeBlieux, Bud Collura, Jordan Patterson and Nolan Earley had one hit each for the Jaguars. Harris went 3-for-3 with a double and two runs scored to lead the Bears at the plate.

“(Connor) Gilmore was really good,” Calvi said. “We hit some balls hard. He doesn’t have a lot of strikeouts, but he has such a good downhill angle that he gives up a lot of ground balls. He left some balls up and we hit them hard, but they played good defense behind him. He did what they needed him to do. For a freshman to go out there and do that on elimination day was good for them. They have a good guy for the next couple of years.”

The loss eliminated the Jags from the postseason. South Alabama finished the season 43-20, which marked the program’s highest win total since the 2001 season when the Jaguars won 45 games.

“It was an amazing turnaround,” Calvi said of his team’s improvement from last season. “It all starts with the type of character of your players. There’s no way you could turn it around like the way this program has if you didn’t have unbelievable kids. And that’s what this team was – a team of unbelievable guys. They jelled early, they all liked each other and they pulled for each other. They were great teammates, and they stayed together through thick and thin right to the very end. It was just a phenomenal group. There was great leadership from a great bunch of older guys.

“We didn’t have any off-the-field issues. They did the right things, and I couldn’t be happier for a great group of seniors to go out and experience the postseason in an NCAA Regional. Hopefully the younger guys got a taste of it and will want it again. Even though we lose a bunch of guys, they left such a great footprint on the program and they were such great leaders that hopefully the younger guys caught on and a few of them can fill in for where these guys left off.”

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