CHARLOTTE, N.C. - After trailing Queens University throughout the season finale, West Georgia baseball scored seven unanswered runs, highlighted by a Cooper Prince grand slam in the ninth, to overcome a 5-0 deficit and cap its first-ever season in Division I with a storybook win, 7-5 over QU. 

Capitalizing off ninth-inning hit-by-pitches and walks by the Royals' (9-42, 7-21 ASUN), West Georgia (20-31, 11-19 ASUN) loaded the bases with only two more chances to surmount a major comeback. Like a script from a Hollywood movie, Prince, the longest-active senior on the team, battled with Queens' pitcher until he absolutely crushed a no-doubt home run over the right field fence, securing UWG a 7-5 lead and ultimately a season-ending victory. 

This gave UWG the series win over Queens and the Wolves their 20th overall victory.

After the game, head coach Jeff Smith said, "They (UWG) never gave up. Our guys battled to the very end. Coop (Cooper Prince) hit a foul ball that could have been called a home run and was able to stay locked in during his at-bat and drive another one deep. It was huge." 

Continuing to take about the season as a whole, coach Smith stated, "Year one had a lot of unknowns. This year was a learning experience for the players, the coaches and everyone involved. I think we accomplished a lot this season. Winning 20 games, especially against the completion we have played, is outstanding. I think we left a few (wins) out there, but overall, it has been big for us to set a foundation on where we need to be moving foward."

GAME SUMMARY
Closing out the Wolves' season on the mound and his career at UWG was senior righty Seth Dudley. In 68.2 innings across 13 starts, Dudley recorded a 4.85 ERA with 52 strikeouts coming into today. For the Royals, QU pitched their ace, junior righty Laundry Jurecka. In 76 innings through 14 appearances, Jurecka recorded a 3.43 ERA with 83 strikeouts prior to the series and season finale. 

In the bottom of the first, the hosts' grabbed a 2-0 lead after an RBI single to left was followed up with a sacrifice fly to third. 

During the fourth, a UWG fielding error pushed the QU lead to 3-0. After this, a base-hit up the middle brought two more Royals home to extend the hosts' advantage to 5-0.

In the top of the eighth, Jacob Bowman singled through the right side, bringing a Wolf home from third and cutting the Queens lead to 5-1. 

In the Wolves' final chance to score, UWG quickly loaded the bases off of free passes by the QU pitching. With each bag covered, another pair of walks cut the Queens' lead to 5-3. As noted, Prince had the UWG faithful who made their way to Carolina on their feet when crushed a go-ahead grand slam to put the Wolves up 7-5. 

Sam Cole and the UWG defense finished it out, securing the win.

BY THE NUMBERS
Through Seth Dudley's three innings, he struck out four batters and allowed two earned runs.

In Mason Phillips' three frames on the mound, he struck out three Royals and did not allow an earned run.  

Dosie Drakeford ended his UWG career earning his first win with Wolves. In two frames, he struck out four batters, allowed only four on base and did not give up a run. 

Sam Cole earned his first save of the season after holding onto the win in the ninth. 

UWG and Queens both recorded nine hits today. Prince and Carson Mynatt both recorded their second straight multi-hit game, with this being Prince's 18th and Mynatt's second. Both finished with a UWG-high five hits in the series. Through the three games, QU led 33-28. 

Remarkably, Prince's clutch grand slam was the first of his career and his third-ever home run. His first homer was also a clutch ninth-inning home run, which sent the Kennesaw State game into extras. If you have not registered it yet, take a second to recognize that the senior's last hit in the red and blue was a go-ahead grand slam in the final game of the program's inaugural DI season.

Following the game, coach Smith briefly talked about what Prince brought to the team over the past three seasons, stating. "Coop is a leader. He plays the game the way it is meant to be played. He does everything we need from him. Coop is a guy that will be missed in our lineup. He has speed, he can put the ball in play, great hand-eye coordination and he plays great defense. He was a spark plug that helped that engine run."

UP NEXT
Today's game marks the ending of the 2025 season. In the Wolves' first-ever year in Division I, UWG secured 20 total wins and 11 ASUN wins. Some highlights include the Wolves first DI series victory over New Orleans, a series win over Ohio, series sweeps of EKU and FGCU, a comeback win over Georgia State and so much more. 

All-ASUN teams are expected to be announced soon. To stay up-to-date with the latest UWG baseball news by following the team's social media pages @UWGbaseball on Instagram and Facebook.