If there’s one thing that you could say about the Southern Maryland Senators 2025 campaign, it’s that they are fighters and fought to the very end. Through all the adversities they faced, such as the torrential amount of rain, and numerous injuries, the Senators were still one of the top teams within the Cal Ripken Sr. Collegiate Baseball League (CRSCBL).
Prior to the start of the 2025 season, the summer was already shaping up to be a great one for the Senators. There were eight players set to return for head coach Scott Middleton, including outfielders Carter Groen (LaSalle), Nathan Brewer (Middle Tennessee), and Logan Tribble (Wofford), utility player Ky Queen (Norfolk State) and pitchers Mark Loubier (FAU), Jacob Seek (Frederick CC), Griffin Seibel (Quinnipiac), and Dawson Wetherald (Mount Aloysius). Right-handed pitcher Allen Miller (Shepherd) also made his return back to the Senators', after being a part of the team’s first year in the league in 2023.
The returners weren't the only exciting part of the team Middleton was looking forward to. Infielder Nick Flores (VCU), outfielder Adam Troch (Duke), and catcher Jax Nichols (Motlow State CC) were additions that Middleton was ecstatic about.
The season started great for the Senators. After losing opening day to the Metro South County Braves, the Senators returned to Regency Furniture Stadium for a three-game home stretch and everything seemed to click. From June 4th to June 22nd (with seven rain cancellations in between), Southern Maryland won nine straight games. They outscored their opponents 72-32, and pitching and offense were in sync, which is precisely what Middleton wanted after the previous season.
One of the most notable games during the nine-game win streak was the Senators' seventh win against the Alexandria Aces on the road. The scoring went back and forth between the two former playoff opponents until the bottom of the seventh came around, and the Aces managed to score three runs, making the Senators face the biggest scoring deficit they had since opening day. In the eighth, the Senators scored one run when Tribble singled, scoring Jack Euart (Wofford).
Then the top of the ninth came, and the Senators were just three outs away from ending their win streak. However, Southern Maryland, as usual, did not go down easily whatsoever. Steven Kraus (Binghamton) started off the inning with a single, but then the next two batters got out. With two outs, Groen blasted the first pitch he saw over the left field wall, tying the game at eight. Right after Groen was Nichols, and on a two-strike pitch, he sent one over the wall, giving the Senators a one-run lead. To finish off the game, Tyler Mitchell (Norfolk State) came in and allowed no runs to help complete the comeback.
It was the middle of June to the beginning of July when the Senators battled some tough challenges. The first of those being from June 20th to June 30th, Southern Maryland played thirteen games in just eleven straight days, with the last six games being all on the road. This was due to the heavy rainfall in the area, which resulted in a total of sixteen games being cancelled/rescheduled for the entire season.
Not only that, but during this stretch is when the Senators lost players like Euart and Lucas Grantham (Georgia State) because they had to return to school, and Chet Bowling (Winthrop) sustained an injury, taking him out of the season until July 22nd. The Senators ended up being 5-8 over the stretch.
As mentioned previously, the Senators had numerous injuries occur during the season. Those included Brewer and Queen at the beginning of this season, and Seibel, Kyle Hard (Iona) and Jace Cunnane (Towson). Their injuries left them out for the season, while players like Nichols and Bowling sustained injuries but were able to return later in the season.
By the end of the regular season, however, Southern Maryland finished second in the South Division with a record of 19-16, giving them a bye going into the playoffs. It was the first time in the team's three years of existence within the CRSCBL that they achieved a winning percentage above .500.
The first playoff game for the Senators in 2025 was against the D.C. Grays in Woodbridge, despite Southern Maryland being considered the home team. Nonetheless being the home team was crucial as the Senators won that game 3-2 from a Tribble walk-off.
Once again, the Southern Maryland Senators were heading to the Cal Ripken semifinal series. They would face their former League Championship Series (LCS) opponent, the Bethesda Big Train.
Southern Maryland was able to pull out a huge 7-6 win in the first game of the series. Both teams got on the board early in the first inning and kept scoring throughout the contest. In the ninth, the Senators were down by three, and they did what they do best. They battled, scraping together a bases-loaded situation for Groen after two hits by pitches and a walk. Another free pass to Groen brought the Senators within two runs. Nichols, the very next batter, then hit a line drive single to center field, which produced an error, allowing all three base runners to score, and just like that, the Senators had the lead heading into the bottom of the ninth. Mitchell came back out to pitch, and he got three easy outs, giving the Senators a 1-0 lead against the Big Train.
Even though the Senators lost the next two games, they were still close, with the scores being 6-4 and 7-4. This time facing Big Train in the playoffs was a significant improvement over last year's championship series between the two teams.
With the end of the season comes player awards. It was no surprise when Logan Tribble was announced as the MVP. Throughout the regular season and playoffs, Tribble had a .395 average, which led the team, 47 hits, 24 RBIs, and a 1.000 fielding percentage. Tribble had jumped up from the nine spot in the lineup to the three-hole and he was named the second best hitter in the league.
Furthermore, with awards, Adam Troch won Best Hitter, Jax Nichols won Best Defender, Nick Wimberly (Florida Atlantic) won Pitcher of the Year, and Nate Berzonski (Mount St. Mary’s) won Relief Pitcher of the Year.
Nine from the Senators were named All-Stars when the time came around, even though the game was cancelled due to rain striking again. They were Logan Tribble, Steven Kraus, Nick Flores, Adam Troch, Nick Wimberly, Aiden Milburn, Nate Berzonski, Vincent Luther, and Bryce Harder.
It was a fantastic season for the Southern Maryland Senators. They improved so much from the last two years, and they look to improve even more in their fourth year in the league in the 2026 season. The Senators are thankful to all of the fans, players, coaches, sponsors, host families, interns, trainers, and so many more that came out to support us throughout this season. We would not have made it this far without your support. We will see you next season!
