Club baseball falls shy of NCBA World Series

Colorado was eliminated from the NCBA Regional Tournament after their second loss to Creighton. (Photo by Deborah Gomez/Sko Buffs Sports)

The Colorado Buffaloes club baseball season came to an end on Sunday at the Mid-America regional tournament, following a loss to the Creighton Bluejays, 8-6. Chasing a NCBA World Series berth for the first time since 2023, Colorado reached the tournament’s final round before the two-run loss.

CU received the No. 2 seed in the four-team tournament after winning the Mid-America West division for the first time in two years. That placement put them up against the conference’s at-large wildcard bid, the Nebraska Cornhuskers, in round one. The rivals had already met in March for a fierce trio of games that resulted in a 2-1 series win for the Big Red. 

However, on Friday, Colorado got their get-back in the tournament’s opener, walking off Nebraska 10-9 in the 11th inning. Junior Jud Stafford delivered an RBI single to break the tie. 

The game would not be the only meeting between the two in the tournament, nor the most stirring. The walk-off advanced CU to a semifinal contest against Creighton, the conference-favorites. 

Against the Bluejays, Colorado tasted what it’s like to face one of the most complete clubs in the country, getting bounced 11-2. 

“We beat ourselves,” senior president Nathan Hoffman said. “We gave up too many free bases through walks and errors, and they took advantage of that.”

The tournament’s double-elimination format produced a second Colorado-Nebraska bout, now with seasons on the line. The Cornhuskers defeated the Minnesota State Mankato Mavericks 13-4 in their elimination game, sending the Mavs home after consecutive losses.

Coming into the affair, both of the Buffs' wins over Nebraska this year came via a walk-off. Saturday made it a rule of three, but not before the rival’s tensions spilled over.

In the seventh inning, Buffs’ catcher Charlie Lesch and Cornhusker Nick Schlemmer were bickering during Schlemmer’s at-bat. After he stuck out, Schlemmer circled around the plate, engaged with the umpire, was immediately thrown out of the game and then charged after Lesch.

A dog pile ensued before the teams slowly separated. The confrontation ignited a Nebraska rally, yet it was too little too late. With the bases loaded in the bottom of the ninth, a hit-by-pitch sent CU to the final round, taking the season series and bidding goodbye to the Cornhuskers.

“Beating Nebraska was awesome, it felt great to end their season,” Hoffman said. “We had some beef with them in Boulder, and it boiled over for them in the regionals. It showed that we’re the more mentally tough team, and we didn’t let that get in the way of our play.”

The bruising win gave Colorado a second chance at Creighton for a spot in the NCBA World Series. However, since Creighton hadn’t lost yet in the double-elimination circuit, the Buffs needed to beat the Bluejays twice.

CU made glaring adjustments after the prequel, still coming up just short, losing 8-6.

“The last game we had one bad inning where Creighton got some lucky bloop hits that unfortunately decided the game,” Hoffman said.

The loss cut the Buffs’ 2026 season two wins shy of the World Series. The team still ended a very positive 20-12 overall, reaching 20 wins for the first time since 2023.

“I couldn’t be more proud of our team, though we faced so much adversity all season long, and it brought us so close together,” Hoffman said. “We were there for each other through the ups and downs, and it was truly a special group of guys.”