2026 NCAA Division III Baseball Championship - Winchester Regional
Messiah - 16, Farmingdale State - 12
WINCHESTER, Va. | The Farmingdale State baseball team saw its historic 2026 season come to an end on Saturday afternoon, as the Rams dropped a 16-12 decision to Messiah University in an elimination game at the NCAA Division III Baseball Championship Regionals.
Farmingdale State concludes the year with a 27-11 record after capturing their 10th Skyline Conference Championship, tallying a program-best 21-game winning streak and earning a berth into the NCAA Tournament.
Messiah (33-13) advances into another elimination game later Saturday against the loser of the matchup between host Shenandoah University and Transylvania University.
The Rams collected 18 hits in the contest and battled back from an early 12-2 deficit, but Messiah answered several FSC rallies to hold on for the victory.
Senior first baseman Richie Heyder (Holbrook, N.Y.) led Farmingdale State offensively, going 3-for-4 with two home runs, four RBI's and two walks. His first homer came in the top of the first inning, as he launched a two-run shot to center field after sophomore shortstop Kaolis Delacruz (Levittown, N.Y.) worked a walk to give FSC an early 2-0 lead.
Messiah immediately responded in the bottom half of the inning with five runs, highlighted by a two-run home run from Cristian Reyna, before adding two more runs in the second and five in the third to build a 12-2 advantage.
The Rams began to chip away in the fourth inning when senior left fielder Mike Kocovic (Mahopac, N.Y.) singled and later scored on an RBI ground out from junior right fielder Ryan Tam (Wantagh, N.Y.), trimming the deficit to 12-3.
Heyder started a fifth-inning rally with his second two-run homer of the afternoon, before Kocovic delivered an RBI double. Tam later added an RBI single, while senior third baseman Jimmy Manzella (Baldwin, N.Y.) contributed an RBI base hit to cut the Messiah lead to 12-8.
In the eighth, Delacruz doubled and scored, while FSC added three more runs in the ninth inning behind an RBI sacrifice fly from Manzella, an RBI single from junior second baseman Ryan Wasserman (New Hyde Park, N.Y.), and an RBI ground-rule double by senior Christopher Sais (Hicksville, N.Y.).
Kocovic finished 2-for-5 with a double and RBI, while senior catcher Ryan Plocker (Dix Hills, N.Y.) added three hits. Delacruz scored three runs, Tam drove in two, and freshman center fielder Matt Faraone (East Yaphank, N.Y.) collected two hits and a walk.
Senior right-hander TJ Cox (Mineola, N.Y.) was charged with his first loss of the season, while classmate Derek Watts (Baldwin, N.Y.) provided 6.2 innings of relief for the Rams.
