Little Rock Trojans’ Inspiring NCAA Regional Run Ends with 10-6 Loss to No. 6 LSU in Baton Rouge Showdown

In the end, the miracle run met its match.

The Little Rock Trojans, the gritty underdogs who captured the hearts of college baseball fans across the country during their stunning NCAA Regional run, finally saw their Cinderella story come to a close with a 10-6 loss to No. 6 LSU on Sunday evening in Baton Rouge. Facing the defending national champions and the roaring purple-and-gold faithful at Alex Box Stadium, the Trojans fought with everything they had but ultimately came up short against a team loaded with power, depth, and postseason experience.

Still, even in defeat, Little Rock’s performance was nothing short of remarkable—a testament to a group of players who never stopped believing and who refused to be intimidated by the moment.

The Trojans came into the Baton Rouge Regional as the decided underdog, making just their second NCAA Tournament appearance in program history. Their presence in the bracket was already a feel-good story, but what they did once they got there turned heads nationwide. They opened their regional journey with a stunning upset over in-state powerhouse Louisiana Tech, then staved off elimination twice with back-to-back victories over North Carolina and Sam Houston State, two more programs with deeper postseason pedigrees and much larger budgets.

But on Sunday, the clock struck midnight. The Trojans ran into an LSU team that found its groove at the right time. After struggling for consistency throughout much of the 2025 season, the Tigers looked every bit the team that hoisted the national title trophy last June. Led by a blistering performance at the plate and a steady outing from their bullpen, LSU overwhelmed Little Rock in the final three innings to seal their ticket to the Super Regionals.

Despite trailing for most of the game, Little Rock didn’t go quietly. In fact, for six innings, they went toe-to-toe with the Tigers in one of the most hostile environments in college baseball. The Trojans took an early 2-0 lead in the top of the second inning thanks to a two-run blast by senior outfielder Blake Jenkins, who finished his collegiate career with a bang. Jenkins, who had been the emotional leader of the team all year, crushed a fastball deep into the right-field bleachers, momentarily silencing the LSU crowd and sparking a wave of belief in the visitors’ dugout.

LSU quickly answered in the bottom half of the frame, plating three runs off Little Rock starter Grant Watkins. The Tigers strung together a flurry of well-placed singles and aggressive baserunning to reclaim the lead, 3-2. From there, the teams exchanged blows like a pair of prizefighters refusing to hit the mat.

In the fourth, Trojans catcher Noah Crossley tied the game with an RBI single through the left side, and then in the fifth, Little Rock retook the lead, 5-3, on a two-run double off the bat of sophomore third baseman Ty Hamilton. The LSU crowd, once electric, fell into nervous silence. For a moment, it felt like the impossible might happen once more.

But that’s when LSU’s offense truly came alive.

In the bottom of the sixth, the Tigers put together a four-run outburst, aided by a pair of walks, a key error by Little Rock shortstop Chase Willis, and a booming two-run double from LSU first baseman Jared Curtis. The ball skipped past the diving glove of Jenkins in right-center field and rolled all the way to the wall, scoring two and putting LSU back in front, 7-5.

Still, the Trojans kept scrapping. In the seventh, they cut the lead to 7-6 on a solo home run from freshman designated hitter Eli Ramirez, who capped off a breakout postseason with his third homer of the regional. But in the bottom of the eighth, LSU put the game away for good. A three-run homer from sophomore slugger Tyree White—his second of the tournament—blew the game open and set the stage for closer Dalton Hurd to finish the job in the ninth.

The Trojans managed to bring the tying run to the on-deck circle in the final frame after a leadoff walk and a single, but Hurd struck out the next two batters before inducing a flyout to center to send LSU fans into celebration and the Trojans into bittersweet reflection.

After the game, Little Rock head coach Chris Curry was emotional but proud.

“This is a special group of guys,” Curry said, holding back tears. “They’ve fought for each other every step of the way. No one outside of our locker room thought we’d be here, but they believed. I’ve never been prouder to coach a team than I am right now.”

He wasn’t alone. Across social media, praise poured in for the Trojans’ effort throughout the regional. Baseball fans from rival programs, analysts, and even MLB players commended the team for its resilience and refusal to back down. In a tournament filled with bluebloods and brand names, Little Rock had managed to steal the spotlight for a few incredible days.

Several players will now move on, including Jenkins, Crossley, and senior closer Ethan Mercer, who threw 5.2 innings of clutch relief across three games in the regional and kept Little Rock alive in do-or-die situations. But their impact on the program will linger far beyond this one postseason run. For a team that had never before advanced past its first NCAA game, these Trojans set a new bar.

“It’s about belief,” Jenkins said after the game. “We wanted to prove that Little Rock baseball belonged on this stage, and I think we did that. We gave everything we had. There’s nothing to hang our heads about.”

Indeed, they didn’t just compete—they captured imaginations. Every tournament has its surprise story, the team that plays bigger than its name or its resources. This year, that team was Little Rock. Whether it was diving plays in the field, clutch two-out hits in elimination games, or simply the way the dugout roared with every run scored, the Trojans were the heartbeat of the Baton Rouge Regional.

Even as they packed their bags Sunday night, their legacy was secure. They had made history. They had shown what was possible. And perhaps most importantly, they had planted the seeds for something bigger.

“We’re not going to be satisfied with just this one run,” Curry said. “This is a launching point. I hope people start to take notice. We’re building something special here.”

Back in Little Rock, fans gathered at watch parties and on campus to cheer the team on. From the local diner to the city’s sports bars, Trojans gear became a symbol of pride and belief. In a college baseball landscape where small schools often get overlooked, Little Rock forced the nation to pay attention—and in doing so, wrote one of the most unforgettable stories of the 2025 postseason.

The scoreboard may have read 10-6 in favor of LSU, but for the Trojans, the real win was everything they achieved along the way. They went from a name on the bracket to a team etched in memory. A team that inspired. A team that showed heart. A team that refused to back down.

And though this chapter ends with a loss, the story of Little Rock baseball feels far from over.