LINCOLN, Neb. (5/1/2026) — Nebraska Wesleyan baseball split a home American Rivers Conference doubleheader with Central College on Friday evening at Championship Stadium, falling 6-5 in a late-innings battle before rebounding for a commanding 12-3 victory in the nightcap. With the loss in game one, the Prairie Wolves are eliminated from postseason contention and will close out the 2025-26 season on Senior Day on Saturday. With the split, NWU ends the night at 13-26 (8-15 A-R-C) on the season, while Central falls to 16-21 (11-12 A-R-C).
HOW IT HAPPENED
Game One: Central 6, Nebraska Wesleyan 5
Central used a three-run sixth inning to seize control and held off a late Nebraska Wesleyan rally to take the opener, 6-5.
The Dutch struck first in the second inning when Dylan Williams doubled to center field to score Bryer Wiley for a 1-0 lead. Nebraska Wesleyan answered right back in the bottom half as Jake Shedarowich doubled to left-center and scored on a Cohle Sherman sacrifice fly to knot the game at 1-1.
NWU went back on top in the third when Jaxon Volkmer hit himself home, with a hard hit ball blowing out to right field and over the fence, giving the Prairie Wolves a 2-1 edge heading into the middle frames, but Central matched with a run in the fifth on a Dom DeLapaz solo home run to tie it at 2-2.
The Dutch then broke the game open in the sixth, putting together a three-run frame keyed by DeLapaz, who this time launched a three-run homer to left-center to push the lead to 5-2. Central added another in the seventh for a 6-3 cushion.
Nebraska Wesleyan battled back in the eighth, when Easton Johnson launched an RBI double to the right center gap and a Brady Bell RBI single brought home another to pull within 6-5. The Prairie Wolves put a runner on third in the ninth but couldn't complete the comeback.
Johnson, Shedarowich, Bell, Sherman and Volkmer each finished with one RBI, while Easton Johnson went 2-for-3 with two double sand was hit by a pitch. Shedarowich added a triple and double in the contest. On the mound, Garrett Walsh took the loss, going six innings and allowing six runs on eight hits with four strikeouts, while Tyler Spreitzer worked a scoreless three innings in relief, allowing just one hit while striking out one and walking two.
Game Two: Nebraska Wesleyan 12, Central 3
Nebraska Wesleyan turned around and put together its most complete offensive performance of the night in game two, erupting for 12 runs on 20 hits to roll past Central, 12-3.
The Prairie Wolves came out of the gate swinging in the first inning, plating three runs on back-to-back-to-back-to-back hits with two outs. Easton Johnson doubled to left-center, Jake Shedarowich followed with an RBI double to right-center, Brady Bell singled to move Shedarowich to third, and Sam Schaefer delivered a two-run double to left-center to make it 3-1.
NWU padded the lead in the third when Schaefer singled home Johnson for a 4-1 advantage, then detonated a five-run fourth to put the game well out of reach. The big blow of the inning was a Johnson triple to right field that plated two, and Shedarowich added an RBI single before Schaefer and Gavin Crogg each drove in a run to push the lead to 9-1.
Three more runs crossed in the seventh, capped by a two-RBI single from pinch hitter Rudy Gres IV, while Owen Duckworth and the NWU bullpen held Central to three runs on five hits across nine innings to complete the rout.
Schaefer was the offensive star of the nightcap, going 4-for-5 with a double and four RBIs. Johnson had another exceptional outing, going 3-for-5 with two doubles, a triple and two RBIs, and Shedarowich finished 2-for-4 with a double and two RBIs. Duckworth earned the win on the mound, lasting seven innings and allowing three runs on five hits while striking out seven and walking two.
Up Next
Nebraska Wesleyan closes out the 2025-26 season with Senior Day festivities on Saturday at Championship Stadium. Ceremonies begin at 12:30 p.m. with first pitch scheduled for 1 p.m.
