12/29/25

SCRANTON, Pa. -- For the third-straight year, Lackawanna College Athletics will review the past 12 months and highlight the top 14 athletics stories and moments from the year that was. 

Today's top event from 2025 comes to us from Lackawanna College Baseball and its postseason push to the DII World Series

#3: Baseball's Run To The DII World Series
The running joke in the program was to never count out the odd-year Falcons. After the incredible postseason run to clinch a World Series berth, it feels less like a joke and more like a threat.

Lackawanna College won seven-straight games, including six postseason clashes, to capture its tenth Region XIX tournament title and, eventually, its sixth district crown, placing Lackawanna into the NJCAA Division II Baseball World Series for the sixth time in program history, and the fourth time under skipper Mike McCarry.

The Falcons won 14 of their final 16 games heading into the World Series, including seven-straight, leaning on their explosive offense and solid top-line pitching to pull it out. The Falcons scored seven or more runs in every playoff victory, but ground out two wins to start the region playoffs at Mercer. Against Sussex, the Falcons rallied from a late deficit to score six runs in the final three innings to win, 8-4. Against Mercer, Lackawanna jumped out to a 7-3 advantage against the top-seeded hosts, then hung on for dear life. Mercer had the game-winning run at the plate, but a sliding catch from outfielder Deacon Brown (Williamsport, PA) sealed the win and sent the Falcons to the region title game, where they'd face Mercer again.

In the region championship contest on the road, Lackawanna scored the game's first ten runs to go up 10-0 after just 4.5 innings, while pitcher Liam O'Leary (Souderton, PA) struck out a season-best 13 batters in eight innings of work, helping the Falcons pull out the 13-6 championship game, clinching the region title and sending the Falcons home to host the East District tournament the next weekend.

The first game of the district playoffs was one of the most miraculous games Lackawanna College has ever played. Facing SUNY Rockland CC in the first game of the East District, occurring six hours later than scheduled because of lightning and rain, Lackawanna fell behind by a 14-0 margin after just 1.5 innings of play. Errors, bases-loaded walks and hit batters, big hits...whatever could go wrong for the Falcons, did, and the Hawks held a massive advantage.

Slowly, the Falcons started to chip away. Four runs scored in the second thanks to a double, a two-run homer, and a sac fly. four more runs scored in the fourth inning thanks to two singles, a double, and a wild pitch. Another run scored on an RBI single in the fifth. Suddenly, it was 14-9. In the sixth, the Falcons closed even closer, scoring three runs on a double, a balk, and an RBI groundout. The two-touchdown deficit was down to just two runs after six innings.

In the bottom of the seventh, Lackawanna scored on a bases loaded walk, then tied the game on a sac fly to right field. A wild pitch allowed the go-ahead run to score at 15-14, then a single made it 16-14, Falcons. In stepped Grant Dalton (Bedford, IN), who launched a three-run homer to the deepest part of Volpe Field at the University of Scranton, clearing the center field fence with ease and sending the dugout into hysterics. Miraculously, the Falcons now led 19-14. They'd score two more, and it would be 21-straight runs scored by Lackawanna College.

Rockland got within 21-17, but the Falcons tacked on two more in the eighth to complete the incredible comeback and win, 23-17. That win sparked the Falcons to a pair of comfortable victories over UConn Avery Point the rest of the weekend, winning the semi-final contest 9-1 on Saturday, then taking the championship game at 18-5 on Sunday. O'Leary set another season-high with 14 strikeouts, while the Falcons scored the game's first 14 runs and hit three two-run blasts en route to the championship clinching win.

Once in Enid, Oklahoma, the Falcons were matched up with Madison College out of Wisconsin. The WolfPack, which was making a seventh-straight appearance at the showcase, played like a veteran group, but the Falcons still managed to lead 6-4 after 5.5 innings of play. Madison scored three in the bottom of the seventh thanks to a sac fly, a passed ball, and double after an error.

Lackawanna had a pair of singles in the top of the eighth with two outs, but stranded the runners. In the top of the ninth, the Falcons had two more baserunners in scoring position with two away, but a fly ball to center was caught and they fell just short, 7-6.

In game two a few nights later, the high-powered Tritons from Iowa Central jumped on O'Leary early and never let the Falcons' bats get going, as Lackawanna fell 9-1 in seven innings to end their 2025 campaign.

It marked an unfortunate end to an otherwise remarkable year for the Falcons. Lackawanna won its tenth region championship, fourth under coach McCarry, and made the World Series for the sixth time in program history. The Falcons won 30 games or more for the fifth time in seven years with McCarry in charge, and he won his 200th game at Lackawanna College in the East final victory over UConn Avery Point. The Falcons had six all-region selections, five first-team selections, along with an Offensive POTY in John Hughes (Hamilton, NJ), and then two NJCAA All-American selections in Hughes and Brown.

The odd year Falcons proved to be anything but a joke, and gave Lackawanna College athletics fans another incredible year.

Top 14 Moments Of 2025 For Lackawanna College Athletics  
14) Women's Wrestling Makes History With Dual Victories
13) Coaching Changes Bring New Faces, Perspectives
12) First-Team All-Region Performances For MBB And WBB
11) Lackawanna Wrestling Sends Five To Nationals
10) Lackawanna College Esports Raises $7K For Charity
9) 57 Student-Athletes Named All-Academic NJCAA
8) Hofmann Named POTY, Falcons Earn All-Season Nods
7) Emmalee Mowery Named As NJCAA All-American In Softball
6) Three Football Falcons Earn All-American Honors
5) Hughes Wins Region POTY, One Of Two All-Americans For Falcons
4) Rocket League Wins NJCAAE Fall 2025 National Championship
3) Baseball's Magical Postseason Run To The World Series
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