The 2026 season came to an end Monday afternoon for the Jefferson West baseball team, as they fell 6-1 to Girard in the opening round of the Class 3A State Baseball Tournament in Kansas City.

It marks the second consecutive season Jefferson West has been eliminated in the first round of the state tournament. The Tigers were also knocked out in the opening game a year ago, falling 2-0 to Sabetha.

Jefferson West scored its lone run in the top of the third inning when Ryan Pressler executed a suicide squeeze that brought home Corben Mayer, who had opened the inning with a double.

Offense was difficult to come by against Girard starter Kam Smith, an Arkansas commit who delivered a dominant performance on the mound. Smith pitched into the sixth inning, allowing just two hits and one run while striking out nine and walking one.

Girard broke through in the fourth inning on a throwing error before adding two more runs in the fifth on RBI singles from Aiden Ashbacher and Robbie Bruning. The Trojans sealed the victory with a three-run sixth inning highlighted by a two-run single from Bryor Schultz.

Despite the loss, Jefferson West closes the 2026 campaign with an impressive 24-3 overall record, including an 18-2 finish in Big East League play and a runner-up finish behind Sabetha.