Baez First, Spiders Fourth After 18 Holes at A-10 Championship
04/22/2025 | Men's Golf
ORLANDO, Fla. — Freshman Carson Baez sparkled in his Atlantic 10 Championship debut, shooting a 4-under 68 to take the lead after 18 holes at Evermore Resort. With Baez and senior Cole Ekert (2-under 70) leading the way, Richmond combined for a team score of 1-over par (289) and is in fourth place on the 12-team leaderboard, just four shots back of leader Davidson.
"It wasn't our best day, but we're actually still in a really good spot," said Spiders coach Adam Decker. "We had some guys make some bigger numbers early but they were able to battle back. That was great to see."
After starting his round on the 9th hole, Baez rallied to the top of the leaderboard with four birdies in a five-hole stretch on holes 2 through 6. A closing bogey on the difficult par-3 8th dropped him back to 4-under for the round, one shot in front of Davidson's Nate Faulkner.
"It stunk to finish with a bogey but it was still a really solid round and I was extremely happy with how I played," said Baez, who hails from nearby Windermere, Fla. "I just felt super comfortable being in my hometown."
"Carson played awesome," said Decker. "He's been hitting it really well and it was great that he got to see some putts go in. For a freshman to start his conference championship career like that is really impressive."
Baez's round is the lowest by a Spider freshman at the A-10 Championship since 2017, when Andrew Sciarretta shot a 5-under (67) in Round 3 and Zack Justice shot a 6-under 66 in Round 1 as Richmond won its only Atlantic 10 title.
"I felt extremely nervous going into the first tee shot. I haven't felt nerves like that since the first day I stepped on campus and had to qualify for our first lineup," admitted Baez. "It was definitely tough to get used to, but I just learned to embrace it and work through it over the first few holes."
"I didn't get too excited after a birdie or get too down on myself after a mishit shot," said Baez when asked about the key to his round. "I tried to stay in my own bubble. I usually talk to my playing partners, but kept quiet today and let the golf talk for itself."
Ekert, who has finished fifth (2024) and sixth (2023) at this event the last two years, is tied with Rhode Island's Sean Magarian for third at 2-under par. Ekert was 1-over par after five holes Wednesday before making three birdies and 10 pars over his final 13 holes.
Fellow senior Patrick Isztwan rebounded from a bogey-bogey start to shoot a 2-over 74 and is tied for 22nd. His 16 pars Tuesday were the most in the field.
Sophomores Jack LaPiana and Quin Polin shot 5-over 77s and are tied for 41st among the 60 golfers in the field.
At 1-over, Richmond is just four shots behind Round 1 leader Davidson. The Wildcats combined for a 3-under 285 Tuesday. Rhode Island (-2) is in 2nd place and Dayton (E) is in third.
Richmond will be begin Round 2 at 7:30 AM Wednesday. The Spiders will be paired with VCU (+2) and George Washington (+6).
"It wasn't our best day, but we're actually still in a really good spot," said Spiders coach Adam Decker. "We had some guys make some bigger numbers early but they were able to battle back. That was great to see."
After starting his round on the 9th hole, Baez rallied to the top of the leaderboard with four birdies in a five-hole stretch on holes 2 through 6. A closing bogey on the difficult par-3 8th dropped him back to 4-under for the round, one shot in front of Davidson's Nate Faulkner.
"It stunk to finish with a bogey but it was still a really solid round and I was extremely happy with how I played," said Baez, who hails from nearby Windermere, Fla. "I just felt super comfortable being in my hometown."
"Carson played awesome," said Decker. "He's been hitting it really well and it was great that he got to see some putts go in. For a freshman to start his conference championship career like that is really impressive."
Baez's round is the lowest by a Spider freshman at the A-10 Championship since 2017, when Andrew Sciarretta shot a 5-under (67) in Round 3 and Zack Justice shot a 6-under 66 in Round 1 as Richmond won its only Atlantic 10 title.
"I felt extremely nervous going into the first tee shot. I haven't felt nerves like that since the first day I stepped on campus and had to qualify for our first lineup," admitted Baez. "It was definitely tough to get used to, but I just learned to embrace it and work through it over the first few holes."
"I didn't get too excited after a birdie or get too down on myself after a mishit shot," said Baez when asked about the key to his round. "I tried to stay in my own bubble. I usually talk to my playing partners, but kept quiet today and let the golf talk for itself."
Ekert, who has finished fifth (2024) and sixth (2023) at this event the last two years, is tied with Rhode Island's Sean Magarian for third at 2-under par. Ekert was 1-over par after five holes Wednesday before making three birdies and 10 pars over his final 13 holes.
Fellow senior Patrick Isztwan rebounded from a bogey-bogey start to shoot a 2-over 74 and is tied for 22nd. His 16 pars Tuesday were the most in the field.
Sophomores Jack LaPiana and Quin Polin shot 5-over 77s and are tied for 41st among the 60 golfers in the field.
At 1-over, Richmond is just four shots behind Round 1 leader Davidson. The Wildcats combined for a 3-under 285 Tuesday. Rhode Island (-2) is in 2nd place and Dayton (E) is in third.
Richmond will be begin Round 2 at 7:30 AM Wednesday. The Spiders will be paired with VCU (+2) and George Washington (+6).
Players Mentioned
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