Orange Lutheran baseball traveled to Cary, North Carolina, to compete in the National High School Invitational hosted by USA Baseball, looking to leave with their 4th tournament title, having won three in a row from 2017 to 2019. 

Senior pitcher and top 50 draft prospect Gary Morse led the Lancers to a 3-0 victory in the first game against Regis Jesuit (CO). Morse threw a 99-pitch complete game, allowing 1 hit, walking 3, and striking out 16 batters, tying both the Orange Lutheran school record and the NHSI tournament record. The Lancers 3 RBI's came from Hamilton Friedberg, Jordan Kurz, and Rock Akahi. 

Game 2 was more difficult for the Lancers as they allowed the first 2 runs of the game and entered the bottom of the 6th inning down 2-0 to Trinity Christian Academy (KY). Jordan Krzdoubled to left field, scoring CJ Weinstein and cutting the deficit down to 2-1. In the bottom of the 7th, Brady Murrietta laid down a bunt, scoring Rico Hurtado and tying the game in the last inning, sending the game into extras. Paul Mittmann pitched a clean top of the 8th, giving the Lancers a chance to walk it off in the bottom of the 8th. Jordan Kurz led off the inning with a single up the middle, followed by a sacrifice bunt by Gavin Hottle , moving Kurz to second base. Angel Gonzalez singled to left field, followed by a bunt by Zion Avina, making it bases loaded with one out and a chance to win it. Senior Andrew Felizzari pinch hit and knocked a single into right field, walking it off for the Lancers and sending them into the Semifinals. 

OLu got on the board first in the semifinals against Casteel (AZ) with an RBI double in the bottom of the first from Eric Zudnek.The Colts tied it at the top of the fourth, and it stayed 1-1 until the bottom of the 7th. After getting out of a bases-loaded jam in the top of the 7th, the Lancers came up in the bottom of the inning looking to walk it off for the second day in a row. Marcus Greis led off the inning with a walk, followed by a Trevor Deack bunt single, making it runners on 1st and 2nd with no outs. Zion Avina singled up the middle, scoring Greis and sending OLu into the finals once again. 

In the championship game against Venice (FL) the Lancers came out hot in the first inning. Ricardo Hurtado led off the game with a single to center field, and after Brady Murrietta drew a walk, CJ Weinstein roped an RBI triple to center field to bring the runners across home plate. Following a hit-by-pitch to put runners at the corners, Jordan Kurz executed a squeeze play to bring a third run across in the frame. The Lancers extended their lead to 5-0 in the second inning, as Murrietta reached base again, this time on an outfield single, and scored on Eric Zdunek's double to center field. Zdunek then used a defensive miscue by Venice to score in the next at-bat. 

After a scoreless third, Zdunek struck again in the fourth with a run-scoring hit. Murrietta led off the frame with his second hit of the day, a base hit to left field, moved to second on an error, and scored on Zdunek's single to center field. Venice got on the board in the bottom of the fourth, using four consecutive outfield singles to plate a pair of runs. The Indians cut their deficit to three in the fifth inning, but OLu responded in the sixth with a run when Gavin Hottle drove in Hamilton Friedberg from third on a sacrifice fly to left field after he reached on a single to center field and moved to third on a double by Kurz. Venice made it a one-run game in the bottom frame at 7-6. The Indians looked to tie things up in the bottom of the seventh when, after two walks with two outs in the frame, a swinging strikeout ended the threat, winning the game and the tournament. Blake Killinger threw three scoreless innings to earn the win, and Anthony Tomminello was credited with the save after surrendering one earned run across the final two innings of the game.

The title marks the Lancers' fourth in program history and first since 2019 as they improve to 24-3 all-time at the NHSI. 

The Lancers return ranked #1 in the USA and immediately face a tough schedule, beginning league play with a 3-game series against St. John Bosco, ranked #4 nationally and a quarterfinalist at the NHSI. The first two games will take place at Hart Park, first at 2:30 pm on March 30, and again at 7:00 PM on April 1. The series will be completed at St. John Bosco at 1:00 pm on April 2. The Lancers will also compete in the prestigious Boras Classic next week, beginning on April 7 at 9:00 am at JSerra.