By CHASE UPTON/Sports Editor
CARY, North Carolina — After knocking off the No. 1-ranked team in the country, Colorado Mesa University (53-7) in the South Central Super Regional, UT Tyler is headed back to the NCAA Division II College World Series for the second straight season.
After a 48-12 season and a dominant 30-4 stretch since mid-March, UT Tyler enters the CWS with a chance to capture the program’s first Division II national championship.
The No. 5-seeded Patriots will open the College World Series against No. 4 seed Central Missouri at 12:30 p.m. Friday, May 29th at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary, North Carolina.
UT Tyler and Central Missouri were both part of last year’s College World Series field, where the University of Tampa ultimately eliminated each team on the way to its second consecutive national championship.
This time around, Tampa returns to Cary with an opportunity to become the first program in NCAA Division II baseball history to win three consecutive national championships, while the Patriots arrive looking not only to stop a dynasty, but to make history of their own.
Before thoughts of a potential championship matchup can begin, however, UT Tyler faces one of the most experienced postseason programs in the country.
Central Missouri enters the College World Series with a 39-15 overall record and is making its third consecutive trip to Cary, sixth appearance overall under 12th year head coach Kyle Crookes, and 22nd overall as a program.
The Mules quietly became one of the hottest teams remaining in the tournament field after dropping an 11-inning, 8-7 game to Northwest Missouri State in the first round of the MIAA Tournament.
Since that loss, Central Missouri has gone 5-0 in NCAA Tournament play while outscoring opponents 36-7.
The Mules also enter the national tournament with one of Division II’s most balanced statistical profiles, hitting .321 as a team with 45 home runs, 106 doubles and 189 stolen bases while posting a 4.41 ERA and holding opponents to a .227 batting average/
Chase Wilcox leads the offensive attack with a .367 batting average, five home runs and 43 RBIs, while Ryker Edwards is batting .356 with four home runs and 11 stolen bases. Kaiden Ashton has added a .351 average and 38 RBIs, and Cole Funkhouser enters Cary with 58 runs scored and 51 RBIs.
On the mound, NCBWA First Team All-Central Region selection Sawyer Allen has emerged as the ace of the staff with an 8-1 record, a 2.08 ERA and 80 strikeouts in 82.1 innings pitched and Greyson Chappel has added a 2.34 ERA and 55 strikeouts, while Sam Wyrick has recorded six saves out of the bullpen.
UT Tyler enters the tournament with one of the most consistent offenses in Division II.
The Patriots are batting .314 as a team with 62 home runs, 121 doubles and 547 runs scored while posting a .924 OPS.
Connor Clark has been one of the catalysts at the top of the lineup, hitting .348 with 67 runs scored and 35 stolen bases.
Cole Ketzner, who won Lone Star Conference Player of the Year, enters the World Series batting .348 with 12 home runs and 65 RBIs, while Kaston Mason is hitting .354 with eight home runs and 61 RBIs.
Tanner Hornback has reached base at a .510 clip this season, and Drew Schmidt has added 68 runs scored and 50 RBIs from the middle of the order.
Mason, Clark, Hornback and Schmidt were all apart of the Patriots’ offensive core of last season’s College World Series squad, and this year’s group hopes to finish what it started in Cary.
The Patriots have also found consistency on the mound throughout this entire season.
Reliever Coleson Abel carries a 7-0 record and a 2.32 ERA into Cary after striking out 73 batters in 54.1 innings, while LSC Pitcher of the Year Julio Garcia has gone 8-4 with a 3.18 ERA in 15 starts.
Fifth-year senior Dylan Blomquist has also been a key piece of the Patriots’ pitching staff, posting a 5-2 record with a 4.45 ERA across 16 starts and 62.2 innings pitched.
Blomquist delivered one of UT Tyler’s biggest postseason moments in the Regional against Angelo State, throwing the program’s first nine-inning complete game since 2020, picking up 10 strikeouts on 118 pitches to send the Patriots to Supers.
UT Tyler’s postseason resilience has become one of the defining storylines of the season.
After falling to Angelo State in the South Central Regional, the Patriots responded by winning two straight elimination games to advance to the super regional before eventually knocking off top-ranked Colorado Mesa.
After losing that first game to LSC rival ASU, UT Tyler head coach Brent Porche reflected on their mentality that has helped fuel the Patriots’ postseason run.
“Nothing worth having in this life is ever easy, and there’s nobody I’d rather go to battle with our backs against the wall than the guys that are in that locker room…. I really believe in these guys and who they are as people. I don’t know if we’re gonna win tomorrow, but I know we’re going to do everything we can to keep playing.”
Now, that UT Tyler clubhouse featuring 21 returners from last season’s College World Series team — including nine seniors — is looking to make history once again for Patriot baseball by becoming DII national champions for the first time.
The Division II College World Series opens Friday at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary, North Carolina, with fourth-seeded Central Missouri taking on fifth-seeded UT Tyler in opening-round action at 12:30 p.m. CST on Friday, May 29. Fans can watch every game live and keep up with complete bracket coverage at NCAA.com.
To stay up to date with everything surrounding Patriot’s baseball, visit the UT Tyler Athletics Website and follow along all week with coverage, reactions and updates right here on thepatriottalon.com and The Patriot Talon’s Instagram page.
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