TYLER, TEXAS – The UT Tyler Baseball team punched its ticket to the South Central Super Regional with a commanding 14-4 win over No. 3 seed Colorado Mesa on Saturday afternoon. The Patriots erupted for 17 hits and used a balanced offensive attack to secure their first Super Regional appearance since joining NCAA Division II.
UT Tyler, designated as the visiting team, set the tone early with a three-run first inning. After a quick out, a single and a gritty 12-pitch walk by Drew Schmidt sparked the rally. With two outs, Kyle Atkinson delivered a two-RBI single through the right side, and Tanner Hornback followed with a perfectly executed bunt single to make it 3-0. The Patriots forced Colorado Mesa's starter out of the game after just one inning and 44 pitches.
On the mound, Miles Clack was dominant for UT Tyler, facing the minimum through his first four innings. Schmidt added to the lead in the third, launching a solo homer to left-center for his fifth of the year. Two more runs came in the fourth on a Justin Williams RBI single, pushing the lead to 6-0.
Colorado Mesa managed their first run in the fifth, but the Patriots responded emphatically in the sixth with a seven-run explosion on six hits. Ethan Menard started the outburst with a solo home run to left. UT Tyler then loaded the bases on a single, hit-by-pitch, and another single. Bryce Jewell walked in a run, and Atkinson followed with another RBI single. Hornback delivered again with a two-RBI single, and Mason Hammonds added an RBI hit of his own before a groundout capped the inning at 13-1.
The Mavericks hit a three-run homer in their half of the sixth to close the gap to 13-4, but UT Tyler added one final run in the seventh via a walk, double, and wild pitch to reach the final 14-4 score.
Offensively, 10 different Patriots recorded hits and 12 reached base safely. Williams led the charge with a 3-for-4 day, scoring twice and driving in two. Atkinson went 2-for-6 with three RBI, while Hornback had a stellar 4-for-6 performance with three RBI, raising his season average to .408. Schmidt added three runs scored to his home run.
Clack improved to 6-0 on the year with five innings of two-hit, one-run baseball and six strikeouts. Noah Lindt and Garrett Arredondo closed the door, combining for three no-hit innings with two strikeouts.
With the win, UT Tyler improves to 46-11 and advances to face Angelo State in a best-of-three Super Regional in San Angelo, Texas. The winner will earn a spot in the NCAA Division II Baseball World Series.
