CARY, N.C. – No. 5 UT Tyler opened the 2026 NCAA Division II College World Series with an 8-3 victory over No. 4 Central Missouri on Friday afternoon at the USA Baseball National Training Complex, tying the program record with its 49th win of the season.
One year after scoring just eight runs across three games in Cary, the Patriots matched that total in their tournament opener. UT Tyler also eclipsed its offensive output from last year's first game, when the Patriots did not score until the ninth inning, by plating four runs in the opening frame.
The Patriots jumped on the Mules immediately. Connor Clark and Brock Bearden each worked walks before Tanner Hornback moved both runners into scoring position with a sacrifice bunt. Cole Ketzner then delivered the game's biggest swing, launching a three-run homer down the left field line to put UT Tyler ahead 3-0.
The blast traveled 433 feet and left the bat at 110 mph, marking Ketzner's first home run since April 10 against Sul Ross State and his 13th long ball of the season.
UT Tyler wasn't finished in the inning. Drew Schmidt followed with a bunt single and later scored when Luke Smith's single to right-center was followed by a throwing error, stretching the lead to 4-0 before Central Missouri recorded its third out.
Making the start in Cary after being unable to pitch during last season's College World Series due to injury, senior Dylan Blomquist delivered one of the finest outings of his Patriot career.
The left-hander worked around traffic throughout the afternoon and consistently made pitches in key situations. Blomquist scattered seven hits across eight scoreless innings, walked two and struck out two while helping UT Tyler turn two double plays behind him.
Central Missouri threatened in the second with two runners aboard before Blomquist induced an inning-ending double play. The Mules also put runners in scoring position in the third, fourth, seventh and eighth innings, but the Patriots repeatedly came up with timely defensive plays to preserve the shutout at the time.
UT Tyler added to its lead in the fifth inning. Schmidt drew a two-out walk before Kaston Mason ripped an RBI double to left field. Mason later scored when Luke Smith reached on a dropped fly ball in center field, giving the Patriots a 6-0 advantage.
Mason finished with three hits, including a pair of doubles, and drove in a run as UT Tyler continued to pressure the Central Missouri defense.
The Patriots delivered the knockout punch in the eighth. Spencer Simpson reached on a bunt single and moved to second on a wild pitch before Clark launched a two-run homer to left-center field. The blast was Clark's eighth home run of the season and pushed the lead to 8-0. The homer also gave UT Tyler its second long ball of the afternoon, matching the team's entire home run total from last year's College World Series appearance.
Blomquist exited after eight scoreless innings and appeared poised to hand the bullpen a comfortable finish, but Central Missouri mounted one final rally in the ninth. The Mules loaded the bases and scored three runs before Garrett Landry entered with the bases loaded and one out. Landry needed just one batter to end the threat, inducing a line drive that turned into a game-ending double play to secure his seventh save of the season.
UT Tyler finished with 10 hits and was led by Mason's three-hit performance. Ketzner drove in three runs with his first-inning homer, while Clark scored twice and added two RBIs with his eighth home run of the year. Schmidt scored two runs and reached base twice, while Bearden reached three times with a hit and two walks.
Blomquist improved to 6-2 on the season with the victory after eight scoreless innings and 109 pitches.
With the win, the Patriots improve to 49-12 and tie the program record for victories in a season. UT Tyler will face the winner of No. 1 West Chester and No. 8 UIndy on Sunday at 5 p.m. CT with a trip to the national semifinals at stake.
