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Wayne State University Athletics

BSB Preview - Midwest Regional #2

Baseball Cooper Weidenthaler, Assistant Director for Media Relations

Baseball Begins NCAA Tournament Play on Thursday

Third-seeded Wayne State will face sixth-seeded UMSL before either second-seeded UIS or seventh-seeded UIndy.

DETROIT -- The Wayne State University baseball team is ready for its 11th NCAA Tournament appearance in program history, ninth under 18th-year head coach Ryan Kelley, and third in the last five seasons.  The third-seeded Warriors will begin play in Midwest Regional No. 2 (double elimination) on Thursday at 3 p.m. eastern against sixth-seeded Missouri-St. Louis.  The Warriors and Tritons will be joined by the two seed and host, Illinois Springfield, as well as the seven seed, UIndy.

COACH'S CORNER
"It has been an honor to wear the same uniform as these student-athletes and coaching staff," said Kelley.  "The 2026 season marked our 86th in program history and this group has represented WSU baseball with leadership on and off the field.  We have experienced everything the game offers via success, failure, adversity, adjustments, teamwork, growth, and more.  Dating back to our first team meetings in August, this group has garnered countless experiences that have fueled their connectivity while creating a teamwork bond that will push deep into their respective futures.  We would like to thank our University faculty, support staff, administration, alumni, sponsors, donors, and community for their leadership and guidance by helping us reach the NCAA postseason.  A special thanks to the WSU baseball families and friends who have shared this journey with us.  Our team has battled the gauntlet of an NCAA baseball season.  Now, I look forward to them attacking the challenge of the national tournament!"

HISTORY OF SUCCESS
As mentioned above, Wayne State has made 10 prior appearances in the NCAA Tournament, dating back to the first one in 2005.  In those 10 showings, the Warriors own an all-time record of 13-20.  A year-by-year breakdown of each of those appearances can be found below.

2005: 0-2
2008: 3-2
2010: 0-2
2011: 3-2
2012: 0-2
2014: 1-2
2017: 3-2
2019: 1-2*
2022: 2-2
2023: 0-2

* - Wayne State played in the 2019 NCAA Tournament at the UIS-hosted portion of the NCAA Midwest Regional.  This season marks the second time that WSU will have postseason baseball in Springfield, Illinois.

TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE (Central Time)
Thursday, May 14
Game 1 – #2 Illinois Springfield vs. #7 UIndy – 11 a.m. 
Game 2 - #3 Wayne State vs. #6 Missouri-St. Louis – 2 p.m. 
 
Friday, May 15
Game 3 – Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2 – 11 a.m. 
Game 4 – Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2 – 2 p.m. 
 
Saturday, May 16
Game 5 – Loser Game 4 vs. Winner Game 3 – 11 a.m. 
Game 6 – Winner Game 4 vs. Winner Game 5 – 2 p.m.
 
Sunday, May 17
Game 7 - If Necessary – 12 p.m.

TEAM-BY-TEAM BREAKDOWN
2 Seed - Illinois Springfield (34-18 overall)
Head Coach: Chris Rodriguez / First Season / 34-18 Record (.654 Winning Percentage)
Offense: .318 Average
Pitching: 5.61 ERA
Defense: .968 Fielding Percentage
Top Batter: Corey Boyette, .385 Average (72-for-187), 1.240 OPS
Top Pitcher: Kasey Graham, 3.88 ERA, 51 IP, 50 SO, 20 BB, .254 BAA
All-Time Series w/ WSU: UIS leads 3-2

3 Seed - Wayne State (37-14 overall)
Head Coach: Ryan Kelley / 18th Season / 548-348-1 Record (.611 Winning Percentage)
Offense: .294 Average
Pitching: 4.42 ERA
Defense: .970 Fielding Percentage
Top Batter: Drew Hill, .404 Average (76-for-188), 1.179 OPS
Top Pitcher: Will Lowery, 3.76 ERA, 69.1 IP, 55 SO, 16 BB, .246 BAA

6 Seed - Missouri-St. Louis (33-20 overall)
*GLVC Tournament Champions
Head Coach: Scott Eul / Fourth Season / 113-95 Record (.543 Winning Percentage)
Offense: .308 Average
Pitching: 5.77 ERA
Defense: .965 Fielding Percentage
Top Batter: Mitch Bonczkowski, .432 Average (86-for-199), 1.348 OPS
Top Pitcher: Eli Cartwright, 2.36 ERA, 68.2 IP, 96 SO, 46 BB, .190 BAA
All-Time Series w/ WSU: WSU leads 7-1

7 Seed - Indianapolis (33-21 overall)
Head Coach: Al Ready / Eighth Season / 233-162 Record (.590 Winning Percentage)
Offense: .318 Average
Pitching: 5.60 ERA
Defense: .953 Fielding Percentage
Top Batter: Austin Bode, .401 Average (79-for-197), 1.344 OPS
Top Pitcher: Aidan Pearson, 3.80 ERA, 71 IP, 57 SO, 30 BB, .271 BAA
All-Time Series w/ WSU: WSU leads 6-4


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Players Mentioned

Drew Hill

#13 Drew Hill

RF
5' 10"
Junior
L/L
Will Lowery

#35 Will Lowery

RHP
6' 0"
Redshirt Junior
R/R

Players Mentioned

Drew Hill

#13 Drew Hill

5' 10"
Junior
L/L
RF
Will Lowery

#35 Will Lowery

6' 0"
Redshirt Junior
R/R
RHP