It was a wild Sunday on the UT Tyler campus and that was just the beginning of a busy and exciting week for baseball, softball, tennis and golf.

 

BASEBALL

The Patriots baseball team certainly didn’t rest on the Sabbath, sweeping Concordia-Texas in a gutsy effort that needed rally after rally and included 20 innings.

With their backs against wall, the Patriots (37-7) reeled off three straight wins with victories over Louisiana College (14-10), followed by taking the twinbill against the Tornados (11-6 in 11 innings and 13-12 by scoring in the eighth and ninth innings).

The wins propelled coach Brent Porche’s squad to the American Southwest Conference finals against rival East Texas Baptist.

With an NCAA berth on the line, the best-of-three series is scheduled for UT Tyler’s Irwin Field on Friday and Saturday. Friday’s game is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m., with Game 2 slated for 2 p.m. Saturday. If a third game is needed it will be played after the conclusion of the second game.

Earning MVP of the Blue Bracket Tournament was Patriots sophomore Graham Welch.

Welch, the outfielder from Plano, batted .500 (12 for 24) with nine RBIs, two home runs and 10 runs scored. Other Patriots earning all-tournament were Alex Bishop, Cody Brown, Trent Buchhorn and Daniel Williams.

Williams was the star of the final game, going 4 for 5 with a three-run homer and a double along with five RBIs.

For the tournament, the senior designated hitter from Katy was 9 for 24 (.375) with eight RBIs and four runs scored.

Bishop, a junior first baseman from Calgary, Alberta, was 9 for 25 (.360) with eight RBIs, three runs scored, two doubles and a home run, while Buchhorn, a senior outfielder from Arlington who transferred from Tyler Junior College, was 7 for 16 (.438), with six RBIs and three runs scored along with a home run and a double.

Brown, who helped TJC win two national championships, pitched in three games, hurling 9 2/3 innings with nine strikeouts.

East Texas Baptist (30-13) won the Red Bracket with a 3-0 mark, including knocking off host UT Dallas twice.

ETBU’s Casey Combs was named MVP of the Red Bracket in Richardson.

Other Tigers earning all-tournament were Mason Aldredge, Blake Corbin, Zach Compton and Dylan Sumpter.

Both Aldredge and Sumpter are sophomores and are former stars at Grace Community School in Tyler. Aldredge is the son of Philip Aldredge and Julie Aldredge and Sumpter is the son of Brett and Missy Sumpter.

 

SOFTBALL

Defending NCAA D-III softball national champion UT Tyler has earned the right to host its 10th straight regional tournament, the NCAA announced on Monday from Indianapolis.

Coach Mike Reed’s squad will host a three-team regional tournament this weekend with Texas Lutheran and La Verne coming in to play at Suddenlink Field.

The Patriots (39-4) are the top seed in the West Region and earned the at-large bid. TLU (37-4) won the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference and enters the NCAA tournament on a 37-game winning streak, while La Verne (31-12) won the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference title to punch its ticket to Tyler.

The Patriots will play La Verne at 4 p.m. on Friday in the second game of the tournament, while TLU and Lavern will play at 1 p.m. on Friday. UT Tyler will then play TLU at 2 p.m. on Saturday before the bracket gets determined by results from the first three games.

East Texas Baptist (35-8) is also hosting a regional with UT Dallas (36-8) and Whitworth (35-9) competing in Marshall. ETBU received an at-large bid while UT Dallas won the automatic bid from the ASC. Whitworth, from Spokane, Washington, won the Northwest Conference.

The winner of the UT Tyler and ETBU regionals will meet in the Super Regionals May 19-20 for a berth in the NCAA Softball World Series in Oklahoma City May 25-30.

 

TENNIS

The UT Tyler tennis team will travel to Claremont, California, this weekend to play No. 3-ranked Claremont-Mudd-Scripps in the second round of the NCAA Division III tournament at the Biszantz Family Tennis Center.

The No. 23 Patriots punched their ticket to the NCAA tournament by winning their fourth straight American Southwest Conference title last weekend and will play on either Saturday or Sunday against the Staggs, who are 28-3 on the season.

 

GOLF

After tournament wins this season, the UT Tyler women’s golf team would like No. 9, which would mean winning the national championship.

The Patriots, coached by Grant Spencer, begin the NCAA Tournament on Tuesday at the Bay Oaks Country Club in Houston. The tournament continues through Friday.

UT Tyler was national runner-up last year. The Patriots return to the course with Morgan Loth, Amy Cox, Stephanie Tutt, Taylor Denton and Katelyn Hicken competing against 21 other teams over the 72-hole championship.

The Patriots are scheduled to start teeing off at 12:55 p.m. on Tuesday and will be paired with George Fox and Rhodes College.

TWITTER: @PhilHicksETFS