Box Score - No. 1 Northwood def. No. 8 KWC, 10-2
Box Score - No. 8 KWC def. No. 5 Bellarmine, 10-2
Box Score - No. 8 KWC def. No. 7 Saint Joseph's, 4-1
Box Score - No. 6 Wayne State def. No. 8 KWC, 4-3
MIDLAND, Mich. – Making the program’s first appearance in the national tournament since 1988, Kentucky Wesleyan proved it belonged and then some as one of the final four teams standing the NCAA Championship Midwest Regional bracket.
Tagged with the No. 8 seed, the Panthers staved off elimination twice with wins against No. 5 Bellarmine and No. 7 Saint Joseph’s (Ind.) to register the Great Midwest Athletic Conference’s first NCAA postseason victories since the league’s inception.
Alderson Broaddus also has appeared in the NCAA Midwest Regional with automatic qualification in 2016.
KWC was beat in the opening-round game against region host and top seed Northwood (Mich.) before winning two straight. The postseason journey came to an end on Sunday with a 4-3 defeat vs. No. 6 Wayne State (Mich.).
The Panthers finished their remarkable year with a 29-24 overall record under 16th-year head coach Todd Lillpop.
As the No. 3 seed in the conference tourney bracket, Kentucky Wesleyan had won the Great Midwest Championship at Prasco Park in Mason, Ohio, before the NCAA Selection Show.
After being tamed by GLIAC Pitcher of the Year Tyler Jandron in the opening contest at Gerace Stadium, the Panthers offense got tracked in a hurry against Bellarmine, a GLVC institution that KWC had split a doubleheader with back on April 4.
Josh Galvan smacked his eighth home run, a three-run shot in the fifth inning. Cody Bridges had three hits and scored three times while Nathan Stemle had three RBI as part of a 2-for-5 day at the dish.
Mitchell Jones earned the win in 6.2 innings, giving up just one earned run on five hits. Alex Franzen held Bellarmine scoreless over the final 2.1 innings in another impressive relief showing.
With storylines surrounding Saint Joseph’s and the Pumas last run as a program, Kentucky Wesleyan advanced another round with a 4-1 win. 2016 G-MAC Freshman of the Year Zach Burton dialed in seven innings of one-run ball while striking out four.
Franzen slammed the door shut for his ninth save of the season with two more scoreless innings.
The magic eventually ran out against Wayne State in a one-run game despite the Panthers scoring in the top of the ninth to push the Warriors down to the wire. In a double-elimination format, Kentucky Wesleyan showed resolve not once, but twice, to live another day in a tough eight-team bracket.
Northwood and Quincy will be playing for the NCAA Championship Midwest Regional title.