JOPLIN, Mo. – For the first time in program history, the University of Arkansas at Monticello baseball team is going to the NCAA DII Super Regional. The Boll Weevils came out of the Central Region Tournament Championship on Saturday afternoon with a win over Missouri Southern State University. The No. 6 seeded Boll Weevils took down the No. 2 seeded Lions, 11-4.

UAM came out of the central region tournament with a tournament sweep, winning three straight games to claim a ticket to the super regional. Arkansas-Monticello took down Great American Conference member Arkansas Tech University in the opening round of the tournament, followed by two wins over tournament host Missouri Southern State University.

This was Monticello's first trip to the regional tournament since 2019 when they traveled to Sioux Falls, South Dakota. UAM won the opening round of the tournament over Minnesota State but was eliminated after losing to both tournament host, Augustana, and Great American Conference member, Oklahoma Baptist. UAM saw its first regional birth in 2016 when it reached the finals against Central Missouri. Monticello would drop the contest with the Mules, 7-4, but close out the season with 40 total wins. This is the winningest season in program history.

UAM has since seen two more regional appearances, earning a spot in both the 2017 and 2019 seasons. Arkansas-Monticello also won four straight conference titles from 2016 to 2019.

Monticello now leads the all-time series over Missouri Southern with a 2-1 advantage over the Lions.

GAME RECAP

Championship Game, 9 Innings

Missouri Southern: 4, Arkansas-Monticello: 11
WP: Dylan Vail (6-1)
LP: J. Davis (3-1)
SV: None

Scoring Recap:
Arkansas-Monticello kicked off the slug-fest in the second, scoring six runs on the Lions to take the early lead. Roc Hawthorne drove in Cade Cancilla and Parker Dorrance on a single to left field, followed by a two-run double to right from Kirk Woolf. Chase Cripps drove in the final two runs on a single up the middle.

The Lions bounced back in the fourth, scoring four runs to reach within one of the Weevil advantage. The first was scored on an RBI single to right field and was followed by a three-run bomb over the right field wall.

Monticello responded with three runs of their own in the bottom half of the inning. Chaz Poppy drove in Camden Tanner on a double to left, followed by a SAC fly from Chase Cripps that scored Kirk Woolf. Cade Cancilla brought Poppy across the plate with a double to left center, pushing the UAM lead to 9-4.

The Boll Weevils tacked on two insurance runs in the eighth on a two-run shot over the left field wall from Kirk Woolf.

The win on the day advances Arkansas-Monticello to the Super Regional series, giving the Boll Weevils their 35th win.

OFFENSIVE SHOWCASE

• Kirk Woolf - 2-for-3 with 1 home run, 1 double, 4 RBI, and 1 walk
• Roc Hawthorne - 2-for-5 with 2 RBI and 1 walk
• Chase Cripps - 1-for-3 with 3 RBI and 1 walk

PITCHING SHOWCASE

• Maxim Mrakovcic - 4 IP, 7 SO, 4 ER, 2 HBP, and 1 Walk
• Dylan Vail - Collected his sixth win with 4 IP, 2 SO, and 2 HBP
• Kyle Roop - 1 IP, 0 ER

UP NEXT
Arkansas-Monticello travels to Warrensburg, Missouri on Friday, May 24 to take on the Mules of Central Missouri in the opening game of a best-of-3 series for the Super Regionals. Game times are to be announced.

All live streams and live stats will be available as clickable links on the UAM Baseball schedule.

How to follow the Weevils: For more information on Arkansas-Monticello Weevils Baseball, visit www.uamsports.com and follow the team's social media channels by searching "Weevils Baseball" on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

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