UMSL senior Mitch Bonczkowski hit his 16th home run of the season in the Tritons’ win over McKendree on Friday. (Photo: Thomas Grove)
| NCAA Baseball | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| McKendree (13-22, 5-12) | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 9 | 4 |
| UMSL (19-15, 13-4) | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 1 | X | 10 | 16 | 0 |
WP: Brandon Johnson – UMSL (1-2) LP: Trey Cole – McK (4-5)
NORMANDY, MO — Mitch Bonczkowski had three hits, including his program record setting 16th home run of the season, to lead the University of Missouri-St. Louis baseball team to a 10-4 win over McKendree University, in the first game of a four-game Great Lakes Valley Conference weekend series at the UMSL Baseball Field on Saturday.
UMSL posted 16 hits, with every player in the starting lineup getting at least one, but the biggest swing of the day came in the bottom of the eighth inning, when Bonczkowski launched a 2-1 slider deep to the opposite field and over the right field wall for a dinger, which set a new record for most homers in a single season by an UMSL player.
Bonczkowski tied the record on Saturday, which had been set by UMSL slugger Eric Blaha in 1998. But with one monster swing on Friday, the redshirt senior and St. Louis native, who starred at Lindbergh High and St. Louis Community College before coming to UMSL, made the new Triton record all his own.
Another star of the day for UMSL was utility man Brandon Johnson, a junior from Lemont, Ill., who started as a pitcher and hitter for the Tritons on Friday. At the plate, Johnson was 1-for-5, with a hit and a runs scored.
But on the mound, the 6-foot-1, 210-pounder went seven dynamite innings and allowed just three runs on eight hits, with no walks, and a career-high seven strikeouts to get his first win of the season.
UMSL junior Brandon Johnson picked up his first win of the season in the Tritons’ victory over McKendree on Friday. (Photo courtesy: UMSL Athletics)
McKendree (13-22) actually scored the first run of the game, when Peyton Liddle led off the game with a hit, then advanced around the bases on a wild pitch and a couple of groundouts.
UMSL responded quickly though, with three runs on four hits in the bottom of the second. Justin Simard drove in Garrett Strenger for UMSL’s first run. Then after L.J. Randle singled him to third and stole second himself, both players scored on a hit by Justin Terhaar.
Simard scored again in the bottom of the fifth, on another hit by Terhaar, to put the Tritons up 4-1 midway through the game.
McKendree got a two-run homer from Sage McMinn in the top of the sixth to pull within 4-3, but UMSL answered right back in the bottom half, with three runs on a single by Luke Saxton and three straight RBI doubles by Strenger, Cade Grevengoed, and Simard.
Saxton and Strenger drove in runs in the seventh to make the score 9-3. McKendree scored a run on a bases loaded sacrifice fly in the top of the eighth, which set up the dramatics for Bonczkowski’s home run in the bottom half.
The UMSL Tritons have won five of their last six and eight of their last 10 games, heading into a key doubleheader at the UMSL Baseball Field on Saturday. (Photo: Thomas Grove)
With 16 home runs, Bonczkowski not only leads the GLVC. He is tied for third-most in all of NCAA Division II baseball. Bonczkowski also has 25 career home runs at UMSL, which is tied for the most ever by any player in program history.
For the season, the Tritons have a 19-15 overall record, but are in sole possession of fourth place in the GLVC standings with a 13-4 league mark.
UMSL and McKendree will continue their series with a doubleheader at the UMSL Baseball Field on Saturday. First pitch of Game 1 will be at 12 p.m., with Game 2 expected to begin near 3 p.m.
The final game of the series will be on Sunday at 2 p.m. Every game of the series will be streamed live on the GLVC Sports Network.
2026 UMSL TRITONS BASEBALL SCHEDULE
| Date | Time | At | Opponent | Location | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| February 5, 2026 (Thursday) | 10 a.m. | Neutral | Pittsburg State | Edmond, Okla. / Wendell Simmons Field | L, 25-1 7 inn. (0-1) |
| February 6, 2026 (Friday) | 4 p.m. | Neutral | Emporia State | Edmond, Okla. / Wendell Simmons Fieild | L, 10-0 7 inn (0-2) |
| February 7, 2026 (Saturday) | 1 p.m. | Away | Central Oklahoma | Edmond, Okla. / Wendell Simmons Fieild | W, 12-1 7 inn. (1-2) |
| February 8, 2026 (Sunday) | 2 p.m. | Away | Oklahoma Baptist | Shawnee, Okla. / Bobby Cox Field at Ford Park | L, 1-2 10 inn. (1-3) |
| February 9, 2026 (Monday) | 1 p.m. | Away | Oklahoma Baptist | Shawnee, Okla. / Bobby Cox Field at Ford Park | W, 16-8 (2-3) |
| February 13, 2026 (Friday) | 11 a.m. | Away | Rogers State | Claremore, Okla. / RCB Bank Sports Complex – Baseball | L, 2-1 10 inn. (2-4) |
| February 13, 2026 (Friday) | 2:30 p.m. | Away | Rogers State | Claremore, Okla. / RCB Bank Sports Complex – Baseball | L, 4-1 (2-5) |
| February 15, 2026 (Sunday) | 1 p.m. | Away | Rogers State | Claremore, Okla. / RCB Bank Sports Complex – Baseball | W, 10-6 (3-5) |
| February 20, 2026 (Friday) | 12 p.m. | Home | Illinois Springfield | O’Fallon, Mo. / CarShield Field | L, 16-4 7 inn. (3-6) |
| February 20, 2026 (Friday) | 3 p.m. | Home | Illinois Springfield | O’Fallon, Mo. / CarShield Field | W, 7-6 10 inn. (4-6) |
| February 21, 2026 (Saturday) | 1 p.m. | Away | Illinois Springfield | Springfield, Ill. / UIS Baseball Field | L, 19-10 (4-7) |
| February 25, 2026 (Wednesday) | 2 p.m. | Home | Missouri S&T | UMSL Baseball Field | L, 8-2 (4-8) |
| March 5, 2026 (Thursday) | 2 p.m. | Home | Davenport | Edwardsville, Ill. / Simmons Baseball Complex | L, 12-7 (4-9) |
| March 6, 2026 (Friday) | 5:30 p.m. | Home | Hillsdale | Edwardsville, Ill. / Simmons Baseball Complex | L, 10-3 (4-10) |
| March 7, 2026 (Saturday) | 7 p.m. | Home | Hillsdale | Edwardsville, Ill. / Simmons Baseball Complex | W, 5-2 (5-10) |
| March 8, 2026 (Sunday) | 4 p.m. | Home | Hillsdale | Edwardsville, Ill. / Simmons Baseball Complex | W, 10-7 (6-10) |
| March 13, 2026 (Friday) | 12 p.m. | Home | Truman State* | UMSL Baseball Field | W, 12-11 (7-10) |
| March 13, 2026 (Friday) | 3:30 p.m. | Home | Truman State* | UMSL Baseball Field | W, 5-1 (8-10) |
| March 14, 2026 (Saturday) | 12 p.m. | Home | Truman State* | UMSL Baseball Field | L, 6-4 (8-11) |
| March 14, 2026 (Saturday) | 3 p.m. | Home | Truman State* | UMSL Baseball Field | W, 14-4 8 inn. (9-11) |
| March 20, 2026 (Friday) | 2 p.m. | Away | Quincy* | Quincy, Ill. / QU Stadium | L, 12-5 (9-12) |
| March 21, 2026 (Saturday) | 12 p.m. | Away | Quincy* | Quincy, Ill. / QU Stadium | W, 5-3 (10-12) |
| March 21, 2026 (Saturday) | 3 p.m. | Away | Quincy* | Quincy, Ill. / QU Stadium | W, 7-3 (11-12) |
| March 22, 2026 (Sunday) | 12 p.m. | Away | Quincy* | Quincy, Ill. / QU Stadium | L, 15-16 (11-13) |
| March 27, 2026 (Friday) | 7:15 p.m. | Home | Southwest Baptist* | O’Fallon, Mo. / CarShield Field | W, 13-12 (12-13) |
| March 28, 2026 (Saturday) | 1 p.m. | Home | Southwest Baptist* | UMSL Baseball Field | L, 9-2 (12-14) |
| March 28, 2026 (Saturday) | 4 p.m. | Home | Southwest Baptist* | UMSL Baseball Field | W, 4-0 (13-14) |
| March 29, 2026 (Sunday) | 12 p.m. | Home | Southwest Baptist* | UMSL Baseball Field | W, 9-1 (14-14) |
| April 2, 2026 (Thursday) | 5 p.m. | Away | William Jewell* | Liberty, Mo. / Talley Stadium | W, 10-3 (15-14) |
| April 3, 2026 (Friday) | 11 a.m. | Away | William Jewell* | Liberty, Mo. / Talley Stadium | W, 9-2 (16-14) |
| April 3, 2026 (Friday) | 2 p.m. | Away | William Jewell* | Liberty, Mo. / Talley Stadium | W, 6-2 (17-14) |
| April 4, 2026 (Saturday) | 1 p.m. | Away | William Jewell* | Liberty, Mo. / Talley Stadium | W, 6-1 (18-14) |
| April 7, 2026 (Tuesday) | 2 p.m. | Home | #17 Illinois Springfield | UMSL Baseball Field | L, 7-2 (18-15) |
| April 10, 2026 (Friday) | 2 p.m. | Home | McKendree* | UMSL Baseball Field | W, 10-4 (19-15) |
| April 11, 2026 (Saturday) | 12 p.m. | Home | McKendree* | UMSL Baseball Field | |
| April 11, 2026 (Saturday) | 3 p.m. | Home | McKendree* | UMSL Baseball Field | |
| April 12, 2026 (Sunday) | 12 p.m. | Home | McKendree* | UMSL Baseball Field | |
| April 17, 2026 (Friday) | 2 p.m. | Away | Indianapolis* | Indianapolis, Ind. / Greyhound Park | |
| April 18, 2026 (Saturday) | 11 a.m. | Away | Indianapolis* | Indianapolis, Ind. / Greyhound Park | |
| April 18, 2026 (Saturday) | 2 p.m. | Away | Indianapolis* | Indianapolis, Ind. / Greyhound Park | |
| April 19, 2026 (Sunday) | 11 a.m. | Away | Indianapolis* | Indianapolis, Ind. / Greyhound Park | |
| April 22, 2026 (Wednesday) | 5 p.m. | Away | Lindenwood | St. Charles, Mo. / Lou Brock Sports Complex | |
| April 24, 2026 (Friday) | 2 p.m. | Home | Lincoln | UMSL Baseball Field | |
| April 25, 2026 (Saturday) | 12 p.m. | Home | Lincoln* | UMSL Baseball Field | |
| April 25, 2026 (Saturday) | 3 p.m. | Home | Lincoln* | UMSL Baseball Field | |
| April 26, 2026 (Sunday) | 12 p.m. | Home | Lincoln* | UMSL Baseball Field | |
| April 30, 2026 (Thursday) | 2 p.m. | Away | Maryville* | Chesterfield, Mo. / Weber Field | |
| May 1, 2026 (Friday) | 1 p.m. | Away | Maryville* | Chesterfield, Mo. / Weber Field | |
| May 1, 2026 (Friday) | 4 p.m. | Away | Maryville* | Chesterfield, Mo. / Weber Field | |
| May 2, 2026 (Saturday) | 2 p.m. | Away | Maryville* | Chesterfield, Mo. / Weber Field |
* denotes Great Lakes Valley Conference game