The UMSL Tritons swept all three games it played this weekend to win its first GLVC championship since 2003. (Image courtesy: UMSL Athletics)
| NCAA Baseball | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | R | H | E |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| #2 UMSL (33-20) | 0 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 13 | 15 | 2 |
| #1 Missouri S&T (34-18) | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 2 | 8 | 9 | 1 |
WP: Mitch Schleeper – UMSL (2-2) L: Nate Donovan – MO S&T (2-1)
MARION, IL — The University of Missouri-St. Louis baseball team put the finishing touch on a sensational championship run by knocking off rival Missouri S&T, 13-8 on Saturday, to claim the 2026 Great Lakes Valley Conference Tournament championship.
This is the second time UMSL has won the GLVC Tournament and the program’s first league title since 2003.
“It feels pretty good,” UMSL head coach Scott Eul said, in an interview with TritonZone2010, after the game. “I’m kinda relaxed. More relaxed than I thought I’d be. But I’m really proud of these guys.”
UMSL senior Mitch Bonczkowski had five hits and two RBIs in the Tritons’ GLVC championship clinching win on Saturday. (Photo: Thomas Grove)
UMSL came into the weekend as the tournament’s No. 2 seed, but left no doubt who the best team in the league was by winning all three games it played, including two over No. 1 seed and regular season champion Missouri S&T.
The Tritons blew out the Miners in an 11-1 run-rule game in the semifinals on Saturday. Then, after S&T won an elimination game to advance to the finals, UMSL walloped them again on Saturday.
“These guys were impressive this weekend,” Eul said. “They just came out ready to play in every one of these games and they worked really hard to get themselves ready and be ready to win a championship. It was great.”
UMSL sophomore LJ Randle had three hits, two stolen bases, and three runs scored in the Tritons’ GLVC championship clinching win on Saturday. (Photo: Thomas Grove)
Several players had huge games for the Tritons on Saturday. Slugger and league MVP candidate Mitch Bonczkowski had five hits, two RBIs, and two runs scored. Leadoff man LJ Randle had three hits, two stolen bases, and three runs scored, while hot-hitting catcher Garrett Strenger had two hits and four RBIs.
UMSL jumped out to a quick lead by scoring three runs in the top of the third inning. S&T answered with a run of its own in the bottom half. But UMSL went into overdrive after that, with a pair of runs in both the fourth and fifth innings and three more runs in the sixth.
The score was 10-2 when S&T mounted its best rally, with four runs in the bottom of the eighth. But UMSL added three more runs in the ninth to put the game away.
“It was just an awesome day for us all,” Bonczkowski said. “We came here to win a championship and we’ve been working so hard to just try to get ourselves in this position. It’s a thrill to get it done.”
Six UMSL players were named to the GLVC All=Tournament Team, including Bonczkowski, Randle, Justin Terhaar, who had the game-winning hit in the Tritons’ quarterfinal round win over Indianapolis, Brandon Johnson, Garrett Brunstetter, and Eli Cartwright, who last week was named the 2026 GLVC Pitcher of the Year.
Garrett Strenger had two hits and four RBIs in UMSL’s GLVC championship clinching win on Saturday. (Photo: Thomas Grove)
With the tournament championship, UMSL will also receive an automatic bid into the NCAA Division II National Tournament, which will begin next week.
The Tritons were ranked No. 10 in last week’s Midwest Regional poll and by winning the GLVC title, the team has given itself an outside chance of being selected as the host school for the regional tournament next weekend.
The team will find out who it will play and where it will play officially, when the NCAA Division II Baseball Tournament Selection Show airs on NCAA.com, Sunday evening at 9 p.m.
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 | L, 10-4 (19-16) |
| April 11, 2026 (Saturday) | 3 p.m. | Home | McKendree* | UMSL Baseball Field | L, 4-1 (19-17) |
| April 12, 2026 (Sunday) | 12 p.m. | Home | McKendree* | UMSL Baseball Field | W, 17-2 (20-17) |
| April 17, 2026 (Friday) | 2 p.m. | Away | Indianapolis* | Indianapolis, Ind. / Greyhound Park | W, 7-5 (21-17) |
| April 18, 2026 (Saturday) | 11 a.m. | Away | Indianapolis* | Indianapolis, Ind. / Greyhound Park | L, 3-0 (21-18) |
| April 18, 2026 (Saturday) | 2 p.m. | Away | Indianapolis* | Indianapolis, Ind. / Greyhound Park | W, 9-8 (22-18) |
| April 19, 2026 (Sunday) | 11 a.m. | Away | Indianapolis* | Indianapolis, Ind. / Greyhound Park | W, 10-7 (23-18) |
| April 22, 2026 (Wednesday) | 5 p.m. | Away | Lindenwood | St. Charles, Mo. / Lou Brock Sports Complex | L, 12-8 (23-19) |
| April 24, 2026 (Friday) | 2 p.m. | Home | Lincoln* | UMSL Baseball Field | W, 9-0 (24-19) |
| April 25, 2026 (Saturday) | 12 p.m. | Home | Lincoln* | UMSL Baseball Field | W, 11-0 (25-19) |
| April 25, 2026 (Saturday) | 3 p.m. | Home | Lincoln* | UMSL Baseball Field | W, 1-0 (26-19) |
| April 26, 2026 (Sunday) | 12 p.m. | Home | Lincoln* | UMSL Baseball Field | W, 11-6 (27-19) |
| April 30, 2026 (Thursday) | 2 p.m. | Away | Maryville* | Chesterfield, Mo. / Weber Field | W, 14-0 (28-19) |
| May 1, 2026 (Friday) | 1 p.m. | Away | Maryville* | Chesterfield, Mo. / Weber Field | W, 4-0 (29-19) |
| May 1, 2026 (Friday) | 4 p.m. | Away | Maryville* | Chesterfield, Mo. / Weber Field | L, 17-0 (29-20) |
| May 2, 2026 (Saturday) | 2 p.m. | Away | Maryville* | Chesterfield, Mo. / Weber Field | W, 4-3 (30-20) |
| May 7, 2026 (Thursday) | 2:30 p.m. | Neutral | #3 Indianpolis | Marion, Ill. / Mt. Dew Park | W, 6-4 (31-20) |
| May 8, 2026 (Friday) | 2 p.m. | Neutral | #1 Missouri S&T | Marion, Ill. / Mt. Dew Park | W, 11-1 (32-20) |
| May 9, 2026 (Saturday) | 12 p.m. | Neutral | #1 Missouri S&T | Marion, Ill. / Mt. Dew Park | W, 13-8 (33-20) |
| May 14-17, 2026 | TBD | Neutral | NCAA Midwest Regionals | TBD |
Fear the Fork, baby!!! Go Tritons!!
Tritons were rollin’! Great win!!
What an incredible weekend!!! Just great wins everyday!!
Great season! U-M-S-L!
Go Tritons!! League champs, baby!!!
Boys have been playing great since March.
I love it! Go Tritons!!!
Them’s my boys! What a win!!!
Way to go, Tritons!!!