Nobody, but nobody – I mean, nobody – outside of the UW-Milwaukee dugout picked the Panthers to beat mighty Auburn in the first round of the NCAA baseball tournament.
Auburn, after all, is the No. 4 overall seed in the tournament and boasts one of the best pitching staffs in college baseball. UWM, meanwhile, qualified for the tournament for the first time in 16 years on a two-out walk-off home run in the Horizon League championship game.
But UWM pounced on the Auburn Tigers early and often, cracking three-run home runs in both the first and fourth innings on its way to a stunning 13-8 victory on Friday afternoon.
Maybe not too many people off the field thought UWM had a chance, but players and coaches had confidence.
“It’s a big one, there’s no doubt about it,” UWM head coach Shaun Wegner told ESPN+ announcers after the game. “We talked after we were able to beat Wright State in the (Horizon League) tournament about how the job’s not finished. A lot of people are going to say we’ve got house money, we’ll play free, we’re not expected to win. Yeah, all those things are true, but what we’re trying to build here is a belief in a system, and these guys have bought into it. It’s the start of something special here in Milwaukee.”
UWM shot out to a 10-0 lead by the fourth inning, powered by a three-run homer by Bradyn Horn in the first inning and another by Charlie Marion in the fourth. Then the Panthers hung on as Auburn chipped away, getting as close as 12-7 in the seventh inning.
But UWM pitcher Riley Peterson ultimately shut the door on Auburn, throwing five innings to finish the game in relief of starting pitcher Gavin Theis.
The win was the first in the NCAA Tournament for UWM since 1999, when the Panthers beat then No. 1 Rice. That stood as UWM’s lone NCAA Tournament victory until Friday.
Early rounds of the NCAA Tournament are double elimination, so UWM has not advanced yet. The Panthers play next at 7 p.m. Saturday against the winner of Friday night’s game between Central Florida and North Carolina State.
If the Panthers win that game, they’ll play at 7 p.m. Sunday for the chance to win the Auburn regional and advance to the next round. If they lose on Saturday, they could face a rematch with Auburn at 2 p.m. Sunday, with the winner advancing to the regional championship game on Monday. All games will be televised on one of the ESPN stations.
And here’s another UWM baseball tidbit: You can catch a glimpse of UWM alum AJ Blubaugh, the second UWM player to make the major leagues, in action this weekend as his Houston Astros play the Milwaukee Brewers. Blubaugh has been pitching out of the bullpen this season after making his major league debut last year.
Daulton Varsho, now playing outfield for the Toronto Blue Jays, is the first UWM player to play in the majors.
