The UT Tyler Patriots are National Champions
On Tuesday The Patriots swept the best-of-three series from Texas Lutheran University 8-1 and 9-6 at Fox Cities Stadium in Appleton, Wisconsin on their way to winning the NCAA Division III World Series.
This is UT Tyler’s first national baseball championship, but not the University's first. Their Patriot counterparts, the softball squad, won the national championship in 2016, and the men’s golf team won the national title in 2013.
“It is amazing,” Porche told The Tyler Paper. “It has not sunk in yet. … These guys have worked so hard and what they’ve done for the last two-and-a-half weeks I will be thinking about this the rest of my life.
“They are the definition of toughness and grit. They weren’t going to be denied. It’s been so fun to watch and I’m so proud."
A true underdog story, as The Patriots (40-18) were unranked and unsure if they'd even make the NCAA Tournament. But after receiving a tournament bid, they showed out winning five elimination games en route to the championship, going 11-2 in the postseason and 5-1 in Wisconsin.