Trojans Return to NAIA World Series for Second Time in Four Years

Upland Bracket 2026 | NAIA Tournament Central

UPLAND, Ind. – As the sun set on an incredible season at Winterholter Field, No. 1 Taylor (52-5) will continue its historic run after punching its ticket to the 2026 Avista NAIA World Series in Lewiston, Idaho. The top-seeded Trojans thrashed third-seeded Indiana Tech 22-10 on Wednesday evening in the NAIA Opening Round Upland Bracket Championship, clinching the program's third trip to the World Series and the second appearance in four seasons.

Despite chilly temperatures and a contest that plodded on past the four-hour mark, TU's bats remained scorching hot to finish off the prolific three-day offensive display. The Trojans set a new Opening Round single-game program record with 22 runs, topping the 19 runs scored yesterday, and the 20 hits are the program's most in any NAIA national tournament contest. TU's combined three-game offensive output included 47 runs, 47 hits and 12 home runs during its tear through the Opening Round.

The 22 runs tied for the second-most TU has scored in any game this season — a mark matched three times — and the 20 hits also tied a season high.

Ben Kennedy led the way going 3-for-5 with four RBIs, three runs scored, two doubles, a home run and a walk. Jordan Malott matched the four-RBI mark on a 2-for-6 day that included a home run, his second consecutive monster game on the program's biggest stage. Kaden Wu broke out with a career-high three hits and four RBIs (3-for-5 with a double), tying his career high in the RBI column. Brayden Manning reached base four times on a 3-for-5 line with three runs scored, an RBI and a pair of walks.

Jake Boyer earned the win with 3.1 innings of five-strikeout work and one earned run before handing the ball to Nick Crabtree, who delivered 3.1 innings of relief with a season-high seven strikeouts. Nathan Frady and JT Tabor polished off the Tech lineup over the final two-plus innings.

Both teams sent their full lineup to the plate in the opening inning, TU rolled 10 men to the dish in the first and another nine in the second, and the game needed a full hour just to get through two frames.

The Trojans' first four hitters all reached: Fletcher Roemmich led off with a single, Luke Sutter worked a full-count walk, Manning singled up the middle and Malott reached on a fielder's choice.

Two Indiana Tech errors widened the damage, and Quinn Kunkel cleared the bases with a double to right-center for a 6-0 lead. Tech starter Noah Redmon, who entered with a 7-1 record, was already past 40 pitches.

The Warriors punched right back though, loading the bases against TU in the bottom of the first, and Jack Ferguson cleared them with a grand slam down the right-field line. Brycen Hannah followed with a solo shot to center, and just like that a six-run cushion was a 6-5 ballgame.

However, it didn't stay close for long as Malott crushed a towering three-run blast to right, and Wu's two-out RBI single chased Redmon from the game with TU back ahead 10-5. Malott's long ball was his 18th of the year which gave the senior sole possession of third place on the TU all-time single-season home run chart.

The cushion only grew in the fourth, with Sam Gladd and Kennedy delivering back-to-back hits — Kennedy's double down the left-field line plated Gladd all the way from first — and Wu followed with a double of his own that snuck just inside the chalk in left to score Kennedy and Nate Simpson. Sutter dropped an RBI single into short left to make it 14-5.

Indiana Tech kept nicking — its leadoff man reached in four straight innings — and Hannah's third hit of the night sparked a fifth-inning run on a Richards double, the Warriors' first since the opening frame. But that was as close as they got.

Wu added another RBI single in the top of the sixth to cap his three-hit day at the plate, and from there the night turned into the Crabtree show, the left-hander sitting down five of his last six hitters he faced into the seventh.

TU tacked more runs off a wild pitch, passed ball and Nate Simpson sacrifice fly.

Kennedy, in his final career at-bat at Winterholter Field, turned on a pitch and sent it into the Indiana night for a home run in the final inning. The senior now holds program records for most home runs (4-tied with Gladd), RBIs (17) and doubles (5) in Opening Round contests.

With Indiana Tech (43-17) playing as the home team, Tabor slammed the door in the bottom of the ninth and ended the game with a strikeout to send the Trojans dogpiling for a third time this season.

It was the second time in program history TU had cruised through the Opening Round Upland Bracket by going undefeated at 3-0, which was also accomplished during the 2023 World Series run.

TU will await the bracket reveal and matchups for the 69th Annual NAIA World Series, which kicks off on May 22 at historic Harris Field in Lewiston.