Milwaukee Wins the 2026 #HLBASE Championship
Sa'Mone Winters
DAYTON (May 23, 2026) – For the 1
st time in 16 years, the Milwaukee Panthers earned the #HLBASE title, after defeating the Wright State Raiders on Saturday.
Dig Deeper:
- No. 1 seed Wright State puts together a dominant outing in an 11-5 win over No. 5 seed Oakland
- Oakland got on the board in the second inning when Sam Griffith delivered an RBI single to score Lucas Day.
- The Golden Grizzlies extended their lead to 5-0 in the third inning. Aidan Orr drove in a run, Carter Hain’s double plated Ben Clark and Kyle Revere, and Griffith added another RBI single to bring home Day.
- Wright State answered with a two-run home run by Andrew Duncan, who drove in teammate Hunter Warren.
- The Raiders erupted for eight runs in the fourth inning to take control of the game.
- Wright State’s JP Peltier went 3-for-5 with four RBUs, including two doubles and a triple.
- Andrew Duncan finished 2-for-5 with two runs scored and two RBIs for the Raiders.
- Milwaukee claimed the 5-4 victory over Wright State for the #HLBASE crown.
- A sacrifice fly by Zac Butler gave the Raiders an early 1-0 lead in the second inning.
- Milwaukee answered in the fifth inning when Dylan O’Connell ripped a two-run double, driving in Grant Ross and Joey Spence.
- Christian Holmes added to the Panthers’ lead in the sixth inning with an RBI single that scored Brady Horn, making it 3-1.
- Wright State rallied in the ninth inning. Hunter Warren drew an RBI walk to score Patrick Fultz, and Parker Falkenstein later scored on an error to give the Raiders a 4-3 lead.
- Milwaukee walked it off in the bottom of the ninth when Joey Spence delivered a game-winning hit that scored Holmes, lifting the Panthers to a 5-4 victory.
- Milwaukee punched its ticket to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 16 years.
- The Panthers will await their NCAA matchup during the Selection Show, scheduled for Monday, May 25 at noon ET on ESPN2.
2026 #HLBASE All-Tournament Team
Grant Ross, Milwaukee, 3B
Joey Spence, Milwaukee, C (Championship MVP)
Charlie Marion, Milwaukee, OF
Dylan O’Connell, Milwaukee, OF
Gavin Thies, Milwaukee, P
Lucas Day, Oakland, 1B
Kyle Revere, Oakland, SS
Ben Green, Oakland, P
Hunter Warren, Wright State, 2B
Andrew Duncan, Wright State, OF
Gus Gregory, Wright State, DH
Griffen Paige, Wright State, P