UW-Milwaukee kicked open the biggest door in program history late Saturday, drilling Central Florida 13-6 in Auburn to snag the school’s first trip to an NCAA regional final. For the second straight game the Panthers’ offense hung 13 runs on the board, flipping the bracket on its head and keeping their unlikely postseason surge alive. Milwaukee now sits just one victory away from the program’s first-ever Super Regional berth.
Panthers punch ticket in Auburn
Milwaukee’s 13-6 romp over UCF locked the Panthers into a winner-take-all regional final, with the NCAA bracket listing Milwaukee as the victor in both the opening upset of Auburn and the nightcap win over UCF. According to NCAA.com, Milwaukee will face the survivor of the Auburn-UCF elimination matchup, with the regional final on tap for Sunday evening. Whoever comes out on top there moves on to a best-of-three Super Regional.
Key contributors
Senior David O'Connell powered the lineup with four runs driven in and a pair of doubles, while Grant Ross piled on three RBIs and launched a homer that caromed off a UCF outfielder in a momentum-swinging sequence, as reported by the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Aric Ehmke turned in five innings of one-run ball, and although Milwaukee’s bullpen surrendered five runs in the sixth, the early cushion was more than enough. After the win, Ross summed up the Panthers’ underdog vibe in the tournament, saying, "we're just gritty, man. we're grinding it out," a line that fits this run almost a little too perfectly.
Historic run and what's next
The victory is only Milwaukee’s second NCAA Tournament win and the first since a 1999 postseason triumph, per Milwaukee Athletics. A late-season surge that started with the Horizon League title has suddenly put a national spotlight on a program that had not returned to the tournament since 2010. Fans can track live stats and broadcasts through NCAA platforms and the university’s channels as the Auburn Regional reaches its finale.
