LINCOLN, Neb. — Dakota Wesleyan Baseball faced the third-seeded Morningside Mustangs at Sherman Field in the opening round of the 2026 Great Plains Athletic Conference Championship Tournament.
Morningside would open the game with the first run on a single to right field, but both pitching staffs and defenses would mostly be ready to go through the first couple of frames. Brayden Cherrey grabbed the start on the mound and recorded five innings pitched, tallying four strikeouts while limiting Morningside's scoring opportunities through the beginning portion of the nine-inning contest. His efforts would be supported in the top of the third inning as the Tigers were able to post four runs to take a firm lead. A bunt from Caleb Meyers would cause chaos and allow for Landon Ruesink to reach home on a throwing error before Talan Ball brought home two on a well-placed single into right field. Mason Riley rounded out the scoring effort in the top of the third with a sacrifice fly that brought Dexter Payne home, giving DWU a 4-1 advantage. As Cherrey settled in, the offense continued to roll, with a taken walk from Riley with the bases loaded, kicking off a six-run fifth inning. Shane Cowan knocked a single into left-center field to add two more runs to the board, Ean Laird took the inning's second bases-loaded walk, and C. Meyers singled through the right side to bring home two more baserunners, and while Morningside recorded a three-run homer in the bottom of the frame, Dakota Wesleyan still held a firm 10-4 lead.
After inning five, the pace of the contest slowed back down as Broc Berry posted 3.1 innings in relief on the mound, giving Mustang batters issues initially. Neither team would post runs in the next three innings, but the Tigers were able to further cement their lead in the top of the ninth, as Brett Groebner and Ruesink were both able to bring runners home to bring the scoreline to 12-4. Morningside was able to roar back in a final stand, tallying five runs in the bottom of the ninth, but Lucas Koepsell would be able to record the final two outs of the game to secure the 12-9 victory for Dakota Wesleyan. Cherrey picked up his fourth win of the season on the mound while C. Meyers led the Tigers with three hits on the day. The win brings Dakota Wesleyan to 20 on the year.
DWU Softball will face the winner of Concordia vs. Mount Marty in the opening game of tomorrow's (April 30) slate at 12:00 PM, followed by a potential second game. See all of the GPAC Baseball Championship information here, and see the full 2026 DWU schedule here.