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The 2026 Ohio Valley Conference Baseball Championship continues with action on Saturday This year marks the 47th OVC Baseball Tournament (the first elimination style event was held in 1979).
The event is being held May 19-23 at Mtn Dew Park in Marion, Illinois. The venue opened in 2007 and was previously known as Rent One Park. It is now home to the Prospect League Team the Thrillville Thrillbillies, who began play in the summer of 2023. This year marks the fifth time the event has been held at the venue (2019, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026); the event will be held at the venue through 2029.
Tickets are $30 for an all-session pass, $10 per adult per day and $5 per day for children (18 and under) and college students with valid ID and can be purchased online or in-person at Mt Dew Park. All seats are general admission for the OVC Championship.
Fans can watch the entire 2026 OVC Baseball Tournament live on ESPN+.
Game 11: #4 Little Rock 7, #1 SIUE 5
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Photo Gallery | Postgame:
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Game 12: #4 Little Rock 4, #2 Eastern Illinois 3
Box Score |
Live Video |
Live Stats |
Photo Gallery | Postgame:
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EIU
#4 LITTLE ROCK 7, #1 SIUE 5
MARION, Ill. - Little Rock scored in three-straight innings to open a 6-3 lead and held on to eliminated SIUE 7-5 on Saturday at the OVC Baseball Championship.
Nico Baumbach and Cooper Chaplain homered and Baumbach also singled in a run as the Trojans built the advantage.
Gage Haley (5-5) picked up the win in relief, allowing five hits and one run over 3.1 innings. Tage Andrews pitched in his third game of the Tournament, picking up his second save (he also has a victory). Andrews went the final two innings, allowing only one hit.
#4 LITTLE ROCK 4, #2 EASTERN ILLINOIS 3
MARION, Ill. - Little Rock battled back from a 3-1 deficit with two runs in the eighth and the game-winner in the ninth to force the if neccessary game on Sunday afternoon.
Now, after four straight elimination-game wins, Little Rock is one victory away from an OVC Tournament championship and NCAA Tournament berth.
The Trojans improved to 35-26 overall and advanced to Sunday's winner-take-all championship game against Eastern Illinois at noon Sunday. A victory would secure Little Rock's first-ever back-to-back NCAA Regional appearances.
Little Rock's latest comeback came in dramatic fashion against the Panthers.
Trailing 3-1 entering the eighth inning, the Trojans finally broke through after Eastern Illinois controlled much of the afternoon behind an early offensive surge and strong pitching.
Jerdy Lopez opened the inning with a single before Kade Smith doubled to put two runners in scoring position. Blake Simpson then delivered one of the biggest swings of the tournament for Little Rock, lining a two-run single up the middle to tie the game at 3-3.
The Trojans completed the rally in the ninth.
Michael O'Brien entered as a pinch runner and immediately sparked the inning with a stolen base. Cooper Chaplain later drew a walk before Lopez came through again, ripping an RBI single up the middle to score O'Brien and give Little Rock its first lead of the game at 4-3.
Lopez finished with three hits and the game-winning RBI, while Simpson drove in the tying runs during the eighth-inning rally. Smith also recorded three hits in the victory.
Brannon Westmoreland, the Trojans' ace, closed the door from there.
The junior right-hander, who threw more than 100 pitches Wednesday night, entered in the eighth inning and shut down Eastern Illinois over the final two frames, allowing just one hit to earn his sixth win of the season.