APPLETON, Wis.— Texas Lutheran’s inspired run to the NCAA Division III Baseball Championship finals ended Tuesday with a pair of losses to the new national champion, the University of Texas at Tyler.
The Patriots defeated the Bulldogs twice in the best-of-three championship series 8-1, 9-6 and claimed the first national baseball title in UT-Tyler history.
The losses in the championship round concluded TLU’s best-ever finish in a collegiate baseball championship.
TLU’s season win total of 42 is the third-most in school history—trailing only the 45 wins from the 1996 team and the 43 wins in 1999.
The loss brings a close to the career of former Thorndale star Riley Schaefer, who had a stellar four years with the Bulldogs.
Schaefer, a senior outfielder, broke a school record leading the Bulldogs to a crucial victory Sunday against Concordia-Chicago.
Schaefer now holds the TLU record for hits in a season with 95, snapping the previous mark of 87.
Schaefer led the Bulldogs with a .413 average this season, including 63 runs, 21 stolen bases and 49 RBI.
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