The University of Tennessee at Martin baseball team defeated first-place SIUE 8-7 in an 11-inning game on May 15, setting a new NCAA Division I program record for single-season wins. Cameron Greene hit a go-ahead two-run home run in the top of the eleventh inning to secure the Skyhawks’ 26th victory of the campaign.
This win marks a significant achievement for UT Martin, as it surpasses their previous best season win total since joining Division I. The team’s performance positions them as the seventh seed in the upcoming Ohio Valley Conference Baseball Championships.
Bo Strickland led UT Martin’s offense with three hits, while Garner Anderson and Greene each contributed home runs and two runs batted in. TJ Grines matched the school’s all-time single-season stolen base record and collected two hits alongside JT Popick, who also drove in a run. On the mound, Maxwell Schumacher pitched seven innings with five strikeouts before relievers Will Turner, Gabe Bryant, and Mason Little combined to finish out the game.
The contest featured several lead changes. Andrew Lawrence drove in Strickland early on before Anderson’s fifth-inning home run put UT Martin ahead again. After multiple ties throughout regulation play and extra innings, Colten Payton gave UT Martin another edge with an RBI fielder’s choice in the tenth inning before SIUE responded to tie it once more.
Greene’s eleventh-inning homer ultimately decided the outcome after Popick drew a walk earlier that frame. Little closed out SIUE in their final at-bat to preserve the victory for UT Martin.
With this result, UT Martin is set to compete as the seventh seed when OVC tournament play begins Tuesday, May 19 at 3 p.m., though their opponent has not yet been determined. The teams will conclude their series tomorrow at 1 p.m.
