CARBONDALE, IL - DBU claimed their fourth Missouri Valley Conference Tournament Title on Sunday afternoon, defeating Indiana State in a classic, 12-8. The Patriots have now claimed the MVC Tournament Title in 2014, 2016, 2017, and 2021. With the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, the Patriots will extend their historic streak of reaching the postseason to seven consecutive years.

In what was a wild championship game, Jace Grady opened the scoring with a solo shot in the first inning. For Grady, it was his second consecutive first inning home run and his third long ball of the tournament. The Pats' lead was short lived, however, and the Sycamores would own the next several frames. Indiana State scored two in the first, two in the second, and one in the fourth to take a 5-1 lead over DBU.

But on a historic afternoon in Carbondale, the Patriots would not be concerned with the deficit. In the top of the fifth, Blayne Jones walloped a first pitch fastball over the left field wall for a two-run shot. In the sixth, Jace Grady blasted his second home run of the day on an 0-1 fastball. Christian Boulware would drive in a sacrifice fly later in the inning to knot the game up at 5-5.

Both teams would trade runs over the next two frames as Indiana State scored in the seventh inning on an infield chopper. DBU responded with an eighth inning RBI from Austin Bell.

While no scoring took place in the ninth, it will forever be remembered as the inning that Cole Moore made the catch of the year. Two days prior, Moore dove over the fence on the first base line in a herculean attempt to catch a foul ball. While he didn't make the catch, his dive won the hearts and minds of college baseball fans across the country. On Sunday, he didn't miss. Cole Moore claimed an out from the ballpark's perimeter in breathtaking fashion.

In the tenth inning, the Trees and Patriots once again swapped tallies. Cole Moore lifted a sacrifice fly into deep right field and Jordan Schaffer collected his fifth hit of the day for the Sycamores to send the game to the 11th.

In the final frame, DBU broke it open and left no doubt that they were champions of The Valley. River Town collected an RBI on a fielder's choice that saw two Patriots score. Jace Grady continued to mash at the plate, driving in a run with a double. As the Patriots placed one hand on the trophy, Nico Burgarello drove in two extra insurance runs with his own RBI single. The Sycamores would get one run in their last chance at the plate, but Cole Reeves induced three pop flies and the dog pile was on in Carbondale.
 
All-Tournament Team
C -    Christian Boulware, DBU
1B -  Philip Archer, Southern Illinois
2B – Jackson Glenn, DBU
3B -  Brendan Dougherty, Bradley
SS - Jordan Schaffer, Indiana State
SS -  Blayne Jones, DBU
OF – JT Weber, Southern Illinois
OF – Ellison Hanna II, Indiana State
OF -  River Town, DBU
OF -  Jace Grady, DBU (MVP)
P -    Luke Eldred, DBU
P -   Geremy Guerrero, Indiana State
 
Elite 17
Geremy Guerrero, Indiana State