HOUSTON — The Charlotte 49ers' baseball team will head to the NCAA Tournament after securing the first Conference USA title in program history.
Charlotte defeated the Dallas Baptist Patriots 5-2 on Sunday in the 2023 C-USA Baseball Championship Game in Houston. The 49ers were seeded third in the tournament, meanwhile, the Patriots were the C-USA regular season champs and held the top seed.
Dallas Baptist took a 2-0 lead after a home run in the first inning and a fielder's choice got home a run in the third inning.
Charlotte answered back with a three-run fourth inning and a two-run sixth inning to secure the victory.
Brandon Stahlman homered in the fourth for Charlotte's first score before Austin Knight reached home on a fielder's choice and Spencer Nolans singled to give the 49ers the lead.
Right fielder Cam Fisher drove in a run on a single in the sixth inning and left fielder Blake Jackson scored on a wild pitch to give Charlotte some crucial insurance runs and a 5-2 lead.
On the mound, Charlotte's Wyatt Hudepohl put in six solid innings of work to slow down the potent Patriots offense. Hudepohl allowed just five hits and threw five strikeouts. Collin Kramer closed the last two innings and earned a save.
Charlotte's run at the title came after the team dropped their first game to Louisiana Tech 13-8, forcing the 49ers to play in the loser's bracket to back their way into the championship game.
The 49ers defeated UTSA, Louisiana Tech, and Middle Tennessee before reaching the final.
Charlotte will now play in the NCAA Regionals in the NCAA Tournament against an opponent yet to be determined. The NCAA Baseball Selection Show will take place on Monday at noon.