HATTIESBURG, Miss. – Little Rock is headed to the Super Regional round for the first time in program history.

The Trojans continued one of the most remarkable postseason runs in college baseball Sunday night, defeating Jacksonville State 6-3 before a crowd of 5,331 at Pete Taylor Park to capture the NCAA Hattiesburg Regional championship and earn a spot among the final 16 teams remaining in the NCAA Tournament. The fourth-seeded Trojans needed only three victories to claim the regional title, knocking off host and No. 1 seed Southern Miss and defeating Jacksonville State twice along the way.

The championship marks another historic milestone for a program that had never won an NCAA Regional game before last season. One year after making national headlines by reaching the Baton Rouge Regional final, Little Rock took another step forward, becoming the first team in school history to win an NCAA Regional and advance to a Super Regional. The Trojans are also the first Ohio Valley Conference program to reach a Super Regional since Jacksonville State advanced in 2014.

The Trojans will learn their Super Regional destination Monday night. Little Rock will face the winner of a deciding game between Florida and Troy in the Gainesville Regional. Troy forced the winner-take-all matchup Monday by defeating Florida on Sunday, handing the Gators their first loss of the regional and setting up a championship showdown for a trip to the Super Regional round.

Head coach Chris Curry said the Trojans have built toward this moment since arriving in Baton Rouge a year ago.

"I envision, both personally and professionally and for this program, being a year-in and year-out competitor for championships," Curry said. "I want to be a consistent postseason team that everybody expects to be in the national tournament and a team that's going to fight you and play hard. Just a program that is a college baseball championship program."

The regional title capped a stretch unlike any in program history. The Trojans won their second straight Ohio Valley Conference Tournament championship just nine days earlier, set a school record for victories, earned back-to-back NCAA Tournament appearances for the first time and now move on to the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament for the first time ever.

Little Rock's offense struck first Sunday and never trailed.

After Nic Bronzini escaped a bases-loaded jam in the top of the first inning, the Trojans broke through in the second. Trey Hill was hit by a pitch and Cooper Chaplain reached before Jerdy Lopez lined a two-run double into the gap in left-center field, scoring both runners for a 2-0 lead.

The Trojans added another run in the third inning. Blake Simpson singled and eventually came around to score when Angel Cano delivered an RBI double, extending the advantage to 3-0.

Jacksonville State answered in the fourth. Matthew Cash and Greg LaChance reached base before Caleb Johnson lined a two-run single to center field, cutting the Little Rock lead to 3-2.
Little Rock responded immediately in the fifth. Simpson collected his second hit of the night and Nolan Freund followed with a single. Nico Baumbach then came through with a clutch RBI single to left field, scoring Freund and restoring a two-run cushion at 4-2.

The Gamecocks refused to go away, trimming the margin to 4-3 in the seventh inning after Cooper Blauser scored on a groundout.
But the Trojans delivered the decisive blow in the eighth.

Chaplain reached base to start the inning and Lopez followed with his third hit of the night, a triple into the gap. Kade Smith then worked a walk before Freund ripped a two-run single through the left side, scoring both Chaplain and Lopez to extend the lead to 6-3.

Freund finished 2-for-5 with two RBI, Lopez went 3-for-5 with two RBI, a double and a triple, and Simpson scored twice while collecting two hits. Baumbach and Cano each drove in a run as Little Rock pounded out 10 hits.

Freund said his eighth-inning hit brought a sense of relief in a tense championship game.

"It was amazing," Freund said. "Almost a sigh of relief, too. It was getting tight there, but it's one of the best feelings in the world."

Lopez, who helped spark the offense throughout the regional, said reaching a Super Regional was exactly what he envisioned when he chose Little Rock.

"Watching these guys in the regional last year kind of turned something on in me," Lopez said. "I wanted to come to Little Rock and compete and go far, and that's exactly what we did. Since the fall, we've had this mindset."

Little Rock's pitching staff was equally impressive.

Jacksonville State collected 10 hits and drew seven walks but stranded 15 runners. The Trojans escaped bases-loaded threats in both the first and ninth innings and repeatedly came up with the big pitch when it mattered most.

Bronzini worked four innings before turning the ball over to the bullpen. Isaac Evaniew earned the victory after allowing just one hit over 1.2 scoreless innings. Josh Beezley recorded a key out in the sixth before Brody Bunting took over and delivered one of the biggest relief performances of the season.

Bunting worked the final 3.1 innings, allowing just two hits and one unearned run while striking out three to earn his first save of the season. In the ninth, Jacksonville State loaded the bases with one out, but Bunting struck out Luke Williams and induced the final out to secure the championship and spark a celebration along the first-base line.

"Brody Bunting wasn't pitching for us the last month of the year," Curry said. "He came into my office and asked what he had to do to help the team. I told him he had to keep working and wait for his moment. Thankfully, Brody took us home. Awesome, awesome story."

The Trojans' dominance throughout the regional was reflected in the postseason awards.

Five Little Rock players were named to the Hattiesburg Regional All-Tournament Team. Blake Simpson was selected as the tournament's Most Outstanding Player after helping lead Little Rock through an undefeated regional run. Simpson, who was a unanimous selection, was joined on the team by Freund, Lopez, Baumbach and freshman pitcher Tag Andrews.

Freund and Lopez anchored the left side of the infield throughout the regional and delivered several of the tournament's biggest offensive moments. Baumbach continued his standout postseason with timely hits and run production, while Andrews once again emerged as one of Little Rock's most valuable arms after also earning OVC Tournament MVP honors a week earlier.

Curry said Sunday's celebration is one his players will remember forever.

"There are a few special moments in your life," Curry said. "Wedding days, kids being born. I told the guys after the game, this will be one of the days you'll remember for the rest of your life."

And after watching his team navigate one of the toughest regionals in the country, Curry had a simple description for his club.

"I said at the start of the weekend we weren't dangerous, we were lethal," Curry said. "Now we're super lethal. We just play the game the right way."

2026 NCAA Hattiesburg Regional All-Tournament Team
Catcher – Tucker Stockman, Southern Miss
First Base – Brady Thomas, Jacksonville State
Second Base – Joe Tiroly, Virginia
Third Base – Nolan Freund, Little Rock
Shortstop – Jerdy Lopez, Little Rock
Outfielder – Blake Simpson, Little Rock (unanimous)
Outfielder – AJ Gracia, Virginia
Outfielder – Davis Gillespie, Southern Miss
Designated Hitter – Nico Baumbach, Little Rock
Pitcher – Steven Cash, Jacksonville State
Pitcher – Tag Andrews, Little Rock
Most Outstanding Player – Blake Simpson, Little Rock