UAM, Arkansas Tech to play in Joplin

The big green rivalry between the University of Arkansas at Monticello and Arkansas Tech University isn’t over just yet for the baseball season.

Despite UAM beating the Wonder Boys for the Great American Conference tournament championship last week, the two teams are paired up again in the first round of the NCAA Division II Central Regional tournament at Missouri Southern State University in Joplin. The sixth-seeded Boll Weevils (32-22) and third-seeded Wonder Boys (38-18) will face off at 1 p.m. Thursday at Warren Turner Field.

The winner will take on host No. 2 seed Missouri Southern (42-13) or No. 7 seed Harding (35-17) at 5 p.m. Friday, while the losers of both first-round games will play at 1 p.m. Friday and would need to win five times to take the regional title. The team that comes through the winner’s bracket needs only three wins.

UAM is playing in its fifth regional all-time, with a 6-8 record. The best run for the Weevils was in 2016, when they went 4-2 and made it to the Central Region final. The Weevils also played in the 2014, 2017 and 2019 regionals, winning a game in each of the last two appearances.

This will be the seventh game between UAM and Arkansas Tech this season. Tech has a 4-2 record against UAM on the season, winning a midweek game 9-8 at Monticello in March, taking 2 of 3 in a series at Russellville later in the month and beating the Weevils 9-3 in the first Great American title game on Saturday before UAM returned the favor 8-5.

UAM, Tech and Harding shared the GAC regular-season championship.

Another Central Regional will begin Thursday at the University of Central Missouri in Warrensburg. Teams there include No. 1 seed Central Missouri, No. 8 seed Minnesota State, No. 4 seed Augustana (South Dakota) and No. 5 seed Central Oklahoma.

The regional winners will meet May 24-25 in a Super Regional for a spot in the national finals June 1-8.