After an NCAA Tournament absence of more than two decades, Northwest Missouri State is back.
The Bearcats earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Central Regional for the first time since 2003.
The majority of the current team wasn't alive for the last Northwest postseason run. Only four of the 38 student-athletes were born the last time the 'Cats reached this point.
"This is all new to me," junior Chester Brooks, a 22-year-old from Smithville, said Sunday night after the NCAA Selection Show.
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— Northwest Athletics (@bearcatsports) May 11, 2026
The Northwest Missouri State University baseball team gained the program's 10th @NCAADII NCAA Tournament bid and first since the 2003 season.
The Bearcats (36-16 overall) gained the No. 4 seed in the NCAA⦠pic.twitter.com/8Y4E0Daxz6
The Bearcats have already compiled 36 victories, tied with the 2003 team for the second highest win total in a single-season. The baseball world took notice as the spring carried on β Northwest garnered its first national ranking in 22 years in early April and held onto it through the final month of the regular season.
Senior reliever Brock Stegall grew up just over an hour from Maryville in Plattsburg, MO, and is taking pride in helping his local school back to this level.
"It's pretty exciting," Stegall said. "Growing up, I always knew a lot of baseball players who played up here, so it's kind of exciting to be one of those guys and take a team to the regional."
The success didn't come overnight, though.
Head coach Tony Jandron guided his team to 27 wins and a berth in the MIAA Championship in 2025 during his first season on campus.
That built confidence and lefty Landon Wells believes that built the foundation.
"We set the standard," Wells said. "With Tony being here for his first year, he really changed things around, brought in some guys this year, and we're just a whole family."
Through ups and downs, the team has continued to push forward, reeling off two separate seven-game win streaks and a sweep of the second-ranked team in the country, Pittsburg State.
And the record-setting season isn't over.
After 52 games in the last 3 months, Northwest is looking forward to the next challenge.
"At this point, we're ready for anybody," Brooks said. "We're going to come together as a family and come ready to play anyone."
Northwest, the No. 4 seed in the region, faces the No. 5 seed Augustana Thursday at 6pm in Pittsburg, KS.
