The Millikin baseball team defeated North Central College 4-3 to win the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin Tournament and earn the conference's automatic bid to the 2021 NCAA Baseball Tournament. Millikin had already been selected as a NCAA Regional host so the Big Blue will get to stay home for the school's first ever trip to the NCAA Tournament.

Millikin and North Central faced off at Wheaton College's field in Carol Stream on May 22 with the Cardinals needing to beat the Big Blue twice to win the tournament. The Cardinals won the first game 6-5, which forced the playing of the necessary game that went to Millikin 4-3.

Millikin jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the deciding game with a run in the third inning. Hunter Smith singled and scored on an RBI double from freshman Tommy Shaw.

The Cardinals answered back with single runs in the fourth and fifth innings to take a 2-1 lead. Paul Beverly hit a solo home run in the fourth and Luke Lehnen singled home the Cardinals run in the fifth.

The Big Blue tied the game at 2-2 in the seventh. Lucas Ryan doubled and went to third on a wild pitch. He scored on a RBI ground out from Shaw.

North Central went up 3-2 in the top of the eighth thanks in part to a Millikin error. The Big Blue then scored the tying and winning runs in the bottom of the eighth. Frank Bryan opened the inning with a single and scored the tying run on a double from Brent Beals. After Kyle Kane bunted Beals over to third, Tanner Coleman drove in the winning run with a sacrifice fly. Shaw and Bryan had two hits for Millikin.

Adam Zuk was the winning pitcher for Millikin improving to 7-1 on the season. Zuk threw eight innings allowing five hits and two earned runs while striking out seven. Jared Buzan earned the save retiring all three batters he faced in the ninth.

In game one, the Cardinals led 3-0 after two innings. Millikin made it a 3-1 game in the third, but North Central rallied with two in the sixth to go up 5-1. Millikin answered with two in the seventh and two in the eighth. North Central won the game with a run in the eighth.

Bryan had three hits for Millikin in game one. Beals had one hit and two RBI. Gabe Soria had a hit and an RBI. Garrett Fritz and Jacob Havis each had RBI for Millikin. Rob Marinec was 3-4 with a double and home run and two RBI for North Central.

Millikin improves to 31-14 and North Central goes to 38-9.

The selections for the 2021 NCAA Tournament will be released on Sunday night on NCAA.com.