It was a historical afternoon at the 2023 Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference Tournament at Concordia University Wisconsin in Mequon, Wisconsin for the Aurora University Spartan baseball team. With a 6-1 victory over Benedictine University, the Spartans advance to the 2023 NCAA Division III Baseball Championship field for the 25th time in program history.

The Basics
Game Score: #6 Aurora University 6, Benedictine University 1
Record: Aurora University 39-4 overall
Location: Mequon, Wisconsin

Beyond the Box
- The victory was also the 39th of the season for AU which breaks the previous record best of 38 set three times in 1999, 2012 and 2021.
- AU wins the NACC's automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament, the programs 25th appearance​​
- The NACC Tournament title is the seventh and now most by any NACC baseball program
- AU senior Jett Wedekind will be making his NCAA record fifth appearance in a NCAA regional tournament.

How it happened
- The Spartans struck first n the bottom of the first inning with a pair of one-out walks drawn by Jacob Ambuel and Justin Sartori. After Jett Wedekind loaded the bases with a single, Dominick Curcio drew a two-out walk to score Ambuel and a 1-0 lead.
- After BU tied the game in the second, the Spartans responded.
- Collin Meinert singled to start the inning but after two-outs, Ambuel singled for a first and third and forced a BU pitching change.
- After the warmups, the fresh Eagle arm launched a wild pitch which allowed Meinert to score what would end up being the winning run.
- BU decided to intentionally walk Sartori which was followed by a Wedekind run scoring single, a Josh Reinhardt two-run triple and a run scoring single from Curcio.
- When the damage was over, AU led 6-1.
- In the fourth, AU starter Jacob Welbes worked out of a bases loaded no out jam. He induced back to back ground balls to Sartori at first base. The first he fired to Wedekind at the plate for a force and the second, Sartori stepped on first before firing a strike to Wedekind who tagged the Eagle runner for the traditional 3-2 GDP and AU still led 6-1.
- Welbes would toss six strong innings of one run ball to eventually earn the win.
- CJ Cazares relieved Welbes in the seventh and with one out found himself in a bases loaded pickle. Cazares managed to get the BU three-hitter to pop out to right and when the Eagle runner on first strayed away, Ambuel threw to Sartori for the double-play and end the Eagle threat once again with no harm done.
- Cazares was locked in over the final two innings of work which included striking out the side in the ninth inning.
- When the final pitch from Cazares was caught by Wedekind, the Spartans celebrated yet again on the infield of CUW Kapco Field.
- AU was victorious 6-1.

Spartan Leaders
HITTING
HITS: Jacob Ambuel, Jett Wedekind and Collin Meinert (2)
TRIPLE: Josh Reinhardt (1)
RUNS: Jacob Ambuel (2)
RUNS BATTED IN: Josh Reinhardt and Dominick Curcio (2)

PITCHING:
APPEARANCES (innings): Jacob Welbes (6.0) and CJ Cazares (3.0)
DECISIONS: Jacob Welbes (win 2-0) and CJ Cazares (save, 1)
STRIKEOUTS: CJ Cazares (3)

Up Next
Next scheduled action for the Spartan baseball team comes on Monday, May 15 when the NCAA Division III Baseball Tournament committee announces the field for the 2023 NCAA Tournament. AU will find out the location, opponent and remaining details on Monday. The selection show is scheduled for 11:00 a.m. (cst) / 12:00 p.m. (est) on ncaa.com.