MILWAUKEE — The Bryant & Stratton College baseball team finished its season on Sunday following a loss to Black Hawk in the Region 4 tournament. The Bobcats finished with a 23-25 record, and although the record may not reflect it, head coach Alex Tomter knows his program took a step forward.

“I’m proud of the team overall. They trusted the development process through a 4-11 start and battled back to being a .500 team while playing the second hardest schedule of any DII juco,” Tomter said. “Being an inexperienced team coming into the season, it was so cool to see different players step up.”

He also wanted his team to be close. It wasn't hard for this squad to do.

“Our players have always prioritized being a family,” Tomter said. “It’s part of our culture. If you’re with us, we will love you and fight for you no matter what. This team did a great job of continuing to build upon that sentiment that started in 2020.”

The closeness and confidence showed throughout the season and the team brought that to the regional tournament.

“The sectional had everything. Highs, lows, laughs, tears and heartbreak. We played great baseball against MATC and executed just enough to get a 3-2 victory,” Tomter said. “Against Black Hawk, we knew we were capable of beating them, but just missed on some of the execution elements and that’s what inevitably cost us.

Everybody will remember the controversial call, but I think it is important to note that had we taken care of business in the first game or in the earlier innings of the second game, we could have overcome it. The sectional championship game was such a fun game and was everything that playoff baseball should be about.”

The Bobcats suffered an 11-10 loss in nine innings, but the offense exploded for 10 runs and four players had multiple hits. 

Leading the Bobcats to the playoffs were Alex Breckheimer, Carter Szohr, Brayden Pleau and Sean Reilly. But the sophomores played a vital part in the success this season. 

“I have a lot of gratitude to the sophomores and their families that supported us for the last two or three years,” Tomter said. “They’re what this program is all about and I can’t wait to see what the future holds for all those guys. We will miss them tremendously and continue to build this program using them as our guides.”

With this season in the rearview mirror, the freshmen and Tomter are expecting to make steps forward.

“Next season’s expectations are through the roof,” Tomter said. “Our returning sophomores will have more experience than any sophomore group in the history of this program … We expect to have the best season in program history and to set new standards.”