Kolpien Crosses 300-Hit Threshold as TU Secures Three-Peat of CL Crown

The historic day saw TU clinch not only the No. 1 seed in the 2025 Crossroads League Tournament, but also a fourth straight trip to the NAIA World Series Opening Round.

The final moments past the 9 o'clock hour Thursday night proved tense, as the Wildcats, trailing 7-4 in the nightcap, loaded the bases with one out in the bottom of the seventh inning. On for his fourth save of the season, Jake Boyer induced a fielder's choice to third base for the second out before dotting a strike-three-called pitch on the outside corner to seal the league title.

Boyer tossed his glove towards the Taylor dugout as his teammates rushed in jubilation to join a Trojan dogpile 15 feet in front of the mound.

At the plate throughout the doubleheader, it was Kolpien – the only member of the 300-hit club in program history – who powered a resurgent TU lineup with his two homers.

Game one began, however, with Mason David launching Taylor's first home run in two weeks, a leadoff shot to left field. Later in the inning, Brayden Manning homered to a nearly identical spot to put the Trojans in front, 2-0.

IWU responded by pushing two across in the bottom of the first inning, and the hosts took advantage of an error to plate two more in the third frame and take a 4-2 lead.

The Trojans' bats hit back, though, scoring the first three of 11 unanswered runs beginning in the fourth inning. Rylee Singleton and Manning each recorded run-scoring singles in the frame, pushing TU ahead, 5-4.

Small ball padded the visitors' lead to 9-4 in the fifth frame, as Ryan Sommer, Kolpien, Manning and Luke Sutter did their part to drive in one run apiece.

Taylor was back to showcasing its power late in the game, as David knocked a two-run double and Kolpien rocked a two-run homer in the sixth inning. Kolpien homered once more in the eighth frame for hit No. 299 in his storied career.

While the bats came alive, starting pitcher Gabel Pentecost (10-1) achieved his 10th victory of the season on another impressive 10-strikeout day. The junior shook off a rocky start to the ballgame, ending with a line of six innings while allowing just one walk and two earned runs.

Pentecost's 98 strikeouts on the season matches his 2024 CL Pitcher-of-the-Year total in 23.0 fewer innings thrown.

Back to the action, the Wildcats showcased their own power bats across the final three frames, but Conner Miller and Dalton Swinehart did enough to close the door. Miller added four strikeouts in his two frames of work.

The nightcap started with more fireworks for the Purple and Grey, as Nate Simpson singled to bring Kolpien to the batter's box with the 300-hits milestone in sight. Kolpien wasted no time achieving the feat, ripping an RBI double to center field.

Manning also continued his hot day at the plate, driving in Kolpien on a base hit to hand Taylor a 2-0 edge.

Indiana Wesleyan also came out of the gates in game two ready to swing the bats. The cross-county rival took a 3-2 lead into the second inning after an early home run and double.

Simpson plated a pair of runs with a single in the top of that second frame to give the contest the makings of a back-and-forth affair. An IWU run in the bottom of the inning further added to the storyline as the teams were knotted, 4-4.

Game two starter Brody Fine settled in by striking out the side in the third to close his three-inning outing, and it was back to work for TU's offense.

Kolpien notched a two-out single in the fourth that scored Drew Loy for the go-ahead run, and Manning tripled to bring home David and Kolpien that gave the Trojans some key insurance, ahead 7-4. Notably, David's run marked the 218th of his career, tying the senior with Camden Knepp ('24) for the program's all-time lead.

Nathan Frady (3-0) held down the fort with a terrific 3.1 innings of three-strikeout ball, only running into trouble in the seventh when Boyer was called upon to finish the job.

No. 11 Taylor is scheduled to finish the series at IWU with a doubleheader Saturday. First pitch is set for 1 p.m.