![Assistant Athletic Director of Academic Retention & Services Jill Gerloff delivers the opening speech at her final NGWSD dinner before her retirement. “I love all of my athletes and my women's teams always show up for me, and I want to make sure that I can do something to show up for them,” Gerloff said. [File photo]](https://therambler.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/OpeningSpeaker_Gerloff-1200x800.jpg)
On Apr. 24, the No. 1 seeded Texas Wesleyan Rams baseball team took game 2 against the College of the Ozarks Bobcats (MS) in the first round of the Sooner Athletic Conference (SAC) tournament at Sycamore Park.
The first round of the SAC tournament marked the final homestead for the Rams’ 2026 season. After becoming SAC regular season champions with a record of [22 – 5] and [37 – 7] overall, the Rams looked to take care of business against the No. 8 Bobcats who finished their season [11 – 16] in SAC play.
“We didn’t start well in game two,” Rams head baseball coach Robert Garza said. “But the boys came together, and the leadership on the team worked itself out, and they wound up playing really solid towards the very end of the game.”
In game 1 the Rams built a [2 – 0] lead and seemed to keep the Bobcats offense in check for most of the game. Unfortunately, the Rams gave up five runs between the seventh and eighth innings and mustered only one Runner Batted In (RBI) with the final score [5 – 3].
“I think we got a little bit unlucky with some of the offense, and then [the Bobcats] capitalized with their hitting,” senior outfielder and designated hitter, Brandon Vela said.
In game two, the Rams exploded by scoring six runs and building a [6 – 0] lead at the bottom of the second inning.
“We had a little fire coming into the second game,” Vela said. “We want to keep playing and go to Missouri, and that first loss felt unacceptable.”
Towards the bottom of the seventh inning, the Bobcats cut the Rams lead [6 – 8] and a comeback looked imminent. But then, Gabriel Sepulveda, senior utility player, hit a three-run homerun and energized the Rams dugout.
“It was momentum shift,” Sepulveda said. “The guys needed a reason to rally, and I think I gave them a good one.”
From there, the Rams tacked on five more runs to successfully secure the victory and force a game three.
“I feel pretty confident [for game three],” Vela said. “I think our bats are going to get just as hot, if not hotter tomorrow.”
The next day on Apr. 25, the Rams took the series victory with one more win over the Bobcats [3 – 1].
The Rams have advanced to the next round and are set to face Nelson University on the road at Joe Becker Stadium in Joplin, MO on Friday, May 1.
Updated 4/30 to correct that Texas Wesleyan is the No. 1-seeded team in the SAC Tournament
