Box Score 1 | Box Score 2 | Box Score 3 | Box Score 4
    Over the weekend, the Heartland Baseball team traveled to Union, Missouri, to compete in the District Tournament. The winner of these contests would punch their ticket to the Nationals starting at the end of the week. As the Hawks looked to attend the NJCAA DII World Series, the other Region 16 and 24 winners stood in the way. At the end of four games, the Heartland Hawks fought hard to advance to the National Tournament in Enid, Oklahoma. 

    The first contest had the Hawks matched up against the Region 16B winners, the North Central Missouri College Pirates. It came down to extra innings to determine the winner of the match up as the Hawks ended in walk-off fashion, winning 8-7. At the plate, the Hawks collected 13 hits with five walks to end the 10-inning victory. Jesse Contreras led the offense, going 2-for-3 with two walks through his five at-bats. Multiple other Hawks across the board added two hits a piece as the lineup would accumulate 40 appearances at the plate. Brady Davidson hit a solo home run to right in the bottom of the second to chip away at the 4-0 lead that the Pirates had. First baseman Tony Konopiots also rocked one to tie the game back up at seven in the bottom of the seventh. On the mound, right-handed sophomore Jimmy Amptmann earned the win for the Hawks as he closed out the game, not giving up a single hit or run with two strikeouts in the final inning of play. Jacob O'Day started things off, pitching the first 4.2 innings with 28 batters faced. Patrick Gardner was the reliever for the pitching staff, throwing 4.1 innings of scoreless innings, striking out six batters. 

    The next day was a Region 24 match up as the Hawks faced the Trailblazers of Vincennes College. The multiple-hit performance by second baseman Max Hennemann. The sophomore collected three hits in five at-bats, which set the team apart in the 8-4 victory. Heartland finished with 11 hits at the plate, with Bennett Summers and Jake Parpet collecting two hits each. The lineup started things off hot with a five-run second inning with multiple hits across the board. Dylan Nagle earned the win for the Heartland Hawks. The All-Region selection gave up eight hits and four runs over six innings, striking out three and walking one. Jake Gimbel and Ryan Anderson each threw scoreless innings for the Hawks in relief. 

    The final day of play held the day one match up as Heartland would face North Central Missouri College in hopes of moving on to Nationals. The Heartland Hawks made a run against the Pirates but fell short in 11 innings with a final score of 14-15. Logan Barnett took the mound for the pitching staff, allowing five hits and four earned runs over five innings. The sophomore struck out five and walked three in 24 batters faced. Michael Belbot, Lance Kiesewetter, and Ryan Anderson each took the mound for an inning, only allowing eight hits and giving up one walk through the three pitchers' appearances. Amptmann took the loss for the Hawks on the mound. The pitcher went three innings, giving up two runs on three hits and striking out one. Defensively, 11 hits were collected in the game. Jimmy Anderson drives the middle of the lineup, leading the team with four runs batted in. The shortstop went 4-for-6 in the contest. The lineup showed patience, collected 10 walks through 43 ABs. 
    The final game was to decide who would represent the Central District. The matchup sported a different energy from the Hawks, which gave the end a different outcome. Once the defense started, they didn't let up as the Hawks collected 19 hits with 17 runs scored through nine innings. Jake Parpet made an outing as the catcher had four hits through five at-bats. The freshman drove in five runs with a home run in the eighth, scoring three with two other RBIs collected. Tommy Atkinson, Brady Davidson, Kaden Griffitts, and Hennemann each collected multiple hits for the Hawks. The MWAC Player of the Year, Griffitts, showed out with a grand slam in the top of the fourth inning, making the score 9-1. Trevor Rehnstrom earned the win for the Hawks, throwing seven innings. The PO collected five strikeouts and only gave up one free base through 34 batters faced. The defense was sound and able to hold the Pirates to only four runs, even with their 15 hits. Patrick Gardner closed the match up with two innings. The sophomore kept the innings short, only facing eight batters with two hits allowed and sitting three batters down. With the 17-4 win, the 46-14 Heartland Hawks are not finished as they travel to the National Tournament on Thursday, May 22nd.