Kearney, Neb. – A banged up bunch of Nebraska-Kearney Loper baseball players managed to roll to a second straight RMAC Tournament title this weekend in Grand Junction, Colo.

In Saturday's championship game vs. sixth-seed New Mexico Highlands, fourth-seed UNK (33--25) got eight strong innings from sophomore Jared Loschen and had another big day at the plate to corral the Cowboys, 15-4.

The Lopers, riding a seven game win streak, went 4-0 in the tournament and out scored the opposition 54-23. During this win streak, UNK is batting .422 and averaging 13.5 runs per game.

The team is doing all this minus starting catcher Griff Watson (Omaha Northwest) and starting center fielder Brad Hull (Lincoln East), both out with injuries. Additionally, several other starters are playing with more than just bumps and bruises.

UNK will play in the West Regional of the NCAA Division II Tournament next week (May 15-18). The top three teams in last week's regional rankings were UC San Diego, Sonoma State and Cal State Stanislaus

However, none of those schools can host a regional; the current fourth team in the West -- Chico State -- will likely host the tournament. Last year, UNK beat Sonoma in the first round and then fell to Cal State L.A. and Chico.

Against the Cowboys (31-30), who eliminated top-seed Mesa State late last night, UNK scored five in the third, two more in the fourth and six over the fourth and fifth innings.

Loschen (Kearney H.S.) improves to 7-3 -- and to 12-6 in his career -- by allowing just nine hits and three earned runs over eight full innings. He also struck out five and walked just one.

The Cowboys came into the tournament among the national leaders in many offensive categories

Pounding out 18 hits against five different pitchers, tournament MVP Joe Nowaczyk (Gretna H.S./Iowa Western CC) went 3 for 5 with five RBI's and two runs scored. The big first baseman, batting .632 in the series with 11 RBI's, had a two run single in the third, a two run triple in the fourth and a RBI double in the sixth.

That was his first three bagger as a Loper.

Junior Leon de Winter (The Netherlands/McCook C.C.), replacing Watson behind the plate, went 3 for 6 with four RBI's as he hit a two run homer in the third and added a two run single in the eight.

Now at .396 for the year, de Winter was also selected to the all-tournament team.

Also having big days offensively were Colorado senior Trey Howell (3 for 4, four runs, two RBI's) and Kearney sophomore Blake Cover (4 for 5, two runs). Howell was all-tournament, along with sophomore pitcher Ryan Seefus (Blair.).

Finally, senior Chris Gillaspy (Henderson, Nev.), replacing Hull in center, was plunked three times today. That pushes his season total to 27; former center fielder Tony Crosetto had held the UNK record for being hit by a pitch at 24 (2003).