As improbable as it might have sounded a week ago, Missouri State is one win away from returning to the NCAA Tournament.
The Bears advanced to Sunday's championship with a 7-6 win over Evansville in the Missouri Valley Conference Tournament at Hammons Field. The Bears can secure the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament if they win one of a possible two games on Sunday starting at noon.
A trip to the NCAA Tournament would be the Bears' first since 2018.
Missouri State came into the tournament as a six-seed and had to play in a play-in game to qualify for the double-elimination bracket.