Kent State became the first team to advance from the Mid-American Conference to the NCAA Regional Championship and a berth in the national tournament’s round of 16 known as the Super Regionals.
 
Ranked No. 25 in the nation according to Collegiate Baseball Newspaper, the Golden Flashes (44-17) ran their nation-long winning streak to 20 games – including seven in the post-season – courtesy of the victory over Kentucky (45-18). The 2012 MAC Regular Season and Tournament champions, Kent State has won 35 of its last 42 games – including 24 of 26. The Flashes won a wire-to-wire regular season title and followed it up by going a perfect 4-0 in the MAC Tournament to clinch their fourth straight conference tournament crown.

Kent State, the regional’s No. 3 seed, advanced to its second straight NCAA Regional Winner’s Bracket Final by outlasting Kentucky, 7-6, in 21 innings in the regional opener Friday (June 1) – the second-longest game in the history of the NCAA Tournament – then knocked off the regional host and top seed, No. 16 Purdue, 7-3, Saturday (June 2).

The Golden Flashes now will travel to Eugene, Ore., to square off with No. 10 Oregon next weekend (June 8-11) in a best-of-three-games NCAA Super Regional series at PK Park.