February 13, 2025 Nolan Hughes

Through two days of the PBA Pete Weber Missouri Classic, EJ Tackett has done what many have come to expect from him: dominate.

Tackett paced the 76-player field through 18 games of qualifying, averaging more than 233. Tackett led with a total pinfall of 4,208 (+608) on the 45-foot Dick Weber oil pattern at Enterprise Park Lanes in Springfield, Mo.

Ryan Barnes, Tim Foy Jr., Kyle Troup, Kevin McCune, AJ Johnson, Bill O’Neill and Chris Via rounded out the top eight, each earning a one-round bye in elimination match play

Shawn Maldonado, Tomas Käyhkö, Jake Peters, Dom Barrett, Andrew Anderson, Tom Daugherty, Timmy Tan and Zach Wilkins each won their respective match in the Round of 24 on Thursday evening.

Barrett overcame a 3-0 deficit against fellow countryman Richie Teece. Barrett won a roll-off in Game 4 before sweeping the final three games to advances.

Tackett will face Maldonado in the Round of 16 with matches beginning at 11 a.m. Central/local (12 p.m. Eastern) on Friday. All matches are the best-of-seven games and will be livestreamed on BowlTV.

Despite leading, Tackett will enter match play with an undecided gameplan.

“My ball reaction has gotten worse every block,” Tackett said. “I’ve definitely got to do something different on the fresh. My look hasn’t been very good in the beginning, but the middle has been okay. I think if I can bowl a decent first game and maybe get away with a win, I would feel pretty confident that my ball reaction would continue to get better. I have to put those games away when my ball reaction is good.”

Tackett finished third in last year’s PBA Pete Weber Missouri Classic, losing a thrilling semifinal match to eventual champion Anthony Simonsen. Few players have a greater appreciation for the history of the sport than Tackett, and he said winning an event with Pete Weber’s name attached to it would be an honor.

“It is really cool to be able to recognize an icon and be a part of the event,” Tackett said. “He said it best in one of his interviews when he retired (in 2021): ‘Hate me or love me, you watched.’ He brought something to our sport that no one else could and people watched because of it, whether they liked him or not. It’s cool that there’s a tournament named after him. I think this is a precedent that we should be setting. We need a Walter Ray Williams Jr. event at some point, hopefully in Florida.”

Round of 16 Matches

No. 1 EJ Tackett vs. No. 17 Shawn Maldonado 
No. 8 Chris Via vs. No. 24 Tomas Käyhkö

No. 2 Ryan Barnes vs. No. 15 Jake Peters
No. 7 Bill O’Neill vs. No. 23 Dom Barrett

No. 3 Tim Foy Jr. vs. No. 14 Tom Daugherty
No. 6 AJ Johnson vs. No. 22 Andrew Anderson

No. 4 Kyle Troup vs. No. 13 Zach Wilkins
No. 5 Kevin McCune vs. No. 12 Timmy Tan

Round of 24 Results

No. 17 Shawn Maldonado def. No. 16 Alec Keplinger, 4-3
No. 24 Tomas Käyhkö def. No. 9 Sean Lavery-Spahr, 4-1

No. 15 Jake Peters def. No. 18 Andrew Hall, 4-3
No. 23 Dom Barrett def. No. 10 Richie Teece, 4-3

No. 22 Andrew Anderson def. No. 11 Bailey Mavrick, 4-1
No. 14 Tom Daugherty def. No. 19 Sean Rash, 4-2

No. 12 Timmy Tan def. No. 21 AJ Chapman, 4-3
No. 13 Zach Wilkins def. No. 20 Sam Cooley, 4-0

Match scores are available here.

Tournament Schedule

Enterprise Park Lanes | Springfield, MO

All times Central

Friday, Feb. 14 | BowlTV
11 a.m. — Elimination Match Play - Round of 16 (best-of-seven games)
6 p.m. — Elimination Match Play - Round of 8 (best-of-seven games)

Sunday, Feb. 16 | FS1
Noon — Championship Round (stepladder finals)

More information on the PBA Pete Weber Missouri Classic is available here.