Annie Kim (DSN Creative)

Denison Set to Take On Piedmont in Granville Super Regional

5/21/2026 12:09:00 PM

Granville, Ohio - For the third consecutive season, the Denison baseball team will host the NCAA Tournament Super Regional, hosting Piedmont University in a best-of-three series to send the winner to the World Series in Eastlake, Ohio. First pitch is set to take place on Friday, May 22 at 12 pm.

How They Got Here

Denison's path to their third-straight Super Regional was anything but easy, as the Big Red had to walk-off three games in a row to secure their third regional championship. In game one against Grinnell, Denison found themselves in a grudge match with the Pioneers, going down 2-0 early before trading runs and going down 4-3 in the eighth inning. Jack Rollow scored Brady Olsen in the bottom of the eighth to knot the game up 4-4, and senior Cade Nowik would rip a single in the ninth to score Kelly Crittenberger, who got on base with a double, and the Big Red escaped to advance unblemished.

In game two against SUNY Cortland, a pitching duel ensued between the squads, with the Big Red up 3-1 entering the ninth. The Red Dragons would tie the game up in the ninth from a home run and bases loaded hit by pinch, sending the game once again knotted up at three. Max Fishbein got things rolling with a double, then the hero from game one Nowik laid down a bunt to advance Fishbein over to third. It was then Jack Rollo who came in to pinch hit, and with the Cortland outfield playing up, Rollo blasted the pitch over the center fielders head, and would have back-to-back days with walk-offs.

Unlike the previous two games, the regional championship between Kalamazoo and Denison was a slugfest. The Hornets got on the board early, but the Big Red would respond, tying the game up 2-2 early. It was in the sixth inning where Kalamazoo started to break loose, scoring six runs alone in the sixth to go up 11-4 and putting Denison on their heels. Both teams would exchange runs, and Denison would find themselves down 12-8 in the ninth, needing some magic once again. Eron Vega kicked things off with a hit by pitch (his fourth of the game) with bases loaded to bring in a run, then Jack Lutte would bring in another from a fielder's choice, now down 12-10. Erik Sundgren teed one off the left field bringing in Kuyper Lashutka, and down 12-11 with two outs. In brought senior pinch hitter Tristan Kerr, who on his last strike, belted a screaming fly into the center field, barely escaping over the Hornet outfielders head, and brought in Lutte and Crittenberger to score five runs in the bottom of the ninth to secure their third-straight walk-off victory, 13-12

Piedmont headed to Centre College for the Danville Regional, sweeping their way through for their first Super Regional appearance in school history. The Lions would defeat the host Colonels in a 3-2 pitchers duel, with starting pitcher Andrew Misirly securing his fifth win of the season, only allowing six hits and five strikeouts through 7.0 innings pitched. Down 2-1 heading into the seventh, Piedmont cashed in two runs from a John Dickerson RBI and Cody Funk RBI double to send the Lions into Saturday.

Against the No. 1 seed in the region, WashU, Piedmont jumped on the Bears early, scoring three runs in the first before another in the sixth to go up 4-0. WashU would try to mount a comeback, but would be unsuccessful, giving the Lions their second one-run win in the tournament, 5-4. Davin Miller went 3-for-3 at the dish with an RBI and two runs, and the team would have a collective ten hits in the game. Layne Ayers picked up the win on the bump, pitching 6.0 innings, giving up four hits and striking out two in 27 batters faced.

On regional championship sunday, the bats came alive for both teams, as Piedmont led 7-4 after just two innings of play. The Lions would plate three more, going up 10-4, but the Bears scored four unanswered to bring it back with two. With some much needed insurance, Piedmont would go up 12-8, securing their first regional championship in school history. The Lions had four different players record multi-RBI games, with six earning multi-hit games.

Denison vs. Piedmont Preview

Both schools boast excellent pitching staffs as well as superb hitting, with both teams ranking in the top-10 nationally in batting average and rank top in earned run average. The Big Red and Lions can get hot quick, while also shutting down some of the top hitters in the box.

In the NCAA Tournament, the Lions posted a 3.67 earned run average and have hit .333 through three games as a team. Davin Miller has been on fire for Piedmont, posting an average of .545, including a 3-for-3 outing against WashU, and cashing in three RBI's. Ben Bodoh and John Dickerson have both hit .455 over the tournament, and Cole Ellis is hitting .429, respectively.

On the bump, Layne Ayers was solid in his one start against WashU, throwing 6.0 innings, only allowing four hits and one earned run while striking out two. The team leader in lowest ERA, Andrew Misirly, threw for an incredible 7.0 innings, only giving up two runs and striking out five in the regional opener win over host Centre. So far in the tournament, Piedmont ranks seventh in hits allowed per nine innings (7.67).

For Denison, the bats were still hot, getting contributions from everyone throughout the lineup. Bobby Haarde has utilized his speed to obtain a .429 batting average throughout the tournament, totaling three hits through three games played. Jack Rollo has gone 2-for-2 with two RBI's in his only plate appearances of the tourney, with his RBI single against Cortland being the game winner. Erik Sundgren has been dangerous in the box, tallying four hits and five RBI's and a home run to propel the Big Red offense. Eron Vega has been an on-base machine, getting hit by pitches five times, four of which came in the regional championship against Kalamazoo.

The Big Red used a slew of arms throughout the regional, pitching 14 in the three games played. Robbie Lee had the most impressive day, throwing 5.2 innings, giving up four hits, one earned run, and seven strikeouts in the win against Cortland. Ryan Paganelis served as a solid middle relief pitcher in the tourney, coming in to end a crucial inning against Grinnell and pitching 3.0 innings against Cortland, giving up one run.

Tournament History

Denison

21-14 postseason record
Eight appearances
Three Regional championships
Three Super Regional appearances
One Super Regional championship
One World Series appearance

Piedmont

6-4 postseason record
Three appearances
One regional championship
One Super Regional appearance

All-Conference Selections

Denison

First Team

P Will Rettig (Pitcher of the Year)
IF/UTL Jack Lutte (Player of the Year)
P Andrew Montero (Newcomer of the Year)
P Robbie Lee
OF Erik Sundgren
IF Eron Vega

Second Team

C Andrew Fazio

Third Team

Piedmont

First Team

P Andrew Misirly (Pitcher of the Year)
OF Cole Ellis
OF Cody Funk
DH Carter Few
P Drew O'Neill
P Luke Manry
Head Coach Justin Scali (Coach of the Year)

First pitch will ensue tomorrow at 12 pm, with game two to be played at 11 am on Saturday and an if necessary game right after.

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