Eastlake, Ohio-Â A 6-0 win in game one of the National Championship Series set the Big Red up for success in day two. Needing just one win, Denison lost in a heartbreaking walkoff loss to Endicott in game two, falling 11-10 in 10 innings. Despite three homers and seven RBIs from Cade Nowik, the Gulls were able to force the winner-take-all game three.
In Division III's final game of the 2025-26 season, Denison and Endicott delivered an instant classic. The Big Red overcame an early deficit to win yet again in walkoff fashion in the bottom of the 10th inning, where Jack Lutte scored Kelly Crittenberger to secure the program's first National Championship with a 4-3 decision.
CWS National Championship Game 2: No. 1 Denison 10, No. 6 Endicott 11 (10 Innings)
The Big Red were in the box to kick off the game. Eron Vega took the first pitch backside for a base hit before a walk from Jack Lutte put runners at first and second. Erik Sundgren sent a chopper backside that retired Lutte at second. The Gulls made an out at the plate in the next at-bat before a groundout ended the inning.
Senior All-American Robbie Lee got the start for Denison. The Gulls start mirrored the Big Red. A lead-off base hit followed by a hit by pitch put runners on with no outs. Endicott got their first run with a double down the right field line to take a 1-0 lead. After a groundout, a full count walk loaded the bases with one down. To close the inning, the Gulls sent a laser right at Vega at second, which he picked off the runner at second to slam the door shut on the inning and limit the damage.
The Big Red were able to knot it up at one all in the top of the second. Endicott's D3 Pitcher of the Year, Brady Stuart, retired the first two batters before Kelly Crittenberger got on with a walk. Cade Nowik sent a double up the middle that scored Crittenberger to make it 1-1.
At the bottom of the frame, Denison forced two swinging strikeouts to strand a runner at second and keep it tied up. The Big Red took the lead in the top of the third. Lutte led off with a single before Jack Rollo and Max Fishbein loaded the bases with free passes. Nate Lloyd took four straight pitches to push the lead to 2-1. Stuart recorded back-to-back outs to leave ducks on the pond.
The Gulls were not backing down. In the bottom of the third, a double down the left field line kick-started the inning before Lee got two outs. A string of base hits to right field gave Endicott their second run to tie it up at 2-2. With a 1-2 count and runners at second and third, Lee fired a swinging strike three to get out of the inning.
Stuart and Lee traded zeros in the fourth inning. After a pair of walks from Andrew Fazio and Lloyd, Stuart retired from the mound, and Jake Harmony took the reins. Crittenberger laid down a bunt and reached on an error, giving Denison bases loaded with no outs. Into the box stepped senior Cade Nowik. On the first pitch he saw, Nowik launched a no doubt grand slam over the left field wall, electrifying the sea of red that traveled to Classic Park. The series of walks and big swing from Nowik gave the Big Red a 6-2 lead heading into the bottom of the fifth.
Lee delivered another zero in the bottom of the fifth. After a scoreless top of the sixth, Endicott was able to get momentum going in the box. A leadoff single was followed by a perfectly executed hit and run to put runners at the corners with no outs. For Lee's final out, he got an infield fly to Fishbein, who ran for the first out. Senior Ryan Pagenelis came out for his 32nd appearance of the season. With the showing, Paganelis set a Division III College World Series record for most appearances in a single tournament with six. With the bases loaded, a towering fly ball into deep center field was caught by Sundgren for out two at the cost of a run. A bases-loaded walk gave Endicott another run, cutting the lead to 6-4. Jack Rollo came out of the pen and DH spot to the mound. Endicott laced a double up the middle, which tied the game at 6-6, but a perfect relay from Sundgren to Vega to Fazio kept the go-ahead run off the dish. Into the final third of the game, the scoreboard was knotted.
Nowik sent another wave of pandemonium into Classic Park at the top of the seventh with a leadoff backside home run to take back the lead. In the two-hole, Lutte launched a solo homer clear over the right field wall to extend the lead to 8-6.
With Rollo back on the bump, the Big Red got their first out with a fly ball into centerfield. A walk gave the Gulls a baserunner, but fantastic plays from Fishbein and Nowik sent the championship game into the penultimate inning in favor of Denison. 8-6.
Endicott fired a 1-2-3 frame in the top of the eighth. A five pitch walk gave the Gulls their first base runner and brought the tying run up to the plate. A single through the right side ended Rollo's day on the mound. Senior Will Rettig took over on the bump. Endicott delivered back-to-back base hits to plate a run before a bases-loaded hit by pitch tied the game at 8-8. Ultimately, the Gulls extended the lead to 10-8 heading into the final frame.
In the top of the ninth, Nowik did the unthinkable, drilling his third homer of the day to bring the game within one. Vega got the ball rolling with a base hit, followed by a Lutte hit by pitch and a single from Sundgren that loaded the bases. Rollo drove in the tying run with a chopper over the head of the second basemen, but Endicott took advantage of aggressive base running and doubled off the Big Red to send the game into the bottom of the ninth tied at 10-10. Rettig sent the game into extras with three strikeouts in the home half.
Denison was held scoreless in its final at-bat. In the final frame, the Gulls loaded the bases with a hit by pitch and two base hits. A deep fly into right field was enough to plate the winning run, 11-10.
Nowik led the Big Red bats with a 3-4 performance and seven RBIs, good to tie the CWS record for most in a single game. The lineup tallied 14 hits. Rettig was handed the loss, finishing the season with a 12-2 record.
CWS National Championship Game 3: No.1 Denison 4, No. 6 Endicott 3 (10 Innings)
After the walkoff loss to set up the rubber match, Denison was the home team for Division III's final game of the 2026 season.
Sophomore Mahoney Daunic got the ball to start following his complete game against ETBU on Monday. The righty traded 1-2-3 first innings with the Endicott starter, Evan Scully.
In the top of the second, the Gulls scored first, setting up an RBI base hit with a triple off the right field wall. Eron Vega was able to turn a lineout into a double play to escape the inning. The Big Red were unable to respond in the home half of the second, trailing 1-0.
Endicott didn't let up, as star player TJ Liponis sent a big fly into left field that cleared the left field wall for a two-run homer. With two outs, first-year Devin Parker rolled a grounder back to the mound to limit damage and move out of the first third down 3-0.
The scoreboard showed zeros through the top of the fifth inning, as both teams made quick work on the mound. In the bottom of the fifth, Max Fishbein stepped into the box, looking to give Denison a much-needed spark. He did just that when he took a 1-1 inside slider well over the left field wall to cut the lead down to 3-1.
Parker continued to groove, firing two strikeouts in the top of the sixth to keep the deficit at two. In the bottom of the frame, Denison tied it up at three all. Kelly Crittenberger drew a leadoff full count walk. Vega sent a rocket into right center, and Crittenberger went first to home. Jack Lutte moved Vega over to third before a backside base hit from Erik Sundgren evened it up at 3-3.
It was a defensive battle for the remaining innings. Endicott brought back the Division III Pitcher of the Year, Brady Stuart. Stuart burned through the Big Red lineup, retiring the penultimate inning to send the National Championship into the ninth still tied.
Parker came back out for his sixth inning of work. Following a tough start against ETBU on Monday, the first-year stood tall, putting a zero on the board. Andrew Fazio caught the Gulls' lone baserunner at second to close the frame.
After a three-up, three-down bottom of the ninth sent the game into extra innings for the second time on the day, Parker trotted back out to the rubber to give the Big Red a chance to collect their fourth walkoff win of the NCAA tournament. The righty churned three straight outs.
Batting in the nine-hole, Crittenberger sent a base hit into left field to kickstart the inning. With a full count, Vega sent a knock up the middle to move Crittenberger into scoring position. With no outs, the conference player of the year and All-American Jack Lutte stepped into the box. After fighting to a 2-2 count, Lutte laced a thunderous base hit off the right field wall to score the game-winning run, walking off the game to secure Denison baseball's first national championship in program history.
Parker earned the win for the Big Red, lasting 7.1 scoreless innings and recording eight strikeouts. In the box, the lineup tallied eight hits, led by Fishbein, who went 2-3.
The title marks Denison's fourth National Championship of the 2025-26 season. In the winter, women's basketball and men's swim and dive brought home hardware. In the spring season, the baseball program joined the men's tennis doubles team of Ethan Green and Kael Shah. Denison closes the historic season with a 51-3 record.
All-TOURNAMENT TEAM
C – Gabe Jones, ADRIAN COLLEGE
1B – Max Fishbein, DENISON UNIVERSITY
2B – Eron Vega, DENISON UNIVERSITY
3B – Cade Nowik, Denison university
SS – TJ Liponis, ENDICOTT COLLEGE
OF – John Fusco, ENDICOTT COLLEGE
OF – Jack Lutte, DENISON UNIVERSITY
OF – Erik Sundgren, DENISON UNIVERSITY
DH – Carson Livesay, EAST TEXAS BAPTIST UNIVERSITY
P – Cooper Marrs, DENISON UNIVERSITY
P – Devin Parker, DENISON UNIVERSITY
P – Sean Parker, ADRIAN COLLEGE
P – Evan Scully, ENDICOTT COLLEGE
P – Brady Stuart, ENDICOTT COLLEGE
P – Issac Thornton, EAST TEXAS BAPTIST UNIVERSITY
MOST OUTSTANDING PLAYER
Cade Nowik, DENISON UNIVERSITY
How It Happened
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After an opening day win, Denison dropped to Salisbury on February 21.
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The Big Red rattled off 44 straight wins, including a 16-0 NCAC record, an NCAC championship, and an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.
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In the Granville Regional Tournament, Denison swept through with three straight walkoff wins, downing Grinnell, Cortland, and Kalamazoo to advance.
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In the Granville Super Regional, Denison took down Piedmont twice to punch their ticket into the College World Series.
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Denison's 44-game win streak ended in the opening game of the World Series, falling to East Texas Baptist.
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The Big Red had to battle elimination, downing Johns Hopkins, Baldwin Wallace, and ETBU twice to advance to the Championship Series.
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Denison took the 1-0 lead with a 6-0 decision over Endicott in game one. After the 11-10 loss in game two, the Big Red battled and took home the title with a 4-3 win.
