The Wittenberg Tigers are making history, and they're not done yet. After clinching their first NCAA Division III baseball tournament berth in 32 years, this confident squad has its sights set on something even bigger: advancing past the first weekend for the first time ever.
What's fueling that belief? A recent series of tightly contested battles against Denison, the nation's No. 1-ranked team. Two of those three games were decided by a single run, proving Wittenberg can hang with the best.
"Those guys, they're tough customers," said head coach Mitchell Griffiths. "I thought our guys really went blow for blow with them. There's a lot of respect between those two programs."
Denison (40-1) took the regular-season meetings 8-7 and 13-12 in April, then edged Wittenberg 14-8 in the NCAC tournament after the Tigers held an early lead. Those wins are part of Denison's staggering 39-game winning streak—but the two rivals are placed on opposite sides of the NCAA bracket, meaning a rematch would only happen in the Division III World Series.
For now, all eyes are on the Adrian Regional at Adrian College in Michigan. Wittenberg (31-11) enters as the No. 1 seed and opens against Webster University (30-14) on Friday, May 15, at 11 a.m. Host Adrian (31-10) faces DePauw University (28-13) later that day. The double-elimination regional winner advances to a best-of-three Super Regional.
"There are four really good teams in that regional, and we're familiar with DePauw," Griffiths said. "It's cool to see a conference opponent in the regional. It goes to show the strength of our conference this year, having three teams out of the NCAC in the national tournament."
Wittenberg handled DePauw twice in the regular season (19-3 and 15-5) but dropped a 7-6 decision in the NCAC tournament before bouncing back with a 9-8 win to stay alive. That resilience is exactly what the Tigers will need this weekend.
Why are they traveling instead of hosting? Renovations are underway at Carleton Davidson Stadium. "They're actually redoing our infield right now," Griffiths said. "We are super excited about that. This is the first time in over 30 years we're going to a regional, so we didn't want to have to worry about tarping the field and weather and stuff like that. We want to enjoy this experience and go try to win the thing."
The regional field is stacked. Adrian, the No. 2 seed, is making its 17th regional appearance under veteran head coach Craig Rainey—a program with two World Series trips on its résumé. Interestingly, Griffiths spent one season as an assistant on Rainey's staff, adding a layer of familiarity to the competition.
With a 31-11 record, a No. 1 seed, and the confidence gained from battling the nation's top team, the Tigers are ready to roar. Whether you're a fan or just love a good underdog story, this is a team worth watching. And if they keep playing with this kind of fire, their historic run might just get a few more chapters.