TERRE HAUTE, Ind. -- The Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology baseball team will travel to the St. Louis area for the double elimination NCAA Division III Central Regional, starting Wednesday.
Rose-Hulman has earned the No. 5 seed in the Central Regional after completing the regular season at 29-11. The Fightin' Engineers are making their seventh NCAA Division III Tournament appearance after winning their fifth Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference Tournament title last weekend.
Rose-Hulman will compete in a six-team Regional at GCS Ballpark in Sauget, Ill. The Fightin' Engineers will face No. 2 seeded Wartburg (33-11) in its opening round game on Wednesday. The game time will be announced on Monday afternoon.
Other teams in the regional hosted by Webster University include top seeded Wisconsin-Whitewater (29-14); second-seeded Wartburg (33-11); third-seeded Augustana (Ill.) (30-12); fourth-seeded Washington University (Mo.) (31-16); fifth-seeded Rose-Hulman (29-11); and sixth-seeded Westminster (Mo.) (28-13).
The Rose-Hulman offense features nine starters all hitting .300 or better. Senior Caleb Kissel leads the offense at .376 with 56 hits, 11 doubles, 37 runs scored and 23 RBIs. Senior Patrick Klima stands at .346 with 16 doubles, one home run, 37 runs scored and 33 RBIs. Junior Zach Trusk, the HCAC Tournament Most Outstanding Player, ranks third among starters in batting average at .340 with 10 doubles and two home runs.
Other key offensive leaders for the balanced offense include Hazen Hamather at .336 with 12 extra base hits; David Burnside at .324 with a team-high 20 extra base hits; Kody Alayon at .315 with a team-high 15 stolen bases; Zach Hull at .333 with three extra base hits; Drew Schnitz at .324 with seven doubles, one home run and 37 runs scored; and Donnie Waters at .300 with 36 hits, eight doubles, two home runs, 15 runs scored and 26 RBIs.
Rose-Hulman has also relied on a deep and talented pitching staff to compile its 29-11 record. Senior Alec McNally led the squad with a 6-0 record and a 1.99 earned run average. Senior Karson Nixon is 6-2 with a 3.86 ERA and a team-high 76 strikeouts in 72.1 innings. Senior Andrew Stull stands 4-4 with a 5.21 ERA, and senior Daniel Sutherland has completed the regular starting rotation at 5-1 with a 2.27 ERA.
Junior Cody Sunderhaus has led the bullpen with a 1-1 record, five saves, a 0.00 ERA and 18 strikeouts in 15.1 innings of work. Senior Gunnar Hutchison leads the bullpen with 15 appearances and has a 4.30 ERA. Sophomore Joey Callahan and sophomore Ian Grant have also pitched in with 13 appearances.
The NCAA Division III Cenral Regional will continue through Saturday. The full bracket will be released on Wednesday.