A sense of pride emerged from season-ending sadness.

Mount Union bid farewell to the 2025 college baseball season during the opening weekend of the NCAA Division III Tournament. The Purple Raiders hugged one another following a 10-8 loss to Catholic on Saturday, May 17. They wished the departing players well.

They also looked ahead to what they hope becomes the best era of baseball in university history.

Mount Union won 28 games and became Ohio Athletic Conference regular season champions for the third time since 1970. The Purple Raiders earned their second NCAA berth and were selected to host a regional for the first time.

The day Mount Union’s season ended wasn’t a total wipeout. Nine hours earlier, the Purple Raiders beat Grove City 10-0 for their first NCAA win.

“Anytime you can do something nobody else has done, it’s amazing,” second baseman Andrew Witte said. “It has been special all year.”

Shortstop Alex Stegman knew Mount Union was capable of this four years ago when he walked on campus for the first time. The junior varsity team he played on was nicknamed “The Sluggers.” Stegman said they couldn’t be beat.

“We knew from that moment we could be the team that everyone wanted to be,” Stegman said. “Getting that first win in the tournament is amazing, but we want Mount Union to be better. We want someone else to make the super regional, make the World Series and possibly win it all.”

Catholic jumped out to a 5-0 first inning lead in its first game game against Mount Union and held on for an 11-10 win. The Cardinals scored three runs in the first inning of the rematch, led 4-0 after two and 10-2 in the middle of the sixth.

The Purple Raiders rallied for two runs in the sixth, one in the eighth and three more in the ninth. They had the tying run at the plate when Catholic was finally able to close them out.

“I never doubted that we would make a game of it and put ourselves in position to win,” Mount Union head coach Paul Hesse said. ” … I knew that we would be right there in that last inning. I just knew this is not going to go away until they closed the door on us.”

Six solid innings of relief from sophomore Ty Dennison gave the Purple Raiders a chance. He struck out nine and allowed just two earned runs.

“That’s the best I’ve seen Ty,” Hesse said. “We’ve seen the talent and ability, but the mental toughness and the confidence in himself to be able to execute his pitches and do the things he needed to do, he really shined today. I was really excited about that going forward.”

Witte had three hits for the Purple Raiders. First baseman Jaired Lehman drove in three runs. Catcher Daniel Tome III also had a two-out, two-strike, two-run double in the ninth that brought the tying run to the plate.

The rally ended. Disappointment initially sunk in. Moments later, the big picture was clearly visible.

“Baseball is kind of just the cherry on top,” Lehman said. “I think the biggest thing the past five years has just been the relationships all the memories we’ve had.

“At the end of the day, the numbers don’t matter. The stats, the wins, even the trophies, none of that matters. It has always been about us. It has always been about the team. I wouldn’t trade that for the world.”

Pfeiffer eliminates Mount Union in NCAA Division III Softball Tournament

Landry Stewart’s sacrifice fly RBI in the bottom of the eighth inning Pfeiffer past Mount Union 2-1 in an NCAA Division III Softball Tournament elimination game in Salisbury, Maryland.

The game was suspended in the bottom of the eighth on Friday, May 16 due to darkness and weather with the game tied.

Tori Sickafoose drove in Mount Union’s only run in the first inning.

The Purple Raiders finish 28-14. It marked the third straight season they qualified for the NCAA Tournament.

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