NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP PREVIEW: No. 9/11 Endicott Faces No. 1/1 Denison Wednesday In Game One
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EASTLAKE, Ohio — The No. 9/11 nationally ranked Endicott baseball team continues its quest for a national championship in perhaps its greatest challenge yet. The Gulls face No. 1/1 Denison in the 2026 national championship best-of-three series, which begins on Wednesday at 12 PM ET. Here's your inside look at the upcoming series.
ENDICOTT SEASON NOTES
- Both programs are making their first-ever respective appearances in the national championship series. The Gulls have reached the College World Series (CWS) in four consecutive seasons (2023-26), while the Big Red have appeared in back-to-back CWS' after earning their first-ever berth in 2025.
- As a team, Endicott ranks first nationally in WHIP (1.15), first in hits allowed per game (7.01), fourth in ERA (3.29), and seventh in runs (488).
- Endicott is led by All-American pitchers Brady Stuart (Hudson, Mass.) and Matt Pappalardo (Pelham, N.H.), as well as All-American shortstop TJ Liponis (Scarborough, Maine). Each contingent of the trio have posted career-best seasons in 2026.
- Stuart was named the D3baseball.com National Pitcher of the Year. He features an ERA of 1.51, a record of 9-0, a .90 WHIP, and 97 K in 83.1 IP. His 97 K are third-most ever in single-season program history, while his 225 career strikeouts are most in program history.
- Since the beginning of postseason play (5/7, Conference of New England (CNE) First Round against Nichols), Liponis is slashing .406/.488/.710 with a team-high 28 hits and nine doubles. He has also smashed four homers and driven in 20 runs during that span.
- Brenden Walsh (Reading, Mass.) crushed his 14th homer of the season against Adrian on Monday. He is now just three homers shy of the program's single-season record 17 (Brendan O'Neil M'24). Additionally, Walsh's 67 RBI are the most in program single-season history.
- The Gulls have gone to an if-necessary game in the CNE, Regional, Super Regional, and CWS Tournaments so far. They are 4-0 in each of those if-necessary games.
DENISON SEASON NOTES
- Denison entered the NCAA Tournament field of 64 as the top overall seed.
- The Big Red rattled off a 44-game win streak between 2/27 - 5/29. They lost the streak in their opening game of the CWS, to eighth-seeded East Baptist, by a 5-1 score.
- Denison looks to become the first team since Montclair State in 2000 to win the national championship after dropping its CWS opener.
- Nationally, Denison ranks second in runs (534), third in batting average (.355), third in ERA (3.07), seventh in WHIP (1.26), and 10th in OBP (.455).
- The Big Red have won nine games by exactly one run this season.
- Offensively, they are led by outfielder Erik Sundgren (Pittsburgh, Pa.) and junior catcher Jack Lutte (Venetia, Pa.). Sundgren slashed .376/.492/.685 with 11 homers and 62 RBI. Sundgren, who was named D3baseball.com and American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) Region VII Player of the Year, slashed .438/.514/.769 with 12 homers and 68 RBI. Both student-athletes were named All-Americans.
- On the mound, Will Rettig (Perrysburg, Ohio) highlights the Big Red's staff. The 6-6, 215-pound senior right-handed All-American features an ERA of 2.41, a record of 12-1, a WHIP of 1.17 and a total of 82 strikeouts in 93.1 IP.
TEAM INFO
ENDICOTT: Roster | Stats | Schedule | News | Archives
DENISON: Roster | Stats | Schedule | News | Archives
WHAT'S NEXT
The two teams meet for a best-of-three series. Game one will be played Wednesday at 12 PM, while game two is set for Thursday at 11 AM. An if-necessary game three would be played approximately 50 minutes after the conclusion of game two.
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(Photo Credit - Jake Goodman '26)