Page 117 - DBU Baseball 25 Media Guide

POSTSEASON HISTORY
2024 TUCSON REGIONAL
As the No. 2 seed in the CUSA Tournament, DBU dominated their side of the bracket with victories over New Mexico State, FIU, and WKU. In the championship game, the Patriots’ offense exploded for nine runs in the first inning, ultimately defeating Louisiana Tech 17-10 to claim their first Conference USA Tournament title. Alex Pendergast was named the CUSA Tournament MVP after hitting an impressive .562 across four games, leading DBU to the championship.
Following the CUSA Tournament, the Patriots were named the No. 2 seed at the Tucson Regional, where they faced off against top-seeded Arizona, No. 3 seed West Virginia, and No. 4 seed Grand Canyon. DBU opened the regional at Hi Corbett Field in Tucson, Arizona, with a 4-1 loss to West Virginia but bounced back with a dominating 7-0 win over No. 15 Arizona. Jaron DeBerry delivered a standout performance, throwing six shutout innings, while Tom Poole’s two home runs powered the offense. However, DBU’s postseason run came to an end the following day with a 12-10 loss to Grand Canyon in an elimination game.
The 2024 season was also one of personal achievements for several Patriots. Ryan Johnson etched his name in program history as DBU’s all-time strikeout leader with 314 career strikeouts. He also set the single-season
strikeout record with 151 punchouts. On April 28 in Miami, Florida, James Ellwanger and Jerrod Jenkins, made history by combining for DBU’s first no-hitter since 2006 in an 11-0 victory over the Panthers.
Following the 2024 season, DBU’s Ryan Johnson was named a consensus All-American and earned First Team honors from four publications. Johnson was also named CUSA’s Pitcher of the Year after posting an 11-3 record with a 2.21 ERA. Luke Pettitte received Freshman All-American honors and was named CUSA’s Freshman of the Year, while Michael Dattalo garnered CUSA Newcomer of the Year honors. Dan Heefner was also selected as the Keith LeClair CUSA Coach of the Year for the second consecutive season, and Cliff Pennington was recognized as the league’s Assistant Coach of the Year.
Ryan Johnson and Jaron DeBerry saw their hard work rewarded in the 2024 MLB Draft. Johnson was selected in the second round by the Los Angeles Angels with the 74th overall pick, becoming the sixth-highest draft pick in DBU history. DeBerry followed as a third-round selection by the Milwaukee Brewers, while senior infielder Miguel Santos was signed as a non-drafted free agent by the Chicago White Sox.
Luke Pettitte was named a Freshman DBU won their first CUSA Championship in just their second season in the league. All-American and CUSA’s Newcomer
of the Year.
117 HISTORY AND RECORDS RETURN TO TABLE OF CONTENTS