Tyrrelll Named Region IX Coach of the Year; Butka, Rindner Named 2nd-Team All-Region

FULL ALL-REGION IX TEAM

CHICAGO -- The University of Chicago baseball team earned a pair of All-Region selections, and Coach Tyrrell was named the Region IX Coach of the Year, as announced by D3baseball.com on Tuesday morning.

Head Coach

Kevin Tyrrell earned Region IX Coach of the Year honors after leading the Maroons to a season of firsts. UChicago finished the season with its first 30-win year in program history, and the Maroons won their first conference title since 1913 and the first Regional title in program history. UChicago capped off its season in the Super Regionals, where the team fell to #6 Salisbury last weekend. Tyrrell is the first coach in University of Chicago baseball history to be named the Region Coach of the Year by any news outlet.

John Butka earned 2nd-Team All-Region honors after being named a 1st-Team All-UAA selection and the UAA Pitcher of the Year. Butka posted one of the best pitching seasons in the country in his senior campaign, compiling the third-most wins in school history with an 8-1 record in 13 appearances and 9 starts as the UChicago ace. After beginning the season in the bullpen, Butka earned the starting role and never looked back, leading the team with 62.1 innings pitched while compiling a team-best 2.89 ERA and 1.04 WHIP this season. In the regional tournament, Butka was named the Regional Most Outstanding Player after earning wins in both the first and third games, throwing 7.0 innings with only three hits and one unearned run allowed against Washington and Jefferson and closing out the final inning in the walk-off win over #11 Bridgewater (VA). In his illustrious career with the Maroons, Butka finishes ranked 3rd with 51 appearances, 6th with 158 strikeouts, 7th with 7 saves, 8th with a 4.25 ERA, and 10th with 15 wins, and he remains one of only 12 players in UChicago history to throw multiple complete-game shutouts.

Erik Rindner earned his third career All-Region selection after being named 2nd-Team All-Region. The UAA Position Player of the Year and 1st-Team All-UAA selection had one of the most impressive seasons by a catcher in all of NCAA Division III as he led the team with a .354 batting average, a .495 on-base percentage, and a .652 slugging percentage, while slugging 13 home runs and driving in 50 runs. Starting in 44 of the team's 45 games this season, Rindner ranked 2nd in program history with 13 home runs, 4th with 50 RBIs, and 8th with 27 walks. The Potomac, Maryland native also broke multiple UChicago career records with 30 home runs and 170 RBIs during his career. He also caps off his four-year career ranked 2nd with 104 walks, 3rd with 213 hits, 3rd with 156 runs scored, and 7th with 43 doubles. With his All-Region selection, Rindner also becomes the first player in UChicago history to be named a 3-time All-Region selection by D3baseball.com.

Butka and Rindner brought home the 15th and 16th D3baseball.com All-Region selections this season, and Butka became just the 11th player in program history to earn All-Region honors from D3baseball.com. Both players will now advance to the All-America Team ballot, and the final All-America team will be released on Wednesday, May 27.