#25 Baseball Places Three on ABCA All-Region Team

FULL ALL-REGION IX TEAM

CHICAGO -- The University of Chicago baseball team earned a trio of All-Region selections, as announced by the American Baseball Coaches Association on Tuesday morning.

John Butka earned 2nd-Team All-Region honors from the ABCA after being named a 2nd-Team All-Region selection from D3baseball.com, 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.

Braden Jirovec was named a 3rd-Team All-Region selection following his 1st-Team All-UAA selection in his record-breaking senior campaign. Jirovec broke multiple UChicago single-season records with 33 stolen bases and 56 runs scored, and he also ranked third with 65 hits. He also compiled a .342 batting average and .434 on-base percentage with 14 doubles, 25 RBIs, and 22 walks, while starting all 45 games for the Maroons. The senior economics major also shattered multiple career program records, becoming the all-time leader with 230 hits, 169 runs scored, and 96 stolen bases. He also ranks top 10 in program history, including 7th with 7 triples, 8th with 40 doubles, and 9th with 73 walks. Jirovec's All-Regon selection is the second of his career, joining his 3rd-Team selectin in 2025.

Erik Rindner earned his second career ABCA All-Region selection after being named 2nd-Team All-Region. The 2nd-Team All-Region selection from D3baseball.com was also named the UAA Position Player of the Year and 1st-Team All-UAA selection. Rindner 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, Jirovec, and Rindner brought home the 23rd, 24th, and 25th D3baseball.com All-Region selections this season, and Jirovec and Rindner became just the 5th and 6th player in program history to earn multiple All-Region honors from the ABCA. All three players will now advance to the All-America Team ballot, and the final All-America team will be released on Thursday, May 28.