BEREA, Ohio – The Baldwin Wallace University Baseball team has been selected to the 2026 NCAA Division III Baseball Tournament and will play in the Millikin Regional hosted by Millikin (Ill.) University from May 15-17.
Announced via the NCAA Selection show on May 11, BW (31-10) received one of 41 automatic bids into this year's tournament after claiming the Ohio Athletic Conference Tournament Championship. The Yellow Jackets will travel to DeCauter, Ill. to take on the automatic bid from the American Rivers Conference Wartburg (Iowa) College (26-15) on Friday, May 16.
The four-team regional also includes the host Millikin (35-8), who was the College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin champion, and the University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse (32-12), an at-large bid out of the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. The four teams will compete in a double elimination style tournament (May 15-17). The winner of each regional will advance to the best-of-three format super-regional from May 22-23. The eight super regional winners advance to the Division III World Series in Eastlake, Ohio from May 29 to June 4.
BW on offense is led by senior outfielder and 2026 OAC Pitcher of the Year Dennis Ritlinger-Nirider (Grove City), senior All-OAC third baseman Sean Kolenich (Parma/St. Edward), junior designated hitter Colin West (Westborough, Mass./Worcester Academy) and junior second-basemen Carson Petrecca (Willowick/Eastlake North). Ritlinger-Nirider won the OAC batting triple crown, with a .455 batting average, 12 home runs and 59 RBI. Kolenich led the OAC with four triples and 66 runs scored. He also has a .363 average with six home runs and 48 RBI. West batting .340 with four home runs and 49 RBI, good for third place in the OAC. Petrecca hit .305 with five home runs and drove in 37 runs as one of the main contributors to the offense.
The Yellow Jackets pitching staff this season is led by 2025 OAC Co-Pitcher of the Year and senior left-hander Brit Kostura (Tequesta, Fla./Jupiter Christian School) and junior right-hander Matt Moscarino (Strongsville/Padua Franciscan). Kostura registered a 2.16 ERA, the third best in the OAC, going 7-3 with 65 strikeouts in 83 1/3 innings of work. His 2.16 ERA is the best he's had in a season with a minimum of four appearances. Moscarino had a 4-1 win-loss record with a 3.61 ERA. He has 36 strikeouts in 42 1/3 innings of work this season. He has done all of this in nine appearances and seven starts this season, the most he has made in a season in three years with the program.
BW is making their 13th NCAA Tournament appearance and their ninth under head coach Brian Harrison.
