Maroons Split Opening Day at No. 17 Centre
The University of Chicago baseball team opened its 2026 season with a split against the 17th-ranked Centre College on Saturday, taking the opener 5–3 before falling 9–1 in the nightcap.
UChicago 5, #17 Centre 3
The Maroons used a four-run seventh inning to break open a pitcher's duel and secure their first win of the season.
UChicago struck first in the second inning as Jack Sharp delivered an RBI single to score Max Wiesner to take an early 1-0 lead. The Colonels answered in the fifth to even the score, but the bottom of the lineup for UChicago helped them take full control two innings later.
After Erik Rindner reached on a hit by pitch and Wiesner forced a walk, Nathan Bae added to the momentum with an RBI single up the middle to put Chicago back in front, 2–1. Sharp came through again with a two-run single, and Brady Miller followed with an RBI through the left side to cap a four-run inning and push the lead to four.
Centre tried to come back in the bottom of the seventh, cutting the deficit to two, but the Maroons' bullpen held strong, forcing a strike with the tying runs on base.
Russell Kwinter earned the win in relief, tossing 1.2 innings, and John Butka picked up the save with 2.2 scoreless innings and striking out four. Newcomer Corey Savedoff showed out for UChicago, allowing just one run in 4.2 innings and recording five strikeouts.
Sharp led the offense, finishing 2-for-4 with three RBIs and a walk, while Bae added two hits, a run, and an RBI. Wiesner scored twice as Chicago totaled nine hits in the win.
#17 Centre 9, UChicago 1
The Maroons struggled to capitalize on base as Centre took the win in game two.
After four scoreless innings, the Colonels broke through in the fifth, putting up five runs to take the early advantage.
UChicago couldn't find its rhythm in the box and went three up, three down in the sixth. Centre used the momentum and the first batter faced homored to the right center to give the Colonels the 6-0 lead. Later in the innings, another Colonel scored to make it 7-0.
The Maroons' lone run came in the seventh as Bae was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded, forcing in Rindner. However, Centre responded with two more runs in the eighth to secure the win.