Rindner, Butka and Tyrrell Earn UAA Major Awards; Five Maroons Named All-UAA
CHICAGO -- The University of Chicago baseball team earned five All-UAA honors and brought home three of the four major UAA awards, as announced by the association office on Tuesday morning.
FULL ALL-UAA BASEBALL TEAM
CHICAGO -- The University of Chicago baseball team earned five All-UAA honors and brought home three of the four major UAA awards, as announced by the association office on Tuesday morning.
A pair of UChicago seniors brought home the major UAA awards for the Maroons as
Erik Rindner was named the UAA Position Player of the Year, and
John Butka earned UAA Pitcher of the Year honors.
Kevin Tyrrell and his staff were also named the UAA Coaching Staff of the Year.
John Butka earned 1st-Team All-UAA and UAA Pitcher of the Year honors after putting up one of the best pitching seasons in the country as the UChicago ace has a perfect 6-0 record in 10 appearances and 7 starts. After beginning the season in the bullpen, Butka earned the starting role and never looked back, leading the team with 50.2 innings pitched while compiling a team-best 2.49 ERA and 1.01 WHIP this season. In UAA play, Butka was even more lights out as the senior from St. Louis, Missouri compiled a 1.65 ERA and 0.75 WHIP en route to a 4-0 record in five starts. In his illustrious career with the Maroons, Butka ranks top-10 in multiple career statistics, including 5th in Appearances (48), 7th in Saves (7), 7th in Strikeouts (152), 8th in Shutouts (2), and 8th in ERA (4.22). Butka joins
Russell Kwinter and
Drew Bryan as the only three Maroons in UChicago history to earn Pitcher of the Year honors.
Erik Rindner was named the UAA Position Player of the Year and earned 1st-Team All-UAA honors after one of the most impressive seasons by a catcher in the entire country. This season, Rindner rewrote the UChicago record book as he broke the career record with 29 home runs and 167 RBIs, and he ranks top-10 in school history in multiple other categories, including 2nd in Walks (100), 3rd in Runs (151), 3rd in Hits (206), and 7th in Doubles (42). This season, Rindner was outstanding as he hit .352 at the plate with 50 hits, 47 RBIs, 34 runs scored, and 40 combined walks and hit by pitches at the dish. His 12 home runs in a season are the second-most in school history, and his 47 RBIs rank third in single-season totals. During UAA play, Rindner slugged .779 with a 1.268 OPS at the dish as he launched eight home runs and added a .489 on-base percentage. He also tallied 24 hits, 25 RBIs, and 18 runs scored to power the UChicago offense to the UAA title. The 1st-Team All-UAA selection is the fourth all-conference selection and the third 1st-Team all-conference selection in the career for Rindner.
Braden Jirovec earned the final 1st-Team All-UAA selection after joining Rindner in rewriting the UChicago record books. Jirovec broke the all-time UChicago career records with 225 hits, 165 runs scored, and 94 stolen bases this season, and he ranks 7th with seven triples, 9th with 71 walks, and 9th with 39 doubles. This season, Jirovec led the team with a .361 batting average, tallying 60 hits, 52 runs scored, 24 RBIs, and 13 doubles. His 52 runs rank fourth in single-season totals, and his 60 hits rank seventh in UChicago single-season history. The Highland Park, Texas native has also swiped 31 bags, tying the single-season record for UChicago, with only one caught stealing on the year. During conference play, Jirovec was exceptional with a .410 batting average, .490 on-base percentage, and a .518 slugging percentage while adding 34 hits, 29 runs, 13 RBIs, and going a perfect 18-18 on stolen base attempts. The 1st-Team All-UAA selection is the third all-conference honor and the second consecutive All-UAA selection for Jirovec.
Michael Gladden added 2nd-Team All-UAA honors for the second consecutive year. Gladden started all 40 games for the Maroons and compiled 50 hits, 28 runs scored, 24 RBIs, a .340 batting average, and an OPS over 1.000. He also led the team with 25 extra-base hits, currently sitting fourth in school history with 18 doubles this season. During UAA play, Gladden did not miss a beat with a .346 / .453 / .551 slash line in the heart of the UChicago lineup. The senior from River Forest, Illinois, ranks top-10 in school history in several different career categories, including 4th in Home Runs (16), 4th in Doubles (47), 6th in Stolen Bases (38), 9th in Runs (131), and 10th in Hits (172) during his career. The 2nd-Team All-UAA honor is the second All-UAA selection of his career.
Matthew Richert brought home 2nd-Team All-UAA honors this season for the Maroons after locking down the #2 spot in the UChicago rotation. In his 12 appearances and 7 starts, Richert compiled a 3-0 record with a 3.89 ERA and 1.15 WHIP, and he allowed opponents to hit just 0.182 against him during the season. During UAA play, Richert was even better with a 2.36 ERA and a sub-one WHIP as he allowed only 17 hits in 26.2 innings pitched. The sophomore from Chicago, Illinois, has only allowed more than two runs in one start all season, and he has not allowed more than four hits in a single appearance all year.
The entire University of Chicago baseball team wrapped up the regular season with a regular-season program-record 27 wins and the first conference championship in 113 years. The Maroons have earned an automatic spot in the 2026 NCAA Division III Tournament, and they await their postseason path during the NCAA Selection Show, airing on Monday, May 11, at 11 AM CT.