In the world of college baseball, West Virginia earning its first ever College World Series berth has been a huge story of interest in the area.

The Mountaineers are set to take on Troy at 2 p.m. today in Omaha, Neb. to begin the double elimination tournament. The final two teams standing will play a best-of-three championship series to determine the national champion.

But there’s another college baseball story relevant to the Mid-Ohio Valley that recently occurred in the Division III ranks.

Denison University defeated Endicott twice in three games to capture the D3 national title. Denison, which finished the 2026 season with a sparkling 51-3 record, is guided by head coach Mike Deegan.

Those who have followed the Marietta College baseball team the last 30 years or so will certainly recognize that name. Deegan, a standout player in the pinstripes from 1998 to 2001, was the top lieutenant to head coach Brian Brewer on the 2011 and 2012 Etta Express teams that brought home back-to-back national championships.

During his tenure at Marietta, Deegan served as associate head coach, recruiting coordinator and hitting instructor. After helping the Pioneers further cement themselves as the top D3 baseball program in the country, Deegan accepted the head coaching job at Denison, where he has helped the Big Red become a powerhouse in their own right.

In 14 seasons under Deegan, Denison has a 429-158 (.730) record. The Big Red made their first Super Regional appearance in 2024, their first World Series berth in 2025 and won it all for the first time this season, all under the direction of Deegan.

Under Deegan’s coaching profile on Denison’s athletics website, Brewer is quoted as saying the following: “As sorry as we are to see Coach Deegan leave Marietta, we are equally proud. Coach Deegan has been an essential part of our success over the last nine years and we feel confident his successes will continue at Denison.”

Coach Brewer was spot on with that prediction.

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Seeing Deegan’s name in the news had me reminiscing over that 2012 Marietta College team. As a 2012 graduate of MC, getting to watch those guys up close that spring was one of the highlights of college for me, but I had forgotten just how absurdly talented they really were. Checking out the stats page was a fun trip down memory lane.

Tim Saunders led the team in batting average (.441), runs (80), hits (94), walks (35), triples (7) and stolen bases (41). Aaron Hopper, the only player to start all 56 games that year, drove in a team-high 64 runs and tied Saunders for the team lead in home runs with five. Marietta High grad Evan Brockmeier was second on the team in runs-batted-in (53), stolen bases (19) and was third in batting average (.375).

That team also had Kirby Becker, a four-year starter at second base, plus All-American catcher Alex Toth.

And we haven’t even talked about the pitching staff yet. Austin Blaski (13-1 record, 1.23 ERA) headlined the rotation on the way to winning 2012 National Pitcher of the Year. Marietta’s No. 2 arm happened to be the 2011 National Pitcher of the Year, Brian Gasser (11-4, 3.18). Mike Mulvey (6-0, 2.18) had a breakout junior season on the mound.

Oh, and the closer on that team was Kyle Lindquist, who went on to coach under Deegan at Denison and now works in the Cleveland Guardians’ front office. Lindquist graduated as Marietta’s all-time leader in saves (since passed by Sam Mathews).

Just an absolutely stacked squad.

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Speaking of the Etta Express, Marietta College alum Turner Hill is having a nice season in Sacramento.

In 161 at-bats for the San Francisco Giants’ triple-A club, Hill is batting .329 with two home runs, 32 RBIs and 11 stolen bases. Now 27 years old, the former MC All-American is starting just about every day in the outfield and has helped lead the River Cats to a 38-24 record.

The 2017 Marietta High School graduate is making a strong case for himself. Hopefully Buster Posey is taking notice.

Contact Jordan Holland at jholland@newsandsentinel.com.