EASTLAKE, Ohio — President Adam Weinberg encourages alumni to place a Denison coffee mug on their desks at work.
Former Big Red baseball player Anthony Ruggieri ’21 keeps a “jar of dirt” under his JPMorgan Chase office desk. Mind you, this is no ordinary soil. It was excavated from hallowed ground — the infield at Big Red Field before the program switched to an all-synthetic surface.
“They gave all the seniors a jar of it,” Ruggieri said. “I keep it because it reminds me of our time playing baseball together.”
Ruggieri, of Pittsburgh, was one of about 40 former Big Red players who descended on Classic Auto Group Park in suburban Cleveland to see Denison win its first NCAA baseball title on Thursday.
Many took off work, and some booked last-minute flights to support the team and coach Mike Deegan.
If there were an extra-effort award to be given, Kyle Clemmenson ’13 was a prime candidate. Not only did he fly from New York on short notice, but he paid to have his return flight rebooked because Thursday’s two games ran long.
“I wasn’t missing this,” Clemmenson said as Big Red players celebrated the 10-inning 4-3 win over Ellicott College to clinch the Division III College World Series. “Watching this was so worth it.”
Deegan is beloved by current and former players. They share what the coach calls “an unbreakable bond.”
Because there was limited post-game access to the field, Deegan carried the championship trophy into the stands for pictures with his old players. The smiles on their faces stretched from foul pole to foul pole.
“When these guys graduate they leave the team, but they’re a part of this program forever,” Deegan said. “I see Eric Calaco ’25, the former national player of the year, here. I see Charlie Fleming ’23, and guys from my first year coaching in 2013 — Kyle Clemensson, Tim Duxbury ’13, Lowell Hall ’13.
“Those guys believed in a vision that they didn’t necessarily sign up for. To see them come back is so special. We always say we’re standing on the shoulders of those before us.”
There were hundreds of red-clad Denison fans in attendance Thursday, including plenty of alums who never swung a bat or threw a pitch for the program. They all played their part in urging the team to keep fighting as the Big Red fell behind 3-0 after four innings in the deciding game.
But the surge of support from the section of former players who sat near the dugout was unmistakable. Their section crackled with excitement as the Big Red rallied to tie it in the sixth inning.
Payton Burch ’22 was among a group of teammates who flew from Chicago and Ubered from the airport across town. Burch’s co-workers sometimes tire of hearing about his alma mater and its baseball team. He’s been accused of “never closing my college yearbook.”
“I tell them how great Denison is, but they don’t get it,” Burch said. “They wouldn’t understand because they were never a part of something so special.”
When Peter Krieger ’11 saw the Big Red win on Monday afternoon, he considered flying from Newport Beach, California. He’s married to a Denisonian, Kelly Lengsfield Krieger ’11.
“I turned to my wife and she said, ‘You absolutely have to go,’’’ he said. “I’m so glad I was here to witness this.”
