CHICAGO – University of Chicago baseball’s Drew Bryan and Erik Rindner were recognized with major awards and First Team All-Region nods from both the American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) and D3baseball.com.
Bryan was named Region 9’s Pitcher of the Year by the ABCA while Rindner earned Rookie of the Year honors from D3baseball.com. Additionally, both were named First Team All-Region by both organizations.
Bryan, a junior from Sanford, N.C., adds First Team All-Region and Region 9 Pitcher of the Year honors to a slew of accolades from both this season and his UChicago career. As a freshman, Bryan compiled a historic season with a 0.00 ERA, setting a school record for lowest-ever ERA primarily out of the bullpen. He was also named a First Team All-American and National Rookie of the Year after the 2021 season along with receiving top honors in the region.
Transitioning to a starter after the 2021 campaign, Bryan posted another stellar stat line as the ace of the Maroon staff in 2023. The right-hander struck out a school-record 89 batters over 59.1 innings, earning Pitcher of the Year and First Team All-Conference status in the Midwest Conference (MWC). Nationally, Bryan ranks 7th in strikeouts per nine (13.5), ninth in WHIP (0.91) and 9th in hits allowed per nine (5.31). He struck out six or more batters in all 10 of his starts in 2023, including two games with 15 strikeouts. For his career, Bryan has totaled 187 Ks in just 135.1 innings and has a 15-2 record with a 2.73 ERA.
Rindner, a first-year from Potomac, Md., was a force for UChicago at the dish while commanding the pitching staff as well in his rookie season. At catcher, he threw out eight runners and had a .995 fielding percentage while serving as the primary backstop for the Maroon staff, of which ranked second in the MWC in ERA.
At the plate, the righty batted mostly in the clean-up spot and delivered with 10 homers and 43 RBI while hitting .340. He started in 41-of-43 games and added 11 doubles and a team-high 41 runs scored. Rindner topped or tied for the team lead in the following categories: runs scored, hits, home runs, RBI, slugging percentage, walks and on-base percentage.