Erik Sundgren Wins 2026 NCAA DIII Baseball National Championship with Denison
By: Jared Barton
Former WPIAL Champion and North Allegheny standout Erik Sundgren is now a National Champion.
Sundgren and the Denison Baseball program wrapped up the 2026 season with an impressive 51-3 overall record and the NCAA Division III National Championship on Thursday from Eastlake, Ohio.
FOR THE FIRST TIME IN PROGRAM HISTORY, DENISON BASEBALL ARE NATIONAL CHAMPIONS‼️#GBR | #DenisonProud pic.twitter.com/lCAD3S0kz9
— denisonsports (@DenisonSports) June 4, 2026
This is the first national title in Denison Baseball history. The Big Red were the first-ranked team in the nation for the better part of the 2026 season and held a record 44-game win streak during the run. The only losses this season came to #5 Salisbury at the D3 Showcase in North Carolina in the second game of the season, #15 East Texas Baptist University in the opening game of the DIII College World Series and to #9 Endicott College in game two of the championship series.
Denison beat Wittenberg for an NCAC Title, then hosted and beat Grinnell College, Cortland and Kalamazoo College in the NCAA Regional. The Big Red then hosted the Super Regional, beating RV Piedmont University in two games. After the World Series opening loss to East Texas Baptist University, Denison beat #8 Johns Hopkins, #10 Baldwin Wallace, and then East Texas Baptist University twice to advance to the Championship Series, beating Endicott College in the best-of-three.
Denison won the final game of the World Series dramatically, 4-3 in 10 innings. Sundgren tied the game in the bottom of the sixth inning on an RBI single.
AND JUST LIKE THAT, WE’RE TIED 😳💥
Erik Sundgren finds the equalizer and it’s a 3-3 ball game for @DenisonSports and @ECGulls!#WhyD3 | #D3baseball pic.twitter.com/hOqAnVdz85
— NCAA Division III (@NCAADIII) June 4, 2026
The game-winning run was batted in by fellow WPIAL product and All-American Jack Lutte of Peters Township.
Congratulations to Denison University on winning the DIII National Championship with a walk-off in the 10th inning from All-American Jack Lutte.@DU_Baseball @d3baseball @ABCA1945 pic.twitter.com/WgGNCBDaOX
— The Baseball Collegian (@basecollegian) June 4, 2026
HISTORY!!#NotJustYet pic.twitter.com/CJxbicjLIY
— Denison Baseball (@DU_Baseball) June 5, 2026
Sundgren started every game of his senior campaign in the outfield with the Big Red. He batted .373 this season with 79 hits, including a team-leading 22 doubles. His 11 home runs were second-best on the team and he was tied for first with three triples. Sundgren led Denison with 140 total bases and 32 stolen bags.
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Sundgren was named to the D3baseball.com All-Tournament Team on Friday.
