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Posted: Jun 04, 2024

DuPage ends 22-year drought with Region 4 championship

(Image courtesy of College of DuPage Athletics)
(Image courtesy of College of DuPage Athletics)

GLEN ELLYN, ILL. - The College of DuPage snapped a more-than two-decades long championship drought on May 12 when it claimed the 2024 Region 4 Division III Baseball Tournament title for the first time since 2002. The top-seeded Chaparrals' rollercoaster season breezed right through the field in the region tournament with three consecutive wins, capped by an 11-8 victory over #4-seeded Oakton College. Sophomore catcher Filip Milatovic was named the Region 4 Tournament Most Valuable Player, while Matt Gould earned Region 4 Coach of the Year accolades. (Recap: DuPage)

DuPage opened postseason play with a 10-2 run-ruled decision over the Owls, and then blanked #3-seeded Waubonsee Community College by an 8-0 tally in eight innings in the semifinals. The championship game brought a rematch with Oakton after the Owls rattled off back-to-back wins in eliminations games by taking down #2-seeded Joliet Junior College 2-1 and the Chiefs by a 6-4 final. Early errors by the Owls led to a quick 2-0 lead for COD, from which they never looked back. A five-run fifth inning provided some breathing room en route to the 11-8 victory. The win qualified the Chaparrals for the NJCAA Great Lakes District Tournament against Region 12 winner Terra State Community College 

Region 4 Division III Most Valuable Player
Filip Milatovic - College of DuPage

Region 4 Division III Coach of the Year
Matt Gould - College of Dupage

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SANDUSKY, OHIO - On May 17, ,the College of DuPage, ranked #13 in the final NJCAA Division III Poll, blew the doors off the host Titans, outscoring the competition by a 29-2 tally over two games to clinch their spot at the 2024 NJCAA Division III Baseball World Series. The Chaps scored three or more runs in each of the first four innings of the day's first game, winning 16-0 in five innings with A.J. McEneany tossing a two-hit shutout. The finale saw COD slowly build a five-run lead until TSCC scored their first run of the day. A three-run fifth and a five-run eight put a 13-2 game away. Jack Wade and Jake Pauley each hit a home run. (Recap: DuPage) 

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AUBURN, NY - The 2024 NJCAA Division III Baseball World Series started on May 25 with the #7-seeded Chaparrals taking on #2-seed Dallas College-Richland in the First Round. The Thunderducks took a 15-7 win in seven innings, sending COD into the losers bracket. DuPage dug team and claimed wins in back-to-back elimination games, topping #6-seed St. Cloud Tech by a 6-3 score and #5-seed Herkimer College by a 3-1 count to reach the semifinals. The second came to a close with a narrow 10-9 loss in a walk-off to #3-seed and eventual nationall runner-up Dallas College-Eastfield. The Chaparrals finished with a 33-18 record.