PASADENA, Calif. — The Caltech baseball team recorded one of its strongest seasons in program history this past spring, earning its highest win total since 1960 fueled by a plethora of impressive team and individual performances.

The squad picked up 10 wins, highlighted by a 5-2 victory over MIT and a 4-3 win over the University of Redlands, among others. The group recorded 15 or more hits in three different games.

At the individual level, sophomore right-handed pitcher Brendan Flaherty (Narragansett, R.I. / Lake Forest Academy) cemented his name in the history books after breaking a host of school records, including single-season ERA (4.19), strikeouts thrown (82), opposing batting average (.262) and WHIP (1.31).

The year began on Feb. 3 in walk-off fashion as the Beavers downed California Miramar University, 2-1, in 11 innings at home.

The visitors struck first before the Beavers tied the game at 1-1 in the eighth as sophomore infielder/right-handed pitcher Mark Hu (San Jose, Calif. / The Harker School) rocketed an RBI single through the left side to score senior Gautam Chawla (Princeton, N.J. / Princeton HS), who reached on a ground-rule double. The two teams stayed tied after nine innings, forcing an extra frame and then another. With the bases loaded and two outs in the bottom of the 11th, junior designated hitter Thorsen Kristufek (McKinney, Texas / McKinney) refused to let a third strike go by him, fouling off pitches before ultimately drawing a game-winning RBI walk on a 3-2 count to bring home a run and win the game.

Flaherty started the game, tossing six scoreless innings before allowing one run in the seventh. The standout let up just three hits while striking out a then-career-high 10 batters. Junior infielder/left-handed pitcher Cameron McNamee (Great Falls, Mont. / Great Falls) relieved Flaherty, allowing just two hits and striking out four. Sophomore outfielder/right-handed pitcher Jacob Alderete (Murietta, Calif. / Murietta Mesa) stepped in with two out in the 11th and delivered a clutch, bases-loaded strikeout to get Caltech off the field.

The Beavers picked up two more wins on Feb. 10, sweeping their Saturday doubleheader against Providence Christian College. Caltech cruised to the 7-2 victory in the early clash before taking the afternoon game, 10-4, in a scheduled seven-inning contest.

Flaherty put in a phenomenal complete-game win in the morning game, pitching eight shutout innings and allowing just two runs in the ninth before striking out the side for a game total of 10 Ks. Among many offensive highlights was a key at-bat from rookie outfielder Kailen Hargenrader (Bethesda, Md. / The Maret School), who earned a three-run blast in the seventh frame, giving him his first collegiate homer and making it a 7-0 game before Caltech sealed the 7-2 victory.

The afternoon game saw a 10-run showing from the Beavers in just seven innings; six different players nabbed one or more RBI. Junior outfielder Jack Fishel (Baltimore, Md. / Boys' Latin School of Maryland) connected for his first of three hits to lead off the opening frame, eventually coming home after stealing second and scoring on an Alderete single. Caltech then erupted in the third for five runs, punctuated by a massive RBI double from Hu and an RBI single from McNamee. The guests fought back to within two runs, but Caltech answered with a four-spot in the sixth, with Fishel putting an exclamation point on the day with a two-RBI triple to right field. Senior right-handed pitcher/infielder Leo Jenkins (New York / Beacon) collected the win after letting in no runs with just three hits in 4.0 innings.

For his superb hitting stats through eight games, Fishel was awarded Div. III Player of the Week honors from 64Analytics.

Caltech went on to nab two wins across Feb. 22-23, topping the University of Minnesota Morris, 8-4 before downing Macalester College, 5-3.

The Beavers opened up the Minnesota-Morris game up 1-0 before Caltech blew open the lead with a six-run outing in the third, highlighted by a solo homer from junior infielder Garrett Knuf (Laguna Niguel, Calif. / Dana Hills) and a 2-RBI single from junior catcher Edward Speer (Austin, Texas / Leander) before they tacked on one more for the win.

The group scored 18 runs in its second battle with the Scots with every Caltech batter scoring at least once before the group re-focused for its clash with Macalester. Flaherty posted another spectacular complete-game, allowing just three earned runs and retiring a career-high 14 batters by strikeout. The second inning saw three scores with two RBIs from Hargenrader before the team secured the 5-3 victory.

Caltech went on to trump MIT at home, 5-2, on Mar. 10 in their first meeting since 2015.

McNamee gave Caltech the lead after singling to center to score two runners in the first before the team brought home two more. A double down the left field line from Hu in the seventh scored Kristufek; MIT could not overtake the lead as Caltech celebrated the 5-2 victory.

Flaherty again put up a strong showing on the bump, throwing six frames with just one run and no walks to go with eight strikeouts. Rookie right-hander Joseph Pieper (Palatine / Palatine, Ill.) relieved his teammate, going 3.0 innings with just one earned run to collect his first collegiate save.

The group used the momentum from the massive win days later as they downed Redlands, 4-3, for their first SCIAC victory of 2024.

Caltech's offense came alive in the sixth as Kristufek connected for a leadoff home run before McNamee blasted a solo shot himself in the very next at-bat, electrifying the North Field crowd. Senior infielder Patrick Donahoe (New York / Bronx School of Science) put Caltech up 3-0 after reaching on a single and making his way around the bases after singles from Speer and sophomore outfielder Austin Wang (Palo Alto, Calif. / The Harker School). The Beavers scored a critical score in the seventh as Fishel stole home base; this proved crucial to the victory as the Beavers came away with the 4-3 win.

Flaherty again showed out on the mound, picking up his fourth win after allowing just two runs through 8.0 innings. Pieper once more came in to close the game, coming up with three critical outs to secure the save and team victory.

A significant come-from-behind victory came on Mar. 26 as the Beavers defeated Providence Christian yet again, this time in a 9-8 shootout. The group came back from a 6-0 deficit in the first inning, scoring runs in five out of the nine innings; Caltech took the lead at 7-6 in the fourth before the Sea Beggars took back control in the seventh at 8-7. A triple from Knuf in the eighth tied the game at 8-8 before Hargenrader tallied the eventual game-winning RBI single to left field, bringing home Knuf for the 9-8 advantage.

The Beavers capped the season with a pair of wins on Senior Day, defeating Bethesda University 6-1 in the morning before edging the Flames in the season's final game, 8-7.

Game 1 saw Flaherty's fourth complete game of the campaign and his fifth win, letting up no earned runs; he logged eight Ks and just one extra-base hit. It was a well-rounded effort at the plate for the Institute, who saw hits from six Beavers and RBIs from five.

Game 2 saw Bethesda take the early lead but Caltech continued fighting, advancing through the bases via hits, steals and walks before taking the 7-6 lead in the sixth after Kristufek connected for a two-run moon shot over the left field wall. The Flames tied it up at 7-7 but the Beavers answered once more as Hargenrader showed off his speed, taking home on a passed ball after stealing second earlier in the frame.

McNamee pitched a strong eighth frame before returning to the bump with the 8-7 advantage in the ninth. Pitching with two outs and the game-tying runner on second, a Bethesda batter hit a ball to right field, where senior Kyle Reese (Sammamish, Wash. / Skyline) corralled it before firing a bullet towards home base; Speer caught it before immediately tagged out the would-be tying run at the plate, ending the game and giving Caltech the exhilarating victory.

"It was a great way to finish the year," said head coach Kevin Whitehead. "All the seniors contributed and helped put us in double-digits in the win column. We were better today than we were at the start of the year [and] it was great to see guys fight all season."

The group finishes with the most wins in its history since 1960. Hargenrader led the squad in batting average (.300), RBIs (22) and stolen bases (17) while McNamee was first in on-base percentage (.376). Fishel led Caltech in slugging percentage (.377) and OPS (.735); he tied Hargenrader in hits (42). Flaherty's ERA (4.19), strikeouts thrown (82), opposing batting average (.262) and WHIP (1.31) were all school records.

The program will graduate four seniors though they will return a talented team with several promising newcomers. Stay tuned for a schedule release later this summer.

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