Brandon Buday throws the ball to Shane Pellegrino in a game last season. (Clara Richards | Student Life)

After finishing last season with a 26-14 record, the Washington University baseball team entered the 2024 season hungry for even better results. 

“We want to get back to the College World Series,” sophomore infielder Shane Pellegrino said. “We’ve been talking about that for a while now.”

While the Bears are not nationally ranked, they received votes in the season-opening Top 25 poll, indicating that a postseason run is not a far-fetched notion. 

The Bears started their 2024 journey on Feb. 17, beating Centenary College, another team receiving votes, 3-2 before dominating Hendrix College in a doubleheader on Feb. 18.

In the opening weekend of play, the Bears have lived up to their hype, not only going 3-0 but also handily defeating top-notch opponents.

The Bears opened their season against Centenary College, a small liberal arts college from Shreveport, Louisiana. Initially, it seemed as though they might start the year with a loss. 

First-year pitcher Parker Guthrie took the mound for the Bears, allowing five hits and two runs in his 3.2 inning-long college debut. Despite getting on base frequently, the Bears were unable to score any runs early on, resulting in a 2-0 deficit.

Graduate student pitcher Matt Lopes relieved Guthrie, and although he allowed five hits in 4.1 innings pitched, Centenary failed to convert any of those hits into runs. 

Though the Bears’ bats struggled early, the impressive pitching performance motivated an offensive resurgence in the seventh inning. Senior outfielder Kaden Bernhard kick-started the momentum with a single, and the Bears followed with three runs on three hits to take a 3-2 lead. 

“Having consistent pitching gave the offense tremendous confidence and allowed us to go out there and just get the job done. We really love to support our pitchers and score more runs,” Pellegrino said. 

In the ninth inning, Centenary threatened to make up the one-run deficit with runners on second and third base with no outs, but senior pitcher Clayton Miller remained composed. He closed the game for the Bears by striking out the next three batters, securing a win in their season opener. 

Next, the Bears turned their attention to Hendrix College, the Arkansas-based school that hosted the weekend’s three games, for a doubleheader. Game one was a blowout for the Bears, with the bats coming alive and the pitchers holding strong to secure a shutout 12-0 victory. 

Junior pitcher Will Henkel started on the mound and pitched a gem, throwing 5.1 hitless innings. Henkel, who was named the University Athletic Association (UAA) Pitcher of the Week for his performance, allowed only one hit and no runs. 

While Henkel dominated on the mound, the Bears’ offense scored nine runs to take a commanding 9-0 lead after six innings. Bernhard initiated the scoring with a booming double in the third inning, driving in Pellegrino and junior outfielder Brandon Buday. The Bears continued to pile on runs, including a sacrifice fly by Miller and a two-RBI double by Pellegrino during a three-run fourth inning. 

First-year pitcher Townsend Stevenson and sophomore pitcher Miles Quemuel-Labrador took over pitching duties after Henkel’s stellar performance and maintained Hendrix’s scoreless streak. The Bears added three more runs in the seventh and eighth innings to secure a 12-0 victory in game one of the doubleheader. 

The sheer depth of great hitters the Bears possess helps give them so much confidence. “One through nine, we’re just as talented as anyone in the country. If our top guys aren’t doing good, we got our other guys that are gonna have our backs, and they’re gonna be able to put up some hits, too,” Pellegrino said. 

After the decisive win, Hendrix responded strongly in the rematch. With junior pitcher Sebastian Guzman on the mound for the Bears, Hendrix scored three runs in the first two innings, while WashU managed to score one run during this period. However, WashU’s offense and pitching came alive, which added seven more runs while holding Hendrix scoreless for the remainder of the game. 

Sophomore utility player Dax Braemer tied the game for the Bears in the third inning with a two-run single. Despite allowing a leadoff double in the bottom of the third, Guzman and the Bears’ fielding managed to prevent any further scoring. 

WashU continued to add runs, with Buday scoring on a wild pitch in the fourth inning. First-year pitcher Anderson Gomez relieved Guzman and delivered an impressive performance on the mound, allowing just one hit in 1.2 innings pitched to earn his first college win. In the seventh inning, the Bears’ offense exploded, scoring four runs to secure an 8-3 lead. Junior pitcher Hank Weiss closed the game for the Bears with four strikeouts. The highlight of the game was the discipline shown by the Bears’ hitters, drawing a remarkable 11 walks in seven innings. 

Up next for the Bears is their home-opening series against Coe College on Feb. 24 and 25. After Coe knocked WashU out of the 2020 College Baseball World Series, the Bears are eager to avenge that defeat. 

“We know what we have to do to get those guys, and we are ready to play them,” Pellegrino said.