On August 1, Caleb Durbin ’22 of the Milwaukee Brewers stepped up to the plate against his former WashU teammate, Ryan Loutos ’21 of the Washington Nationals. Student Life sat down with Caleb and Ryan before the Brewers faced the Nationals on August 3 to discuss what the historic moment was like, what they miss most about WashU, and what their DUC order was. 

For most WashU students, there are just eight miles and a short metro ride that separate campus from Busch Stadium. For 2021 graduate Ryan Loutos, the journey was a little more complicated. 

In 2021, WashU’s pitching ace turned down a software engineering job to play minor league baseball. Three years later, he’s beginning to reap the rewards of the decision to chase his dream.  

Rising senior Caleb Durbin was drafted for the Atlanta Braves in the 14th round and May graduate Ryan Loutos signed with the St. Louis Cardinals as an undrafted free agent.

After a regional tournament complete with upsets and surprises, Wash. U. has made it further than ever before.

While they are not guaranteed an automatic bid spot in the NCAA postseason due to the UAA not having a conference tournament, head coach Pat Bloom is confident that the Bears will be rewarded for their strength of schedule and their high win percentage. 

This spring, Loutos has helped the Bears to a 24-3 overall record, pitching to an astounding 1.14 ERA through 63 innings.

The Bears improved to 24-3 on the year, but there are not automatic playoff spots this year.

The Bears outscored Spalding 18-4 over four games, and the team’s 21-1 start to the year is one of its best ever. 

The victories over Aurora set the stage for the Bears’ toughest stretch yet.