COLUMBUS, Ga. – University of Redlands was crowned the 2025 Division III Leadoff Classic champion. The Bulldogs finished with a perfect 6-0 mark over the course of three days at the South Commons Complex.
The 22nd-ranked Bulldogs capped off their undefeated run with a 17-2 five-inning thumping of Piedmont followed by a 9-5 win over No. 25 Huntingdon. Against Piedmont, Redlands recorded 17 runs on 12 hits and put the game away with an eight-run fourth. Trailing the Hawks 2-0 entering the bottom of the third, the Bulldogs scored one in the bottom half and took the lead for good with three runs in the fourth. They would add one in the fifth and four more in the sixth to give them a 9-2 cushion. They would need that cushion, as the Hawks tallied three to make the final score 9-5.
Prior to Sunday, Redlands, which generated 68 runs, posted wins over Wartburg (13-4), No. 18 Pfeiffer (4-2), RV Saint Benedict (11-3) and No. 5 Belhaven (12-9).
Four teams finished with 5-1 records – No. 1 East Texas Baptist, No. 7 Case Western Reserve, Wisconsin-Eau Claire and No. 2 Linfield.
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ETBU closed out the tournament with an wins over No. 10 Trine and DePauw by 8-5 and 11-5 scores. CWRU edged No. 6 Tufts, 6-4 and rallied from an early 10-0 deficit against No. 5 Belhaven to top the Blazers. UWEC trumped LaGrange, 11-4, and Spalding 12-4 in six innings. Linfield rallied past Denison, with eight runs over the fifth and sixth innings for a 12-10 win and then ran through St. John Fisher, 17-3 in five innings.
University of Chicago, which clobbered 17 home runs during the tournament, picked up its first two wins of the season on Sunday. After dropping their first four games by a combined four runs, they topped Stevens 9-6 and then homered twice during a five-run seventh to defeat Alma 5-3.
Pfeiffer also closed out with two wins on the final day to finish 4-2. The Falcons topped LeTourneau, 11-5, and won a close affair with Saint Benedict, 4-2.
Numerous programs picked up wins on the final day, including Stevens, which exploded late with consecutive seven-run frames (5th & 6th), for a 17-8 victory over LaGrange, its first of the season. Additionally, Wartburg won its final game of the tournament when a walk-off single capped off an eight-run rally over the final two innings for a 13-12 win over Pacific Lutheran.
Also collecting wins Sunday were DePauw, Trine, Belhaven, LeTourneau, Gettysburg, Huntingdon and Pacific Lutheran. The latter three finished with 4-1 and 4-2 tournament records, respectively. LeTourneau, Trine and DePauw finished 3-3.
All-Tournament Team
Jordyn Porter, Alma
Ellie Jones, Belhaven
Elizabeth Berry, Case Western Reserve
Annabelle Calderon, Denison
Ella Kuenster, DePauw
Tristen Maddox, East Texas Baptist
Paige Forry, Gettysburg
Jordan Holman, Huntingdon
Zoe Veras, LaGrange
Kylie Grisham, LeTourneau
Cydney Hess, Linfield
Kamalani Doctor, Pacific Lutheran
Emma Bullin, Pfeiffer
Mandi Peretti, Piedmont
Katlyn Gandara, Redlands
Cat Smetana, Saint Benedict
Emily McManus, St. John Fisher
Grayce Marcum, Spalding
Kyra Fischer, Stevens
Tyra Marcum, Trine
Heaven Olivia, Tufts
Tillie Nelson, UChicago
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