Beaver Pitcher Takes Perfect Game and Season One Pitch at a Time

Pre-engineering major earns American Rivers Conference baseball honors after tossing perfect game to help open league schedule.

Dalton Glenn was all smiles after throwing the first perfect game in decades, perhaps ever, at Buena Vista University. Glenn, a junior from Omaha, didn’t allow a hit or a baserunner in a seven-inning perfect game at Central College on Saturday, a 12-0 victory and the finale of a three-game weekend sweep over the Dutch to open American Rivers Conference play.

Coach Steve Eddie, now in his 22nd year directing the Beavers, says Dan Christiansen pitched the last no-hitter at BVU. Christiansen blanked the Dutch in April 2002, but he allowed baserunners via walks.

Glenn struck out a career-high 11 hitters. He retired nine hitters on fly balls or pop flies. He also induced one ground out.

“I’ve been a part of shutouts as a pitcher, but never a perfect game or a no-hitter,” Glenn says. “This was my best baseball accomplishment, ever.”

The righty credited the BVU offense with taking the pressure off him early as the Beavers scored early in racing to a 4-0 lead after two innings. Glenn joined his defense in doing the rest, relying on catcher and classmate Grant Oseka, along with seven players dotting the diamond. The pre-engineering major reached a three-ball count on just two hitters.

“I got ahead in the count and my command was there from the start,” says Glenn, who threw fastballs, curveballs, and sliders on a chilly day in Pella. Interestingly, the perfect game followed an opener in which BVU trailed 17-5 before rallying for a 22-18 victory.

“The wind was blowing out and yet Dalton gave up a bunch of medium-distance fly balls,” Eddie says. “He threw strikes and kept Central off-balance. The defense made the plays behind him.”

“To catch a game like this was a dream of mine,” says Oseka, a sport business major from Papillion, Neb. “I knew something was going on after the third inning as everyone in the dugout started to leave Dalton and me alone. I got nervous only twice in the whole game when we got behind in the count and almost walked a few guys.”

Eddie continues to contact alumni and check the records. He’s yet to find a perfect game listed in BVU baseball lore.

It is rare. Among the hundreds of games played in NCAA Division III baseball this spring, Glenn recorded only the second perfect game thus far. He kept the lineup card and Coach Steve Sonka’s pitch chart for his memories. Oseka, who caught the final out when the last Central hitter went down on strikes, presented the game ball to BVU’s history-maker.

“I’ve played baseball with Grant since we were juniors in high school,” Glenn says. “I knew to trust him with every pitch, and he did the same.”

“Dalton didn’t shake me off the whole game,” Oseka says. “I think this goes back to how long we’ve known each other and the trust he has in me.”

The Beavers, according to Glenn, continue to take this season one pitch at a time, refusing to look ahead. While getting out to a 3-0 start in the American Rivers Conference season is nice, a solid Loras College team, with a record of 17-2, awaits. The Duhawks visit Storm Lake for a three-game league series beginning at 6 p.m. Friday. A double-header follows at 1 p.m. Saturday.

“We’ll be ready,” says Glenn, the American Rivers Conference Pitcher of the Week. “We’ll continue to try to play the best we can.”
 

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