Hall of Fame
Dale Roder was the ace on Coach Jim Ellwanger's baseball pitching staff from 1982-1985. The three-time NAIA All-District 15 selection and two-time most valuable player had the distinction of pitching 39 complete games in as many starts. The right-hander was 7-2 with a 3.05 ERA in his first collegiate season. As a junior, Roder again went 7-2 on the mound while fashioning a 2.81 ERA. Offensively, Roder carried a career .312 batting average. He batted over .300 three times during his career, including a .326 showing as a sophomore. A 26th round draft choice by the Chicago White Sox, Roder finished his career with school records in games (41), complete games (39), innings pitched (273), ERA (3.56), and victories (25). A native of Granville, Iowa, and a graduate of Granville Spalding High School, Roder was an all-district honorable mention pitcher as a freshman. He pitched and played third base as a sophomore and junior, and pitched and played first base as a senior. He played on three NAIA District 15 championship runner-up teams.
