Central fifth-year senior Colton DeRocher broke the school’s career home runs record on the final weekend of his collegiate baseball career to claim the #6 spot on our countdown of the top 10 sports stories for the Dutch over the 2023-2024 school year.

In a doubleheader split at Loras College on Friday, May 3rd, DeRocher provided the lone bright spot in the loss, recording his 25th career home run in the second game of the twin bill. DeRocher’s solo shot in the third inning bypassed Rick Hassman, who had held the record for home runs in a career at 24 since 1989. The senior needed just three seasons to accomplish the feat, after transferring to Central following the conclusion of his sophomore year. During his first two seasons with the Dutch, DeRocher posted eight home runs apiece, before tacking on nine more this past spring. In addition to breaking the home run record, Colton finished his time at Central in the top ten of five other stat categories on the career leaderboards.

DeRocher and the Dutch finished the spring of 2024 with a 16-23 record.