JULY 29 • 2021 | 23

in the past how he swings,
” Pleis 
said. “Both guys (Rothenberg 
and Crouch) are interesting. If 
they uptick a bit, they’ll turn 
themselves into good players.
”
Rothenberg had a great career 
at Duke, where he appeared in 
166 games in four seasons, start-
ing 157.
The Blue Devils achieved 
unprecedented success with 

him behind the plate, playing 
the NCAA tournament three 
straight times (2018, 2019 and 
2021), making the super region-
al round twice (2018, 2019) and 
winning their first ACC cham-
pionship (2021).
Rothenberg had a career .266 
batting average at Duke with 
24 home runs (13th in pro-
gram history), 128 RBIs (17th 

in program history) and a .479 
slugging percentage (24th in 
program history). He was hit by 
a pitch 36 times (fourth in pro-
gram history).
A star off the diamond, he 
was named an Academic All-
American in 2020.
He graduated from Duke 
with a bachelor’s degree in 
political science, but he said he 
hopes to be a baseball executive 
after his playing career is over.
Before going to Duke, 
Rothenberg set the school 
record for career home runs 
(19) at Pine Crest School in Fort 
Lauderdale, Fla., where he was 
an honor roll student.
Rothenberg is the son 
of Mark and Susannah 
Rothenberg. He has an older 
brother, Matt, and a younger 
sister, Arielle.
Matt Rothenberg played base-
ball at Harvard University from 
2015-18. The 6-2, 195-pound 

right-handed hitting second 
baseman, third baseman and 
leftfielder batted .307 in 128 
games for the Crimson over 
four seasons with five homers 
and 53 RBIs.
He earned a bachelor’s degree 
in economics from Harvard and 
is now the national trade mar-
keting manager for Anheuser-
Busch’s Michelob Ultra brand. 
He works in New York City.
Mike Rothenberg was part of 
a historic MLB draft for Jewish 
ballplayers.
Observant Orthodox Jews 
were selected for the first time 
since the draft began in 1965.
The Arizona Diamondbacks 
drafted 6-5, 220-pound pitch-
er Jacob Steinmetz, 17, from 
Woodmere, N.Y., and the 
Washington Nationals picked 
catcher Elie Kligman, 18, from 
Las Vegas, Nev. 

Please send sports news to 

stevestein502004@yahoo.com.

DUKE UNIVERSITY

Duke catcher Mike 
Rothenberg tags out 
a Boston College 
runner during a 
game this spring.

People of all faiths 
and beliefs are welcome

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WEST BLOOMFIELD

• Edward I. & Freda Fleischman Residence/
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