The last step of the journey is the one people will remember. 

For Amar Tsengeg, his last ride as a student athlete took him to Wichita State.

“It’s so historic,” Tsengeg said of the program. “You know what you’re getting with Wichita State and also the coaching staff like (pitching coach Anthony Claggett) and coach (Brian) Green and coach (Jason) Foster. 

“I’ve developed here in the past months … more than I ever have in my career.”

His development has shown. Tsengeg has marked personal bests in his college career with a low 3.18 ERA as of April 30 this season at Wichita State. Tsengeg previously held a 13.50 ERA during his final season at Northwestern in 2025.

“Mechanically, he’s done a really good job in the weight room working with coach (Logan) Barrett,” WSU pitching coach Anthony Claggett said. “Just from a pitch standpoint, developing a couple of pitches, working on the slider and developing the split-finger and changeup.”

Tsengeg’s nomadic steps through the college world took him from UT-Dallas as a freshman to Northwestern the past two seasons and now his final stop as a Shocker. 

“I like the little parks and nature hikes around the (Wichita) area,” Tsengeg said. “I go to this lake 20 minutes away (Santa Fe Lake) and go for hikes. 

“Sometimes it’s pretty nice. I’m used to being in flat areas, plain areas, like Kansas and Texas. But it’s pretty beautiful here.”

Tsengeg was raised in College Station, Texas, by Mongolian immigrants Tsengeg Purevjav and Ariun Ishdorj. Tsengeg was named by his grandfather. Amar (амар in Mongolian Cyrillic) means “peace” or “peaceful” in Mongolian.

“There was this very famous general (a) long time ago,” Ishdorj said. “He brought a lot of peace and happiness to people.”

Tsengeg and his family spent much of their time traveling the United States on camping trips. In addition to their excursions within the U.S., they have been back to Mongolia, although Amar’s last visit was in eighth grade before summer baseball took over his life.

“When (our) boys were growing up, we would go camping a lot,” Ishdorj said. “We would just go to different parts of the U.S. and go camping. When his brother moved to Seattle to work for Amazon, we would go there and spend a week or two in the mountains.”

Ishdorj described Amar as an outdoorsman who loves to hike.

“For example, in Wausau, Wisconsin, when he was playing there this summer, there is a big mountain,” Ishdorj said. “We went there, and he hiked there (almost) every day. It’s like they are nomads, so it might be in our blood.

“We like nature, we like seeing close to the nature. Maybe that’s something we taught our boys to do.”

From the small city life of College Station to the lakeside view of Chicago, Tsengeg has taken time to enjoy the views.

“We lived right on (Lake Michigan),” Tsengeg said. “And the (Northwestern) campus was beautiful. Chicago is a really beautiful city, too, and it’s just really nice people there.”

The well-traveled Tsengeg was also praised by Claggett for his understanding of the game.

“Amar is really a pleasure to work with,” Claggett said. “He’s very mature. Came in from Northwestern — educated background. He is what we like here in our program. 

“You know, guys that can speak the language of baseball — talk the game, understand it (and be) very coachable.”

Tsengeg’s parents both hold doctorates from Iowa State. His mother has a doctorate in economics, and his father has one in animal science.

“Amar was born in Iowa,” Ishdorj said. “When he turned 5, we moved to Texas. I got a professor’s position there at Texas A&M. So, we all moved to Texas. 

“Education was very important for us. His older brother went to Texas A&M, then he went to MIT. Amar was very bright. He was one of the top students in his graduating class. I personally thought he would go to top academic schools and chase (that). 

“But baseball was in his heart, and his dad supported him.”

Tsengeg has one routine before stepping on the mound, which he said began on a hot day this past summer. 

He showers himself with water and follows up with slaps to his neck and legs. From there, Tsengeg knows it’s time to play ball.

“One day I was pitching,” Tsengeg said, “and it was really, really hot, and I was like, ‘Alright, I need to wake up.’ I need to just cool myself. 

“I started doing it and started pitching good. So, I just kept it going.”

It has worked so far, as Tsengeg has bloomed in his final year of college under the tutelage of Claggett and WSU’s coaching staff.

“The ERA is great,” Tsengeg said. “But I think the focus this year has been pitching and being the best pitcher I can be. 

“The stats will be the stats, and the results are what they are. But if I go out there, and I can be the best pitcher I can be every time I’m on the mound, the results will take care of itself.”