Rowan headed to D-III World Series

The Rowan University baseball team is headed to the Division III World Series for the first time since 2005.

Rowan (29-4) clinched the berth with a 9-8 win in 10 innings over Marietta, Ohio, on Sunday, to capture the Marietta Regional championship.

The NCAA Division III World Series will be conducted in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, from June 4-9.

Rowan scored the winning run when Jared Marks scored on Victor Cruz’s RBI groundout.

Zach Listro, a senior righthander from Kingsway, earned the win with 2 ? innings of scoreless relief. Listro (4-0) allowed just one hit, struck out two and didn’t walk a batter,

That concluded a dominant performance that earned him the Most Valuable Player award in the Regional.

Rowan opened the Regional with an 8-1 win over Penn State Behrend. Lefty Drew Ryback, a senior from Clearview, earned the win, pitching a 9-inning complete game, allowing seven hits and striking out five.

Right fielder Ryan Murphy went 3-for-4 with a home run and four RBI. Shortstop Nick Schooley, a senior from Cherokee, added a double and triple.

Next up was a 6-3 win over St. John Fisher as senior righthander Donald Zellman earned the victory, allowing two earned runs in 6 ? innings. Schooley was 3-for-4 with four RBI.

That was followed by the first of two wins over Marietta. Rowan earned a 2-0 win over the hosts as sophomore lefthander Eli Atiya of Cherry Hill West, allowed five hits over eight innings to improve to 9-1. Listro pitched a scoreless ninth inning for his seventh save. Cruz and Ryan McIsaac, a senior from Millville, had the RBI for Rowan.

Then came the 9-8 win. Eric DiDomenico, a junior first baseman from Paul VI, went 2-for-5 with a home run and two RBI.

Joining Listro on the All-Regional Team were Cruz, McIssac, Ryan Mostrangeli, Schooley and Atiya.

Prior to the Regionals, Rowan captured the New Jersey Athletic Conference tournament. After losing its first game in the NJAC tourney, Rowan won its final six, capped by an 8-3 win over William Paterson as Atiya earned the win after allowing one earned run in six innings. It was the 17th conference baseball championship in school history.

This season has continued a successful run for Rowan coach Mike Dickson, a Gloucester Catholic graduate. Now in his seventh season, Dickson has a 183-78 record. He has guided the Profs to the NCAA Tournament four times.

This was Rowan’s sixth Regional championship, having also won in 1977, 1978, 1979, 2004 and 2005.

The Profs will be seeking their third NCAA championship, having won in 1978 and 1979.

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Author: Marc Narducci