Induction Video
Mike Rucci made his mark as one of the greatest hitters in the history of the Rowan baseball program while serving as one of the team’s leaders during a period, from 2002 to 2005, which saw the Profs make back-to-back appearances in the NCAA Division III College World Series.
The Profs’ anchor behind the plate,
Rucci earned All-America honors three times, including second team mention in both 2003 and 2005. He was chosen to the All-Mid-Atlantic Region First Team and
All-NJAC First Team those three seasons.
Rucci showed his durability by playing in 173 out of a possible 180 games during his four years, while posting a career batting average of .346.
He still holds numerous batting records for Rowan, including the career marks for doubles (56), home runs (39), total bases (405) and RBI (200), and up until the 2021 season, was the Profs’ all-time leader in career hits (228).
Rucci also holds the Profs’ single-season marks for RBI (61), total bases (132) and is tied for the record in hits (80).
A two-year team captain,
Rucci helped Rowan make three appearances in the NCAA Regionals, while capturing the Regional Championships in 2004 and 2005 to earn two berths in the College World Series. The Profs also won three consecutive
NJAC titles (2003, 2004, 2005) and compiled an overall record of 138-43 with
Rucci on the squad.
The 2005 graduate, who is an elementary school teacher, returned to Rowan to serve as an assistant coach with the Profs from 2015 to 2019.
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