PITMAN, NJ – The eighth-ranked Rowan baseball team has been picked to finish second in the New Jersey Athletic Conference as the 2026 Preseason Coaches Poll was announced.
Fifth-ranked Kean is the top choice of the NJAC coaches with eight first-place votes, with Rowan and NJCU receiving one each. Ramapo is picked third followed by Montclair State, Rutgers-Camden and Stockton in sixth. TCNJ is seventh, with William Paterson, Rutgers-Newark and NJCU rounding out the poll.
NJAC PRESEASON COACHES POLL
Rowan went 38-12 last year, and 14-4 in the NJAC, to record its most wins under head coach Mike Dickson and the third most in school history. The Profs, who were ranked sixth (ABCA) and fifth (D3baseball.com) in the final polls of the season, reached the NCAA Division III World Series for the sixth time and posted two wins before falling to national champion Wisconsin-Whitewater.
The Profs return eight position players led by
Nick Struble (DH/1B) and
Brayden Davis (3B). NJAC Rookie of the Year
Damon Suriani (OF) is also back, along with
Mason Dorsey (OF),
Joey Bogart (IF),
Jason Schooley (C),
Luke Bickunas (C) and
Kevin Cole (IF).
On the mound, Rowan will be led by returning starters Preseason All-America
Zach Coluccio (10-1, 2.70 ERA) and sophomore
Austin Kreyenhagen (5-1, 2.92 ERA). Back in the bullpen this year are
Mark Grubb (2-1, 2 sv),
Christian Rice (1-0, 1 sv),
Jack Norton and
Evan Brasberger.
Dickson welcomes a large class of talented freshmen and transfers including Jake Andrey (RHP, Shepherd), Ian Murphy (DH, Barton), Evan McCoach (OF, Rutgers), Dane Samartino (RHP, IUP) and Ben Schild (RHP, UConn).
The Profs will undoubtedly face one of the nation's toughest schedules, meeting seven ranked teams before April 1. Rowan opens the 2026 campaign on Saturday, February 28th against #13 Cortland in a doubleheader scheduled to be played at the Villanova Ballpark at Plymouth (Plymouth Meeting, PA) and then hosts #21 Penn State Harrisburg on campus on March 4th. The Profs will face four ranked teams at the RussMatt Invitational in Florida over Spring Break starting with #24 Keystone on March 11, and have back-to-back contests with #10 Salve Regina and #11 Johns Hopkins on March 15 and 16. The Profs' final opponent in Florida is #2 Endicott on March 20.
