Rowan’s relaxed approach to the Division III baseball championship suits top slugger Phil Sedalis just fine

The approach of treating baseball like what it is, a game, and not like a life or death scenario has fueled the Profs into the D-III championship for the first time since 2021.

Deptford grad Phil Sedalis is leading Rowan to the Division III championship with a .376 batting average and 72 RBIs this season.Read moreCourtesy / Rowan Athletics

by Kerith Gabriel

Published May 30, 2025, 2:33 p.m. ET

Phil Sedalis isn’t taking things too seriously.

He says neither is the rest of Rowan’s baseball team.

Perhaps, it’s that attitude that has the Profs playing in the Division III baseball championship behind Sedalis, who this week was named Player of the Year in Region IV and on Friday was announced as a second-team American Baseball Coaches Association/Rawlings Division III All-American. It’s the second time he’s received the latter honor.

The approach of treating baseball like what it is — ultimately, just a game — fueled No. 15-ranked Rowan (36-10) past No. 5-seed Lynchburg in the Division III super regional and into the championship rounds for the first time since 2021. The Profs will open against Denison on Friday (4:45 p.m., NCAA.com) at Classic Park in Eastlake, Ohio.

“We’re just trying to keep it lighthearted,” Sedalis said this week during the team’s 7½-hour bus ride to Eastlake. “It’s just a game. We can’t make it too serious. We go out there and try to just have fun and bring the energy, whether that’s in a game or in practice.”

Sedalis, a senior, certainly brought the energy at the plate. He’s entering the championship with a .376 batting average and 72 RBIs. Earlier this year, he set the program record for career triples and holds team highs in hits (77), runs (66), and homers (16) this season.

“[Personally], I try not to worry about too much,” Sedalis, who’s from Wenonah, N.J., and is a Deptford High School grad. “I honestly don’t look at the stats, but I do visualize how good I want to play. I want to play at my best to be able to help a team win. For me, it’s just doing whatever I can, whether that’s getting a lot of guys in or getting myself on base as much as possible, I know all of those little things amount to wins, so that’s what I focus on.”

Sedalis has had help this season. He’s one of five Profs who made D3baseball.com’s All-Region 4 teams. Additionally, the team is coached by Mike Dickson, whom Sedalis called a Rowan legend in his own right and has been the bedrock behind the team’s run.

“He’s been there before,” Sedalis said of Dickson. “He played that role of an All-American. He’s a Hall of Fame player and will probably be a Hall of Fame coach. He knows what works, and I think we’ve bought into what he’s looking to do, and we trust him. It’s been that trust that got us here.”

The most important takeaway from Dickson?

“Just play our game, and everything will work itself out,” he said.

It’s what the Profs hope will be the case in their opener against Denison, which knocked them out in the regional rounds last year. Sedalis said would be nice to get a bit of revenge against the Big Red (40-5).

“We all know that they’re a good team, but we still have all the confidence in the world and a game plan, and we’ve watched a lot of film on this team,” he said. “Some of us have been studying up on them for, like, five hours. Look, they’re good, but it’s up to us to not give them too much credit and stick to our game plan.”

Sedalis doesn’t know what’s next from a baseball perspective after college, but he hopes his breakthrough performance this season presents some opportunities to continue his playing career.

While that would be great, he’s not stressing, which seems to be his modus operandi.

“Obviously, that’s the dream,” Sedalis said. “We’ll just see what opportunities come, and if I get any, I’ll definitely go for it. I love this sport, I grew up playing it, and would love to continue what I do with a baseball. So, yeah, we’ll see.”