Rowan falls to Adrian, eliminated from Division III baseball championship
The Profs made their second straight Division III championship appearance this season, but they once again fell short of reaching the final best-of-three series.
Rowan’s run in the NCAA Division III baseball championship ended with a 4-1 loss to seventh-seeded Adrian (Michigan) at Classic Group Auto Park on Sunday in Eastlake, Ohio.
A loss to Adrian in Rowan’s opening game on Friday moved the No. 2 Profs to the losers’ bracket of the double elimination tournament. Rowan (38-7) beat No. 3 Salisbury on Saturday to keep its season alive.
“You’ve got to play four weeks in a row of your best baseball, and that’s really hard to do,” said Rowan head coach Mike Dickson. “If you don’t play great, you get exposed, because you’re playing better clubs. It’s hard for the seniors, but it makes us better coaches, and it makes us better players.”
Adrian pitcher Sean Parker threw a complete game, behind a 110 pitches, and surrendered one run to the Profs, as pinch hitter Kevin Cole drove in one on a ground out in the bottom of the seventh. Parker allowed nine hits and struck out three Profs.
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“[Parker] made a couple of big pitches,” Dickson said. “He got them out of a couple jams. Credit to him.”
Adrian logged two RBI singles with two outs in the top of the third to take a 2-0 lead, which became a 3-0 lead after the Bulldogs scored one in the fourth.
Rowan’s Jason Schooley had a chance to cut into the deficit with two outs in the bottom of the fifth, but he looked on strike three and left runners stranded on second and third.
Adrian escaped a base-loaded jam with one out in the bottom of the sixth, turning a 6-4-3 double play on an Ian Murphy grounder to end the inning.
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Murphy and Joey Bogart were the only Profs that logged multiple hits on Sunday.
The Bulldogs increased their lead to four with another RBI single in the top of the seventh before Cole cut it back to three in the bottom of the seventh.
The Profs reached back-to-back Division III championships in 2025 and 2026, but they did not reach the final best-of-three series in either appearance.
“Proud of my players, proud of our season, proud of our program and where we are today,” Dickson said. “These guys should be proud that they’re laying a foundation. One time, we’re going to get out here, and we’re going to win this thing. Wasn’t this year, but these guys should be really proud of themselves.”
Adrian advances to face No. 6 seed Endicott on Monday (1:15 p.m.).