Chase Rowe leaving La Roche baseball to join Detroit Tigers organization
Seven-time AMCC Baseball Coach of the Year Chase Rowe is leaving La Roche to take a minor league position with the Detroit Tigers.
Rowe will be a hitting coach but the team or level at which he will coach has not been announced.
The Knoch graduate announced the move on Twitter, saying, “Today I spoke (to) ‘my brothers,’ as my daughters would call them, to inform them of my departure as head coach of the LRU Redhawks. La Roche is blood to me; family. They took on a 22-year-old baseball-obsessed kid and made him a man, a husband and a father of three. … I am so thankful for all of the players and coaches, both past and present, and the experiences we shared. They will last a lifetime.”
Rowe went 305-170 in 11 seasons as head coach with eight AMCC regular-season titles, seven conference tournament titles and a runner-up finish in the 2015 NCAA Mideast Regional. The Redhawks won the ‘16 regional and advanced to the NCAA Division III College World Series.
Rowe was the ABCA/Diamond Mideast Region Coach of the Year in ‘15 and ‘16 and is a past D3baseball.com Mideast Region Coach of the Year. He was the ‘15 Chuck Tanner Collegiate Coach of the Year award.
He has coached five players who went on to sign professional contracts.
As a player, Rowe was a standout shortstop at Gulf Coast Community College and Slippery Rock, the latter where he played three years. Slippery Rock won the Atlantic Region and made the World Series in 2003 with Rowe in the lineup.
He owns Respect The Game LLC and the Pittsburgh Spikes Baseball Club.
Rowe was an associate scout for the Florida Marlins from 2009-11 and currently has the same position with the Colorado Rockies.
Officially accepted a Minor League hitting position with the Detroit Tigers. Thank you to all involved with @LaRocheBaseball pic.twitter.com/NVNAbDjJlm
— Chase Rowe (@chaserowe23) December 3, 2019
La Roche Baseball's Legendary Head Coach, Chase Rowe, is headed to the pros! Coach Rowe has accepted a Minor League hitting position with the Detroit Tigers. LRU wishes Coach Rowe the best of luck in his new and well deserved position??⚾️ pic.twitter.com/uz6noQVTpv
— La Roche Athletics (@LaRocheRedhawks) December 3, 2019
Statement from Coach Rowe ?️ pic.twitter.com/qA3pAGo6pk
— La Roche Athletics (@LaRocheRedhawks) December 3, 2019
Bill Beckner Jr. is a TribLive reporter covering local sports in Westmoreland County. He can be reached at bbeckner@triblive.com.
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