PITTSBURGH — Nine years ago, Chase Rowe became one of the youngest collegiate head baseball coaches in the country.

He hasn’t disappointed.

The Knoch High School and Slippery Rock University graduate, still only 32, has guided La Roche College to its third Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference championship in the past four years. He has won four AMCC regular season titles during that time.

“We had a good program in place here when our coach left and Chase was an assistant baseball coach with us at the time,” La Roche athletic director Jim Tinkey said of the decision to promote Rowe to head coach nine years ago. “To a man, everyone on the team wanted Chase to be their coach.

“We don’t normally hire a coach for that reason, but he seemed to be the best fit to keep the program moving forward — even at age 23.”

No one can deny Rowe has done that. The Red Hawks cracked the Division III Top 25 for the first time in program history this season and Rowe guided the team to its first-ever NCAA regional win in 2012.

Named AMCC Baseball Coach of the Year for the fourth time in five seasons, Rowe has La Roche in NCAA regional play this week at Washington & Jefferson. The Red Hawks play Frostburg today after losing 6-5 in 10 innings to Heidelberg Wednesday.

La Roche 30-11 overall this season and was 14-2 in conference play this spring.

“We’ve got a good mix of players on this team,” Rowe said. “We have a number of transfers who have blended in well and been effective for us.

“You don’t win without good players. That’s the first step and we’ve been fortunate here in that regard.”

Rowe’s career record at La Roche stands at 225-146 — a .640 winning percentage. The team’s batting average is at .342 this season and he’s never had a team with an average below .300.

“Hitting is my forte. It’s what I work with players on the best,” Rowe said. “We’ve never had a problem with offense here.”

They’ve never had trouble finding players, either.

“Chase is a great recruiter,” Tinkey said. “He wears his passion for baseball on his sleeve and he has a genuine interest in his players as individuals on and off the field while they’re at this school.

“He projects a very positive image to parents. He’s the kind of coach you want your kid to play for.”

Butler graduate Colin Williamson is one of those kids. A junior with the Red Hawks, Williamson is playing his third different position in three years. He played third base as a freshman, center field last year.

This year, he’s at shortstop and is hitting ,.345 with two homers and 20 RBI.

“Chase understands you as well as you understand him,” Williamson said. “He’s an outstanding communicator and he’s easy to play for.

“He’s always there to help you out. Chase talks to every individual player on the team ... I know he was a big help in my transitioning over to shortstop.”

Williamson has developed a hot bat recently — delivering key hits in the AMCC Tournament — and has developed into a leader on the team.

“Colin’s offense struggled a bit when he first went over to shortstop,” Rowe admitted. “But he’s a quality hitter and it was only a matter of time before his bat came back around. He’s the most vocal leader on this team and one of our hardest working kids.”

La Roche has transfers on its roster from Pitt, South Alabama, Mount Union, Otterbein and Point Park, among other places.

“A lot of guys out there are looking for a comfortable place to play college baseball and we try to give them that,” Rowe said.

He’s trying to give the college a national championship as well.

“That’s the ultimate goal and there’s no reason why we can’t make that happen here,” Rowe said.

For now, at least, he has no desire to try to make it happen anywhere else.

“I’ve never pursued another job,” Rowe said. “I like the Pittsburgh area. My family’s here. I’ve got great bosses and we’re having success while coaching a sport I dearly love.

“I’m a pretty happy guy.”

So are his bosses.

“Chase has this program to the point where we can play with anybody,” Tinkey said. “We swept Frostburg in a doubleheader and they’re No. 2 in the country.

“I like where we’re at and I like where we’re headed.”