Messer

The Slippery Rock University baseball team is coming home from its tournament in North Carolina on a high note as long-time head coach Jeff Messer recorded his 1,000th career win Thursday with a 17-9 victory over Franklin Pierce University.

Messer is in his 34th year at the helm of The Rock, and he is now just the 18th coach in NCAA Division II history to reach the milestone.

The Rock started the game with a 4-0 lead through two innings. Franklin Pierce posted a six-run bottom of the third to take a brief lead before The Rock responded with five runs over the next two innings. The Ravens tied the game at nine in the seventh, but SRU scored eight unanswered runs in the next two innings to secure the victory.

Messer was already the winningest coach in Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference history, leading The Rock to 30 winning seasons since he took over the program in 1986.

He currently sits with a .611 winning percentage with a 1,000-638-5 mark.

The win Thursday improves SRU’s record to 6-5 on the season as they head home to prepare for their first PSAC doubleheader against Gannon University on March 22.