Chase Rowe

SAXONBURG — Baseball was always Chase Rowe's game.

But it was the influence of coaches from all sports that steered him in the direction of coaching.

“I played for some great coaches,” the 2001 Knoch graduate said. “There were Earl Jack, Scot Thompson and Curt Schnur in baseball, Les Shoop and Dee Faulx in basketball ... I was influenced by all of those people, along with (Slippery Rock University baseball coach) Jeff Messer.”

Rowe went on to a stellar baseball career at SRU and became one of the youngest head collegiate baseball coaches in the country when he took the La Roche job at age 23. Now he's being inducted into the Butler County Sports Hall of Fame.

The 36-year-old Rowe, who has won 340 games in 12 years as La Roche, will be inducted during the BCSHOF's annual banquet at 6 p.m. April 13 at the Butler Days Inn.

“A lot of the guys who coached me are in there now,” Rowe said of the Hall of Fame. “Being able to join the same club they belong to is really exciting to me.”

Rowe made first team all-section in high school baseball at Knoch and was first team All-Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference as a second baseman and third baseman at SRU. He lettered four seasons at The Rock and was a key member of the 2003 team that advanced to the Division II World Series and posted a school-record 47 wins.

“Winning has always been important to me,” Rowe said. “Our teams won at Knoch and Slippery Rock was one of the elite Division II baseball programs in the area. They had been to the (Div. II) World Series before. That's why I chose to go there.”

Rowe tied the SRU single-season record of 21 doubles in a season in 2005. He hit .412 that season.

His first year as coach of La Roche, he guided the program to its first-ever Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference regular season championship. The Redhawks have been winning ever since.

“Right time, right place, right situation,” Rowe said of his landing at La Roche. “I love coaching and making players better. The only losing season we've had there was a technicality. We had an ineligible player one year and had to give back six wins. Every other year's been a good one.”

Now in his 13th season with the Redhawks, Rowe is 340-180 overall — a .642 winning percentage — with seven AMCC regular season and six tournament titles. He guided the 2016 team to La Roche's first Division III College World Series appeasrance.

He has been named AMCC Coach of the Year numerous times.

“My goal is to win a national championship there,” Rowe said. “I don't want to leave here until that happens.”

Rowe is also the general manager and in charge of player development for the Pittsburgh Spikes, a 10-team summer AAU baseball program for kids ages 14-18.

“I love baseball. I'm grateful I've been able to make a living at it,” he said. “More than likely, I'll keep coaching here until I feel like I can't do anything else with the program.

“I like to be challenged. My ultimate goal is to coach professional baseball. That's where I'd love to end up.”

Tickets for the banquet are $40 in advance and are available at Moses Jewelers at the Clearview Mall, Butler Radio Network on Pillow St., Parker Appliance in Chicora, Snack n Pack in Butler and Saxonburg Drug. Tickets will be $45 at the door.